Yasukuni photos

[tanksone]

Hi, very cool....thanks for sharing.

[pauk]

thanks for sharing. Wonderful! Please keep it coming[;)]

[DaveB]

An unfortunate dichotomy,
on the one hand there is an atrocious record when dealing with the conquered, that apparently combines a perversion of Bushido with a relatively recent (almost) mediaeval society... on the other is a devotion and purity of spirit that it is difficult to avoid admiring - Gordon R Dickinson (I think) came up with the sanitised, acceptable version in his Dorsai novels, regretably the truth was often the combination of the worst aspects of both, rather than the better.
 
My home town's 'local' regiment ended up working the Burma railway, still quite a raw wound when I was young for people I knew - it's hard not to take sides at times.

[Mobeer]

I believe the train in the background of post 12 was one of the trains used for the Burma railway.

Did you get to look at the articles in the museum? It seems to sum up the war as a series of Japanese victories followed by a surrender. Very odd.

[DDLAfan]

I was there in 2005.

Probably the best maintained temple/shrine we went to. The bathrooms "bidet" were of course clean and welcome.

Unfortunately, when we got to the WWII section, the Japanese perspective on what went down at this time differs greatly from the American version., basically that the US had a carrier TF at sea prior to Pearl Harbor and this was seen as a provocation on our part. Another section has black and white photos of there wartime leaders., many of whom were brought up on war crimes after the conflict. Also, as you are leaving the exhibit, there is a large painting right near the exit that shows a Zero shooting down a Wildcat. This irked me a little, and stoked my patriotism as well. Of the former axis powers, Japan is the only one who hasn't renounced there fascist past.

When we visited Hiroshima later, even though the stories of the civilians who died in the blast were sad, I couldn't help but have my feelings toward the japanese a little tainted after visiting Yasukuni.

[patrickl]

I did not take photos of the rest of the displays which were quite alot - perhaps someone can share their photos. There was a small bookshop @ the displa area carrying models, history books of nationalist perspective, etc.

Pat

[kaleun]

Thanks for sharing this.
I always wonder what the Japanese write; their take on this.
If my Japanese ever gets better, I may be able to see for myself.

[ram_971]

Hi everybody,   After two years playing as a Japanese, I decided to visit my WITP homeland last July and Yasukuni Shrine is a must be.  
 I only have the same photos of the entrance hall, because it wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside.   

[madgamer2]

I have heard the story many times and believe it part truth and part folklore. Was the Zero designed from a similar desigh developed by a famous rich guy whose initials were H.H., and was not this design turned down by the American Government before the war?

Lawrence