I N T R O D U C T I O N T O V O L U M E 1 3 l x i i i Tsuchii as one of the finest experiences of his life (Doc. 393). He told his son Hans Albert that he found the Japanese to be “better than all the peoples I’ve met up to now: quiet, modest, intelligent, an artistic sense, and considerate, putting nothing on appearances, rather everything on substance” (Doc. 400). Reactions in Japan to Einstein’s tour were highly favorable. Hantaro Nagaoka wrote that the “lively enthusiasm of the young generation for the new natural sci- ences and the active interest of the public for the theory have been aroused by spe- cial lectures and popular talks to such a great extent that we can justifiably predict how strong the great success of your efforts will be felt by the Japanese in the future” (Doc. 389). The intense interaction with Jun Ishiwara led Einstein to conclude that, “for all the differences in origin and tradition, a mysterious harmony exists between us” (Doc. 405). He warned the Japanese of succumbing to Western influences: “A flood of alien culture is dangerous for any land in which its own high values are too easily underrated and forgotten—I mean the tradition of your country in artistic, so- cial, and ethical aspects that I so admire and love. In these things, the Japanese is not aware of his superiority to the European [...] through the indiscriminate adop- tion of European ways of life, great values are placed in jeopardy.” For Einstein, Japan’s “soul is worth more than all these small external glittering things” (Doc. 411). In a farewell letter, Einstein wrote that he understood that Yamamoto’s goal for the tour was the “creation of an international organization for the prevention of war catastrophes. For this, a mutual understanding among men of different nations is needed first, as well as an emphasis on the truly international assets of humanity, among which science perhaps takes first place” (Doc. 413). To Yamamoto’s wife, Yoshi, he wrote regarding the Japanese woman, that, to him, she will “always sym- bolize [...] the ideal model of Japanese femininity. Quiet, cheerful, and flowerlike, you are the soul of the home, which looks like a jewelry case, within which, like jewels, lie your darling little children. In you I see the proper soul of your people and the embodiment of its ancient culture, directed primarily toward daintiness and beauty” (Doc. 414). Einstein visited Japan at a time of intense public concern with social reforms. He met with two prominent Christian reformers and labor activists, Toyohiko Ka- gawa in Kobe and Senji Yamamoto in Kyoto (see Doc. 379, note 145, and Doc. 394). More radical political groups also contacted him. A letter from the Jap- anese Proletarian Alliance was apparently censored by the authorities. The Alli- ance asked about his views “on the ----- imperialist government of Japan.” The censored word may have been “aggressive.” They also inquired as to his hopes for Japanese youth (Abs. 471). Einstein avoided answering directly. He had seen