Good evening, 919 Gang. I hope you’re enjoying Michael Burge’s Japan
pieces. The words and photos are first-rate.
MICHAEL BURGE
writes:
While the city of Hiroshima attracts visitors for its ties
to modern history, across the bay lies Miyajima Island, which is venerated for
its ties to ancient Japanese culture and the Shinto religion. We caught a water
taxi at a quay near the Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park and scudded down a river
and across Hiroshima Bay to a bygone world.
Miyajima is home to Itsukushima Shrine, which is built on
stilts on an inlet to the bay. A shrine has stood on this site since the sixth
century, and the current version dates to the 16th century. Everything about
Miyajima seems steeped in poetry. Deer greet arriving visitors as they
disembark at the dock. The deer are looking for handouts, no doubt, but they
amble along with the tourists as if they, too, are charmed by their surroundings.
The shrine is wooden, and the reflection of its vermilion
stilts shimmers in the water. We arrived too late in the afternoon to gain
entrance to the shrine, which was regrettable.
The star of Miyajima is a floating torii gate, which stands
in the bay as a gateway to Itsukushima. Miyajima's torii gate is regarded as a
major attraction for Japanese and international tourists alike.
 |
| The torii gate on Miyajima Island is a major Japanese attraction. It stands in Hiroshima Bay and as the gateway to Itsukushima Shrine. When the tide goes out people can walk to the gate. |
 |
| Itsukushima Shrine, a Shinto holy place, dates to the sixth century, and this version dates to the 16th century. We visited late in the afternoon when the water was choppy. Next time I'll go at dawn. |
JAY
JOHNSON writes:
I’m
going to pile on re Japan and WWII. Although I knew about the US “island
hopping” strategy in the Pacific theatre I didn’t comprehend the reality it
created in the last year of the war until I began traveling across Asia
Pacific. What you had were hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops stranded
across the region, many starving, all surrounded by local people mostly hostile
to them (because of atrocities and/or recognition that the Japanese were going
to lose). Many locals also were starving. There also were Japanese POW camps
crowded with US, British, Dutch POWs. The Japanese weren’t going to let those
POWs walk — they had plans to kill them before they could be liberated. Google
“Sandakan Death Marches” or the
“Raid at Cabanatuan”.
Hiroshima
and Nagasaki brought an end to all that in nine days — from first bomb to
surrender.
Little
Boy and Fat Man (the nicknames for the two bombs) saved hundreds of thousands
of lives — Japanese, Americans, British, Filipino, Malaysians, Chinese,
Indonesians, etc. who would have died from hostilities, atrocities, starvation
and disease had it not been for those bombs.
REBER: People can go into denial about their
country’s history. In Munich I boarded a city bus for the trip to Dachau, site
of the WWII concentration camp. The German sitting next to me said that few
people were interested in the camp; most people preferred to visit the castle
at Dachau. When I arrived at the camp and saw row after row of tour buses, I decided
the camp did not lack visitors.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Re Preston Turegano’s query about Marcia Manna: She was
laid off a few years ago but continues to freelance for the U-T.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The jettisoning of long-accepted journalistic practices has been breathtaking. I can't keep up. But I never expected to find the latest challenge to long-held standards to appear in the Sunday Parade magazine, in a column no less by self-anointed expert Marilyn vos Savant. She is alleged to have the highest recorded IQ, so who am I to argue? Here is the subject of my concern, dealt with in a letter and response:
Many
news articles mention the age of the person in the story [as Parade does], such
as John Smith, 46, did such and such. Unless it’s a story in which the age of
the person is relevant, what is the purpose of this practice? It’s never done
on television.—Ati Kovi, Potomac, Maryland
Answer: I think it’s just a
long-standing habit that arose from a desire to satisfy curious readers.
Unfortunately, noting ages also promotes stereotyping because people are so
wildly different. Imagine news stories that routinely added a person’s race and
religion. Who would like that? Personally, I believe that if a photo of the
person appears, the age of the person should not be mentioned.
Larsen: Good luck if your name is John Smith, 46, and another John Smith,
23, is the latest sexual predator. Maybe we'll just discard names, because it
will be seen as profiling.
REBER: Carl, I appreciate your many posts about
the news business, and we all wish you a Happy Birthday August 10.
P.O. Box 2239
Ramona, CA 92065
U.S.A.
