一日の画像 Picture of the Day

Seen here is recently resurfaced photo that had been making the rounds on Facebook of the Commemorative Air Force's (Camarillo Wing) Zero arriving in New Zealand for the 2010 "Warbirds Over Wanaka" airshow. We've seen this plane many times and get nervous when they ship her overseas. We hope the people in New Zealand enjoyed as much as we have seeing her fly.

Signs of Dangerous Times: Tokyo's 1st Military Attack Drills Since WWII

This week for the first time since the end of the Second World War, Tokyo citizens held evacuation drills to rehearse in the event of an military attack. Only now. the threats no longer come from waves of American B-29 bombers carrying clumsy incendiary bombs. Rather they come from North Korea's missile launches that could potentially carry nuclear warheads with a kiloton yield far greater than what destoryed Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the closing days of WWII. And while this was just a simulation, recent events must have added a sense of urgency if not panic among some of its participants scambling for cover as messages read over loudspeakers:"We have information that a missile launch has occurred. Please evacuate calmly inside a building or underground." Monents later, a second message was announced via loudspeaker: "The missile passed. The missile likely flew over the Kanto region towards the Pacific Ocean." Scary stuff!

With the unstable leadership from Washington now entering it's second year and increased missile tests from the rogue nation seeking to use it's growing nuclear arsenel as a means to blackmail the world into giving Kim Jong Un's totalitarian regime aid, we can expect the need for more drills to prepare the Citizens of Japan for the real possibility of a war that will spill over from the Korean penninsula that Japan nor it's vocal pacifists can not avoid. We at American Mishima certainly hope and pray that war does not befall Japan or the region but these are dangerous times and the realities of the 21st Century are upon us. Please continue to pray for peace.

New Year Begins As Era Nears End

あけまして おめでとう ございます!

A New Year Begins as the sun begins to set on the Heisei Era. It was good to see Emperor Akihito greet the throngs of crowds that greet him every New Years Day once more. Next year will be his last appearence at the balcony of the Imperial Palace as the troch will be passed to Crown Prince Naruhito will become Emperor after the Abdicate the Chrysanthemum Throne April 30th, 2019. Many will have memories to share and thoughts to convey on this upcoming event. An event that has not happened in over 200 years. For us, we think of how we were born in the Showa Era and our children in the Heisei Era. We really admired Emperor Akihito and appreciated his yearly New Years Greetings. We will miss him as in less than two years time we will greet a New Emperor and a New Era. We wish the Emperor & Empress Michiko, Crown Prince Naruhito, and the rest of the Imperial Family and all citizens of Japan a Happy New Years!

Hatsumiyamairi: Baby's First Shrine Visit Part II

It seemed only yesterday that we had boarded the Virgin America plane from LAX with our daughter Mia-Naoko at 32 days of age to fly north to Seattle for her Hatsumiyamairi at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine in Granite Falls Washington. Fast forward six years later, embarked once again on the same identical journey with our newborn son Luis-Makoto for his First Shrine Visit.

According to Shinto Tradition, boys are to arrive at the Shrine 31 days after birth. Had we lived in Japan or in the Seattle area this would be no problem. But being there are no physical Shinto Shrines in the Los Angeles area, our only option was to make the journey to the nation's only Shinto Shrine on the continental United States located near the Canadian border. The logistics of planning the visit complicated by our son's early birth by two weeks placed his 31st day smack in the middle of the Thanksgiving Holiday Air Fare & Hotel booking rush thus we would arrive two weeks later than originally planned. The important part is that we made it.

The last time our daughter Mia was there, she was an infant having her own Hatsumiyamairi so bringing her to where she had been blessed and to where her parents were married made this visit extra special. As in times before, we were happily greeted by the Guji (Head Priest) Rev. Koichi Barrish and Mrs. Barrish upon arrival. It is always a pleasure to see them. 

While photos were not taken during the actual ceremony, we can tell you that our son (with his parents and older sister present) was blessed in this important life cycle event to ensure his health and happiness in life as well as to express gratitude to our patron deities for his safe delivery through the recitation of prayer and the waving of the Tamagushi by Barrish Sensei. As with our daughter, our infant son was given his first taste of Sake. We can't say if he liked it or not but his reaction was priceless. 

After the ceremony concluded, we took some photos and later toured the Shrine grounds. We have made many good memories over the course of our four visits to the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of North America. In particular, visiting the sacred tree that sits along the Pilchuck River. It is a sight to see!

