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Iwamura 2007-07-09 21:08:45 岩村、岐阜県After an earlier, happy visit to Akechi and its preserved "Taisho Mura" on the train from Ena, I really wanted to return to that picturesque part of Gifu Prefecture at the earliest opportunity.Iwamura, five stops from Ena on the historic 19th century Akechi Railway, looked the next most interesting place to explore further.Iwamura is an old castle town on the northern, mountain trade route from Kyoto to Tokyo, known as the Nakasendo 中仙道. In Gifu the Nakasendo highway passes through Ena, Iwamura, Mitake and on to Magome and Tsumago.Iwamura is spread out east to west in front of you as you leave the station, with the impressive stone walls of the ruined Iwamura Castle a steep, forty-minute walk up through the quiet streets to the hill above.Nearest to the station are reminders of Iwamura's old merchant quarter, which prospered in the Edo Period (1603-1868). As you continue uphill some of the buildings are original early 20th century Meiji Period shophouses -- a p
今週の日本
Interview with documentary film director Ku... 2007-07-08 23:43:29 今週の日本Interview with documentary film director Kuzuhiro Soda.Midnight EyeLDP Defense Minister Kyuma resigns over remark on atomic bomb.GuardianTorrential monsoon rains and flooding hit Kyushu.Japan TimesJapanese hot dog eating champion dethroned in US eating contest.New York TimesCouple in Akita kill woman's son for interrupting their car sex.Mainichi ShinbunJapanese police offer 1 million yen for information leading to the arrest of Tatsuya Ichihashi, the number one suspect in the case of murdered English language teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker in Tokyo in March.This is LondonJapan StatsKyoto visitors in 2006: 48.39 millionSource: Kyoto Municipal GovernmentKyoto city authorities estimated over 48 million people visited Kyoto in 2006. Up 2.4% or 1.12 million visitors from 2005, the sixth consecutive yearly rise in the number of tourists visiting Japan's ancient, cultural capital.The huge number, more than double the total for London for example, is mostly made up of domestic Ja
Politics of Nanjing 2007-07-08 23:18:49 The Politics of Nanjing
The Politics of Nanjing: An Impartial Investigationby Kitamura Minorutranslated by Hal GoldUniversity Press of AmericaISBN 0-7618-3579-2173 ppMore than 60 years after the fact, the events surrounding the fall of Nanjing to the Japanese Army in 1937 remain clouded in hyperbole and rhetoric. The continuing denial of the "massacre" by the Japanese government continues to fuel tensions between Japan and China, and so it was with some hope of discovering some new facts that I began to read Professor Kitamura's "impartial" investigation. By the second chapter however, it became blatantly clear that this book's claim to impartiality is invalid.Kitamura has gone through an enormous amount of materials and records with a fine toothcomb and collected together many discrepancies and facts that support his thesis that the massacre is a masterpiece of Chinese propaganda. To further his agenda he fills in gaps in the historical record with opinions that have no basis in fac
Tanabata, Kyoto 2007-07-07 03:24:15 七夕Tanabata is the Japanese star festival, which takes place once a year on July 7th. It is the celebration of the "meeting" of two stars: Vega and Altair. Normally separated by the Milky Way, once a year these two lovers come together and meet on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.According to the Japanese folktale, Orihime (Vega), the weaving princess, worked so hard at making beautiful clothes for her father that she never had time to fall in love. Her father, the sky king Tenko, therefore arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (Altair), who was a cow herder. It was love at first sight and marriage followed shortly thereafter.After getting married, however, the besotted Orihime refused to weave, and Hikoboshi let his cows wander all over the Heavens. In fury, Tenko placed the two lovers on opposite sides of the Amanogawa River--the Milky Way--thus preventing them from meeting. Orihime beseeched her father, he relented, and the young lovers were allowed to cross and meet one d Read more:Kyoto
Four Stories -- Osaka 2007-07-13 22:41:59 Please join us for our last Summer '07 Japan event, in Osaka
on July 29, "Living on the Edge: Tales of tempting fate, taking risks, and breaking boundaries," and see why the Japan Times reports that "Four Stories
