Anti-Japanese "Protests"

[Wolf]

Ooh. CD version would indeedy be funky. I live in Japan right now, though. I do love books, but I'm not abject to reading from a computer screen on occasion (although it's awfully hard to cozy up with an old 90s era monitor.) Recent Norse reading has to do with a book buying binge; the first I've been on since my undergrad days.

I read Njal's saga; and I really enjoyed it. Some of my favorites, though, were Egil's saga and Grettir's saga. Egil Skallagrimson reminds me a lot of my own grandfather, both in personality (minus the poet thing; although grandad was quite the painter) and family history.

Nobody, have you ever read any of the Icelandic Romances (like Arrow Odd?) They're not as intriguinig as the family sagas, but they're fun reads in their own right.

PS I might be away for a few days now, as this coming weekend is a long weekend in Japan.

[Lotus Eater]

How is it going in Japan, Wolf? From the Japanese perspective, what reporting of the anti-Japanese stuff is there?

[Wolf]

Lotus said:

How is it going in Japan, Wolf? From the Japanese perspective, what reporting of the anti-Japanese stuff is there?

The Japanese people seem to be generally used to having South Korea or China protest against something or another.

A couple of years back when that infamous history textbook was approved, South Korea cancelled a youth exchange program between the two nations. And then there were the soccer booings in China last summer. And of course there's always something in the news about disaporval over the annual August 15 shrine visit.

Most Japanese people honestly don't understand why such vehement protests happen. In part because of ignorance of history and in part because ultra-nationalist ways of thinking are no longer the norm for Japanese society (unlike the war era itself.) As near as I can figure, the Japanese have almost as hard a time getting their head around vehement nationalism as "we" do (they prefer a more subtle apporach.)

On the whole, I really don't think the average Hiroshi Tanaka cares. Partly from having distanced themselves from history (in both a good and bad way).

That being said, there doesn't seem to be much of a repentant vibe over here as well. To be sure hell will freeze over before Japan invades anything again; but I don't think many people care-one way or the other.

[Newbs]

It's okay folks, everythings hunkey dory again.

english.peopledaily.com.cn/200505/20/eng20050520_185988.html