When you visit the Shrine grounds, one would be remiss to not visit the Inari Fox Shrine located on the edge of the Pilchuck river on the back end of the Shrine Grounds. It is a unique place to make offerings and be one with the Kami.

A view of the Torii Gates leading to the Inari Fox Shrine.

Yours truly with my children.

We hope you enjoyed this blog entry. If you are considering having a Hatsumiyamairi there,

please contact the Shrine through their website at Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America.

Peregrine Falcon & Zero Encounter

On our recent trip for our newborn sons's Hatsumiyamairi, we took the opportunity to visit Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen's unique Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum in Everett Washington. Special emphasis on the word Flying because many of the vintage warbirds are airworthy and do participate in airshows. Like many air museuems that house WWII fighter aircraft, you'll see the ususal compliments of P-51 Mustangs, F-4U Corsairs, ME-109's, but rarely Japanese warbirds. Paul Allen happens to have two such Japanese fighters that are flyable. een here in the above photo is the Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa aka the Peregrine Falcon. This fighter was the Japanese Imperial Army's answer to the famed A6M Reisen Zero fighter flown by the Japanese Imperial Navy. Major Tateo Katō famously claimed 18 aireal victories in a Hayabusa. As you can see, this one is in pristine condition. The front desk guy informed us that if the planes are leaking oil, they fly and you can see there is an oil pan collecting leaking oil underneath the plane. This is the second Hayabusa we have encountered and pleased to report she is well cared for. The other Ki-43 sits in a state of neglect in lonely dark conrer of the Pima Air Museuem collecting dust.  

Moving onto Hangar B, we came to see their famous A6M3-22 Reisen "Zero" fighter flown by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Much like our first encounter with the Saipan Zero at Chino's Planes of Fame, this famous plane noted for it's unique tiger stripe camoflauge paint scheme was in a state of overhaul with it's engine removed for maintenence. We were naturally bummed to see her in this state but as the son of an aircraft mechanic we do understand these 75 year old warplanes need maintence and extra loving care to preserve them and keep them flying. This is one of 6 known flying Zeros in the world and now we have seen 4 out of the six. Hopefully we will see her again in one peice flying in formation to the delight of military avaiation enthusiats & historians alike for years to come. 

Heisei Era Close Draws Near As Abdication Date Set

Every monarch has his reign in the sun and for Japan's 83 year old Heisei Emperor Akihito is no exception. In recent years the rigourous pace of his public duties have become harder to fullfill due to his advanced age. Thus by his own requests and an act of the Japanese Diet, the Imperial Household Agency has announced that Emperor Akihito will abdicate from the Chrysanthemum Throne April 30th, 2019. It is the first time in over 200 years that a Japanese Emperor has chosen to abdicate. Emperor Akihito will be remembered as a gentle monarch who sought to heal the wounds of WWII and in recent times be a voice of comfort to many in Japan's most recent disasters. He has reigned for over three decades since 1989 and will be succeded by his eldest son, 57 year old Crown Prince Naruhito. We at American Mishima wish Emperor Akihito & Empress Michiko a peaceful retirement in the twilight of thier years. They will be missed. 

Ignorance Abroad: Trump Visits Japan

In a week that earlier saw Donald Trump make a historically ignorant complaint of how a nation of "Samurai Warriors" could allow missiles not to be shot down, our American Embarrassment arrived in Japan. We presume that no one has bothered to tell him that there has been no Samurai since the end of the Boshin War of 1869 or that PM Shinzo Abe is not the Shogun. None of this of course would make any difference to this man as he would just move on with his lack of finesse or patience for Japanese traditions of subtleties. In his typically reckless tough talk, he had earlier warned the People's Republic of China about the potential big problem they would have with "Warrior Japan" if they didn't reign in North Korea. Granted Japan has a small capable Self Defense Force, it is nowhere the size of the military of Imperial Japan or that of present day China. Such tough talk drenched in ignorance could only be topped off with his own crassness by his disrespect before the Heisei Emperor who he would not bow to but rather shake his hand like he was at some board meeting to dumping an entire box of fish food in a koi pond. How Shinzo Abe puts up with this man is beyond me. It's our hope Japan does not judge America by this crude vulgar man whose regime is under criminal investigation by Special Prosecuter Robert Mueller. It's been suggested that Abe may be taking advantage of Trump's ignorance to quietly "unshackle" Japan's post war military restrictions. It's difficult to say given how they photograph playing golf and later reported foregoing traditional Japanese fare for cheesey American hamburgers. What he will do to embarass us in next in his 12 day Asia tour remains to be seen. We at home will continue to cringe with every headline.