Comments on: Tokyo tabi

By: ashigaru

ashigaru — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:15:01 +0000

>And having democratically elected politician to go there would violate the separation of politics and religon.

I don’t think so. Aso (the former foreign minister) goes to Catholic church on every August 15th mass, but it doesn’t violate the separation of church and state.
What is problem here, is that it’s the religious institution, which is arguably the cult of worshipping emperor. Hence it cannot really be apart from a kind of nationalism. Museams are problems, too. But they recently changed the display by the advice of famous conservative academics in favour of Non-japanese side. Though there were still funny history explanations last time I checked the place.

By: Aceface

Aceface — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:50:59 +0000

Unlike Arlington,Yasukuni shrine is no longer national institution.It is an independent religious body.And having democratically elected politician to go there would violate the separation of politics and religon.
While I have my discontent over the criticism from abroad that Yasukuni being exist in 21st century Tokyo,I fully understand the anger in China and other nations that prime minister paying pilgrimage there.

I think vast majority of Japanese agree with the fact that these soldiers lost their lives in WW2 by fighting “wrong kind of war”.I’m fully satisfied with the fact that my grand fathers souls are memorated in their own graves in their home cemetary and I don’t need any politician do that for me in Yasukuni.(Perhaps his war buddys but then again they are now too old to go to Yasukuni)
I have to agree with Michael here.Yasukuni is not in the same category with Arlington.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:45:49 +0000

I don’t know. Way I see it, the presence of Me Lai massacre perpetrators on the Wall in Washington or in Arlington would potentially have the same effect—but it would only bother me personally if there was a museum attached making them out to be heros or (like you said) textbooks being issued doing the same. There’s always going to be fanatics who’ll get upset about things, but opposition to 180 degree distortion of history isn’t necessarily fanaticism.

By: George

George — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:11:02 +0000

The museum inside is very well done indeed, perhaps the best example of museum design I’ve seen in Japan. It has its spin, of course, but still.

Michael, the museum itself isn’t an issue—when its view of history get put into textbooks it becomes an issue. The controversy over the shrine, though is that certain awful people are being venerated.

The problem I have is this: my grandfather fought in WWII and my wife’s grandfather fought too, on the Japanese side, and died on Saipan. He is memorialized at Yasukuni and when my grandpa dies he could go to Arlington (or someplace like that). Neither he nor my wife’s grandpa had any role in the political processes that led to war, and whenever I hear about the Yasukuni shrine controversy it always makes me sad that her family can’t think about his memorial unproblematically, the way I’ll think of my own grandpa’s.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 18:24:35 +0000

Potentially dumb question: To what extent would Yasukuni still be a problem if it didn’t have that museum attached, or if the museum had a more balanced view of WW2? I can see where some people would still raise a fuss out of fanaticism or demagoguery, but would the issue still be one capable of damaging Japan’s foreign stature?

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 04:00:14 +0000

In Ebisu there is a restaurant that serves the best breakfast in Tokyo: bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and pancakes! Too bad it is like ¥3000.

More like 500 yen at Jonathan’s, and you get unlimited refills on your drinks. Of course, the food will leave your body within 90 minutes, but it’s still a good deal.

By: Arcane

Arcane — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 03:15:33 +0000

Trolls…

By: Rommel

Rommel — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:16:34 +0000

Arcane,
He’s just trying to be smug and self-righteously anti-war/American/establishment/choose-your-own. Don’t expect a logical and reasonable explanation for that smarmy comment. Chances are he spent an hour thinking of it and then laughed at his own “joke” while clicking send….

By: Arcane

Arcane — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:17:47 +0000

It’s not nearly as impressive as Arlington Cemetery. And not nearly as many war criminals, either.
What is this supposed to mean?

By: Younghusband

Younghusband — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:35:15 +0000

I really like both Ebisu and Meguro. They are much nicer now compared to when I first went to Tokyo 10 years ago. There is a nice pub in Meg I have been to before that is run by a Canadian(?). In Ebisu there is a restaurant that serves the best breakfast in Tokyo: bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and pancakes! Too bad it is like ¥3000.

By: Skippy-san

Skippy-san — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:07:50 +0000

Yea-but did you hit any good bars in Ebisu? Or maybe one of the pubs in Meguro?

Now that’s seeing Tokyo!

By: willie

willie — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 12:18:49 +0000

It’s not nearly as impressive as Arlington Cemetery. And not nearly as many war criminals, either.

By: Aceface

Aceface — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 08:59:19 +0000

You’re right,ARW.And it’s covered with rust and pidgeon dropping….

The big torii of Meiji Shrine is far more better.
Built with the Japanese cypress from Taiwan said to be 1200 years old.

By: Alfred Russel Wallace

Alfred Russel Wallace — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:56:18 +0000

But that giant metal torii is just awful…...

By: Younghusband

Younghusband — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:23:00 +0000

@Aceface You are right, that statement deserves clarification. There are almost 2.5 million souls interred there, only 14 of them actually war criminals.

The website is crazy. I assumed that the museum was going to be crappy based on my web experience. It was actually very nice. Great displays and graphics. Too bad about the history…

By: Aceface

Aceface — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:48:23 +0000

“Yasukuni Shrine-Where the war criminals are.”

Oh Come on.Don’t just mix both of my grand fathers with war criminals!The thugs came afterwards!
(Not that I supported the Koizumi visits,mind you)

I just looked into the Yusyukan website for the first time.
Man,what is that weird beeping noise and playstation-like guidance map? The place is odd.Even for a nationalist like me.

By: Curzon

Curzon — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:44:45 +0000

The Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka was a purpose-built, rocket powered kamikaze aircraft employed by Japan towards the end of World War II. The United States gave the aircraft the name Baka (Japanese for “idiot”).

Nice.