Uhambo lwase-Japan: Ukuhamba phakathi kwemvula, impempe, nama-Samurai Aluhlaza

Umsakazo obukhoma weNdebe Yomhlaba empambanweni yase-Shibuya, yilapho uhambo lwami lwase-Japan lwaqala khona ngempela. Ngehora lesishiyagalolunye ebusuku, amalambu abomvu kuzo zozine izinhlangothi akhanya kanyekanye, abahamba ngezinyawo bavinjwa ngaphandle kwemigqa, njengebhodwe lamanzi asezobila kodwa angakabili. Isibuko esakhiweni se-TSUTAYA sasibonisa umdlalo wangaphambi komdlalo weqembu lase-Japan, amajezi aluhlaza entanta phakathi kwesixuku. Indoda eyayisebenza ehhotela yayifake isikhwama sayo emakhwapheni, yehlisa ikhanda ithumela umlayezo wezwi kozakwabo: "Uma singawina namhlanje ebusuku, umhlangano wakusasa kufanele uhlehliswe." Abafundi basesikoleni esiphakeme eduze bahleka, kodwa akekho owamemeza ngempela. Injabulo yabantu base-Japan ivame ukucindezelwa emphinjeni kuqala, ilinde impempe, bese kuba ukuphefumula okukhulu komgwaqo wonke.

Ngaphambi kokuqala komdlalo, ngathenga i-oden esitolo esiseduze. I-turnip yayicwiliswe emhluzini yaze yakhanya, usawoti we-kombu unyukela onqenqemeni lwenkomishi yephepha. Umthengisi wangibuza ukuthi ngifuna i-mustard, ngangingakayizwa kahle, umfana ogqoke ijezi lenombolo 7 lase-Japan ngemva kwami wayesengitshele ukuthi "sukoshi." Wakhomba isibuko wathi u-Mitoma Kaoru ungowase-Kanagawa, waphinde wengeza, izingane eziphuma e-Kawasaki, ngaphansi kwezinyawo zazo kunomoya wenkundla yebhola eseceleni komfula. Ngalandela isandla sakhe ngabheka empambanweni, amatekisi, izambulela, izikhafu zabalandeli kanye nomusi wesitolo esiseduze kuxubene ndawonye. Ngaleso sikhathi, ibhola lalingeyona nje indaba yezemidlalo, kwakuyiphunga lase-Tokyo ezinzulwini zobusuku.

Ngosuku olulandelayo ngiya e-Yokohama, ngaqonda ukuthi kungani u-Endo Wataru ehlale ebizwa ngabalandeli base-Japan ngokuthi "ukaputeni othule." Umoya wasolwandle e-Minato Mirai uphephetha umuntu ephapheme, ngaphandle kwe-Red Brick Warehouse kukhona ubaba ohola indodana yakhe izilolongela ukudlulisa ibhola, ingane njalo uma imisa ibhola ikude kakhulu, ubaba akathethise, umane asebenzise ithiphu lonyawo ukudlulisa ibhola, athi: "Mou ikkai." Phinda futhi. U-Endo wasuka e-Yokohama, kamuva wadlala e-Europe waba ngumdlali ongabanjwa iso kodwa ohlala esendaweni efanele. I-Yokohama nayo injalo: ulwandle lubanzi, idolobha alinamsindo, njengomdlali wasesiswini ovikelayo, ubamba konke ukujabula ngokuzinzile.

I-Arashiyama yase-Kyoto uma inetha, umsindo wemvula uqala uwele emacembeni ohlanga, bese uwela esambuleleni, ekugcineni uwele emfuleni. Izivakashi e-Togetsukyo Bridge zinciphe ngesigamu, abadonsi bezihlalo babeka amathawula emahlombe abo, amasondo edlula ematsheni amanzi, ekhipha umsindo omncane ohlabayo. Ngacasha endlini encane yetiye, umama walapho wabeka itiye le-houjicha elishisayo etafuleni, umabonakude onomsindo ovaliwe ubonisa izindaba zezemidlalo. Isithombe sika-Kubo Takefusa savela, wathi indaba yakhe yase-Nara ixoxwa abalandeli abaningi base-Kansai, njengokuxoxa ngengane ekwazi ukukhahlela ibhola isuka emigwaqweni emincane yedolobha elidala iye enkundleni yomhlaba. Insimbi yethempeli ngaphandle yakhala kancane, ngacabanga ngempempe yebhola: enye imisa umuntu, enye imenza agijime, kodwa e-Japan, zombili zidinga ukuthi uqale ulalele ukuhleleka.