has helped make Osaka the new Kyoto"!FEATURING prose readings from:* Tom Bradley, author of seven novels, including Acting Alone (Browntrout Books, San Francisco), Fission Among the Fanatics (Spuyten Duyvil Books, NYC) and Lemur (Raw Dog Screaming Press); Essayist with pieces in Salon.com, Poets & Writers Magazine, and elsewhere.* Daniel Davis, writer for Kansai Scene magazine* Johannes Schonherr, author Trashfilm Roadshows: Off the Beaten Track With Subversive Movies (Headpress, 2002) and Permanent State of War: A Short History of North Korean Cinema, from the anthology Film Out of Bounds (McFarland, July 2007); and freelance writer living in Beppu, Kyushu* Tracy Slater, Four Stories Boston and Four Stories Japan founder; teacher of writing and literature in Boston U
House of Councillors Election 2007-07-13 04:31:04 選挙Campaigning for the House
of Councillors Election
to be held on July 29 began across Japan yesterday.The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lead by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and its New Komeito Party allies are under increasing pressure from the opposition Democratic Party of Japan and its partners lead by veteran schemer Ichiro Ozawa.Government approval ratings have slumped to new lows since Abe took office in the autumn of 2006 - due largely to bureaucratic bungling by the now tainted Social Insurance Agency (SIA) which administered Japan's pension system and accusations of corruption against former Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka, who committed suicide before the scandal broke and further suspicions of graft against his successor Norihiko Akagi.The key issue in the election is the pension scandal in which the details of 50 million Japanese pension files have gone missing, meaning that 20 million people who spent their lives paying in to the
Vodou: Tokyo Summer Festival 2007-07-17 05:08:30 ヴードゥーThanks to the sponsorship of the TokyoSummerFestival
, organized by the Arion-Edo Foundation, I was able to attend a performance on Saturday of Haiti’s folk religion, Vodou. It took place in Sogetsu Hall in Tokyo’s Aoyama district, at 2pm.Vodou is a melding of the Christianity of Haiti’s slavemasters, the French, and the animist religions of the slaves brought over from West Africa. Unfortunately, in its Westernized spelling of ‘voodoo,’ the religion has been so thoroughly stigmatized and stereotyped as something scary and evil, that the only way to break those misconceptions is to see it for yourself.I had no idea of what to expect. The stage was dominated by a leafless tree that rose up to the ceiling, around which was twined a massive green snake. To the left of the tree was an altar dominated by a crucifix topped by a hat-wearing skull. Flanking the tree were two religious banners, and to the right of the tree were a collection of drums.The performance its
Yoiyama Festival 2007 2007-07-16 22:15:37 宵山The rain came down in squalls from about 3 in the afternoon of the 16th. An evening of drinking and wandering the streets of downtown Kyoto in a yukata was not looking promising. Nevertheless, we set out for Karasuma Dori, where the stalls would be set up and the crowd not life-threatening.The subway was filled with people in yukata on their way to the festival. When we got to Karasuma-Oike and came up out of the exit, the rains had stopped and the streets were being closed off to cars by the police.On several nights before Gion Matsuri (festival), July 17th, Kyoto closes off most of its downtown to traffic. Colorful street stalls are set up where vendors sell squid on a stick, hotdogs, yakitori, warm beer, iced drinks, and lots and lots of games for children.Thanks to the rain it was cooler than normal, and the humidity was lower than in the previous days. Most women come in yukata, the colorful summer kimono pictured above. Men wear either a less flashy yukata or a jimbei, whi Read more:Festival
Ogaki 2007-07-16 20:55:47 大垣、岐阜県Ogaki, a small historic castle town not far from Gifu and within easy reach of Nagoya, is best known nowadays for its connections with wandering Edo-period haiku master, Matsuo Basho (松尾芭蕉) and for its delicious-tasting water.Ogaki was the final destination in 1689 of Basho's epic journey to the northeast of Japan related in "Oku no Hosomichi". A Haiku Journey: Basho's Narrow Road to a Far Province (Illustrated Japanese Classics)References to the poet are everywhere: in the names of restaurants and shops, as well as Basho statues, museums and the town's Basho Festival in November.On completion of his trek around the north of Japan, Basho took a river boat from Ogaki south to Kuwana and then on to his birthplace - the ninja town of Iga. Back in the Edo-period Ogaki was a strategic town on the east-west Nakasendo route between Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo) and the Suimon River was navigable, making Ogaki a major river port at the time.Ogaki's role as an important cr
