Well, as happy as I am about this new camera, we still have a lot to learn
about it. First, this video took EIGHT hours to upload to youtube because
of the enormous size of the file (about 500 mb). Second, I got a good
laugh upon watching the video not only because I sound like a fool trying
to remember my Japanese history class from college but also because Fanfan
and I both look like an old couple trying to record a greeting on an
answering machine.* We were both oblivious to the fact that the video was
still being recorded after about the first minute or two, and it only
turned off when I changed the setting to take a panorama of the shrine.
What I was trying to ask about the Meiji Dynasty was whether or not it was responsible for Japan's modernization. I was mixed up, though, in trying to figure out where Commodore Perry's gift of a miniature steam train fit in with the Meiji, since, I know now, Perry's last visit to Japan pre-dates the Meiji Restoration by about 15 years.
*"Hi, you've reached the _________s, please leave a message after the beep, and we'll get back to as soon as possible. Have a good day...........is that it? [It's still on, Honey] What? [The light's still...] I pushed the button [It's blink...] But I... [Push the button again] I did!" *BEEP*
What I was trying to ask about the Meiji Dynasty was whether or not it was responsible for Japan's modernization. I was mixed up, though, in trying to figure out where Commodore Perry's gift of a miniature steam train fit in with the Meiji, since, I know now, Perry's last visit to Japan pre-dates the Meiji Restoration by about 15 years.
*"Hi, you've reached the _________s, please leave a message after the beep, and we'll get back to as soon as possible. Have a good day...........is that it? [It's still on, Honey] What? [The light's still...] I pushed the button [It's blink...] But I... [Push the button again] I did!" *BEEP*
3 comments:
While you were at Meiji Shrine, did you notice that the large torii gate (the traditional archway to a Shinto shrine) you walked under before reaching the main shrine area was built with wood from 1700-year-old cypress trees from Alishan in Taiwan?
Incidentally, Japanese history isn't classified into "dynasties", as there basically has been just one imperial house, at least as far back as the records go (7th century or so), though there was a schism that resulted in two emperors claiming the throne in the 14th century. The more accurate term would be "Meiji Period" (or "era").
You talking about this gate?
http://tinyurl.com/6pnphg
If so, I had no idea, but now that you mention it, I feel like I've heard that before.
And thanks for the clarification on terminology. As I mentioned, I studied Chinese and Japanese history in college, but for some reason the Japanese history didn't seem to make it's way into the inner recesses of my memory.
I'm not sure if that's the one - it's been a few years since I've been to Meiji Shrine. If I remember right, when you enter the shrine grounds after leaving Harajuku station, you walk down a very long pathway, then turn left. I think the arch is the big one you pass under just after making the turn, before the entrance to the gardens. There's a sign in English by the torii explaining the Taiwan connection.