Kagami, who works as a fortune teller, has an image of being an indoor person who stays in his room writing, but he is also a "traveler" who travels around the country and abroad for lectures, conferences, etc. However, the new coronavirus has stopped Kagami's feet and wings.
"I often travel abroad for astrological association meetings and interviews, and I was also active in Japan at cultural centers and university lectures. There were times when I was only in Tokyo for about half the month. This incident has halted all of that. I was scheduled to attend the British Astrological Association's annual conference in June, and even had a tour planned, but that has now been switched to online. My lectures at Kyoto Bunkyo University, where I am a visiting professor, have also been switched to online." (Kagami Ryuji, same below)
A lecture from a past British Astrological Association conference. The lecture covered the history of astrology from ancient Greece.
As he continues to live at home, he is spending his time creating a writing environment and communicating online with friends overseas.
"First of all, I started by cleaning up and setting up the coffee machine and other aspects of my stay-at-home environment. Since I now had time, at first I thought, 'I can read a lot of books and write!' But it wasn't like that, and I found it hard to concentrate. I'm finally starting to get the hang of it.
I have a lot of friends in the UK, so we've been talking about how there's a huge difference in attitude between the UK and Japan. Everyone is wondering why Japan's response and the low number of infected people are happening, and we're wondering why that is."
Kagami's travel style
A beautiful sunset on the southeast coast of England and Kagami's "second family," Professor Jeffrey Cornelius
For Kagami Ryuji, the most memorable travel destination is England.
"I go there about two or three times a year, so I have a lot of friends there. In my case, my business trips and personal trips tend to coincide, so when I go to an astrological society meeting, I sometimes spend a few days there.
I'm staying at the home of a teacher who has been looking after me for decades, who lives in a small seaside town in the southeast of England. It's near Whitstable, famous for oysters, and close to Canterbury, and it's a very comfortable place to live. I have a lot of friends living in London and there are some familiar shops there, so it's a place I'm familiar with, and I go there more often than I go to my parents' house."
An astrology shop in London. Apparently, she often goes out to eat with the owner, Bali.
Kagami's travel style involves visiting friends all over the world and enjoying gourmet food.
"I want to say this loud and clear: British food is really delicious, so please set aside your preconceptions! In the last 20 years or so, British cuisine has improved dramatically. The ingredients are good, and British sparkling wine is the best. The cities have also become cleaner and more stylish."
Oysters from Whitstable, England. They are characterized by their round shape like scallops.
Kagami says that rather than choosing restaurants that are listed in guidebooks, she often chooses based on intuition or visits restaurants recommended by local restaurant staff.
"If you go to a local izakaya and the food is delicious, I recommend asking the staff, 'Do you have any recommendations for a second place?' or 'I'd like to go for lunch the next day, is there anywhere you know?' The places they recommend in this way are unlikely to disappoint.
Apparently, I have a sensor that helps me intuitively choose a store. It's not like I have psychic powers. In Japan, I can easily go into stores in multi-tenant buildings that would be difficult to enter.
This is a story from when I went to Osaka... It was the New Year's holiday season, when many stores were closed, and I had a hard time finding a store. Then I saw a small sign for a natural wine specialty store on a building. I was drawn in, so I mustered up the courage to go inside the store on the third floor. When I asked a local about it later, I found out it was a hidden gem in the area, and they asked me how I got there. It was a really delicious store."
When you travel, you can enjoy gourmet food by searching for the best restaurant at that time, whether by asking people at your destination or choosing by intuition. This is the kind of discovery and encounter you can only make when traveling.
The relationship between travel and fortune telling: "Distant journeys and near journeys"
Since this was an interview with Kagami, we asked her about the relationship between "travel and fortune telling," "travel" in astrology, and how to use OnTrip JAL 's travel fortune telling. Kagami was very happy to hear from us and shared some very informative stories.
"The meaning of travel has changed throughout the long history of Western astrology. It seems that what we now call 'tourism travel' came into being through the business of Thomas Cook. I'm sure there are many people of our generation who have been helped by Thomas Cook's red timetable.
Up until the end of the 19th century, traveling was extremely dangerous. People risked their lives, risking the risk of disease and bandits. But with the development of transportation and accommodation, it became something that everyone could experience in the same safety.
Thomas Cook was the founder of a travel company that first commercialized package tours that combined cheap train and horse-drawn carriage travel with accommodation in London during the world's first international exhibition, the Great Exhibition, held in London in 1851. Thomas Cook went on to publish European railway timetables and continued to produce timetables for over 100 years until the business was taken over by another company in 2013.
If you are a little older, you may have traveled by train in the UK or Europe with a Thomas Cook timetable in hand.
The appearance of this timetable was an important turning point in the history of world travel. Since then, the style of "tourism travel" was born, and the meaning of "travel" in astrology has also changed.
iStock.com/scaliger
"In astrology, there are positions in the horoscope that predict travel luck. The stars that predict travel luck are the same as the stars that have been used to look at 'religion' and 'philosophy' since ancient times. I think this is interesting.
Why are "travel", "religion" and "philosophy" the same? In modern astrology, the logic is that "religion" and "philosophy" are about expanding oneself spiritually, while "travel" is about expanding oneself physically, but in ancient society, travel was generally considered to be "pilgrimage". Travel was originally a spiritual act in the original sense of the word.
In other words, because travel in ancient times was a religious act such as pilgrimage or training, travel in fortune telling was closely linked to the sacred. However, in today's world where tourism is widespread, travel can be interpreted not only as a stoic religious view but also as an act of expanding one's world. It is said that there is also "another kind of travel" in fortune telling.