Japan This Week 7/15/07 2007-07-15 09:24:17 今週の日本Ministry of Education whitewashing wartime history and suffering ofOkinawans.GuardianTojo's granddaughter running for national office.Herald AsahiJapan
ese conservatives want US Congress sex slave apology resolution dropped.Japan TimesTokyo man arrested for throwing water bombs at neighbor.Mainichi ShinbunJapanese look for new meaning from kamikaze sacrifice.CNNJust like sturgis, but serving sushi with the corn dogs.NY TimesFeel free to shout at the visitors from Japan.NY TimesRubik's Cube sex - imagine it.Mainichi ShinbunIchiro Suzuki resigns for MLB's Seattle Mariners for 90m USD.Mainichi ShinbunJapan StatsThe prosecution rate for serious crimes in Japan including murder and rape has fallen from 90.5% in 1995 to 59.4% in 2006 according to the Japan Times.The recent upping of the reward money to find Tatsuya Ichihashi, the number one suspect in the case of murdered English language teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker in Tokyo in March, is an indication of the desperation of th
Aonami Line & Nagoya Port 2007-07-18 01:10:50 あおなみ線、名古屋After exploring the pleasant Nakasendo post towns of Akechi, Iwamura, Ogaki and Mitake recently, it was time for the contrast of some Nagoya
urban grit.The over ground Aonami Line from Nagoya Station leads down to the sea and the artificial islands that make up Nagoya's vast port.The area around Kinjo Futo and Noseki Stations on the Aonami Line is one of huge public housing complexes, warehouses and the soaring bridges of the Ise Wan Gan Expressway.The Taiheiyo Ferry terminal for boats to Sendai is near Noseki Station and the Port Messe Nagoya Exhibition Hall is a short walk from Kinjo Futo Station. (Watch out for the dinosaur exhibition coming there soon July 20 - September 2).More surprising was a huge Italianesque Wedding Chapel near the sea with the attendant foreign cameraman waiting to video the bride and groom as they emerged from the church.Who would want to get married in a container port with a view of 1000s of cars lined up on the quayside waiting
Tokyo Sea Life Park 2007-07-21 12:34:35 葛西臨海水族館Tokyo
Sea Life Park (Kasai Rinkai Suizokukan) is a massive aquarium in the south east of Tokyo notable for its doughnut shaped main tank featuring blue fin tuna that encircles the whole main complex. It is family-orientated, which is reflected in its very reasonable entry fees.Tokyo Sea Life Park presents a huge variety of global sealife in natural settings. However the superstars of the show are tuna – blue fin tuna – which for most people probably conjure up nothing more dramatic than tin cans on supermarket shelves. But far from it. These fish are majestic, silver, perfectly streamlined machines on a mission.They swim with powerful, effortless sways of the tail, each completely self-contained, uncurious about any other, but in an eerie unison, round and round – and fast! The blue fin tuna is a big fish with lines that evolution has honed to efficient perfection. They are impossible to simply glance at in passing. (You will be hooked.)Besides the giant doug
Book Review: Out 2007-07-23 18:17:12 桐野夏生アウトOut, by Natsuo KirinoYou may want to avoid eating before or while reading this thriller. Aside from that caveat, the only other recommendation is to set aside two days because you will not be able to put "Out" down. It draws in the reader with its letter-perfect character descriptions and tightly-constructed plot. Kirino's novel was originally published in Japanese under the same title in 1997. It was a cause celebre selling 300,000 copies and won Japan's top mystery award in 1998. Prior to that, Kirino won the Naoki Prize with "Yawarakana Hoho" (Tender Cheeks).Out This hard-boiled novel examines the interrelationships between four women factory workers, who are drawn into covering up the murder one of them commits. This leads to more intrigue and, ultimately, the central premise of the novel: what would you do in similar circumstances? Would you reject a friend's entreaty? If yes, why and how? If no, could you take part in the horror--and then go back to your p
Nagoya Friends Party! Make friends over the net! 2007-07-23 06:23:56 Nagoya Friends: Find Japanese pen pals and pen pals from around the world. International Parties in Nagoya! Please join us for the next Nagoya Friends Party
. Around 125+ people attend each month. Many Japanese and non-Japanese will be participating. It's a good opportunity to make new friends, find your language exchange partners, or even find your girlfriends/boyfriends. Increase your network of friends and contacts in the Aichi, Gifu and Mie areas. Come alone or bring your friends. Everybody is WELCOME! Just come and be ready to make new friends with everybody.是非是非、名古屋フレンズパーティにお越しください♪名古屋で最大級のインターナショナルパーティ・国際交 流会です。日本人や様々な国の方々が120人以上参加されるます。オープンマイクやサルサダンスレッスン・BBQ など楽しい企画も盛りだくさんです。お友達作りに、語学勉強のパートナー探し、文化交流、情 Read more:Nagoya
