Author Topic: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?  (Read 27556 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline topaz

  • RFF Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 358
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #50 on: May 11, 2012, 06:59:50 AM »
90,000 - 166,000 people died in the bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
100,000 people died in the bombings of Tokyo during WWII

Japan killed 30 million Asians during World War II.

Which is the bigger tragedy?
The Japanese killed more than the Nazi Germans which they'd killed 6 million Jews, Gypsies, Communists, gays, etc. during the war?  That's surprising. :gaah:

Offline DrRox

  • A Simple Traveler
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2396
  • Black holes are where God divided by zero!!!
    • My Favorite City
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #51 on: May 11, 2012, 07:01:26 AM »

about that being paid respect to the victims of the atom bomb,   


But on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it's a different story because some Americans doesn't want to admit that kind of crime[/b/] they'd committed and they have reasons why it should had drop the bomb to that 2 cities as a result to the payback of the Pearl Harbor attack and being an alliance to the Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy during the war.

1)Japan was a signatory of both the Hague and Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war and treatment of prisioners of war and civilian populations. Yet they did not comply with any of them.

2)The only "victims" of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs were about 40-50 Allied POWs that were in those cities being used as forced labor in factories and approximate 3,000-5,000 Korean civilians that were subjagated and taken to Japan and forced to work in the Japanese war industry. Japan made a choice to wage "unlimited/unconditional warfare" across East Asia. There was really no difference in the actions of either the Japanse military personal or civilian personal.........they all waged war. This is documented by the actions of Japanese civilian populations in the Philipines, the Marianas and in Okinawa when they fought to the death along side the Japanese military personal.

You will have to show me where dropping an atom bomb was a "crime." The War Crimes were/are all listed in the Hague and Geneva conventions. The Germans bombed civilian populations in Poland, England, and the Soviet Union, but not ONE German was charged with this crime. Japan bombed civilian populations in EVERY country they invaded, but not ONE Japanese was ever prosecuted for it. Yet you want to make it a crime for the USA because they did.........you should read a lot more history.

3)Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not revenge for Pearl Harbor. But the Doolittle Raid on Japan was retaliaton for Pearl Harbor. Fifteen planes dropped a total of 60 bombs on Japan in March/April of 1942.......that is a lot of retaliation for Pearl Harbor. There were 16 planes on the raid but one plane had mechanical problems and had to jetison its bombs before reaching Japan. 15 of the planes flew onward to China and most of the crews had to bail out when they ran out of fuel. One plane flew to Russia and the crew was interred. Of the 15 crews that reached China, 13 actually escaped capture and returned to the US. Of the two crews captured, a total of 8 airmen, the Japanese beheaded 4 of them for their "crime." Then the Japanese went on a killing spree, killing about 250,000 of Chinese population in retaliation for helping the American flyers.

Are we seeing a pattern here? It is okay for Japan to act one way, but not for other countries to act the same way, it is a crime........gimme a break!

There is an old saying......."Live by the sword and die by the sword,"  well that is what happened to Japan.......They chose to fight an unlimited/unconditonal war and they died by an unlimited/unconditional war. Now, if you have never heard of the Marshall Plan, it would be a good time to actuallly do some research on it.

« Last Edit: May 11, 2012, 09:07:47 AM by DrRox »
Matthew 7:15


Offline DrRox

  • A Simple Traveler
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2396
  • Black holes are where God divided by zero!!!
    • My Favorite City
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #52 on: May 11, 2012, 07:05:14 AM »

The Japanese killed more than the Nazi Germans which they'd killed 6 million Jews, Gypsies, Communists, gays, etc. during the war?  That's surprising. :gaah:

You really are unknowledgeable or uninformed about WWII. The Soviet Union had the most war dead of any single country......about 20-25 million total deaths, both military and civilian.
Matthew 7:15

Offline DrRox

  • A Simple Traveler
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2396
  • Black holes are where God divided by zero!!!
    • My Favorite City
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #53 on: May 11, 2012, 07:20:12 AM »
* The TRAGEDY of Japan: Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima

It's a place where a symbol of the human tragedy of war is preserved to this day.

