Referring to the recent disaster in Japan, Tokyo’s governor, Shintaro Ishihara, said: "I think it is tembatsu (divine punishment).” It was an all too familiar echo of the theological remarks following Hurricane Katrina; that these disasters were somehow attributed to God as a divine punishment for human behavior. Though Ishihara ...
Hikone-Ann Arbor student ambassadors prepare to march in the Hikone Castle Festival parade On this field trip, my fourteen year old son has met the mayor of our sister city, Hikone, toured a 400 year old castle, and paraded in an authentic Samurai costume complete with (two!) real swords. That's ...