Ichiro Ozawa 2007-07-22 23:06:10 小沢一郎IchiroOzawa
, leader of Japan's main opposition party Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan), has a real chance of guiding his party to victory over Shinzo Abe and the LDP in the upcoming elections for the House of Councillors on July 29.Indeeed, the wily 65-year-old Ozawa has staked his political future on the outcome - promising to retire from public life if his party fail to take an overall majority. This claim should be taken with some skepticism.Throughout his long and controversial political career as a central player in the perplexing world of Japanese politics over the last four decades, Ozawa has consistently changed tack when events have pushed the Keio University educated, Iwate native into a tight corner.Ozawa entered politics in the late 1960s, was elected to the Diet in 1969, becoming a member of the powerful Kakuei Tanaka faction.Ozawa has twice held key offices in LDP governments, first in 1985 as Home Affairs Minister under Yasuhiro Nakasone and in 1989 as L
Japan This Week 7/22/07 2007-07-22 21:32:22 今週の日本Nuclear power and Japan
: on shaky ground after the recent earthquake.GuardianDomo-kun storms American malls.NY TimesLDP in trouble ahead of election.Herald AsahiED rampant in Japan.Mainichi ShinbunJapan Learns Dreaded Task of Jury Duty.NY TimesJapan StatsNagoya-based Toyota Motor Corp has overtaken General Motors as the world's largest car seller for the January-June 2007 period. Toyota sold 4,716,000 units compared with GM's 4,674,000 units.Last Week's Japan NewsJapanese Art - Geisha FansSex in JapanBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsGay JapanTagsJapan Tokyo News Toyota earthquakeBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsJapanese FictionHappi Coats
Naoshima 2007-07-26 09:38:15 直島Naoshima is a very small island in Japan's Seto Inland Sea, part of Kagawa Prefecture and only 7.8 square kilometers in size and a population less than 4,000 people.Since 1989 the island has developed a series of art spaces in a natural setting - the Benesse Art Site Naoshima.Artists and architects including Tadao Ando, James Turrell and Cai Guo-Qiang have contributed to Naosima's unique environment. AccessFerryFerry to the Honshu port of Uno. Two ferry services run from Uno, making multiple trips each day. Both charge 560 yen for a one-way journey. One boat is a car ferry that takes twenty minutes; the other boat is for foot passengers only and takes ten minutes.TrainThe closest express stop to Naoshima on the Japan Railway line is Okayama Station. There are local trains and buses between Uno and Okayama (30km away).Naoshima guideBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsJapanese FictionHappi CoatsTagsJapan Naoshima Shikoku art Inland Sea
Japan This Week 7/29/07 2007-07-29 06:30:30 今週の日本House of Councillors election to be held today.YomiuriPM Abe in free fall.GuardianThe rearming of Japan
.NY TimesEarthquake ruins tourist season for Niigata.Herald AsahiYokohama cross-dressing festival.Mainichi ShinbunJapan's quake-prone atomic plant prompts concern.NY TimesJapan StatsIn 1945 domestic rice accounted for 50% of Japan's daily calorie intake. The figure is now less than 22%.Genetically modified (GM) food material is labelled as such if it equals or exceeds 5% of a food product.Last Week's Japan NewsJapanese Art - Geisha FansSex in JapanBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsGay JapanTagsJapan Tokyo News Toyota earthquake
Sexy Japanese girls' weird boyfriends 2007-07-28 13:09:14 恋のから騒ぎ The comedian Sanma is a very venerable item of comic furniture on Japanese
TV. The loud-mouthed hoarse-voiced Osaka comedian plays up the essential no-bullshit business man in cheap suit and tie, everything shouted, and all in robust defense of "common sense."Watch him in action on his program Koi no Kara Sawagi (Much Ado About Love) where he talks to Japanese girls about their boyfriends.The divide between the sexes is generally a much deeper one in Japan than in the West. See the two sexes battle it out here - Sanma often playing the beleagured male.These sexily done out girls - all in self-conscious 'tart' fashion - share in their own unique ways their equally unique experiences with boys. Watch and listen to what they say on this YouTube podcast from JapanVisitor - subtitled in English. Be surprised!Book a hotel in Japan with BookingsJapanese FictionHappi CoatsTagsJapan TV girl sanma love sex love YouTube
