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This month is supposed to be the opening for Tokyo Olympic 2020. Unfortunately, due to COVID 19, the date has been pushed back to 2021 July 23rd. I sincerely hope the world will be a much peaceful place at that time. 😇😇😇  Tokyo Skytree I was in Japan this Feb during the preparation of Olympic and before the pandemic hits, sort of like a quietness before the storm. This was also my 10th visit to Japan, and I must say that the more I visited, the more I've fallen in love with this country! 🧡 Of course, Japan has long been a special place for Taiwanese people, as Japan colonized the island between 1895 - 1945. Whenever people heard the word "colonization," they immediately think about massacres, incarnations, slaveries, and oppression... However, that was opposite to what had happened during "Taiwan under Japanese rule." "Taiwan under Japanese rule."Before Japan, Taiwan was a deserted island. Sure, we had many rulers from Dutch, Spain, Qing dynasty, and the indigenous people. None of them ruled the island entirely, and none of them developed the island as much as the Japanese. Japanese built up the government and economy; it completed the water civil engineering and developed the agricultural industries. Since 1919, proposed three principles of the new governance: the Kōminka movement (皇民化運動), industrialization, and making Taiwan as a base for the southward expansion. The principles were "National Language movement" promoted the Japanese language, "Name Changing program" replaced Taiwanee's name with Japanese names. Finally, the "Volunteers' System" drafted Taiwanese into the Imperial Japanese Army. That's also why many Taiwanese fought in WWII in the Japanese Army.  Yasukuni Shrine This is where the War Heros (or criminals...) were buried. Many Taiwanese officials, including former President, have visited the Shrine!
Both of my grandparents from my mother's side went on to study in Tokyo and became a doctor and teacher. The majority of Taiwanese who were born between 1895-1945, both of my grandparents, never received any Chinese education. They'd never been to China and never learned how to speak Mandarin, only Taiwanese and Japanese. After WWII, Japan lost and severed the island back to China. (The Republic of China, the one that won WWII and fought with the communist party and retreated to Taiwan, not the People's Republic of China, which is Mainland China nowadays). Okay, enough of the history lesson! This is to explain why Taiwan has such a good relationship with Japan. In fact, Taiwan is the top overseas destination for Japanese travelers in 2018 and 2019 and vise-versa. 😄😄😄😄 So although the Olympic couldn't go on this year, I was fortunate to witness how the Japnese prepared the whole event, and I must say, I was utterly impressed! The first Olympic was held in 1964 to showcase the ability to rebuild the nation after WII. It never stopped to amaze me to know that two Atomic bombs had been dropped during the war, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And yet, for less than 50 years, they've completely rebuilt and became the world's 3rd largest economy! That is the true definition of HARD WORKS! How Japan rebuilt the country Of course, there is no free lunch. |
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January 2021
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