The one in Nagasaki (http://g.co/maps/v9f9q) embodies peace and hope, while the one in Hiroshima embodies the (dare I say this) terror of war in its raw form. They seem to convey the same hope for peace but from opposite angles, which is also interesting.  Thanks for bringing this up.

That is pretty much the same thing I felt about those memorials. They are very poignant. They reminded me of that famous quote by George Santayana, a Spanish philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist (1863-1952). “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Matthew 7:15

Offline topaz

  • RFF Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 358
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #54 on: May 11, 2012, 07:26:55 AM »

The Japanese killed more than the Nazi Germans which they'd killed 6 million Jews, Gypsies, Communists, gays, etc. during the war?  That's surprising. :gaah:

You really are unknowledgeable or uninformed about WWII. The Soviet Union had the most war dead of any single country......about 20-25 million total deaths, both military and civilian.
yes, and I'd just saw this info on wikipedia, today: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:World_War_II_Casualties.svg

And after Soviet Union, China was the 2nd place for most death during World War II.


Offline DrRox

  • A Simple Traveler
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2396
  • Black holes are where God divided by zero!!!
    • My Favorite City
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #55 on: May 11, 2012, 07:43:33 AM »
There are two references I'd like to share.

  • A Japanese book titled 「おじいちゃん、戦争のこと教えて」 (http://amzn.to/jNaHiA) or "Grandpa, Tell Me About the War" (that's my translation of the Japanese title), in which Asahi Breweries Board Member Takanori Nakajo (who was a Japanese Army cadet in training at the time of surrender but never went to battle) receives a letter from his granddaughter asking for help with her history project on WWII, while attending the Masters School in New York. He then painstakingly AND rather objectively recalls the events before, during, and after the war, from several view points, and answers his granddaughters 16 or so questions. The result is what he published. This book filled in a lot of blanks for me and completely changed my view of the war. I wish this book would get translated to other languages.
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_bomb_debate -- I think this Wikipedia article not only sheds light on various angles regarding the use of the a-bomb in Japan, it also makes us think about more recent military events. Were they necessary?

I hope that book gets translated also. The closest I have seen to something like that is "Letters from Iwo Jima" that Clint Eastwood made into a film.

On the Wikipedia reference, it is nice to note the approximate dates of all those quotes. I suspect that they were all within 6 months of the bombings.......and also interesting to look at each person's agenda. If you were one of the miltary commanders at the time......if you drop the bomb.......you job is over. If you do not drop the bomb, you get to command troops in war for another year........everyone of those people quoted were just "feather-bedding" for whatever their job was at the time......better to stay emplyed than out of work. It is interesting that there were no quotes from any privates, corporals or sargents that would have had to land on the beaches and fight for another year, don't you think? How do you thnk they would have voted if asked? Harry Truman was an interesting man. He had been an enlisted man in WWI, so he really identified and thought about the common soldier. He made the decision to drop the bombs......no one else. Estimates are that it shortened the war by one full year, than if the Allies had invaded. Also US casuaties in an invasion were estimated at 1 million soldiers killed and up to 5 million wounded. Japanese casualties were estmated to be about 20 million killed and I have never seen any number about how many wounded. Now the intelligence people that came up with those numbers also predicted the casualties for most of the other battles that the US was involved in the Pacific Theater of war......they grossly UNDER estimated every single battle. So I doubt that they actually came up with a correct figure for the planned invasion of Japan. As bad as the casualties for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings........an invasion would have made them look angelic. This is what Dave Brown was referencing when he made those remarks......dropping the bombs actually saved lives.

If Harry Truman had not ordered the dropping the bombs.......I might not even be here today.....along with a lot of other children of WWII veterans and the same is true of Japanese children born after the war.  No one every seems to think of that. My father was a fighter pilot in Europe, survived VE day and was in the process of deploying to Okinawa to fly missions over Japan...He never got there before the war was over. Over 1 million US soldiers had been deplyed from Europe to the western Pacific between VE day and Aug of 1945 with approximated 4 million more on the way.
« Last Edit: May 11, 2012, 07:59:42 AM by DrRox »
Matthew 7:15

Offline DrRox

  • A Simple Traveler
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2396
  • Black holes are where God divided by zero!!!
    • My Favorite City
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #56 on: May 11, 2012, 07:52:06 AM »
And folks, please feel free to bring up other parts of this leg too!

