It is warm again today—perhaps too warm to believe that spring has truly arrived, yet warm enough that I may not need my down jacket anymore. A small seasonal shift can make one notice other kinds of structures in daily life, including those we rarely question.
The trains are crowded after the long weekend. It is slightly uncomfortable, but we tend to accept it by telling ourselves that “everyone is the same.” Yet that phrase deserves scrutiny. When we say “everyone,” we usually mean ordinary workers. But even among workers, there are differences—blue-collar and white-collar, those who commute by train and those who do not. The experience of crowded trains cannot be universalized so easily.
Yesterday was the Emperor’s Birthday. As ordinary citizens, we were granted a public holiday. I remember when the current Emperor was known as Crown Prince Naruhito; having followed the news over the years, I have felt a certain familiarity. And yet, watching the images of the official banquet, I was reminded of the considerable distance that exists.
As children, we wore similar shorts and might have seemed not so different. But seeing the rows of dishes at a state banquet makes one aware of another world entirely—one that continues to exist alongside ours. There are those who stand at its center, and those who support it.
Japan has a world of ceremony and splendor that continues through generations. It exists as a system, sustained not only by tradition but also by cultural and economic structures. There are undoubtedly many people for whom its continuation matters.
Is this disparity, or is it tradition? I am not sure. If it is to endure as an institution, then its place should be clearly articulated in legal and constitutional terms, so that discussion does not drift into emotional reaction alone.
At the same time, we must ask what such an institution is meant to protect. That question is neither simple nor easily answered.
