一日の画像 - Picture of the Day: Koyasan Taiko

Seen Here: Koyasan Taiko performs their first performance of the year at the annual New Years gathering at the Los Angeles Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo.

New Years Greetings

You know it's just not New Years around here without an appearance by the reigning Heisei Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko marking this 27th year of their reign on the Chrysanthemum Throne. Some 81,000 visitors flocked to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to see the Emperor and the Imperial Family make their annual New Years appearance from their balcony to the throngs of visiting well wishers. We at American Mishima wish them a Happy New Years and long may they continue to reign.

2015: A New Year with New Hope

Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu! Welcome to our 7th year of our American Mishima blog and to the Year of the Ram! As we have done for the last several years we spent ours in Little Tokyo starting with the Hatsumoude New Years Service at the Los Angeles Koyasan Buddhist Temple where it was packed to capacity. This year we could not take as many photos but we can tell you there were plenty of kimono, Taiko, and many great Japanese dishes offered in and around Japanese Plaza and Weller Court. The feeling on our part is cautiously optimistic. We hope this year we sell more books and find a real publisher. We also hope bring in more work, an addition to our family, and that our little girl Mia can finally walk & talk without assistance. All these fortunes and happiness we wish for the New Year of the Ram. We hope that you the reader will please continue to support this blog and our books. May you all enjoy the many blessings and your wishes for this new year to come!

Another Inconclusive War's Bittersweet End

This week marked the formal end to the United States longest and most expensive war in the "Graveyard of Empires" better known as Afghanistan. Like the Soviets before us, our troops fought bravely and were never defeated on the battlefield yet leave without any true sense of victory. What was it all for? Our leaders blew the opportunity to end it early with the capture of the 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden in the Tora Bora Mountains and we never captured Taliban leader Mullah Omar. Worse, the Afghan Military seems incapable of keeping the country intact so long as their leaders continue to embrace tribalism over nationalism. While we'll still have a small force in the capital of Kabul, it smacks of another hard learned lesson that seems to have been ignored. 

When I was a kid I watched on live TV as the last U.S. Chopper lifted off the U.S. Embassy in Saigon ending our role in the Vietnam War. It was a sad sight. Our war in Vietnam was then our longest and costliest war which ended badly for us. So as we mark the end of the war in Afghanistan (A war that dragged on for 13 years with price tag that eclipsed Vietnam) one has to ask "Did we win?" Not really. Did we achieve our objectives? Yes and No. Did we leave a stable country ready to function in the world of nations? Probably not. Was it all worth it? You'll have to ask those brave men and women who put themselves on the line there while the rest of us did what President Bush told us what to do. To go on with our lives and go shopping. As the son of a Vietnam Vet all I can say for our tragic losses and largely unknown sacrifices and feats of heroism on the part of our troops is the Japanese phrase commonly used at the end of WWII MOTONAI - What a waste. Our troops should never be used like this again. The lesson of Vietnam was ignored and now we have a whole new generation of vets missing limbs and burdened with the scars of war also known as PTSD. Our troops deserve so much better.

Last Goeka Dance for 2014

Seen here is Mrs. Yagi Mihoko from Okayama Prefecture Japan performing a rarely seen Goeka Dance at the Los Angeles Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo during December's final Goma Fire Ceremony. 

Emperor Turns 81

We at American Mishima would like to wish the Heisei Emperor a happy 81st birthday.

March for Revenge

Well almost! As seen here, Japanese actor Ken Matsudaira appears leading a procession of Samurai re-enactors in the streets of Ako, Hyogo Prefecture Japan to recreate the famous 47 Ako Ronin who martyred themselves on this date December 14th 1702 in their quest to avenge their lord. It is forever known as the ultimate act of loyalty in Samurai history.