  • How long did it take from Cochin to Hiroshima? What route did they take? Did they fly via Incheon? (I ask because getting from India to Japan isn't as simple as it seems. There used to be a Delhi--Narita flight on JAL, but no more)
  • That 700 series Shinkansen "Nozomi" - how cool was that?
  • Why in the world did Phil and crew decide to hide in the bushes near the Osaka-jo castle?
  • Who were those rocker greeters?

1) Well they left Kochi about 11:30 one night and arrived in Hiroshima about 8 pm the next night....so about 20.5 clock hours minus how ever many time zones they crossed. Well at the travel agency in Kochi, they made it pretty clear that teams were scheduled to arrive at 8:10 pm in Hiroshima. That is the Shanghai connection. The Taipei connection was scheduled to arrive at 8:05pm and the Incheon connection was scheduled to arrive at 8:00 pm. Also they showed some pretty strage footage of all the teams getting on a completely empty Eastern China airliner.......where did that come from......LOL When they showed teams actually on the flight with a full planeload of people........the Eastern China Airlines logo was on the seat behind Rached R's head.........so I am going to have to just go with the Kochi>Singapore>Shanghai>Hiroshima route......call me crazy!!!

2) I rode the orginal "Bullet" train back in the 70s......but I would think that the N700 would be just as cool!!

3) Since the pit stop was only 2 hours approx, maybe they were checking teams in and out at the same time....lol

4) I have no idea.........hahahaha  Not my generation.
« Last Edit: May 11, 2012, 08:18:47 AM by DrRox »
Matthew 7:15

Offline redskevin88

  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2346
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #57 on: May 11, 2012, 08:22:43 AM »
90,000 - 166,000 people died in the bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
100,000 people died in the bombings of Tokyo during WWII

Japan killed 30 million Asians during World War II.

Which is the bigger tragedy?
The Japanese killed more than the Nazi Germans which they'd killed 6 million Jews, Gypsies, Communists, gays, etc. during the war?  That's surprising. :gaah:


The 30 million was a rough estimate but China alone had 10-20 million civilian deaths during World War II. 

Offline SuperTux

  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 932
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #58 on: May 11, 2012, 08:46:03 AM »
90,000 - 166,000 people died in the bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
100,000 people died in the bombings of Tokyo during WWII

Japan killed 30 million Asians during World War II.

Which is the bigger tragedy?
The Japanese killed more than the Nazi Germans which they'd killed 6 million Jews, Gypsies, Communists, gays, etc. during the war?  That's surprising. :gaah:


The 30 million was a rough estimate but China alone had 10-20 million civilian deaths during World War II.
The data here shows China had 18 million deaths, and 17 million injured.
好像用中文做签名档会比较酷。

Offline DrRox

  • A Simple Traveler
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2396
  • Black holes are where God divided by zero!!!
    • My Favorite City
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #59 on: May 11, 2012, 09:17:13 AM »
90,000 - 166,000 people died in the bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
100,000 people died in the bombings of Tokyo during WWII

Japan killed 30 million Asians during World War II.

Which is the bigger tragedy?
The Japanese killed more than the Nazi Germans which they'd killed 6 million Jews, Gypsies, Communists, gays, etc. during the war?  That's surprising. :gaah:


The 30 million was a rough estimate but China alone had 10-20 million civilian deaths during World War II.


I had no problems at all with your numbers. They were all pretty close for this forum. One thing I will ad. The US gov and Japanese gov followed most all of the documented casulties from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As far as I can tell, the last published report from 1950 showed that deaths were about 200,000 for each event up to the reprort time in 1950. That was for people that died during the explosion and people that died as a result of the amount of radiation they received afterwards. The scientists and medical community had said that something like 99.99% of deaths would occur withing 5 years. After that, I know that I read in newspapers and watching news on TV when I was growing up, that every now and then a death would be reported here in the US. It was always a sad moment for me.
Matthew 7:15


Offline starrynight

  • RFF Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #60 on: May 11, 2012, 09:39:05 AM »
Japan killed 30 million Asians during World War II.

