War-time Japan

A new book is out detailing the daily life of Japanese through the translation of the diaries of eight people who endured World War II. Author Samuel Hideo Yamashita talks about it on NPR.

I learned a lot about daily life in war-time Japan at the Hiroshima Peace Museum and it seemed pretty hellish. Not only because of energy crisis, fire-bombings and such, but also due to the high level of militarization. Everybody was part of the war machine. I think that it is important that the public support the troops and all that, but 1940’s Japan the public was giving much more than moral support. I will never forget the images of women practicing naginata in the streets in preparation of a land invasion by the US.