31–40 of 61 posts
Truly the end of an era. Akihito became emperor in 1989. At that time it seemed humanity was finally ready to put great power conflicts in the past. Akihito represented a generation that had experienced the horrors of WWII as children and saw the need to make sure that never happened again. Now as Akihito abdicates, the whispers of great power conflicts are starting again. Old alliances and coalitions that have kept…
If you haven't been already, the Imperial Gardens in Tokyo are very much worth a visit. I don't think I've ever been in an area that just felt so sacred. If mahogany green was ever a thing, that's what the colors of those trees were. And bonsais that were several hundred years old. Personally, I don't even think Kyoto gives the same vibe. It's amazing.
Out of curiosity, what other places have you visited that you’re comparing it to?
South Korea: Climbing Hallasan volcano on Jeju Island. Really neat.
China: Exploring Suzhou/Hangzhou old towns. Suzhou is like the Venice of China.
All these places warrant a trip in and of themselves; but they didn’t feel holy to me if that makes any sense. Imperial Gardens felt different, like one thread of contiguous history, unrent by tragedy and upheaval, touching you on the face.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sounds like a pretty good gig. How do I apply?
I mean he basically begged to be fired, so it’s probably not all that much fun. They sacrifice any semblance of normalcy and have an endless calendar of ceremonies and events. Emperor Akihito acquitted himself pretty well in the job, and most people in Japan seem to be either indifferent to the royals or appreciate their focus on peace and calm and continuity. They’re a pretty boring royal family, which means they’re…
A curious point.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Out of curiosity, what other places have you visited that you’re comparing it to?
Taiwan: watching the sun set over Kaohsiung Harbor from this old fort on a mountain. Pretty magical. South Korea: Climbing Hallasan volcano on Jeju Island. Really neat. China: Exploring Suzhou/Hangzhou old towns. Suzhou is like the Venice of China. All these places warrant a trip in and of themselves; but they didn’t feel holy to me if that makes any sense. Imperial Gardens felt different, like one thread of contiguo…
That's sad. In my observation of governments, if they do not have a single strong leader at the very top who answers to no one but serves everyone, then those who do govern will be so scattered in their plans and opinions that the government will be rendered almost completely ineffective at fulfilling its primary duties. A single strong leader at the top is needed, someone with courage and a strong resolve, and a cle…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sounds like a pretty good gig. How do I apply?
I mean he basically begged to be fired, so it’s probably not all that much fun. They sacrifice any semblance of normalcy and have an endless calendar of ceremonies and events. Emperor Akihito acquitted himself pretty well in the job, and most people in Japan seem to be either indifferent to the royals or appreciate their focus on peace and calm and continuity. They’re a pretty boring royal family, which means they’re…
(This led to a small group of retired emperors, called the 'cloistered emperors', who were nominally Buddhist monks and ordinary citizens but in fact did much of the actual work of ruling the country, since the actual emperor was too busy with religious duties to exert much political power)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I mean he basically begged to be fired, so it’s probably not all that much fun. They sacrifice any semblance of normalcy and have an endless calendar of ceremonies and events. Emperor Akihito acquitted himself pretty well in the job, and most people in Japan seem to be either indifferent to the royals or appreciate their focus on peace and calm and continuity. They’re a pretty boring royal family, which means they’re…
One of the particular difficulties of the Japanese royal family is you have the ultra-nationalists who never really got over Japan's loss in WW2 and the resulting changes to the Japanese royal nature, but the royalty has. You end up with a situation where the emperor indicates that he wants the nature of the royal family to change slightly, but the biggest supporters of royalty don't want to listen to him. This is ra…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sounds like a pretty good gig. How do I apply?
I mean he basically begged to be fired, so it’s probably not all that much fun. They sacrifice any semblance of normalcy and have an endless calendar of ceremonies and events. Emperor Akihito acquitted himself pretty well in the job, and most people in Japan seem to be either indifferent to the royals or appreciate their focus on peace and calm and continuity. They’re a pretty boring royal family, which means they’re…
The system in my country is that until you take the throne you get a relatively normal life. Hell doesn't start until you're at least 40. The Royal family has 400 years of experience so they're used to it. Relatively few ran away or killed themselves. Although a few did go nuts. They know it has to be done.
That's sad. In my observation of governments, if they do not have a single strong leader at the very top who answers to no one but serves everyone, then those who do govern will be so scattered in their plans and opinions that the government will be rendered almost completely ineffective at fulfilling its primary duties. A single strong leader at the top is needed, someone with courage and a strong resolve, and a cle…
This is a dangerous double blade. Such leader can make or break a country all by himself.
That's sad. In my observation of governments, if they do not have a single strong leader at the very top who answers to no one but serves everyone, then those who do govern will be so scattered in their plans and opinions that the government will be rendered almost completely ineffective at fulfilling its primary duties. A single strong leader at the top is needed, someone with courage and a strong resolve, and a cle…
I'd love to hear about this so-called "absolute truth" you have in mind, because I've seen people in power claim their opinions are the truth in order to get what they want at the expense of other people or resources.