There is no agreed figure on this at all, but people so easily accept what they are told which was my point.  Elsewhere people discuss and question such a figure rather than just accept it blindly.
http://www.jref.com/forum/all-things-japanese-26/has-japan-killed-more-foreign-civilians-wwii-than-any-other-country-history-16290/

Offline Prophet

  • TarKonian Game Host
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 8141
  • ∞∞
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #61 on: May 11, 2012, 01:11:18 PM »
DrRox :jam: :jam: :jam: :jam: :jam: :jam: :jam:

Basically, if America did not fight the wars she fought, Germany may still be killing Jews, inncocent Japanese would still be in bondage to their militant government, the Soviet could have unleashed some terror upon the world (they had smallpox strains), thousands of people would still be in the bondage of socialism and Communism, and so on. Sometimes wars are necessary; sometimes not.
Physics alone is not enough.

Those who forget history are sure to repeat it.

Offline starrynight

  • RFF Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #62 on: May 11, 2012, 01:45:54 PM »
erm American didn't do most of that on it's own, and couldn't have either.  And some things America has done on its own have been misguided.

Offline DrRox

  • A Simple Traveler
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2396
  • Black holes are where God divided by zero!!!
    • My Favorite City
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #63 on: May 11, 2012, 03:40:08 PM »
erm American didn't do most of that on it's own, and couldn't have either.  And some things America has done on its own have been misguided.

You are quite correct. But then again, hindsight is always 20/20. Also you live in a world where you are entitled to express your opinion, whatever it is.
Matthew 7:15

Offline DrRox

  • A Simple Traveler
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2396
  • Black holes are where God divided by zero!!!
    • My Favorite City
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #64 on: May 11, 2012, 03:49:44 PM »
DrRox :jam: :jam: :jam: :jam: :jam: :jam: :jam:

Basically, if America did not fight the wars she fought, Germany may still be killing Jews, inncocent Japanese would still be in bondage to their militant government, the Soviet could have unleashed some terror upon the world (they had smallpox strains), thousands of people would still be in the bondage of socialism and Communism, and so on. Sometimes wars are necessary; sometimes not.

Functionally, the Soviet Union defeated Germany. The Soviet Union survived with the help of alot of material resources from the United States untill the Soviets could get their factories rebuilt east of the Urals. The turning point in the European Theater was the Battle of Stalingrad. After that battle, the Soviets pushed the Germans all the way back to Berlin. The Western Allies liberated N.Africa, Italy, France and the Low Countries and sort of closed the back door on Germany. By VE Day, the Germany military had ceased to exist.

Japan was a different story. On VJ Day, the Japanese AirForce and Nave were non existant, but the Japanese Army was relatively intact. The problem was, they were scattered and isolated all over East Asia. The main difference in the two theaters was pretty much a simple matter of geography. Germany had the ability to manuver or shift it forces from one place to another and the Japanese lost that ability.
Matthew 7:15

Offline kenchan

  • RFF Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 86
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #65 on: May 12, 2012, 02:37:37 AM »
Wow, the TAR RFF Senior Leadership Team just took over this thread...! :o


This is turning out to be an interesting discussion.  Any conversation related to war is bound to be emotional. And just as I imagined, there will be people taking sides, justifying certain outcomes with facts. It's hard not to be biased. 

However, I'd like us not to fall into that trap.

The thing that was remarkable about Nakajo's "Grandpa ..." book wasn't just about the detail that he went into about the events of the time and the various debates among Japan's military leaders and the Emperor following the two bombs dropped in early August 1945 leading up to the Unconditional Surrender. It was about how he, as a teenager, felt during those years. 

You just cannot debate over how one feels.

