Susume Fukuzawa Express | Naoyuki Agawa (Vice-President in charge of Shonan Fujisawa Campus)
2008.07.10
On a Saturday in mid-June, I visited Kokura in Kitakyushu to attend a gathering of the Public Policy Studies Association. The day before, on Friday, I had visited my 100-year-old aunt in Hiroshima, and the next morning I entered Kokura. It was a Shinkansen journey from Shin-Yokohama to Hiroshima, and then from Hiroshima to Kokura. The train to Hiroshima was an N700 series, a model whose numbers have recently increased dramatically. It accelerates better than the previous 700 series. Moreover, when it hits a banked curve, the power of its air springs causes the car body to tilt an additional degree, allowing it to navigate the curve while maintaining a high speed of 270 km/h. It feels just like being on an airplane.
Despite teaching at a university, I had never attended an academic conference before. No one ever invited me, a newly-minted academic, and I never had the time. This time, however, I was asked to participate in a panel discussion as part of the program, so I went. I enjoyed the discussion with a relatively small group, but when I peeked into the plenary session, some sort of difficult debate was taking place that I couldn't quite follow. I made an early retreat. The round trip on the monorail connecting the university venue and Kokura Station might have been the biggest takeaway.
The next morning, it was raining in Kokura. I had no intention of attending the second day of the conference from the start. Since I had come all the way to Kyushu, I decided to visit one more place before returning to Yokohama. I looked it up and found that Nakatsu, the hometown of Yukichi Fukuzawa, was surprisingly close. I called Student T from the Faculty of Policy Management, who was home for a visit, and he agreed to join me. We met at the ticket gate of JR Kokura Station, and the three of us—T, his friend, and I—set off with high spirits. The L-limited express "Sonic No. 7," which starts in Hakata and terminates in Oita, departed Kokura on time at 9:17 a.m., stopped at Yukuhashi and Unoshima, and arrived in Nakatsu at 9:52 a.m. It took only 35 minutes.
We walked toward the Fukuzawa Residence in the pouring rain. T had said it was very close to the station, so we started walking with a general idea of the direction, but we got lost along the way. We tried to ask for directions, but there was no one in this town. Perhaps because it was a Sunday morning, there were simply no people. None at all. Finally, we spotted a woman coming toward us and asked her, and she said to just go straight. It wasn't very clear, but we kept walking straight ahead, and suddenly the entrance to the Fukuzawa Residence appeared.
The first thing that caught my eye was an absurdly tall stone monument engraved with "Site of Fukuzawa Yukichi's Residence, June 3, 1877." It seemed rather grandiose. There was a parking lot next to it, apparently for tour buses. There was even a diner in front. It had all the trappings of a tourist spot. Still, once we paid the entrance fee and went inside the estate, the house of Yukichi Fukuzawa was there, preserved in a quiet state. As someone with ties to Keio, it was deeply moving to think that he had spent his days in this house before he left to study in Nagasaki. But then again, wasn't Fukuzawa Yukichi born and raised in the poor family of a low-ranking samurai? His house was considerably larger than my apartment in Yokohama. I'm envious. Entering the dirt-floored area, I saw a now-rare kamado stove and a stone sink; above the sink were a steamer and an iron pot. There was no gas, no running water, no electricity. After losing her husband, Fukuzawa's mother must have never had a moment's rest, preparing three meals a day in a kitchen like this to feed her children, raising them, educating them, and nursing them when they were sick. Looking up at the eaves, the rain fell on the thatched roof with no sign of stopping.
When it comes to famous historical sites, the significance lies more in the act of having visited than in a thorough inspection. Having come to Nakatsu and seen the home of Yukichi Fukuzawa, I had no more regrets. Let's go back to Kokura and have lunch. The decision was unanimous. We quickly walked through a corner of the Teramachi district where Fukuzawa must have walked every day and returned to the station. The return trip was on the "Sonic No. 20," departing Nakatsu at 11:01 a.m. and arriving in Kokura at 11:32 a.m. This time, it only stopped at Yukuhashi, making for a brief 31-minute train ride.
In any case, the trains of JR Kyushu are wonderful. Every car is creatively designed, a delight for any railway enthusiast. Among them, the Sonic limited express is as luxurious as a Green Car, even in the standard cars. The exterior is also elaborate; our outbound journey was on the "White Sonic," and the return was on the metallic blue "Sonic (883 series)," both of which looked cool. There's a common space, a stylish counter along the aisle, and the conductor's cabin is glass-walled. To go to such lengths, a high-ranking person at JR Kyushu must truly love railways.
As I was surrendering myself to the pleasant vibrations of the train heading toward Kokura, the door at the front of the car opened. To my surprise, in walked Yukichi Fukuzawa. He sat down next to me and said, "Pardon me, but are you not a teacher at the Juku?" "How did you know?" "Oh, I just figured that anyone who would venture out to a place like Nakatsu in this rain for no particular reason is likely someone connected to Keio, and I simply took a chance in asking," he said with a grin. What sharp insight. "By the way, how is the Juku these days?" Yukichi Fukuzawa asked, leaning forward. "Well, there are some good things, and some not-so-good things. Being a dean involves a lot of work, and it's tiring. But the students at SFC are doing quite well." I was so nervous in his presence that my tongue got twisted. "Is that so? That is a relief. It is fine to construct magnificent buildings for the 150th anniversary, but please convey to them that this Fukuzawa wishes for the youth of tomorrow to not forget the spirit of independence and self-respect, and to become great individuals who are free and uninhibited."
While we were talking, the train quickly arrived at Kokura Station. Fukuzawa gave a nod, stepped onto the platform ahead of me, and nimbly walked through the crowd before disappearing from sight. He's quite spry for his age.
After Yukichi Fukuzawa had left, I found several plum pits I had picked up in the garden of the Fukuzawa Residence in my pocket, emitting a faintly sweet fragrance. I put the plum pits in my bag and, thinking of the Yukichi Fukuzawa I had just parted with, I transferred to the Shinkansen "Nozomi" (an N700 series again) and headed east.
(This article contains fictional elements. Please read in moderation for your health.)
(Published: 2008/07/10)