Saturday, December 27, 2008

The day after Christmas in Hiroshima.

Day 2 starts with a daytime visit to the Genbaku Dome.
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Note the crane - symbol of peace in Japan, kind of - who's taken up his place in one of the windows.
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The hypocenter/ground zero of the bomb is now a hospital. Appropriate, that.
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Hiroshima streetcars.
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I'm the one with 4 years at the Naval Academy and 5 years in the Marines, but my wife is the one who wants to visit, not one, but two military themed museums.

First up, the Yamato Museum.

Yamato Museum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"The Yamato Museum is a nickname of the 'Kure Maritime Museum' in Kure, Hiroshima, Japan.

...It is called the Yamato Museum due to the display in the lobby of the large model ship Yamato Hiroba, a 1/10 scale model of the Japanese battleship Yamato."

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I mock Neptune. Without fear.
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Japanese battleship Yamato - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"IJN Yamato (大和), named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, and flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet. She was lead ship of her class. She and her sister ship the IJN Musashi were the largest, heaviest, and most powerful battleships ever constructed, displacing 72,800 tonnes at full load, and armed with nine 46 cm (18.1 inch) main guns."

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Manned torpedoes. Suicide weapons. You know, the psychology of Japan at war is actually pretty freaking disturbing.
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Kaiten - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"The Kaiten (Japanese: 回天, translated 'Turning of the Heavens' or 'Reverse Destiny') was a torpedo modified as a suicide weapon, and used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the final stages of the Second World War."

[That's it below, with Sandy getting her learn on.]
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The deservedly feared Japanese Zero.
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A6M Zero - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a lightweight fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) from 1940 to 1945... The A6M was usually referred to by the Allies as the "Zero"...

Its history mirrored that of the Empire of Japan in World War II. When it was introduced, the Zero was the best carrier-based fighter in the world and it was greatly feared by Allied pilots. The IJNAS also frequently used the type as a land-based fighter. A combination of excellent maneuverability and very long range made it one of the finest fighters of its era. In early combat operations, the Zero gained a legendary reputation, outclassing its contemporaries. Later, design weaknesses and the increasing scarcity of more powerful aircraft engines meant that the Zero became less effective against newer fighters. By 1942, due to the evolution of new tactics and techniques, Allied pilots were able to engage the Zero on more equal terms. By 1943, American and British manufacturers were producing fighters with greater firepower, armor, and speed, and approaching the Zero's maneuverability. The Mitsubishi A6M was outdated by 1944, but remained in production. During the final years of the War in the Pacific, the Zero was utilized in kamikaze operations."

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Kairyu class submarine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"The Kairyu (海龍, Kairyū?, 'Sea Dragon') was a class of midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed in 1943–1944, and produced from the beginning of 1945. These submarines were meant to meet the invading American naval forces upon their anticipated approach of Tokyo."

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Sandy is the master of all pink submarine mock-ups. That is all.
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It being the Yamato Museum, there's a whole section devoted to the manga/anime Space Battleship Yamato [Star Blazers in English].

One of Sandy's first crushes was apparently on the lead character. But I'm not jealous.
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Space Battleship Yamato - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"Space Battleship Yamato (宇宙戦艦ヤマト, Uchū Senkan Yamato) is a Japanese science fiction anime series and the name of its eponymous space craft...

The release of Space Battleship Yamato is often cited as the beginning of the Golden Age of Anime..."

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Befitting the Space Battleship Yamato theme, there were some space related shenanigans.
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Lunch!
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Half the fun of traveling is the food.
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Youme Town now has its own Navy.
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Kidding. That's actually the front of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force Museum.

JMSDF Kure Museum:
"JMSDF Kure Museum is established to introduce and exhibit submarines and minesweeping just as JMSDF HISTORY MUSEUM SASEBO and AIR BASE KANOYA MUSEUM exhibit surface ship and aircraft, respectively.

The aim of the museum is to educate Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) personnel and promote understanding by the public of JMSDF through extensive PR activities by exhibiting and preserving materials owned by JMSDF as well as contribute to coexistence with the region."

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Sandy, much stronger than she looks.
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Japan actually has some extensive minesweeping operations. Really appropriate to the Japanese mentality, imho.
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Even the military is cute in Japan.
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Our last Hiroshima cultural event was eating up some okonomiyaki. I'd had it once before, and didn't particularly care for it, but having it made Hiroshima style - much better than Kansai style, imho - made all the difference in the world. Delicious.
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Okonomiyaki - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, Okonomiyaki) is a Japanese dish consisting of a pan-fried batter cake and various ingredients. Okonomi means 'what you like' or 'what you want', and yaki means 'grilled' or 'cooked' (cf. yakitori and yakisoba); thus, the name of this dish means 'cook what you like'. In Japan, okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region.

...In Hiroshima, the ingredients are layered rather than mixed together. The layers are typically batter, cabbage, pork, optional items (squid, octopus, cheese, etc.), noodles (yakisoba, udon) topped with a fried egg and a generous dollop of okonomiyaki sauce. The amount of cabbage used is usually 3 - 4 times the amount of Osaka style. It starts out piled very high and is generally pushed down as the cabbage cooks. The order of the layers may vary slightly depending on the chef's style and preference, and ingredients will vary depending on the preference of the customer. People from Hiroshima tend to claim that this is the correct way to make okonomiyaki. This style is also called Hiroshima-yaki."

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That's all she wrote, folks. Two very full days.

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