TOBY’s JAPAN BLOG

Tip #1 to begin preparations for a journey where the signposts are unfamiliar, where the new worlds you see reveal elements in yourself that you never knew existed.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

THE AUTHENTIC SAMURAI

 Click HERE for the making of Shogun


Click HERE for the video: Chapter 1  Honoring Authenticity


Click HERE for the video: Chapter 2  A Day with Hiroyuki Sanada



Posted by Toby Manzanares at 1:52 PM
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Sakura Zensen

Sakura Zensen
"The Cherry Blossom Wave" passes every spring beginning in southern Japan and passing like a wave toward Japan's northernmost islands.

The Great Buddha of Nara

The Great Buddha of Nara
A World Heritage site. Known in Japanese as Daibutsu (大仏), where you will find the world’s largest bronze statue of Buddha.

Gassan Sadatoshi

Gassan Sadatoshi
In Search of Japans Greatest Swordsmiths

Lost in Japan

In Japan, getting lost became for me a heart warming part of the journey. Its people are quite generous with their time and in short order I grew more comfortable asking for assistance. Don’t be surprised if someone stops where they’re going to walk you to where you need to go even if it takes them way out of their way. Once, an 80 year old man noticed I'd lost track memorizing the 5 turns required to be on my way. So he got off his train with me to walk me down my path. There remained this feeling when he returned to his track: “What a gentle man. This ocean of kindness is the way life ought to be.” --tnm

Samurai Swordsmith

Samurai Swordsmith

SHIBUYA CROSSING, TOKYO-- click below.

  • Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo

Our Japanese Wedding Document

Our Japanese Wedding Document



THE WAY OF THE SHOGUN: An Ancient Road travelled by Samurai. Scroll right. Click on the bridge.

THE WAY OF THE SHOGUN: An Ancient Road travelled by Samurai. Scroll right. Click on the bridge.
Photo by Hiroshi Okamoto

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Toby Manzanares
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Art

Art

Letters From Japan... Listen here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_iI1J0bALE

This first letter is from my first cousin Tereese Padilla, who was recruited by her company to do corporate work in Japan in 1980, she was only 25 years old, and darn it if she didn't get there first. It took me until I was 58 for my first trip to Japan in 2005 and I'm half Japanese! See her letter below. Copy this link and listen to Chopin in Japan as you read her letter. The music connects to a denoument at the end of her letter.--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_iI1J0bALE



#1 Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Dear Toby

This is the letter I was going to send you about my time in Japan, for your little blog - You Tube Session??? I sent it to my sister and her family while I was staying in Inuyama. I’ll add side notes as I remember things and just so you know I went there for the Hertz Corporation which was owned by RCA at the time but run by the Nippon Corporation under Nippon Rent a car. I was there to market Fly Drive Promotions for Hertz because the Japanese people very much like to travel around their country flying and driving - and Hertz in Japan was 2nd to Avis - so there was a big push to make Hertz number one.



Wednesday July 16, 1980

304 Roppongi: Shiro Mansion

6-8-29 Roppong: Minato - Ku

Tokyo, Japan

Wednesday July 16, 1980

Inuyama, Japan 9:35pm


Dear Bill, Diana and Hito Billy,

I know this letter will find you all in happy spirits because of your new home - I am very excited for you all and am looking forward to coming to visit and staying on top of that little hill.

Well, I’m here in Japan safe and sound and very happy. Much has happened since I landed and I’ll try and fill you in (there are some interesting points that I think you will find particularly appealing Bill).

When I arrived in Tokyo, I stayed at the Tobu Hotel and although I was extremely impressed by the cleanliness of the entire city Tokyo, I was shocked at the size of my room - it was practically standing room only and to tell you the truth this “Spoiled American” maiden wanted to cry because I thought I’d have to stay there and my clothes wouldn't fit in the room. I brought 3 huge overseas trunks - but it worked out well and I am embarrassed to even write that now because it shows you just how spoiled I was/am - tall Americans don’t fit everywhere LOL

On the first night I had the Japanese Barbecue and met my contact Hibino- san...later I had lunch with Reiko Yamamori (one of my escorts - she is so gentle and kind, you would all like her alot). Later I met the President of Nippon - Kozo Ishikawa and his wife Meko. Afterwards we all went Disco dancing and when I got out there to dance everyone stopped and watched me: I thought I was John Travolta and this was Saturday Night Fever - totally embarrassing but I had a really great time. It was also kind of crazy because all of the men asked to dance with me while their dates (wives?) stayed on the side and clapped - it was wild. Oh and we went out one night to do Karaoke and everyone begged me to get up and sing Country Roads by John Denver! To funny but thankfully I knew the lyrics.