During the war, Nakajo believed that going into the military to serve the country and the citizens around him was the ultimate heroic act. Then the war ended, and faced something he hadn't anticipated. The very people that cheered him on as he left for military school turned their backs completely against him after the unconditional surrender. Just in a matter of 9 days, his world had been flipped upside down.  What he had believed in was for years was no longer true.

Japan had a severe shortage of food and energy around that time, as the government had poured resources into the war.  So he's depressed and starving.

And not-so-coincidentally, according to the book, the GHQ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Commander_of_the_Allied_Powers) had instituted a War Guilt Information Program (WGIP), which Nakajo mentioned was employing the strategy of "The Peace of Carthage" (=the brainwashing the Romans did to make the people of Carthage believe they were guilty for the war).
There aren't a lot of details on WGIP in English, but there are several in Japanese including http://bit.ly/Jl0jAk and http://bit.ly/cRbgCN. Here's one that is written in English, but by a Japanese historian: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-11-10/news/1993314036_1_japan-war-guilt-war-of-aggression

And it doesn't stop there. There are other stories about how the GHQ had controlled Japanese media until 1952. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Commander_of_the_Allied_Powers#Media_censorship ) This resulted in a stripping down of the Japanese culture, which in many respects, still has an impact today (ever seen a Japanese person have a difficult time saying "no"? Especially in business?). And how the GHQ basically wrote the Japanese Constitution which is still in effect for the most part, including the controversial Article 9 (which prohibits a national military force for offensive purposes).

The Japanese were told that the war was their fault while being stripped of their cultural identity. And Nakajo got that message loud and clear. Life was very very difficult. He contemplated terminating his life.

Just think about the power that the US Government had over Japan during those 7 years.   

Not saying whether the Japanese deserved it or not. 

How would you feel if you were a soldier in training during the war? In Japan? In one of the Allied Nations? What would you have done after the war?


Just let it all sink in.


I think it's rather remarkable that Nakajo found meaning in his life (if you read Japanese, you'll find out how in the book - I won't spoil it for you ;)) and later on became a CEO of a reputable company. Of course, he wasn't the only one who survived that era, but he certainly had a dramatic story to tell. His granddaughter certainly benefited from his story, which helped her get a glowing review from her history teacher, and her classmates at the Masters School got an insider's view at what it was like to be a Japanese in 1945.

(I really hope this book gets translated to English.)

And if one person can tell such a dramatic story, just think about the 20-30 million untold stories.  It doesn't matter where those people are from or who killed them. It's just painful to think about it, but we must.


And I believe that's why TAR makes these kinds of tributes.

Thank you Phil, Bertram, Elise, the camera/sound crews, the staff members at WRP and at the City of Hiroshima.
« Last Edit: May 12, 2012, 04:08:08 AM by kenchan »
「超たのしい~!♪」
-Tyler McNiven riding a fold-up bike in the night streets of Tokyo, TAR9

Offline starrynight

  • RFF Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #66 on: May 12, 2012, 07:34:00 AM »
Most people who watch The Amazing Race won't find such tributes very instructional imo.  I'm sure most are aware of Hiroshima, and they are unlikely to want to look further into it.

Offline kenchan

  • RFF Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 86
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #67 on: May 12, 2012, 11:36:23 AM »
Most people who watch The Amazing Race won't find such tributes very instructional imo.  I'm sure most are aware of Hiroshima, and they are unlikely to want to look further into it.

That's why this forum exists, right?
 
This thread has been at the top for a while and has over 2100 views. So it does look like there is interest.

Any racers wanna chime in on this subject?
「超たのしい~!♪」
-Tyler McNiven riding a fold-up bike in the night streets of Tokyo, TAR9

Offline bcp19

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 213
  • TAR/Surv/BB/?? junkie ;)
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #68 on: May 12, 2012, 01:00:53 PM »
Most people who watch The Amazing Race won't find such tributes very instructional imo.  I'm sure most are aware of Hiroshima, and they are unlikely to want to look further into it.

That's why this forum exists, right?
 
This thread has been at the top for a while and has over 2100 views. So it does look like there is interest.