Ntambama imvula yaphela, ngahamba ngomzila omncane wemihlanga ngiphuma. Amathonsi emvula emacembeni ohlanga awela emqaleni, kubanda kuze kufinyeze umuntu. Izitolo zezipho emgwaqeni zilengisa okhiye be-Samurai Aluhlaza, zibekwe eceleni kwezimpaka zenhlanhla namabhisikidi e-matcha. Amantombazane amabili angaphakathi exoxa ngesikimu seqembu, enye ithi u-Mitoma kufanele angene kusenesikhathi, enye ithi u-Kubo uyasiklebhula kangcono isivikelo. Amazwi abo mancane, uma bekhokha babonga kakhulu kubathengisi. Kubantu abahamba okokuqala e-Japan, lokhu kuzithiba kulula ukuthi kuphuthwe njengokungabi nandaba; kodwa uma nje usubuke nabo umdlalo wonke, uzobona uthando lugoqwe kahle, lufakwe ephaketheni, lukhishwe kuphela ekudlulisweni kwebhola okubalulekile. Esikhwameni somsebenzi kukhona ifulegi leqembu, kukhava yefoni kukhona umdlali, esitimeleni abanamisindo, kodwa ekuhlaselweni ngakunye baphefumula kanyekanye.

Ngesikhathi ngishintsha esiteshini sase-Kyoto, ngahlangana nendoda endala egqoke isudi. Yayiphethe iphephandaba lantambama, ikhasi lezemidlalo ligoqwe ngaphandle, ikhona lephepha limanzi ngenxa yemvula. Yathi ingibona ngigqolozele isihloko, yanginikela ngephephandaba, yakhomba isithombe seqembu lase-Japan yathi: "Tsuyoku natta ne." Senamandla. Akukho ukuziqhenya, akukho ukuchaza, kufana nokuthi imvula namuhla isinciphile. Isitimela sathi singena, wayigoqa iphephandaba, wangivumela ngekhanda, wanyamalala nezixuku ezitebhiseni ezinyukayo. Leyo nkulumo emfushane, yayifana kakhulu nokufudumala kwebhola lase-Japan kunanoma yimuphi umbhalo omude.

E-Osaka, i-Dotonbori isebenzisa iphunga ukudonsela umuntu phansi. Insimbi yokosa i-takoyaki ikhipha intuthu emhlophe, isoso simunyu futhi sicwebezela; iphunga likawoyela wezitolo ze-kushikatsu linamathela ejazini, udlula uphawu lwe-Glico ungalisusi. Isibuko esikhulu eseceleni komfula siphinde sibonise igoli leJapan, izivakashi ziphakamisa amafoni, omalume bendawo babuka nje ukudluliswa kwebhola kokugcina, bethi: "Soko, umai." Lapho, kuhle impela. Ngama eduze kwesitolo se-sushi ezwe abapheki ababili bephikisana nge-Gamba Osaka neqembu lesizwe, enye ithi iNdebe Yomhlaba yenza izingane zifune ukukhahlela ibhola kakhulu, enye ithi izingane kufanele ziqale zifunde ukulayini, ibhola alithathwa ngokuxokozela. Kuzwakala njengehlaya, kodwa ku-Japan impela.

Ebusuku kakhudlwana, iminyango yezitolo iyavaleka ngokulandelana, intuthu kawoyela isanamathele emakhoneni emigwaqo, njengehlombe elingafuni ukuhamba emva kokuphela komdlalo.

Ngiyakuthanda lokhu kuphikisana okuqotho. I-Tokyo ifaka umhlaba wonke empambanweni eyodwa, i-Kyoto igcina umsindo wemvula njengencwadi endala, i-Osaka ibeka ukulambela nezwi emgwaqeni; kodwa okwenza uhambo luhlale ngempela, yilezo zikhala ezincane ozaziyo kuphela uma usuhambile. Emhluzini we-oden esitolo sasebusuku kukhona i-kombu nokozela, insimbi yethempeli nempempe yokuphela komdlalo zombili zingamisa umuntu kungazelelwe, abantu abagqoke amajezi esiteshini sezitimela bazimela ngemigqa emibili, ngaphambi kokugubha bangavimbi abanye ekhaya.

Ngaphambi kokuhamba, ngaphinde ngabuyela e-Shibuya. Isibuko sasingenamdla, sekunokukhangisa kuphela, impambaneno isadedela abantu ngesikhathi. Umfana omncane ogqoke ijezi lase-Japan elikhulu kakhulu, wayelandela unina, esebenzisa unyawo ukudlulisa ibhola elingabonakali. Lapho kukhanya okuluhlaza sekuphelile, "wamisa" ibhola ngaphambi komugqa omhlophe, akaliphumi. Ngicabanga ukuthi, lokhu yingxenye enzima kakhulu yohambo lwase-Japan: ucabanga ukuthi uzele ukujaha izibani, amathempeli, i-ramen nezihlabani zebhola, kodwa ekugcineni okukhumbulayo ukuzibamba kwengane emisa ibhola ngaphambi kwelambu elibomvu. Uthando lwebhola lase-Japan aluhlali lumemezwa, lufihlwe emoyeni wasolwandle wase-Kanagawa, emgwaqweni omdala wase-Nara, ekuzilolongeni kokudlulisa e-Yokohama, nasezinhliziyweni zabantu abakwazi ukulinda impempe.