Not long after being there I went to the Kabuki (Japanese Theatre). That was interesting - it was an all male cast for female roles and children’s roles). The props were incredible,the scenery was amazing and the instantaneous change of clothes was magical - truly. It was all really cool - 4 hours for Part I and 4 hours for Part II - I was very tired when I left and I wondered how work day people got to see this fantastic form of entertainment.

I finally met the Board of Directors for Nippon and was introduced to the entire staff. I had to give an impromptu speech and Dale Carnegie Course #14 Impromptu Speaking Class sure came in handy. Later I met the Vice President of RCA, Mr. John Rich (RCA owns the Hertz Corporation and they are who paid my salary). Mr. Rich was extremely gracious and in honor of my arrival brought out his best bottle of sherry which is something he said he did only for VIP’s or so I was told. That’s a great Public Relations line and it worked, I thought he was great LOL. Anyhow we hit it off extremely well and he cancelled all of his appointments for the day, so that we could chat. He also introduced me to Scallops Prunier which I found very tasty. One thing Bill, is that Mr. Rich is from Maine and has a house on St. Elizabeth or Port Elizabeth - its a little south of Portland - he also owns one of the islands off the coast known as Bates Island. I also asked him if he knew your father and he said your father was a well known Doctor, but he had never had the opportunity to meet him. When I get back to Tokyo, I’ll be meeting him again to play some Tennis and he likes to talk about Maine so perhaps I’ll learn something that will be of interest to you Bill.

After I left Mr. Rich, I moved into my apartment and if I thought my hotel room was small - I was really in for a surprise. My apartment is the...oh well, it’s small too!

I had to unpack and repack as I went (we flew) from Tokyo to the Senri-Hankyu Hotel in Osaka. Whoa - Osaka was amazing - Our best and biggest cities are nothing like these wonderful works of art and cleanliness. I was really impressed with Osaka.

I had to speak at a Convention for about 1500 Licensees. This time I was prepared and was received very well - everyone said I was charming and beautiful (how do you like them apples??? tee hee When I left there I went with President Ishikawa and Mr. Hata who is the President of the largest Limousine service company in Asia - anyway I went with them to Dohtombori Street which is rather like Broadway in New York on on a bigger scale. You can see clearly American Influence in the industry over here, but there is also a very French flavor on top of the Japanese Culture (like whipped cream on a delicious piece of chocolate cake). BTW I didn’t know that in Japan the women walk behind the men. I was trying to walk with them and they kept walking faster and faster because I have a long stride but even I was shocked at how fast we were walking to lunch and I thought we were going to start running. One of my escorts came running up to me and said, “Stop! Please Padilla-san in Japan women walk behind the men! I was so embarrassed and those poor older Japanese men were wheezing and wiping sweat off their foreheads and brows. I apologized again and again with many many bows - so many I got a back ache! Served me right though - I should have familiarized myself with those customs. Anyway we went to the top of the Royal Palace and there in the conference room with others, Mr. Ishikawa and Mr. Hata said they knew a couple of American songs they liked and proceeded to sing to me. They sang “Moonlight on the River Colorado”; “Old Black Joe”; and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Cute huh? Actually, English with Japanese accent can be pretty comical - they probably get a kick out of Japanese with English accent. I was talking to Masaki Yamashi-san (Yamashi-san was the escort that ran after me to Stop me from killing my hosts), who said, “Please not call me Masaki Yamashi-san it is to long.” He also said, “Padilla-san, American baby so so smart.” I said, “Really, why do you say that?” He said, “American baby learn English.” Boy, I got a good laugh out of that - I said, “Masaki Yamashi-san, Japanese baby pretty smart, Japanese baby learn Japanese!” Yamashi-san said, “oh, I see what you mean.”


Last Friday, I went to Nara to go sightseeing. I went to the Diabutsu Temple, which is the largest wooden structure in the world and it houses the largest Bronze Buddha in the world. Let me tell you that was something. Also, in the park the deer are very tame. The Japanese believe that the deer are sacred messengers from Buddha so they are very much revered. Anyhow, I was feeding them “deer-cookies” and turned around for a moment when one of the little critters bit me in the derrière!!! It was quite obvious that not everything in the Deer Park was considered sacred.

Later that day one of the Licensee’s invited me to a special lunch and the Geisha that cooked for us opened up her restaurant in honor of my arrival to Japan - so we were the only people in the restaurant and it was wonderful and she cooked us Tempura which was “ashi” or “good”. After that I left for Kyoto.


I got up on that morning and went sightseeing and toured Kyoto. I can’t really tell you about the beauty I found here and it will only be feebly imitated in the pictures that I’ll send later but suffice it to say, I found much peace and tranquility in the many temples, shrines and gardens in which I visited. Also it was an interesting day for me as many of the local people stopped and asked me if they could take my picture or take a picture with me as they had never seen such a pretty American. Now please don’t think I’m getting or being conceited - that is a quote but I must admit this place is good (maybe bad) for the ego. HA!