Any racers wanna chime in on this subject?
I recently read a book titled "At Dawn We Slept", which was a sort of documentary leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.  The author had interviewed numerous Japanese personnel and tried to show an accurate picture of the events that lead up to it.  I found it a very interesting book.  I also recently read "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors", which was about the battle of Leyte Gulf and a book about the Indianapolis, which some think transported the bombs.  A friend of my parents  grew up near the site of the first A-bomb test (her parents actually worked on the project), and there was a lot of controversy over that first test, as some theorists thought that it would result in a chain reaction that would burn the atmosphere completely off the planet.   Also, the use of the bombs was a huge gamble, since the threat of more was just a bluff.  I admit seeing the memorial at Hiroshima was thought provoking.  There is a lot to be learned from the past, and it is to be hoped that such lessons can be carried forward so they are not repeated.

I had a few uncles that were in various areas of the war, but now it's too late to be able to ask questions about their experiences, which would have been interesting to hear first person.  I know one was a marine in the south Pacific, but had no idea where he actually was, though he recognized some of the places from the movie South Pacific. 

Offline kenchan

  • RFF Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 86
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #69 on: May 14, 2012, 01:40:42 AM »
bcp19,
thanks for the info on that book. I'll have to check it out.

Sidenote - just saw a tweet regarding a protest in Hiroshima against resuming operations at a nuclear power plant (via @monjukun, an anti-nuclear energy activist):

https://twitter.com/#!/monjukun/status/201535702985490433



Obviously, Hiroshima isn't the only place where anti-nuclear energy demonstrations are taking place, but I would imagine people in Hiroshima are considerably more sensitive regarding radiation than the rest of Western Japan. (Western Japan runs on a completely separate power grid from the Eastern half
「超たのしい~!♪」
-Tyler McNiven riding a fold-up bike in the night streets of Tokyo, TAR9


Offline topaz

  • RFF Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 358
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #70 on: May 14, 2012, 06:32:58 AM »
This is NOT true in East Asia. Browse fora and you'll see Chinese people, Korean people and Japanese people hate each other online. :lol:   Sometimes it looks funny to see them attacking each other.
Well, not only Chinese, Koreans and Japanese people hating each other online about the war issue, the Filipinos as well.  Actually, it's a different story though when both China and Philippines are making hate to each other through online when recently the Chinese navies had "invaded illegally" to a Philippine-claimed small island of Scarborough Shoal or also known as Panatag Shoal in my country.  And by tomorrow, the Filipino activists will march toward to the Chinese embassy to make a protest about this issue, and it is not related to the horrors of World War 2.  And if you could take a look on China right now, that country are a totalitarian and communist state and unlike before, their armed forces are becoming stronger and numerous and their war technology is somewhat modern.  And that should be concern about the Asian countries right now like Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, etc.
World War 3 anyone?! :iok
The following is our perspective in China: that island (Huangyan island in Chinese, or Scarborugh Shoal in English) belongs to China according to the history. China found this island in 1279. Guo Shoujing made some measurement experiments there. No treaty so far claims that that island belongs to Philippine. Actually the map produced by Philippine in 1980's excluded Huangyan island from Philippine's territory.

I laughed when seeing you mentioned that Chinese forces are becoming "stronger" and war technology is modern. :lol: Now netizens here in China are blaming Chinese Army for being cowards. You may see a lot of posts like "Philippine is bullying us. Why don't we fight back? Chinese government and the army are cowards. They suck. We're in another Qing Dynasty blablabla..."  )-** Since China has officially proclaimed that it opposes hegemonism in all forms, I don't think China will break the promise unless Philippine doesn't do some control over the circumstances.

