Time unites what space divides. The Japanese archipelago and the Arabian Peninsula are worlds apart — the mountain mists of the one, the burning desert sands of the other, linked today by Saudi oil imported in massive quantities by Japan; but that was far, far in the future in the sixth and seventh centuries.
How was it then? Bedouins on camels roamed the desert, in restless quest of sparse pasture for their sheep and goat herds. Tribe fought tribe, raiding each other’s cattle, fighting wars over waterholes. They worshipped many gods, prominent among them the moon god. Their language, Arabic, is said to be beautifully musical. Illiterate, they were natural poets — bards.