The other day after a whirlwind weekend of sakura planting, reenacting and touring the greater Maizuru area I decided that before starting the long trip back to Sasebo I needed to take a break. Get some country air and have…
Hitting the Sasebo Slopes: Finding Kids on the Slope Film Locations
Recently Kids on the Slope (Sakamichi no Apollon) came out in theaters and its not an understatement to say it’s been a big deal in Sasebo. The movie is about a trio of high school students who bond over their…
Aloha Sakura Trees Planted in Maizuru by Reenactors, Nisei Veterans and Family
World War II reenactors often recreate past battles and even the down time of soldiers, but in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, 20 Japanese reenactors came out to recreate the planting of sakura trees by Japanese American soldiers Mar. 10, 2018. Known…
In This Corner of the World Movie Review
I knew I was going to like this film just a few minutes into it. There’s a scene in the opening of our protagonist as a young girl looking through a telescope at a beautiful hall with a green dome…
Katashima Revisited
Though I published a story on the Katashima Torpedo Testing Facility last summer, I actually visited the site nearly a year before but due to work and other factors concerning interviews and research for the Homefront series its completion and…
A Holiday in Shikoku (Part II)
KOCHI Kochi Castle is one of the 12 original castles, like Matsuyama, but Kochi alone is the real life Swamp Castle! The castle was built where two rivers are close enough to make for a natural moat. The joining…
A Holiday in Shikoku (Part I)
There are many fine places in Japan to spend a long holiday weekend but the one I think doesn’t get enough consideration is Shikoku. Maybe it’s because Navy MWR doesn’t plan tours there, but for those willing to drive the…
New Year, New Destinations
Jan. 1 has come and gone which can only mean one thing… the 76th anniversary of the Battle of Layac Junction, the opening salvo of the Battle of Bataan, has also just occurred and I missed my chance to say…
Picnic among the Pits: Tajimadake Naval Guard Station and Submarine No. 43 Memorial
Looking up at the sky, I imagined what it was like standing here and watching more than 100 heavy bombers fly overhead. Tajimadake, a high hill with the city of Sasebo spread out before it, housed a battery of anti-aircraft…
From JOAK to NHK: NHK Museum of Broadcasting
After the stagnant Edo Period ended in 1868, Japan was quick to make up for lost time to stay competitive with the world they’d re-entered. From a feudal society that had little changed socially or technologically since 1600, Japan bypassed…