China is not totalitarian and, to some extent, not that communist now.  :groan: Sometimes we joke that Chinese-style commusism=economic capitalism+politically ambiguous socialism.  :lol3: I think presently the policies made by Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao are a little bit leaning towards the right-wing compared with the former leaders. The power of the extreme left-wing led by Bo Xilai recently collapsed in the political conflict. :duno: (See also Wang Lijun's treason case)
oh?  And I do believe that you live in China, SuperTux.  Well, in that's the case, I want to watch this video coming from the other part of "China" (that is Taiwan) that shows about the issue on the disputed shoal courtesy of youtube: http://youtu.be/TaNVKC-9zlw

And I hope that video is accessible to your country and didn't blocked or censored by your government. )-**

Offline SuperTux

  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 932
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #71 on: May 14, 2012, 09:00:29 AM »
This is NOT true in East Asia. Browse fora and you'll see Chinese people, Korean people and Japanese people hate each other online. :lol:   Sometimes it looks funny to see them attacking each other.
Well, not only Chinese, Koreans and Japanese people hating each other online about the war issue, the Filipinos as well.  Actually, it's a different story though when both China and Philippines are making hate to each other through online when recently the Chinese navies had "invaded illegally" to a Philippine-claimed small island of Scarborough Shoal or also known as Panatag Shoal in my country.  And by tomorrow, the Filipino activists will march toward to the Chinese embassy to make a protest about this issue, and it is not related to the horrors of World War 2.  And if you could take a look on China right now, that country are a totalitarian and communist state and unlike before, their armed forces are becoming stronger and numerous and their war technology is somewhat modern.  And that should be concern about the Asian countries right now like Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, etc.
World War 3 anyone?! :iok
The following is our perspective in China: that island (Huangyan island in Chinese, or Scarborugh Shoal in English) belongs to China according to the history. China found this island in 1279. Guo Shoujing made some measurement experiments there. No treaty so far claims that that island belongs to Philippine. Actually the map produced by Philippine in 1980's excluded Huangyan island from Philippine's territory.

I laughed when seeing you mentioned that Chinese forces are becoming "stronger" and war technology is modern. :lol: Now netizens here in China are blaming Chinese Army for being cowards. You may see a lot of posts like "Philippine is bullying us. Why don't we fight back? Chinese government and the army are cowards. They suck. We're in another Qing Dynasty blablabla..."  )-** Since China has officially proclaimed that it opposes hegemonism in all forms, I don't think China will break the promise unless Philippine doesn't do some control over the circumstances.

China is not totalitarian and, to some extent, not that communist now.  :groan: Sometimes we joke that Chinese-style commusism=economic capitalism+politically ambiguous socialism.  :lol3: I think presently the policies made by Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao are a little bit leaning towards the right-wing compared with the former leaders. The power of the extreme left-wing led by Bo Xilai recently collapsed in the political conflict. :duno: (See also Wang Lijun's treason case)
oh?  And I do believe that you live in China, SuperTux.  Well, in that's the case, I want to watch this video coming from the other part of "China" (that is Taiwan) that shows about the issue on the disputed shoal courtesy of youtube: http://youtu.be/TaNVKC-9zlw

And I hope that video is accessible to your country and didn't blocked or censored by your government. )-**
It's accessible here because I'm using IPV6. I don't know what NMATV is, but I can almost ascertain that it does not represent Taiwan's official opinion.

Officially Taiwan has been silent towards Huangyan Island issue, though President Ma has proclaimed before that South China Sea and the islands in it belong to Republic of China. Actually this happened often because Taiwan is in a dilemma. If Taiwan officially makes an alliance with the mainland in case of protecting the sovereignty over the South China Sea, it means to be directly against America, which would be a great psychological burden for Taiwan; if Taiwan yields to those South East Asian nations, this would mean the loss of territory and sovereignty.

Also it's advisable to notice a fact that it is not that the nation closest to the island has the sovereignty. In the case of Huangyan island, please notice the western border of Philippine is 118°E while Huangyan Island is 117°46′E. This island doesn't belong to Philippine according to a series of treaties including the Treaty of Paris (1898) between the United States, Treaty of Washington (1900) between Spain and the United States,Convention Between the United States and Great Britain (1930), 1935 Constitution of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 3046 "Act to Define the Baselines of the Territorial Sea of the Philippines"(1961), or the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines.

