MET Column | My Eyes Tokyo

Happy Birthday to Gambia!

2019-02-18

Market in Serekunda, the largest city in The Gambia. *Photo from Wikipedia February 18 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Gambia from the United Kingdom in 1965. The Gambia shares historical roots with many other West African nations in the slave trade, which was the key factor in the placing and keeping of a colony on the Gambia River, first by the Portuguese, during which era it was A Gâmbia, and later, on May 25, 1765, the Gambia was made a part of the British colony when the government formally assumed control, establishing the Province of Senegambia. On

Happy Birthday to Kosovo!

2019-02-17

Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. *Photo from Wikipedia February 17 is the day Kosovo declares independence as the Republic of Kosovo. In antiquity, Dardania covered the area, which formed part of the larger Roman province of Moesia in the 1st century AD. In the Middle Ages, the region became part of the Bulgarian Empire, the Byzantine Empire and the Serbian medieval states. It was then conquered by the Ottoman Empire an exact 70 years after the Battle of Kosovo. In 1913 the Kosovo Vilayet was incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbia, which in 1918 became part of Yugoslavia. Kosovo gained

Happy Restoration of Lithuania’s Statehood Day!

2019-02-16

Cepelinai or didžkukuliai, a traditional Lithuanian dish of stuffed potato dumplings. *Photo from Wikipedia February 16 is Restoration of Lithuania’s Statehood Day, celebrate the independence of Lithuania from Russia and Germany in 1918. During the 14th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the largest country in Europe; present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia were the territories of the Grand Duchy. With the Lublin Union of 1569, Lithuania and Poland formed a voluntary two-state union, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighboring countries systematically dismantled it from 1772–95, with the Russian

Happy Serbia’s Statehood Day!

2019-02-15

Serbia is the world’s second largest producer of raspberries. *Photo from Wikipedia February 15 is Serbia’s Statehood Day. It is a holiday to commemorate the outbreak of the First Serbian Uprising in 1804, it evolved into a Serbian Revolution against Ottoman rule. The revolution ultimately resulted in the recognition of Serbia’s statehood by Ottoman Empire. Slavs settled the Balkans in the 9th century. In 1345 the Serbian Empire was established: it spanned a large part of the Balkans. In 1540 the Ottoman Empire annexed Serbia. The Serbian realms disappeared by the mid-16th century, torn by domestic feuds and overcome by

Happy Birthday to Grenada!

2019-02-07

An aerial photo of the capital St George’s. *Photo from Wikipedia February 7 is Grenada’s Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Grenada, a sovereign state in the southeastern Caribbean Sea, from the United Kingdom in 1974. First settled by indigenous peoples, by the time of European contact it was inhabited by the Caribs. French colonists drove most of the Caribs off the island and established plantations on the island, eventually importing African slaves to work on the sugar plantations. Control of the island was disputed by Great Britain and France in the 18th century, with the British ultimately prevailing. Grenada

Happy Birthday to Sri Lanka!

2019-02-04

Typical Sri Lankan dish of rice and prawns. *Photo from Wikipedia February 4 is Sri Lanka’s Independence Day, which is celebrated to commemorate its internal political independence from British rule on that day in 1948. Its geographic location and deep harbors made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to World War II. From the 16th century, some coastal areas of the country were also controlled by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. Between 1597 and 1658, a substantial part of the island was under Portuguese rule. The Portuguese lost their possessions in Ceylon

Happy Birthday to Nauru!

2019-01-31

Aerial view of Nauru. *Photo from Wikipedia January 31 is Nauru’s Independence Day, celebrates independence from Australia in 1968. Settled by native peoples from Micronesia and Polynesia, Nauru was annexed and claimed as a colony by the German Empire in the late 19th century. After World War I, Nauru became a League of Nations mandate administered by Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. During World War II, Nauru was occupied by Japanese troops, who were bypassed by the Allied advance across the Pacific. After the war ended, the country entered into UN trusteeship. Nauru gained its independence in 1968.

Happy Australia Day!

2019-01-26

City of Perth Skyworks on Australia Day, 2006. *Photo from Wikipedia January 26 is Australia Day, the official National Day of Australia. It marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip. Convicts in Britain were originally transported to the Thirteen Colonies in North America. But after the American Revolutionary War ended in 1783, the newly formed United States refused to accept further convicts. The settlement was seen as necessary because of the

Happy Birthday to Myanmar!

2019-01-04

Street food vendor in Yangon. Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006. *Photo from Wikipedia January 4 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Myanmar (Burma) from the United Kingdom in 1948. The British conquered Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century and the country became a British colony. Myanmar became an independent nation in 1948, initially as a democratic nation and then, following a coup d’état in 1962, a military dictatorship. In 2011, the military junta was officially dissolved following a 2010 general election, and a nominally civilian government was installed. While former military leaders

Happy Birthday to Brunei!

2019-01-01

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, which is often considered as one of the most beautiful mosques in the Asia Pacific. *Photo from Wikipedia January 1 is: Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Brunei from United Kingdom in 1984. During the 19th century, the Bruneian Empire began to decline. The Sultanate ceded Sarawak to James Brooke and installed him as the White Rajah. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate and was assigned a British resident as colonial manager in 1906. After the Japanese occupation during World War II, in 1959 a new constitution was written. In 1962, a small armed rebellion

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