Hagi is a city in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. There are 50,089 people living there. Twin towns are Ulsan, Jeollanam-do Yeongam-gun in Korea, and Ühlingen-Birkendolf in Germany. Hagi holds a camellia festival from the middle of February to the end of March. It has a Hagi-ware festival in the beginning of March.
In the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, Yoshida Shoin built the Shoka son school, where he taught many famous people. For example, Kido Takayoshi, Takasugi Shinsaku and Ito Hirobumi. They became the Meiji Restoration leaders.
Awa Dance Festival
The Awa Dance Festival is held in Tokushima, Japan. It held in the biggest street of the town from 12 to 15 August. It is part of the Obon festival. Both of men and women wear yukata, a Japanese traditional cloth. The man wear a Japanese towel. The women wear bamboo hat. They dance and walk with the musical accompaniment. Shamisens, flutes, gongs and drums are played around the city. Men and women dance differently. There are some groups called "ren". The groups have different styles of dance. There are some new groups called "niwaka ren". Beginning dancers can participate in Awa dance in niwaka-ren groups. The Awa dance has a unique song. The phrase is "Odoru ahou ni miru ahou onaji ahou nara odorana son son". It means that "The dancers are fools. The watchers are fools. Both are fools alike so, Why not dance?" In brief, dancers invite watchers.
Hiroshima University
Hiroshima University is a university in Higashihiroshima and Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It was founded on 31 May 1949. It has about 15,000 students.
Kagamiyama 1-3-2, Higashihiroshima-shi, Hiroshima Prefecture
60 percent of engineering graduates enter graduate school.
Restless Heart (Whitesnake album)
Restless Heart is the ninth studio album by English heavy metal band Whitesnake. The album was released in March 1997. It was the group's first studio album of new material in 8 years. The album charted at number 34 on the UK Albums Chart.
Umaibou
Umaibou is a popular snack in Japan. It is sold for 10 yen a piece. There are many different flavors. It is popular with children and young men. It is sold also in Taiwan and South Korea. Because it is popular, there are many goods that relate to it, like lip balm or bath salts.
Shinsengumi
Shinsengumi was a military police force in Japan in the Edo era. Shinsengumi was organized by Katamori Matsudaira. He was an Aizu feudal lord. They were gathered to defend Kyoto against political opponents. Shinsengumi became famous by the Ikedaya Incident. They became part of the army after the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown by a new government in the Meiji Restoration. Isami Kondo who was the head was arrested and punished. Toshizo Hijikata who was the subleader fought to the last battlefield in the Meiji Restoration. He was killed in the battle. Hajime Saito who was third section commander became a police officer in the Meiji Restoration.
Monjayaki
Monjayaki is a popular Japanese food. It is made from flour mixed with water or Worcestershire sauce. Other ingredients are added such as cabbage. It is grilled. It is eaten in various regions. The main ingredients of Monja vary by region.
Monjayaki might have been first made in Tsukishima, Tokyo. At first, it was made from only soy sauce, flour, and water. Now other things are added, such as a cabbage and cuttle fish.
Sakurajima
The eruptions of this mountain have been recorded many times in history. The Great Taisho (大正) eruption in 1914 connected this island to a peninsula. 58 people were killed and 112 people were injured. These days, we can see a lot of eruptions.
The information about which way the wind blows is important to know if ash is falling or not. So, the Kagoshima weather forecast reports it. People in Sakurajima take a drill to escape from the island. Japan Meteorological Agency watches this mountain all days. We can see the latest picture from these cameras at JMA's website.
Gagaku
Gagaku is classical Japanese court music. Gagaku was brought to Japan from China in the 8th century. The meaning of Gagaku is literally 'elegant music'. Most of the music that survives is classified as "Togaku" (music from the Tang Dynasty). They are performed as dance pieces and concert pieces. In modern Japan, "Gagaku" is performed at ceremonies like that of New Year or a wedding held at a Shinto shrine.
Gagaku instruments consists of wind instruments, string instruments and percussion instruments. There are three type of wind instruments. They are Sho, Hichiriki and Ryuteki. There are mainly two kinds of stringed instruments, Koto and Biwa. Also there are three kinds of percussion instruments, Dadaiko, Shoko and Kakko. The wind instruments usually carry the melody. The two huge drums called "dadaiko" are a colorful part of a Gagaku performance.
Gagaku music's most famous piece is called "Etenraku" (divine music). Gagaku music is intended to bring spiritual healing to the listeners. The dance is intended to bring a sense of elegance and harmony. Gagakku is still performed at the Emperor's court in Japan.
Battleship Yamato
The Yamato was a Japanese super battleship that served in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Along with its sister ship, the Musashi, they were the largest battleships ever built.
Yamato was built at Kure, Japan. She entered service on 16 December 1941. It was one of five planned super battleships although only two were built: Yamato and Musashi. The allies had no clue Japan had built these monsters until they were first spotted.
Yamato was huge and displaced 62, 315 tons. Yamato had nine 18-inch guns which were the largest in the world at the time. She was long. Yamato's armor was thick. Her guns were her most feared weapons. They fired shells that weighed 3,200 pounds each (the size of a compact car!). They had a range of . Yamato was designed to fight and destroy US battleships. But it never faced one in battle.
In the 1920s and 1930s the battleship was the ultimate power in naval warfare. But the Japanese, by their attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 proved aircraft carriers were now the most powerful weapon. This meant battleships were already out of date. When the war started, Yamato was the flagship of the Combined Fleet commander Isoroku Yamamoto. It spent much of 1942 defending Japanese shipping out of Truk. Torpedoed by a US submarine in 1943 it was under repair until 1944. Because attack from the air was now the main threat, Yamato was fitted with additional anti-aircraft guns. In June 1944 Yamato took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. In October Yamato was in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. During the battle she fired her guns at US escort carriers thinking they were full sized carriers. She was attacked by several US destroyers and received some damage. Returning to Japan in November she was again fitted with more anti-aircraft guns. By then Japan no longer had the resources to keep Yamato operating. In 1945, Yamato left for Okinawa as part of the suicidal Operation Ten-Go. It was an effort to attack US ships supporting the Battle of Okinawa. But, off the coast of Kagoshima, it was sunk by U.S. aircraft on 7 April.
After the war, the Yamato became a fascinating subject in Japan and elsewhere. In 1985 her wreckage was located under of water. It lies on the seabed broken into two sections. The name Yamato lives on in the anime series Space Battleship Yamato.
Born 2 B Blue
Born 2 B Blue is the fifteenth studio album by Steve Miller Band. The album was released in 1988. It was last studio album with label Capitol Records.
Pope Alexander II
Pope Alexander II (born Anselmo da Baggio; ??? − 21 April 1073) was pope of the Catholic Church from 30 September 1061 until 21 April 1073 when he died.