The road you’ve walked out of the station until now used to be under the sea. Old Sakai is further inland than the coastline shown in Xavier Park. We encourage you to climb the stair-like river dyke and look out over your surroundings; you’ll surely grasp the difference in elevation.

Nanban ships brought more than just pots; they brought Christianity. Spanish missionary Francisco Xavier stopped at Sakai during his journeys and stayed at a local merchant’s residence. The merchant was baptized as a Christian and turned a tile-roofed building into a church. This is one theory explaining how Christianity first began in Japan.

During Christian Mass, people would pass around and drink from the same cup of wine, wiping the part where they drank with a cloth. Actually, this ritual is understood in the tea ceremony, where the cup is wiped with a small silk cloth and passed to the next person. Trace back through the history of the tea ceremony, and you will also find a mixture of culture and religion. Much like rock and roll, it may be a freer culture than we could have ever imagined.