"De-ai" Cafe 2007-07-28 03:39:40 出会いカフェThis just in from the front lines of Japan’s red-light districts: the latest trend in Japan’s Wild East sex industry is the “de-ai café” (rendez-vous café).Also known as "de-ai kissa" (出会い喫茶)--which is an abbreviation for "kissaten," or coffee shop--the expression is a play on “de-ai site” (出会いサイト), which are personals sites accessed via cell phone. In recent years these have come under the scrutiny of the Japanese media and police after several high profile murders involving women lured by unscrupulous men.Pink Box Similarly, with the number of these cafes burgeoning, the police and media are now taking notice. At many of these cafes, the line between open soliciting (i.e., good old-fashioned prostitution) and just casual “meeting” is very blurred at best.At one such café, in Osaka’s Kita district, the entrance fee plus a “registration fee” comes to 8,000 yen ($65) for men. Most of the male customers appeared to be salar
Book Review: Inventing Japan 1853-1964 2007-07-31 20:32:58 Inventing Japan
1853-1963, by Ian BurumaFor readers familiar with Ian Buruma's writings on Japan and Asia or those who know him as the author of an erstwhile series of weekly articles published in The Guardian, his most recent volume, Inventing Japan, is as eagerly awaited as the latest Harry Potter book.Inventing Japan 1853-1964 His first book exclusively devoted to Japan since 1984's A Japanese Mirror (now happily reissued by Phoenix Paperbacks), Inventing Japan is published in the Modern Library Chronicle's series of short non-fiction works.Like other volumes in the series, it is neat, concise and slips conveniently into a back pocket. A brisk read at just 177 pages, it ably covers 111 years of Japanese history, while still finding time for anecdotes about the impressive size of the samurai Saigo Takamori's testicles.This is classic Buruma, as is his description of Sakamoto Ryoma as a “wild-haired proto-hippie with a sword” and makes for excellent bursts of light relief as B
Owari Tsushima Tenno Festival 2007-07-31 00:02:43 尾張津島天王際Listen to the sounds of Owari Tsushima Tenno Festival
The 500-year-old Owari Tsushima Tenno Festival takes place annually on the 4th Saturday and Sunday in Tshushima just outside Nagoya.On the Saturday evening five wood and straw boats decorated with hundreds of paper lanterns float on the Tenno river setting the water glittering with reflected light.There are firework displays, flute music and taiko drumming to entertain the thousands of people who attend the festival, many wearing colorful yukata.On the Sunday a similar procession of boats takes place on the river, this time with life-size dolls riding on top of the boats.Visitors can pay 2,000 yen for a water-side seat on tatami mats or chairs or just find a free spot on the river bank and picnic down for the evening.Tsushima also hosts a smaller autumn festival on the first Saturday and Sunday of October.Access: Tsushima Shrine and the Tenno River Park are a 15-minute walk from Tsushima station on the Meitetsu T
LDP Lose Upper House Election 2007-07-29 21:12:20 自公惨敗Ichiro Ozawa, leader of Japan's main opposition party Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan), celebrated victory over Shinzo Abe and the LDP in the UpperHouse
elections held yesterday.The ruling LDP won only 37 seats out of the 121 being contested as opposed to the opposition DJP's 60 seats. This was a huge loss for Abe and his party and meant the opposition DJP assumed control of the Upper House for the first time ever.Abe took responsibility for the defeat but has refused to step down as Prime Minister, determined to push through his conservative agenda of changing the constitution and encouraging patriotism in schools.Opposition control of the second chamber House of Councillors will make the government's attempts to legislate extremely difficult, however, and could lead to political gridlock, despite the fact that the LDP has a huge majority in the more important Lower House or House of Representatives, courtesy of ex-premier Junichiro Koizumi's landslide win in the Read more:Election
Tabloid Tokyo 2 launch 2007-08-03 07:50:32 タブロイド・トーキョー２ I had the honor, and experienced the excitement, of attending a book launching last night. The wildly successful window on things weird and wonderful, TabloidTokyo
101, now has a sequel:
Interview: "Kyoto Nocturnes" Director John Foster 2007-08-02 22:21:12 京都夜想曲優雅な居殺者JapanVisitor.com recently spoke with photographer and filmmaker John Foster
. His film “Kyoto
