Let's see what we can figure out here together given my limited time and information.
Trying not to give away private info here, but I can at least say I am not a Mason. I have neither a "pro-Mason" nor an "Anti-Mason" position; I
simply am collecting information on Freemasonry as a phenomenon and reserving judgement until I deepen my understanding.
Next week (Aug. 31 to Sept. 5) I will be in Tokyo for 6 days with the primary mission of learning as much about Freemasonry in Japan as possible. I
will then leave this country and return to my native Los Angeles, whereupon I will assimilate and compile my knowledge. A few weeks later, if all goes
well, I will do the same thing in parts of Africa and Eastern Europe this autumn, and hopefully Mexico early the following year.
My core goal in
the next 6 months is to investigate at the "Masonic Scene" (for lack of a better term) from every possible angle in places that have strong and
historical Masonic backgrounds, but which are lesser known as Masonic bases than, say, the UK, Western Europe, or the USA.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone on ATS who is also interested in these matters. Ideally, I'd like to gain entrance into the Tokyo Masonic
lodge, but I don't know if they would let me inside. It is located in the heart of the city, on some of the most expensive land on the planet, as it
so happens:
Freemasonry has a surprisingly long history in Japan. Below are some pictures of a Japanese Freemasonry lodge in Nagasaki, taken in 1905. Keep in
mind, this was only several decades after Japan had opened interactions with the West for the first time in 300 years. Prior to the 1860s, there was
an effectively-universal ban on interactions with any other nation -- the so-called
Sakoku or "Closed Nation" policy. But even following the
1860s "opening," all non-Japanese presence and activities were still extremely tightly controlled and minimal. It is thus surprising to see such large
and imposing Masonic presence in Japan established so quickly (and, it seems, lavishly) in a time and place in which the reigning powers would have
been very reluctant to let any foreign group establish itself to such an extent...or would they have been? It is these types of questions that gnaw at
me in the dead of night, ATS.
So, ATS:
-Do you think I could gain access to the Tokyo Lodge (all aboveboard and legally, of course) in any way?
-What would be an efficient way to use one week that is totally devoted to this purpose?
-I don't really know much about Japan, but the focus of this particular trip is purely related to Freemasonry and/or other Western secret societies in
Japan.
-Do you have any special knowledge about this place?
-Do you have any questions you want me to try to answer?
-What kind of areas or questions would you want to investigate if you were me?
...or anything else meaningful you want to say would be most appreciated.
edit on 8/29/2015 by FailedProphet because: Bad spelling and stuff like that