Ken and Mitsu - the Revealed and the Hidden

Alex Kerr is a Japanologist and well known author and restorer of old houses in Japan. The beautiful rural accommodation at the start of my trip is one of his renovation projects. In his book “Hidden Japan” Kerr talks about 2 opposing poles in Japanese culture - “omote” meaning front and “ura” meaning back. These are also referred to as “ken” meaning revealed and “mitsu” meaning hidden. It is generally accepted that “ura” or “mitsu” are superior to “omote” or “ken” - the hidden being more revered than the revealed. In other words that which is harder to find is more wonderful than what is easily seen. When it comes to my personal travel experiences, that has absolutely been the case.

In Hidden Japan Kerr writes -

“As long as we live in an age of travel where anyone can go anywhere, any time, wonderful places will continue to be ruined… we need to give some thought as to how our trip can help, not hurt, the destinations we visit. Part of the answer will probably lie in slowing down. It’s easy to see a lot in a short time and absorb almost nothing from it. But there’s a way to travel which might be the equivalent of slow food vs. fast food. When you stop to take in the details, time slows. Taking more time - sipping slowly - there’s room for the spirit of the place to enter your heart. The damage you inflict decreases and the support you give to the locations that need it increases.”

Tourism is two sided. Kerr explains that with tourism, as with the tea ceremony, there is a “host” and a “guest.” The hosts are the cities, monuments, museums, and natural wonders we visit. The guests are the tourists and visitors. In many parts of the world, we guests have overstayed our welcome and our visits to places like Venice or Barcelona are no longer desired by our hosts.

So what to do?

One can travel simply to have a good time or alternatively we can choose to travel in a way that helps, supports and protects the “hosts” we visit, while having fun at the same time. As guests we need to be aware of the impact of our visits. Rather than visiting a well known tourist destination where your presence is not only unnecessary, but potentially harmful and unwanted, consider the alternative. Look for something/somewhere overlooked or forgotten. Somewhere still undiscovered. Somewhere that needs your attention and financial support. Pick a random destination on a map, or ask a local about one of their favorite places and just go. Chances are you will find something unique and wonderful. Then, as Kerr writes “when you have found it, share it with a few friends and then keep it quietly to yourself.”