Sunday, August 18, 2013

Dog "Lion" at Chinese Zoo

Zoos are great for teaching kids about the different sounds that animals make.


Horses go neigh, pigs go oink oink, and lions go woof...




Wait! A lion is not roaring but barking...!?



Turns out it was no lion, but just a Tibetan mastiff, a large, hairy breed of dog, looking out from a cage labeled "African Lion" in Luohe Zoo in central China's Henan province.




It's a dog!! lol


Apparently, officials in the zoo hoped that no one would notice when they decided to make the switch and send the enclosure's regular resident, an African lion, away to a breeding center.


And, the dog-for-cat swap wasn't the only attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of zoo patrons: two coypu rodents in a snake's cage, a white fox in a leopard's den, and another domestic dog in a wolf pen. 






The regular residents in snake cage will be sorrow when they notice their dissimilar replacements. 


I'd like to visit such a ridiculous fake zoo if possible. 


There we'll see zookeepers in a cage with the sign "Gorilla" on its gate.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

68 Years On

Japan marks 68th anniversary after war with two bomb attacks.





However, we Japan still face some crucial issues among Asian neighbors.


It's because we gradually forget the past crime and pass the buck to others.


"War is evil." That's the common sense.


Then we need to think "why it happened" much more deeply, share the ideas to prevent any war and cooperate with each other for world peace.


Never Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa again.


I'd like to pray for the souls of dead and apologize deeply for Japan's past atrocity.






Here is the famous photo and explanation quoted from an English textbook of Japan's high school.




This photograph was taken by an American photojournalist, Joe O’Donnell, in Nagasaki in 1945.


He recently spoke to a Japanese interviewer about this picture.


"I saw a boy about ten years old walking by. He was carrying a baby on his back. In those days in Japan, we often saw children playing with their little brothers or sisters on their backs, but this boy was clearly different. I could see that he had come to this place for a serious reason. He was wearing no shoes. His face was hard. The little head was tipped back as if the baby were fast asleep.


"The boy stood there for five or ten minutes. The men in white masks walked over to him and quietly began to take off the rope that was holding the baby. That is when I saw that the baby was already dead. The men held the body by the hands and feet and placed it on the fire.


"The boy stood there straight without moving, watching the flames. He was biting his lower lip so hard that it shone with blood. The flame burned low like the sun going down. The boy turned around and walked silently away." 





I wish I can see many kids' smile in the next 10 years, 20 years, and forever always. 

Monday, August 05, 2013

First Fireworks at Urawa Reds Game

When it comes to a fireworks display, you go to Sumida River? Or Arakawa River?


No!! Come to Saitama Stadium!!


On Saturday night, red fireworks exploded in the sky above Saitama Stadium to celebrate Urawa Reds 2-0 lead over Sanfrecce Hiroshima during halftime.





It was a bit hard to see them from my seat...


You can go to Urawa Reds Official Facebook page to see fireworks.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=616784231675659&set=vb.366946266659458&type=2&theater




The game was really good that Shinzo Koroki added another in the 55th minute to give Urawa Reds a 3-1 win, pushing home side into third spot in the J-League.


And happily, Omiya Ardija fell to fourth after a 1-0 defeat against Kashima Antlers!!


Yeehah!! In your face!! \(≧▽≦)/






Shinzo Koroki scored 2 goals.  


Genki Haraguchi scored the second. 


The screen was suddenly off due to the power line trouble. 


"We Make J-League More Excited! We're the Leader of J-League Always!!" 





There were only forty thousand fans despite the remarkable game.


All come together in Saitama Stadium this summer, and sing "We're Diamonds"!!


Fireworks are calling you on August 17th and 31st as well!!


Please do not hesitate to visit the stadium if you've never been there before.


Link: For Urawa Reds Beginners (only in Japanese)