I had a special audience with the President of the Community Bank of Kyoto, Mr. Sakakida - he is a very famous and well respected man who knows many countries Presidents, foreign dignitaries etc., and as a special envoy from RCA; I was “sent” by Frank Olson and David Sarnoff( The President and Owner of RCA respectively) to give him their regards.

I had a Press Conference in the lobby of the New Miyako Hotel in Kyoto - that was fun but I was pretty sick from that time of the month YEK! and I didn't really put my best foot forward - Oh well, I get some more chances. Later I left for Sengri Prefuncture (Otsu) and stayed at the very famous Lake Biwako Hotel - gosh that was pretty and this morning I got up early (cause I’m not sick anymore) and went to visit a few Licensees in Otsu...then back to Kyoto and I did some shopping then caught the Hikari/Bullet Train ( this train goes 130 miles an hour) back to Nagoya and after that I jumped on the subway to Inuyama and here I am!!! They had little lights strung up all over the garden and patio’s and I love the way that looks. I am going to get me some of those when I grow up :)


Tomorrow I am going to meet with two Travel Agents back in Nagoya - hold a 2nd press conference and then catch the Bullet Train back to Tokyo. In Tokyo I have to take pictures for a life size display of me to be distributed through-out Japan - then do some Zero Fare Promotions - rest a little and then fly to Sapporo, Kyushu and Okinawa - that is as far as I know my itinerary. Actually I did not end up going to Sapporo or Okinawa - I did go to Fukuoka and Sasebo and Nagasaki. So beautiful - it’s hard to imagine that there was anything in Nagasaki to bomb - it’s wide open gorgeous country and the ravages of war make one ashamed of humanity. I had some incredible wine in Nagasaki though, both Japanese and Russian wine and I’m not a wine drinker - but those wines were excellent. I was sorry to learn that the Japanese were having trouble with Russia over the ownership of some islands - it’s my sincere hope that it is resolved peacefully. Oh speaking of wine, I had some Saki - Japanese Rice Wine - it went down so smooth and I didn’t notice a thing but when I stood up, I was like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I started falling over and three Japanese men were trying to hold me up...they were so upset - they said, “Oh Padilla-san you no drink Saki no more!” What a headache I had and just like that, I didn’t drink Saki no more.

Oh one more thing - the Tokyo Broadcasting System presented me with this pen at the convention - that is why I am writing this ridiculously long letter, so this is actually brought to you by TBS! Ha

I am very pleased to have the opportunity of coming to Japan. Everywhere I went and made friends they all said, “You have a Japanese Heart Padilla-san” and they invited me to stay in Japan forever. I will always love Japan and the Japanese people.

I have always been a lucky (actually Blessed) girl but never realized how much. I can only in my prayers Thank God and Hope He knows how happy I am.

Please write if you have the chance but I better tell you right now that this letter was an exhausting experience and from now on it’ll probably only be postcards. I love all 3 of you very much (Katie wasn’t born yet but oh what a diamond with the most beautiful face she was when she finally came into the world) - and I have you also always in my prayers.

Respectfully Yours,

Tereese


PS. Oh I forgot to tell you that Kozo Ishikawa’s Father was a very famous man and dear friend to Thomas Alva Edison. If you ever wondered what happened to the first lightbulb, it was presented to Mr. Ishikawa Sr. , by Mr. Edison. - very interesting huh? I saw all kinds of pictures of them together and they are pictured in and written about in many books.

I’ve had every kind of fish you can imagine....eel, shark (tastes like chicken), squid ( I like it barbequed), octopus, prawns, kiss fish, raw fish and a whole raw live little like minnow thing that was scooped out of the fish tank and put on my plate with a, “Dozo - please Padilla-san, in Japan guest eat before all others” and so I picked it up with my chop sticks and swallowed it whole...that is when I drank Saki and to this day I still feel the little guy swimming in my stomach sometimes. I was very polite and ate everything they gave me.

The Japanese can’t get over how tall I am. They are very short people for the most part and I catch them looking at my legs, then their legs and then shaking their heads - it makes me laugh!

By the way, Roppongi where I stay when I’m in Tokyo is very fashionable, but how small can a mansion be? All the International Models stay here and every morning there is a model from Norway that plays Chopin’s Heroic Polonaise to wake up by. It’s very nice but I am not home enough to make friends with anyone...sad... especially because there is a really handsome young man from a Military Family at Church and I’d like to meet him but I think the Good Lord has other plans for me.


Letters to Japan [coming soon!]

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