好像用中文做签名档会比较酷。

Offline DrRox

  • A Simple Traveler
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2396
  • Black holes are where God divided by zero!!!
    • My Favorite City
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #72 on: May 14, 2012, 02:26:57 PM »
If anyone is interested in the short version of the Manhatten Project, CBS produced a docudrama in 1989 called DAY ONE. It garnered critical acclaime for its historical accuracy, despite being a drama. It also won the Emmy for Best Drama that year. It starred Brian Denehey. It is available from Amazong on DVD.

The site of the first A Bomb test is called Trinity Site. It is in the New Mexico desert, just east of Socorro, NM. It is open to the public, only two days a year. A Saturday in Oct and another Saturday in April. It is still very radioactive. That test was on July 16, 1945, the same day that the U.S.S. Indianapolis left San Francisco for Tinian Island, with "bomb parts" of the "Little Man" bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. The test in New Mexico was a test of the "Fat Man" bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. Kokura, Japan was the orginal target that day, but clouds obscured the city enough that the secondary target was attacked.

The planners in the Manhatten Project chose 4 Japanese cities for A bomb targets: Hiroshima, Niigata, Kokura and Nagasaki. None of these cities were ever bombed by conventional means. At the time, there were only 3 bombs........one in NM and two in Japan......but a steady arrival of more bombs was slated to start arriving in the Mariannas around Aug 18, 1945.

The bombs were not assembled and shipped. They were only shipped in parts. Final assembly only took place after the bombers actually took off from Tinian Island for the trip to Japan.
Matthew 7:15

Offline kenchan

  • RFF Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 86
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #73 on: June 01, 2012, 12:08:01 PM »
Just read this article - interesting insight into Japan's Nuclear Industry... Apparently the inaugural owner of the Yomiuri Giants baseball club and the CIA were involved.  Interesting read! http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2012/06/01/japans-nuclear-industry-the-cia-link/
「超たのしい~!♪」
-Tyler McNiven riding a fold-up bike in the night streets of Tokyo, TAR9

Offline Jobby

  • TAR & RFF Fanatic
  • TAR Detectives
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 13567
  • HEHEHEHEHEHE
Re: TAR20 Leg 11: Best showcasing of Japan ever?
« Reply #74 on: June 02, 2012, 12:54:58 AM »
I really liked the Hiroshima tribute and everything, but NO, this leg was not the best Japan leg I've seen. IMO, I thought the TAR 18 Japan leg was even more memorable, with interesting archery task, waterfall and mud Detour.

The leg was first affected by many bunching points. They fly to Hiroshima on the same plane, then they try to take a bus and Brendon and Rachel got left behind, which at first was exciting, then they caught up again at the train station, where now Rachel and Dave were left behind.. and missed the ferry too... to which the teams realized they only get their clue in the morning.

SO. MUCH. DRAMA. FOR. NOTHING. IMO, there should only be one bunching per leg... and it should only happen at the start for the planes, and nothing else.

Then... just when they finished their hiroshima tribute... yet another bunching point for a train to Osaka!

When they reached Osaka, the Roadblock, was something which we have seen in TAR 15 first leg... then was more exciting, where there were more teams and they had to grab a sushi and it was also funny to watch. This leg... the audiences by the side was... bored IMO, and also, the set was really really not well done. And to be truthful, the task was lame. Which part of Japan did it showcase? Their sadistic side? I'll rather they make them go through a Ninja Warrior obstacle course.

Then come the Sushi Bingo and take pictures with Sumo standees task. Erm, I can play Sushi Bingo and do the Sumo pictures task in ANY country in the world too. That was two random and boring task. I would rather, they go to a Sumo school and learn how to fight against a Sumo wrestler.. like get past a Sumo wrestler to receive their clue or something. Or an eating task where they have to finish a Sumo Steamboat Hotpot, which is a REALLY HUGE PORTION and you can see teams gorging and trying to kill themselves with the task.

As for the Sushi Bingo, same with it, it's more fun to get teams to EAT the sushi, for example for every sushi which they do not need, they have to EAT IT or something like that... I don't know.. the Detour and Roadblock this leg just lacked loads of creativity as compared to the TAR 18 leg which I preferred more.