Nocturnes, Part 1: Elegant Slaughter” will be playing at the upcoming Kansai International Film Festival. The film is, in the words of KyotoNoir, about a "psychotic yakuza boss [that] hires an alluring American hit woman to end a gang war in the geisha district of Japan’s ancient capital."Can we begin with a bit about you? I’m from New York and I originally came to Japan in 1991 on the JET program. I was back in the US in ’92-’93. I came back to Japan in 1993 and was here for four years. I saved money to pursue my interest in film. Back in the US, I took part in the International Film and TV Workshops program. These programs are short, intense, hands-on sessions with working professionals. By 1998, I was in pre-production for a short film.Let’s move on to your film that will be screened at the Kansai International Film Festival. First, how in the w Read more:Director
Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Anniversary 2007-08-05 20:59:24 広島Today is the 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.Remembrance ceremonies will be taking place in Hiroshima Peace Park and in other cities in Japan throughout the day and night to honor the approximately 140,000 recorded victims.This year The Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation has a new chairperson - 59-year-old American Steven L. Leeper.Leeper, a successful Japan-based businessman and translator, is the first foreigner to hold the position, which is responsible for overseeing the memorials to the victims of the bombing in Hiroshima and spread the message of an end to nuclear weapons worldwide.The Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation is planning an exhibition tour of the USA this year to highlight its work.In Tokyo the L'Institut Franco-Japonais de Tokyo in Iidabashi will be holding a series of events, including films and photographic exhibitions, to commemorate the Hiroshima attack.At 8.15am on August 6 1945 the US B-29 bomber "Enola Gay" unleashed the world's firs Read more:Atomic
, Anniversary
Japan This Week 8/05/07 2007-08-05 08:52:00 今週の日本Nagoya-based Toyota Corp. profits surge.YomiuriSumo grand champion Asashoryu banned for two tournaments for various infractions.GuardianEmperor Hirohito expressed "sorrow" over enshrining of war criminals in Yasukuni Shrine.Japan
TimesOsaka clamping down on sex industry in run up to World Athletics Championships.Mainichi ShinbunJapanese gold leaf in women's facials.NY TimesJapan StatsJapan's total population fell for the second consecutive year and now stands at 127,053,471.The number of people over 65 years of age is 26,675,163 or 21% of the population.However the number of births recorded a slight rise between April 2006 and March 2007 to reach 1,065,533. The number of deaths was at an all time high of 1,081,174.Last Week's Japan NewsJapanese Art - Geisha FansTakayamaBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsGay JapanTagsJapan sumo News Toyota population
Sukyo Mahikari 2007-08-04 01:12:01 崇教真光The huge headquarters of the Sukyo Mahikari religious sect dominates the mountainous skyline to the west of Takayama in Gifu Prefecture.The World Shrine (Suza) is believed by followers of Sukyo Mahikari to enshrine the Su God, the creator of the universe.The building, completed in 1984 at a reported cost of USD 500 million, is monumental in size topped with a large red globe (munadama) and contains many symbols and features that may be familar to followers of other religions. The two Towers of Light resembles Islamic minarets, the Star of David and the Wheel of Dhamma is much in evidence and there is a reconstruction of the Quetzalcoatl Fountain from Mexico in the courtyard of the building.The scarlet interior Great Hall of Worship (no photography allowed) is reminiscent of a massive North Korean movie theater. Adult visitors receive a small shot of local sake after their visit to the Great Hall of Worship.Founded by Okada Yoshikazu (1901-1974), aka Okada Kotama, in the 196
Nagasaki atomic Bombing 62 Years On 2007-08-09 00:02:30 長崎, 原子爆弾 It is 62 years to the day that Nagasaki was devastated by the second atomic bomb to be dropped on Japan just three days after the first bomb attack on Hiroshima.Around 70,000 people were killed and a further 70,000 later died of subsequent radioactivity-related illnesses.Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue delivered this year's Peace Declaration and paid tribute to his predecessor, Itcho Ito, who was shot and killed in April this year.The attack in 1945 from the US B-29 bomber Bockscar occurred at 11.02am with the "Fat Man" bomb exploding at a height of around 500 meters above the historic port city.Book a hotel in Japan with BookingsJapanese FictionHappi CoatsTagsJapan Nagasaki Kyushu
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