My mother's family home is the family of the head priest of Shirahata Shrine, which was built by Minamoto no Yoshitsune, so I think she definitely has Japanese blood. The Imperial Family is at the top of all shrines in the country, and it has a very old-fashioned atmosphere. My paternal relatives lived in Manchuria, a puppet state created in China during the war, and when the war ended they returned to Japan with no assets or anything, and struggled to even get food. I think they probably had a very hard time surviving. After losing the war, Japan came under American occupation, and is still an American colony. Now that Japan is a member of the Western side, Japanese leaders can't say no to America, and they are buying a lot of American fighter planes. Isn't this a violation of the spirit of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which vows to never wage war again?
I feel like nothing is certain these days. Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has expressed a sense of crisis about climate change, but experiencing the unusual heat this summer, I wonder if the Earth really is dying. Putting aside the country, data shows that Japanese companies are making some effort to reduce CO2 emissions. The problem is that humanity only has about five years left to take measures against global warming. Will we make it in time?
In reality, now is not the time for war. Needless to say, war emits a lot of CO2. People of the Western side criticize Russia's war against Ukraine, but are silent about the genocide that Israel is committing against Palestine and the Gaza Strip. Because America was involved in the founding of Israel, they have no say in what Israel does. Even President Biden supports Israel by providing it with weapons. I'm disappointed. America has been in many wars in the past. It should be criticized just like Russia.
I grew up in Russian culture. When I was little, my parents took me to see a performance by the Soviet national song and dance troupe. I will never forget the vivid national costumes and the lively dynamism of the dance. I grew up looking at Russian paintings. Repin, Shishkin, Serov, Aivazovsky, etc. I read Russian literature in high school and was deeply impressed. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Gorky, etc. In the 1980s, I was a big fan of Soviet gymnasts and figure skaters. Now I'm no longer interested in the Olympics because I can no longer find athletes from the former Soviet Union. I have been influenced by countless Russian peaces. German conductor Jun Märkl said on Facebook, "Should we play Russian music now? Yes!"
I know that Edward Snowden revealed the large-scale eavesdropping activities being carried out by the CIA internationally and defected to Russia. I wonder what he is doing now. What is he doing, and what is he thinking? He must be having very complicated thoughts.
So, I'm sorry this article is disorganized. For now, I have written down what I am thinking at the moment.
The photo is the torii gate of Shirahata Shrine.
yes indeed, it's amazing how many costco stores are here now, it is becoming more and more a US colony. But back to the weapons, Japan could make the best weapons in the world but I guess that is against the treaty, but buying is ok.
Interestingly I read somewhere that Al-Qaeda is now working for the USA on the ground in Ukraine. My how the tables have turned and turned again.
I'm a Sendai citizen, but there are so many Starbucks around Sendai Station that people from Tokyo are surprised. It's true that Japan is one of the world's great manufacturing nations, so it would be dangerous to have Japan make weapons. But now, they are already making weapons parts and selling them overseas.
I looked up Al-Qaeda.
An international terrorist organization mainly composed of Sunni Muslims who advocate Islamism. It was formed in 1988 during the Soviet-Afghan war by Osama bin Laden and his comrades who participated in the resistance movement against the Soviet army.
I wonder why they committed the 9/11 terrorist attacks when Al-Qaeda and the US are closely tied together. And they're on good terms with the United States again. It's strange.
i guess no one criticizes usa because it is "the" super power. international trade is mostly in usd, that itself is how powerful usa is.
I understand. I am thus speaking in American English. As U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has repeatedly said, the richest country in the world has no universal health care, and people should not go bankrupt and lose their homes when they get a serious disease like cancer.
Congratulations @olga2772! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next target is to reach 2250 replies.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPUnfortunately, many countries can't say no to America. If you can find it, I'd very much recommend Confessions of an Economic Hitman (link)
When the US strategy became to use Japan as a bulwark against the USSR, they immediately tried to get Japan to overturn Article 9. Luckily the Japanese public support for Article 9 has always been high enough that politicians haven't yet been able to completely get rid of it. So... they just cheat and ignore it sometimes.
As for Snowden, it's hard to say if he's happy in Russia. He was forced to be there. The US canceled his VISA as he was transferring through Russia, so the Russian authorities forced him to stay. Given his situation, he's not going to say anything to upset the Russians too much, so we can't know if him applying for Russian citizenship is just trying to make the best of a bad situation or his real desire.
Thank you for the link. It's a New York Times bestseller. As Greta said, everyone is thinking about changing the system. I'm interested in what Life Economy is. I live in a small room in small apartment and I no longer have space to store books, so I have no choice but to learn how to use e-books.
Thank you for mentioning Article 9. There are Article 9 groups all over Japan, so it cannot be changed easily. The situation was at its most dangerous when the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the leader, but he was assassinated. The current situation is not so good either. The politics of the Liberal Democratic Party itself must be changed.
Snowden may have wanted to go somewhere else. The US revoked his visa so he has no choice but to stay in Russia. And we're not sure if he's happy. The problem is that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is a good friend of Putin (Putin speaks German fluently) and doesn't care about being ostracized by the political world and society. So who is right?
Your blog post resonated with me greatly.
I'm also someone born in one culture, but was bought up in another. Cultural identity has always been a connundrum for me.
I've traversed the world in search of where i belong, still to this day, i do not feel i belong anywhere. I am so different, even my relatives don't connect with me.
All i can say is this: it's alright to be different. Probably we were born onto this plane to be this way, at this time, in this way. There are those out there just like yourself - a person from many places; just by expressing this thought alone (pun intended) creates the opportunity to be the candle in the darkness for others. And today, you were the candle in the dark for me.
I've recently made a blog post detailing my thoughts on the matter. It's the one pinned to my front page called "功夫 Gung Fu - Supreme Mastery". We resonate similar sentiments, thats why i'm sharing it with you.
Take care Olya. Be well and keep preparing for whats to come ahead. Agenda 2030 is no joke and the world is in utter chaos. Stay strong!
PS - hopefully if i achieve my dream of doing the Shikoku Pilgrimage next year, maybe we could have a sake together?
Thank you for your comment. I was thinking about stopping update on Hive, but your words surprised me. "And today, you were the candle in the dark for me."
Do you live in the UK now? Card magic is definitely an art. When I was a child, I used to watch overseas magic TV shows with my family at the end of the year.
I live in Sendai, Japan, a difficult place to live without even wanting a place to belong. I live off welfare because I have chronic mental health and high blood pressure, and I'm grateful to the ward office staff.
Recently, I went to the neighboring prefecture for the first time since COVID-19 to attend the interment ceremony of my maternal uncle. When I saw the sight of the music my grandfather loved being completely ignored, I decided that I would never go back to this house unless I had something to do.
Since you have a sensibility to love art and the ability to write, I think it would be good for you to aim to be a writer or a poet. What do you think?
Agenda 2030. It's a tough time.
Olya is a nickname for the Russian female name Olga. I write English sentences using a machine translator. I'm terrible at listening and speaking. But if you speak slowly. I understand what you say some. And if I use my smartphone, I can somehow have a conversation with you. We live in a convenient age now.
I'm a light drinker. Let's toast with oolong tea.