"Traditionally in astrology, 'far journeys' and 'near journeys' are separate categories. The 'near journeys' are in the opposite position on the horoscope, which represents primary education and childhood learning."
What does it mean that a long journey is religion and a short journey is primary education?
"In my opinion, short-distance travel means studying in a place where you can speak the language, or traveling to a place where you don't have to change your lifestyle or habits. So I began to think that tourism and travel for Europeans was an endeavor to expand the areas where you didn't have to change your lifestyle by developing means of transportation."
A "long-distance trip" that enhances spirituality and a "close-by trip" that allows you to casually enjoy communication without changing your lifestyle - the former is an experience that allows you to come into deep contact with a different local lifestyle and worldview, while the latter is like a casual tour or short trip. When you think about it like that, you realize that even in modern times, traveling can have various purposes and values depending on the person and the situation. OnTrip JAL 's travel fortune-telling is based on this way of thinking and shows you your travel luck. We asked him about the "value of traveling" in that context.
"From the perspective of fortune telling, I think it's important that travel is an opportunity to broaden your world. I think traveling is about enjoying small inconveniences. If you feel inconvenienced, it means you're being forced to face values that are different from your routine, and this could be an opportunity to connect to the future. I hope you enjoy it."
"A Journey to Enjoy Fortune Telling" produced by Ryuji Kagami
iStock.com/chrisdorney
Well, for those who like fortune telling, there is the fun of traveling to places that are indicated by fortune telling, but it seems interesting to travel to experience the culture and history of fortune telling regardless of your fortune. So, we asked Kagami-san about recommended spots for "trips to enjoy fortune telling".
"You can do a fortune-telling themed trip almost anywhere in the world. Fortune-telling is found almost everywhere in the world. Fortune-telling is very popular in nearby places like Hong Kong and Taiwan. Fortune-telling is also popular in Italy and Spain."
It may be surprising that fortune telling is popular in Italy and Spain, but Kagami says that if you consider the history of Europe, fortune telling has played an important role in the religions and civilizations of both countries, and that this is still deeply rooted in modern culture.
"For example, about 10 years ago in Spain I saw a TV channel that did tarot readings all day long, like a TV shopping program. Viewers would call in and the channel would broadcast how they would use tarot cards to read their calls. Fortune telling and magic are also popular in Italy. Magic is called magia, and it is very popular there. You can even find tarot cards sold in tabacchi, or tobacco shops. Tarot cards originated in Italy in the 15th century, and were originally created as a game. That's why they are sold like playing cards."
It seems like a fun journey to experience fortune-telling cultures around the world and make some unexpected discoveries. We were also taught how to enjoy historical and cultural heritage from an astrological perspective.
San Lorenzo Cathedral (iStock.com/Hotaik Sung)
"If you go to art galleries, museums, or historical buildings in Europe, you'll find astrology-related things everywhere (laughs). For example, if you go to the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Florence, the vaulted ceiling of the old sacristy is designed like a planetarium, and it's said that this was done with advice from astrologers. In one church, justice, temperance, and strength - in short, things that have the same meaning as the Tarot - are depicted in the stained glass.
At first I was surprised that it seemed occult, but it wasn't. There has been a tradition of personifying virtues since ancient times, and this tradition was adopted by Christianity. Tarot also comes from the same tradition.
Magical tools of Dr. John Dee on display at the British Museum (photo by Ryuji Kagami)
"If I were your guide at the British Museum, we could spend the whole day showing you the exhibits from the perspective of divination and magic (laughs). For example, the magical tools of Dr. John Dee. He was the great mathematician who introduced Euclidean geometry to Britain, but mathematicians at the time were also astrologers. It was Dee who decided the date and time of Queen Elizabeth's coronation. In his later years, Dee became interested in magic to summon angels, and the crystal ball and magic circle that he is said to have used are on display at the British Museum..."
In front of the British Museum is a bookstore specializing in magic. Kagami has been visiting this bookstore, Atlantis, for many years.
Kagami has endless stories to tell about fortune-telling trips. I would love to go on a fortune-telling trip to Europe with Kagami, but even if that doesn't happen, one of the joys of traveling is to imagine the architecture and museum exhibits while researching the history yourself. The knowledge you learn from the Internet or books can only be accumulated as your own intellect and memories once you actually see it with your own eyes. Now that we can't travel as much as we would like, increasing your knowledge of the places you want to go to may be one way to dream of traveling.
Dreaming of travel, a message to readers
Kagami talked to us about the relationship between travel and fortune telling, as well as stories of traveling while enjoying fortune telling, and she shared a positive message with our readers.
"When it comes to fortune telling and travel, we often use the word 'journey.' For example, tarot cards are sometimes called 'The Fool's Journey.' Each card of the tarot is seen as a fool, an innocent, simple being, who gradually experiences various stages of life. To put it dramatically, life is like a journey, so I think the journey of life continues even when we stay at home."
As Kagami says, the appeal of travel is that it exposes us to different values and gives us the opportunity to think about the future. If we liken life to a journey, then we should look for opportunities to create a new future while facing the threat of the virus, which threatens to overturn our routines.
*All uncredited photos provided by Ryuji Kagami
Ryuji Kagami
Born in Kyoto in 1968. Psychological astrology researcher and translator. Introduced astrology with a psychological approach to Japan, solidifying her position as a leading astrology expert and becoming an indispensable presence in the fortune-telling features of general women's magazines. Her hobbies are cooking and collecting old books. Her favorite things are red wine, meat, and England.
Click here for a list of interviews
PEOPLE (Click here for the interview series)
OnTrip JAL editorial staff interview people they want to talk to right now. We bring you travel-related stories.
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
