“We shall die in the sea,
We shall die in the mountains.
In whatever way,
We shall die beside the Emperor,
Never turning back.”
~Otomo no Yakamochi
“Saddened by the loss
Of the precious lives
Of so many of my people,
I ended the war.
It mattered not what became of me.”
~Emperor Showa
“When you receive word that I have been killed in action, you must never shed tears for me. If you would say to my picture, ‘You did well,’ I will proudly wave to you and proceed to Yasukuni Shrine….”
~Last Message from one member of the Special Attack Corps (kamikaze pilot)
We spent the afternoon at the Yushikan war museum in Yasukuni Shrine, where the souls of soldiers killed in battle are enshrined. Tomorrow we board the Shinkansen for Hiroshima.
Day Two
Crouching Tiger Blushing Dragon
Once in a Blue Moon
Fay: The Aftermath (dramatic noise)
Ah, Japanese baseball; I'm a huge fan of the experience. We watched the Giants take on the Nippon Ham Fighters in the Tokyo Dome back in 2005 and caught the Yakult Swallows in their stadium on another occasion. I've tried octopus balls as well, but I can't say they're a big favorite of mine. Your blog makes me "home sick" for Tokyo.