Ainu, early 20th century, Hokkaido, Japan
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Shout out to the fox nomming on the other fox’s tail.
Japan seems so magical
In japan, there’s a bunny island, a cat island, a park with bowing deer, now THIS
July 30th 1912: Emperor Meiji dies
On this day in 1912 the Emperor of Japan, Emperor Meiji, died in Tokyo aged 59. He ascended to the throne on February 3rd 1867 upon the death of his father Emperor Kōmei. Meiji ruled for 45 years, and during this time Japan transformed dramatically. The year after he came to the throne the Tokugawa Shogunate, the samurai who had led Japan since around 1600, officially handed power back to the emperor, thus beginning the Meiji Restoration. The period that followed saw Japan undergo significant modernisation from a feudal, samurai system to a state that more mirrored its Western counterparts. This Westernisation was a popular movement that was personally championed by Meiji and included a new school system, dismantling of the feudal class system and adoption of the new Meiji Constitution. A growing impetus for change came as a result of the end of Japan’s sakoku policy of seclusion where the country was closed to foreigners. The policy ended in 1853 with the arrival of US Commodore Matthew Perry and the forcible opening of the country to trade with the West. The subsequent Westernisation policies of the Meiji Restoration were welcomed by many, but not by the former samurai; figures such as Saigō Takamori fought what they saw as the eradication of their way of life. As well as overseeing this Westernisation of Japan, Meiji was emperor during both the Sino-Japanese War in 1894-95 and Russo-Japanese War in 1904-5. When Emperor Meiji died in 1912 and his son took over and became Emperor Taishō, he left Japan a very different country than it was when he first ascended to power.
August 22nd 1910: Japan annexes Korea
On this day in 1910, Japan formally annexed Korea with the signing of the Japan-Korea Treaty. Signed by Prime Minister of the Korean Empire Lee Wan-yong and Japanese Resident General of Korea Count Terauchi Masatake, the treaty completed the process of dwindling Korean autonomy that had been furthered by other treaties since 1876. The treaty became effective on August 29th, a week after it was signed, on which day it was also officially promulgated to the public. This marks the beginning of the period of Japanese rule in Korea, during which time Koreans were expected to assimilate with Japanese culture and reject their own. Japanese colonial rule over Korea ended after Japan’s defeat in the Second World War, at which time Korea became an independent nation. In 1965 the treaties between Japan and Korea before 1910 were declared “already null and void”, but a debate continues over whether they were ever legally valid. The legacy of Japanese colonialism remains a controversial one. Many Koreans are still resentful of the treaty, which they believe was invalid as it was forced upon the Koreans, and the years of brutal imperialism that followed. As for the Japanese, there are mixed messages of sincere apology and defiant justification of imperialism; therefore full reconciliation between the two nations is still not complete.
i actually find this really funny because if i’m not mistaken this is supposed to be a can of A&W root beer, and Japan HATES root beer
Apparently it’s a thing in Japan, it’s like black licorice to them, no one likes it.
medicine for kids has ingredients that make it taste kind of like what root beer tastes like so whenever they get root beer it tastes like medicine pretending to be a soda to them
so it’s like giving an american a huge bag of black jelly beans and labeling it “Why would you put these death nuggets in your body you ridiculous lout”
*packs bags and heads to Japan to chug root beer as a street performance*
Of all the Totoros we’ve seen over the years, this awesomely detailed manic Totoro is almost certainly the creepiest. With a grin that would impress the Cheshire Cat and billowing fur that suggests he might be a ghost, this stunning My Neighbor Totoro-themed diorama was recently on display at the 2015 Amazing Japan Model Expo in Osaka, Japan.
This annual event draws fantastically skilled and creative model-makers and sculptors from across Japan to come exhibit their best creations together. Head over to RocketNews24 to check out more of the fantastic models that were shown at this years Amazing Japan Model Expo.
Photos by @T_SONOYAMA, @na_ta_s, and Kinisoku respectively.
[via RocketNews24 and iNotOtaku]
The first Buddhist world map printed in Japan and the prototype for all subsequent Buddhist world maps printed in Japan until the late 19th century.
Battle of Hong Kong
The Battle of Hong Kong (8–25 December 1941), also known as the Defence of Hong Kong and the Fall of Hong Kong, was one of the first battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II. On the same morning as the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, forces of the Empire of Japan attacked British Hong Kong. The attack was in violation of international law as Japan had not declared war against the British Empire. Japan’s unprovoked act of aggression was met with stiff resistance from Hong Kong’s garrison, composed of local troops as well as British, Canadian and Indian units. Within a week the defenders abandoned the mainland, and less than two weeks later, with their position on the island untenable, the colony surrendered.
New Ghibli Theme Park to open in 2020 in Japan!
The new Ghibli Park is to open in 2020 in the Aichi Precture, Japan.
Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki and Aichi prefectural governor Hideaki Ōmura announced at a conference at Nagoya city on Wednesday that Studio Ghibli is planning to open a “Ghibli park” at a 200-hectare area in Aichi’s EXPO Park. The prefecture is collaborating with the studio on the park, which is planned for an early 2020 opening.
The park will recreate the world of My Neighbor Totoro, and the development of it will take place without disturbing the existing plant or animal life.
The EXPO Park, also known as Moricoro Park, is already home to the famous life-sized recreation of “Satsuki and Mei’s House” (pictured above) from the My Neighbor Totoro anime film. Studio Ghibli unveiled the house during the 2005 World’s Fair, which also took place in Expo Park. The house was also the site of a Studio Ghibli exhibition in both 2008 and 2015.
The prefecture is aiming to make the park an attraction for both foreign and domestic tourists. Both Studio Ghibli and the prefecture are funding the operating company that will be in charge of the park.
The studio also maintains the The Ghibli Museum, located in Mitaka in west Tokyo. The Ghibli Museum has interactive exhibits and replicas of iconic Ghibli creations, and offers a rotating screening of different Ghibli-animated shorts.
Sources: Chunichi / Anime News Network
Genko-an Temple (Kyoto,JAPAN)
Summer/Fall/Winter
I have actually been here!!! It’s truly amazing… but what they don’t tell you about is the ceiling.
The ceiling is made of the floorboards from another temple where a extremely bloody battle had taken place. The bodies of the dead were left on the floor for days. As you can see, their foot prints, hand prints, and generally anywhere their bodies laid in a pool of blood. It was very surreal, and extremely quiet. This temple was a little hard to find. When I was there, there were maybe 3 other visitors besides me.
Definitely worth checking out and experiencing if you get a chance to visit.
Also, I’m pretty sure I got a couple of side eyes. According to a friend in Japan, he said that no one really wants to take pictures of the ceiling in fear of bringing home the spirits of the dead with them.
cutekittensarefun