THE TRAVEL DIARIES OF ALBERT EINSTEIN Map with itinerary of Einstein’s ocean voyages PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON AND OXFORD Editorial apparatus and diary translation copyright © 2018 by Princeton University Press Travel diary, additional texts, and endpaper images copyright © 2018 by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to Permissions, Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TR press.princeton.edu Cover and book design by Chris Ferrante All Rights Reserved ISBN 978-0-691-17441-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018931638 British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available This book has been composed in Kis Antiqua Now Printed on acid-free paper. ∞ Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To my parents Ruth Hannah Rosenkranz (1928–2015) & Arnold Rosenkranz (1923–1999) with whom I embarked on my very first voyages Contents List of Illustrations ix Preface xiii Acknowledgments xvii HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 1 TRAVEL DIARY Japan, Palestine, Spain, 6 October 1922–12 March 1923 79 ADDITIONAL TEXTS 243 1. From Sanehiko Yamamoto, 15 January 1922 243 2. Kurt Blumenfeld: Report on a conversation with Prof. Einstein on the day of his departure to Japan, on 29 September 1922, 12 October 1922 244 3. Speech at Reception in Singapore, 2 November 1922 244 4. “Chat about My Impressions in Japan,” on or after 7 December 1922 245 5. To Sanehiko Yamamoto, 12 December 1922 251 6. To Hans Albert and Eduard Einstein, 17 December 1922 252 7. To Wilhelm Solf, 20 December 1922 253 8. To Jun Ishiwara, between 23 and 29 December 1922 253 9. To Bansui Tsuchii (Doi), 30 December 1922 254 10. To Eiichi Tsuchii (Doi), 30 December 1922 255 11. To Yoshi Yamamoto, 30 December 1922 256 12. Speech at Jewish Reception in Shanghai, 1 January 1923 256 13. To Svante Arrhenius, 10 January 1923 257 14. To Niels Bohr, 10 January 1923 258 15. To Nippon Puroretaria Domei, 22 January 1923 259 16. To Arthur Ruppin, 3 or 5 February 1923 261 17. “Prof. Einstein on His Impressions of Palestine,” before 24 April 1923 261 Chronology of Trip 265 Abbreviations 277 Notes 279 References 333 Index 343 Illustrations Frontispiece. Map with itinerary of Einstein’s ocean voyages 1. Einstein and Elsa with Sanehiko and Yoshi Yamamoto, Morikatsu and Tony Inagaki, Jun Ishiwara and others, possibly Tokyo, 22 November 1922 7 2. Scene of Walther Rathenau’s assassination, Berlin-Grunewald, 24 June 1922 13 3. Einstein and Elsa at Tokyo University of Commerce, 28 November 1922 26 4. Einstein and Elsa at a sake drinking party with geishas, Tokyo, possibly 25 November 1922 31 5. Einstein and Elsa aboard the S.S. Kitano Maru en route to Japan, October 1922 64 6. Nobel Prize in Physics, certificate, 10 December 1922 67 7. The S.S. Kitano Maru 81 8. Dinner menu for Japanese Emperor’s birthday, on board the S.S. Kitano Maru, 31 October 1922 107 9. The Einsteins with members of the Singapore Jewish community at the residence of philanthropist Manasseh Meyer, 2 November 1922 115 10. Einstein and Elsa attending dinner at residence of prominent Shanghai painter and entrepreneur Yiting Wang, 13 November 1922 137 11. Einstein and Elsa at the Koishikawa Botanical Gardens with members of the Imperial Academy of Japan, Tokyo, 20 November 1922 145 12. Einstein and Elsa at residence of Kaizo publisher Sanehiko Yamamoto, Tokyo, 22 November 1922 151 13. Menu for luncheon at physicist Hantaro Nagaoka’s residence, Tokyo, 27 November 1922 157 14. Einstein lecturing at Tokyo University of Commerce, 28 November 1922 159 15. Einstein and President Masasada Shiozawa at Waseda University, Tokyo, 29 November 1922 161 16. Einstein lecturing on relativity using variational calculus at the Department of Physics, Tokyo Imperial University, early December 1922 163 17. Einstein and Elsa at the Tokyo School of Technology, 2 December 1922 165 18. Sketch by Ippei Okamoto, “Albert Einstein or The Nose as a Reservoir for Thoughts,” 4 December 1922 167 19. Einstein on his arrival at Nagoya railway station, 7 December 1922 171 20. Einstein on the steps of the Chion-in Temple, Kyoto, 15 December 1922 179 21. The Einsteins at Christmas ceremony for children at the Moji YMCA, 25 December 1922 189 22. The Einsteins at Government House, Jerusalem, 6 February 1923 213