Journey Through Tokyo, ca 1950

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] when you pass through Tokyo you will awaken to the rhythm of a modern metropolis with the traffic and bustle of all Occidental cities at first glance the traditional rickshaws might seem like things of the past but don't be mislead beneath the frantic activity of Tokyo today you will soon discover the vestiges of one of the world's most ancient civilizations in the teeming crowds of the subway legendary Japanese courtesy is perhaps not apparent but you'll find it all square away from the demand of the mechanized society similarly if modern construction materials and buildings are commonplace in the capital there are also cities built in the ancient style a motley and picturesque array of typical wooden houses [Music] for the pedestrian prudence is the better part of valor and after all we're here to loaf so for once let's just take it all in and enjoy the spectacle of those who are here to work what did we tell you next to the primitive abacus of the accountant Sumiko the secretary has a modern typewriter with 300 letters or characters no less and that's only a small part of the Japanese alphabet [Music] when you pass through Tokyo reflect for a moment on Japan's number one problem feeding 90 million inhabitants on an island roughly the size of the state of Montana and having to import almost all of its raw materials Japan has met the challenge by exporting its manufactured products to the four corners of the globe and by once again becoming less than 20 years after world war ii one of the world's leading producers of iron [Music] for tonnage a float and a number of ships being built Japanese naval construction is only surpassed by that of England [Music] Tokio lives from the sea not only from its trade but also from fishing a great deal of fish is exported but each Japanese citizen eats approximately four ounces of seafood daily [Music] indifferent to the tremors of the modern age the artist decorates his lanterns and time stands still gestures handed down through the ages the shop of his father and of his father's father his dutiful wife ever attentive to his slightest desire [Music] even in maan and Japan is man still a demagogue definitely not except for his wife and what about the women they go to schools special schools to learn the art of composing bouquets the ikebana the basis of which is a triangle of three graceful stems of different lengths [Music] Japanese women can also learn the difficult art of making mobiles [Music] but even though the large Japanese stores cater mainly to women that doesn't mean they're any better than the men the real God of Japan is the child for the children department stores have turned their terraces into amusement parks [Music] [Music] if they like walking and sightseeing they are given guides and go on organized tours corporal punishment is unknown among the children of Japan's [Music] the indulgence of parents for their offspring sometimes borders on weakness but who would blame them for it in a country where Buddha himself is all smiles [Music] may the gods grant strength and virility to the children of Japan no doubt the tiny tots of the infant schools would prefer having less characters to remember and copy if only the flowers could replace writing strength virility and especially courtesy later on in life these children will have to elbow their way through the subway crowds but for the present they must learn to bow first I bow then he vows before exchanging visiting cards but remember it is only decent for a woman engaged in business or having a trade to give away her address you bow to friends and even more to government figures for the Japanese courtesy is simply a question of keeping physically fit especially if you are called upon to preside at some important occasion bowing is a must as well as offering a floral wreath the bigger the better needless to say in Japan floral reefs do not necessarily denote sad occasions love of tradition and respect for one's fellow man explains why the Imperial Palace is a place of pilgrimage modern Japan is less than a century old Tokyo is a glimpse of a country turned towards the future yet steeped in its past [Music] at the portals of the temples the milling crowds come to purify themselves with smoke or with water and in the temple gardens the trees bear strange fruit they are not curlers but Oracle's the youth of today are inclined to be a little skeptical but they do as their mothers did and as their grandmothers did when they were young one never can tell of course today in the public parks couples profess indifference to the outdated romanticism of their forefathers [Music] being modern entails extravagant dress and a patronizing attitude toward the oldsters but when the time comes to marry many hearken to the call of twenty centuries of tradition even if they have a European wedding the procession has the color of olden times for many are the romantic young girls of Japan who still dream of marrying in the ceremonial kimonos of their ancestors [Music] these were worn back in the days when portraits were painted with bamboo brushes [Music] but fleeting are the dreams of Madame Butterfly and the students today must prepare for the future when you pass through Tokyo don't fail to visit a bookstore here you will share in the eagerness of you many students pay for their studies by working part-time in warehouses face to face with the realities of everyday life [Music] to explore the many unexpected facets of Tokyo we suggest you walk there's a sketch for a comedian in the scene of this Foreman peacefully snoozing away amid the din of the city and there's the skill of an acrobat in the precarious balancing act of this nonchalance oof carrier [Music] [Music] even in invention there is contrast here the studied forms there the indispensable find how to put eye stirs to work a particle of foreign matter is introduced which the clever by valve to protect itself slowly envelops with mother-of-pearl for as long as man chooses to immerse it [Music] after all they're worse fates than sacrificing one's life to female beauty don't expect these divers to bring up real curls they're here as publicity for the breeder of cultured pearls [Music] and besides they like the sport and sports brings us to one of the key chapters of Japan today when you pass through Tokyo you can't help but notice it whether indoors in the exclusive golf schools reserved for the few or outdoors with the rollerskating youngsters the principal concern of all Japanese seems to be to keep physically fit they lend unconditional support to all those addicted to sports whether domestic or foreign [Music] and if you don't have a gymnasium or a stadium at your disposal the city streets will do as long as you keep in shape [Music] karati builds unflagging endurance and iron muscles the origins of Kendall are lost in the mists of time this is not only a sport for women but also for men for it is supposed to give you the very essence of physical and moral virtues even the children practice kendo this sport has been traced right back to the distant summarize thus rediscovered and perpetuated these ancient sports practiced with consummate skill by their ancestors still arouse the enthusiasm of the Japanese today [Music] but top on the list of favorite sports in Japan is sumo which is really something like a circus act the referee is also a priest and the traditional rites and ceremonial have a definitely religious character every year during the championship bouts Tokyo is agog at this ponderous exhibition of professional wrestlers appropriately called the man mountains a handful of rice to ward away the evil spirits and the wrestlers come face to face in the middle of the ring to synchronize their breathing now that all is ready it's time to start once they start to tangle it isn't a question of correct breathing anymore but of something entirely different [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] he's listed his opponent out of the circle the winner he's earned his reward and gets it now we can start all over again first a little housecleaning Ben applause for publicity why not and on to the next vote millions of unseen spectators are viewing the match thanks to television one of the six Japanese networks perhaps the color network is permanently reserved for the sumo championships it's evening and as you leave work perhaps you'll be tempted to go to a movie the movies are so popular in Japan that more than 600 films are produced annually not to speak of the hundreds more imported from foreign countries [Music] in the din of the pachinko mr. Yamamoto tries his luck prizes are cigarettes or candy [Applause] and at the same time in elaborate theaters slant-eyed showgirls lend an exotic touch to glittering reviews like the ones of Broadway and Paris midnight and nightlife is just getting underway there are cabarets where you drink whiskey and listen to jazz and others of where you drink the traditional sake and are treated to folk songs and dances [Music] so taken will you be with the show that soon a thousand flickering Chinese lanterns will replace the garish neon lights [Music] - am time for mr. Yamamoto to go to work he's on the staff of the Esaki the large daily with 6 million readers first edition 6 a.m. dawn rises over the Therese and temples [Music] the farmers are already in the rice paddies [Music] the perfect cone of Fujiyama catches the first slanting rays of the Rising Sun then thousands of commuters returned to the capital for the day's work each new day over Ginza Avenue the Broadway of Tokyo is a new victory for the discipline courage and combativeness of the Japanese from her rich past from the sources of Japan's hope in the future this is what you think to when you pass through Tokyo [Music] [Music] [Music]