Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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The beauty of autumn’s red spider lily, Japan’s flower of death

The merciful drop in humidity is a welcome sign that after months of discomfort, summer is at last on the wane. However, a far more reliable indicator is the blossoming of red spider lilies. Higanbana to use one of its many Japanese names. Or simply the flower of death.

Poisonous to rodents and other wild animals, they were often planted in and around graveyards during Japan’s pre-cremation days to stop the dead being eaten. The beginning, perhaps, of their connection with death.

The name of the flower can also refer to ‘the other shore’; its bright colours said to guide souls into the afterlife. An aspect that presumably explains its use at funerals.

And if that wasn’t enough, another story is that red spider lilies bloom along the paths of departing lovers. Companions who for one reason or another are destined to never meet again.

Yet associations with death and departing lovers aside, the higanbana does undoubtedly represent the shift from summer to autumn. A welcome sight after too many long, desperately hot days. Although it’s not just the promise of cooler weather, but also its incredible beauty.

red spider lily. Japanese higanbana

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Tokyo’s tiny bars

Fancy bars are all well and good if you fancy a, erm, fancy bar. But for real atmosphere, and arguably a taste of real Japan, Tokyo’s seemingly infinite selection of tiny bars and eateries really take some beating.

tiny Tokyo bar

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The time for Japanese political protest?

Even in the ultimate old boys’ club, where nepotism and social standing trump merit and competence, yesterday’s election of Shinzo Abe as president of the opposition LDP — giving him a very good shot at being the next Prime Minister — marks something of a new low for the already closed world of Japanese politics.

Born into a distinguished political dynasty, Abe’s rise through the ranks was inevitable, culminating in him becoming Prime Minister in 2006. A post he then quit after only 12 months of a decidedly undistinguished reign. Such failure, apart from in the world of finance, usually leading to a rapid slide into irrelevance.

But no, and what can be seen as a further sign of Japan’s fall from grace, the hawkish and diplomatically provocative Abe is now well and truly back. For how long, and in ultimately what role, only time will tell, but hopefully what it also signals is the final straw for what has until recently been a distinctly apathetic population.

The size and passion of anti-nuclear demonstrations over the last 18 months have shown an anger and frustration not seen since the sixties. An issue that perhaps importantly isn’t just restricted to the present regime, but all those since the dawn of nuclear power itself.

Now whether that zeal can be maintained, not to mention extended beyond the nuclear issue, remains to be seen. But what is clear is that for younger generations in particular, the veil has been well and truly lifted, and those with their eyes open definitely don’t like what they see.

Japanese political protest

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Asakusa sadness and smiles

The popular tourist trap of Asakusa is an interesting area to visit. On the one hand there is the famous Senso-ji Temple, along with all the shops selling tat that go with such places. Basically a fun and somewhat cultural spot to meet friends and take a few photos.

But Asakusa is also surrounded by some of Tokyo’s less well-to-do districts, giving it another, very different dimension. One that some people take note of, and others choose to ignore, but either way it’s always there, on the fringes.

Asakusa