Much of this journey took place in the “Northern Japan Alps” and the surrounding alpine regions. Geographically, it has nothing to do with the European Alps. Instead, early British engineers and missionaries who came to Japan for exploration were amazed by how similar the mountain terrain was to the Alps in Europe, which is how it got its name. This designation was first proposed by William Gowland, a British mining engineer employed in Japan during the Meiji era, and was later popularized by the British missionary Walter Weston through his writings.

We previously enjoyed the summer snowscapes of Tateyama Kurobe, so we won’t be visiting there again this time.

Perhaps because of these historical ties, this medieval alpine region has many facilities themed around European culture. For instance, in the neighboring Echigo-Yuzawa in Niigata Prefecture, there is a restaurant on the mountain called “Restaurant Edelweiss.” For an older person like me, seeing Edelweiss naturally brings to mind the classic film “The Sound of Music.”

Similarly, in Hakuba Village at the foot of the Northern Alps, there are many attractions themed around “Heidi, Girl of the Alps.” This is a classic Japanese animation from decades ago, set exactly in the European Alps. There is a classic swinging scene in “Heidi,” and today, on the summit of Hakuba Iwatake, it has been transformed into an actual giant mechanical swing ride (Yoo-Hoo! Swing).

Wandering through these places not only evoked many childhood memories and European nostalgia but also prompted me to deeply reflect on Japan’s significant century-long journey of Westernization.

Japan’s Westernization can be divided into several stages, from wholesale absorption during the Meiji Restoration to post-WWII transformation. What I saw and heard today in the Northern Alps and surrounding areas strongly reflects a unique “localized Westernization” in post-war Japan.

Japan’s Westernization has never been a simple, comprehensive copy but rather a profoundly deep and meticulous “Localization.” Take “Heidi” for example: produced by a Japanese team, it brilliantly portrayed a European story to the fullest and even exported it back to the international stage—an extremely successful case of “Japanizing a European story.” The development of other cultural fields, such as music (especially jazz), can be viewed in the exact same light.