Peace Museums
Today is my last full day on Kyushu, the southern-most major island of Japan. I had planned to go the 100 or so miles to Nagasaki, to see the Peace Museum. Instead, I do laundry.
Dad and I visited the Osaka Peace Museum. It highlights the effects of the fire bombings of World War II. It also displays the effects of the Japanese invasions of China and Korea. Japan has a reputation for white washing history in text books, and on their statues. But, this peace museum seems to offer an honest accounting of war statistics and first hand recollections. In 2002, I went to Horoshima and was impressed by the artifacts and tone of their peace museum. For example, they display a rock with a "shadow" imprinted and display the clothing of victims. The items speak for themselves.
In the United States, we have Civil War battle fields, presidential libraries, tombs of unknown solidiers, memorials, and statues. There is certainly power in a wall which lists war dead. But, I wonder whether a person has to leave the United States to learn of the horror of war.
Yesterday, I took a bus to the Fukuoka Yahoo! Dome and toured the inside of this baseball stadium, which has a retractable roof and seats 50,000 people. Outside of the dome are a series of casts of hands to shake. I try to shake Frank Sinatra`s hand, but the geometry is wrong. The same is true for Billy Joel. I am pleased that the hand of David Bryan-- it says so in bronze-- interlocks well with mine. Many have diffculty with Romaji here. I am certain that the leader of the Talking Heads was actually David Bryne.
The nearby beach features volleyball. A small caterpillar vehicle places a boat into dry dock. A nearby library contains one million volumes and is crowded full of studious people. Fukuoka Tower casts a shadow here.
I write from the Sky Court Haraka Fukuoka Youth Hostel, which is a mid-priced hotel, except that a washer/dryer unit is provided. There is no social interaction here. (I stay at a lower-priced capsule hotel tonight.)
The washer dryer unit is undersized and my clothes do not fully dry. Japan may be the world`s richest country, but Taiwan, which uses Maytags and Kenmores is a better place to do laundry.
The capsule hotel is an experience in itself. My baggage is now in lockers, and I will sleep on the lower level of two, in my own little compartment, which has ventilation and TV. A man shows me little pajama robes and I frown and walk past. It takes some time before I figure out that everyone inside this hotel is wearing matching pajama robes. When I go to Nagoya tomorrow, I will arrive after the Youth Hostels close. I make a reservation for the Wellbe Capsule Hotel next to the Nagoya train station.
Pronounciations take getting used to. There is a Asakusa station here, just like with Tokyo. Asakusa is pronounced, "A sock, A saw."
In case you are wondering how Fukuoka is pronounced, when someone says "Fukuoka", it does not sound like they are asking permission to curse.
Dad and I visited the Osaka Peace Museum. It highlights the effects of the fire bombings of World War II. It also displays the effects of the Japanese invasions of China and Korea. Japan has a reputation for white washing history in text books, and on their statues. But, this peace museum seems to offer an honest accounting of war statistics and first hand recollections. In 2002, I went to Horoshima and was impressed by the artifacts and tone of their peace museum. For example, they display a rock with a "shadow" imprinted and display the clothing of victims. The items speak for themselves.
In the United States, we have Civil War battle fields, presidential libraries, tombs of unknown solidiers, memorials, and statues. There is certainly power in a wall which lists war dead. But, I wonder whether a person has to leave the United States to learn of the horror of war.
Yesterday, I took a bus to the Fukuoka Yahoo! Dome and toured the inside of this baseball stadium, which has a retractable roof and seats 50,000 people. Outside of the dome are a series of casts of hands to shake. I try to shake Frank Sinatra`s hand, but the geometry is wrong. The same is true for Billy Joel. I am pleased that the hand of David Bryan-- it says so in bronze-- interlocks well with mine. Many have diffculty with Romaji here. I am certain that the leader of the Talking Heads was actually David Bryne.
The nearby beach features volleyball. A small caterpillar vehicle places a boat into dry dock. A nearby library contains one million volumes and is crowded full of studious people. Fukuoka Tower casts a shadow here.
I write from the Sky Court Haraka Fukuoka Youth Hostel, which is a mid-priced hotel, except that a washer/dryer unit is provided. There is no social interaction here. (I stay at a lower-priced capsule hotel tonight.)
The washer dryer unit is undersized and my clothes do not fully dry. Japan may be the world`s richest country, but Taiwan, which uses Maytags and Kenmores is a better place to do laundry.
The capsule hotel is an experience in itself. My baggage is now in lockers, and I will sleep on the lower level of two, in my own little compartment, which has ventilation and TV. A man shows me little pajama robes and I frown and walk past. It takes some time before I figure out that everyone inside this hotel is wearing matching pajama robes. When I go to Nagoya tomorrow, I will arrive after the Youth Hostels close. I make a reservation for the Wellbe Capsule Hotel next to the Nagoya train station.
Pronounciations take getting used to. There is a Asakusa station here, just like with Tokyo. Asakusa is pronounced, "A sock, A saw."
In case you are wondering how Fukuoka is pronounced, when someone says "Fukuoka", it does not sound like they are asking permission to curse.
Labels: travel
posted by David Rasmussen at 10:48 PM
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