MET Column | My Eyes Tokyo

Happy Birthday to Uruguay!

2018-08-25

Uruguay supporters at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. *Photo from Wikipedia August 25 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Uruguay from Brazil in 1825. Portuguese established “Colonia del Sacramento”, one of the oldest European settlements in the country, in 1680. Montevideo was founded as a military stronghold by the Spanish in the early 18th century, signifying the competing claims over the region. In 1816, a force of 10,000 Portuguese troops invaded the Banda Oriental (comprising the modern nation of Uruguay, the modern Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul and some parts of Santa Catarina) from Brazil;

Happy Birthday to Ukraine!

2018-08-24

Hopak, a Ukrainian folk dance. *Photo from Wikipedia August 24 is Independence Day of Ukraine. It is celebrated in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence of 1991. During the Middle Ages, the area was a key centre of East Slavic culture, with the powerful state of Kievan Rus’ forming the basis of Ukrainian identity (*Kievan Rus’ is the East Slavic tribes in Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century). Following its fragmentation in the 13th century, the territory was contested, ruled and divided by a variety of powers, including Lithuania, Poland, the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. A

Happy Hungary’s State Foundation Day!

2018-08-20

The Chain Bridge, the most famous Budapest bridge built in 1849. *Photo from Wikipedia August 20 is Saint Stephen’s Day – Hungary’s first king St. Stephen’s Day, also the day of the Foundation of Hungary and “the day of the new bread”. St. Stephen of Hungary (975 – 1038), as the first king of Hungary, led the country into the Christian church and established the institutions of the kingdom and the church. Following centuries of successive habitation by Celts, Romans, Huns, Slavs, Gepids (East Germanic tribe) and Avars (a group of Eurasian nomads), the foundation of Hungary was laid in

Happy Estonia’s Restoration of Independence Day!

2018-08-20

The central business district of Tallinn, the capital and largest city of Estonia. *Photo from Wikipedia August 20 is Restoration of Independence Day, re-declaration of the independence of Estonia from the Soviet Union in 1991. Following centuries of successive Teutonic (The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem), Danish, Swedish, and Russian rule, Estonians experienced a national awakening that culminated in independence from the Russian Empire towards the end of World War I. In the aftermath of the war and the Russian revolutions, the Estonian Declaration of Independence was issued in February 1918. During World

Happy Birthday to Afghanistan!

2018-08-19

A market street in central Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan and its largest city. *Photo from Wikipedia August 19 is Independence Day of Afghanistan, commemorates the Treaty of Rawalpindi in 1919, granting independence from Britain. The land has historically been home to various peoples and has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those by Alexander the Great, Mauryas, Muslim Arabs, Mongols, British, Soviet, and in the modern era by Western powers. The political history of the modern state of Afghanistan began with the Hotak and Durrani dynasties in the 18th century. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a buffer state

Happy Birthday to Gabon!

2018-08-17

Crowd on beach in Gabon. *Photo from Wikipedia August 17 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Gabon from France in 1960. Bantu migrants settled the area beginning in the 14th century. Portuguese explorers and traders arrived in the area in the late 15th century. The coast subsequently became a center of the slave trade with Dutch, English, and French traders arriving in the 16th century. In 1839 and 1841, France established a protectorate over the coast. In 1862 – 1887, France expanded its control to include the interior, and took full sovereignty. In 1910 Gabon became part of French

Happy Birthday to Indonesia!

2018-08-17

Dancers in traditional costume. *Photo from Wikipedia August 17 is Independence Day, celebrates the proclamation of Indonesia’s independence from Japan in 1945. The earliest evidence of Islamised populations in Indonesia dates to the 13th century in northern Sumatra; other Indonesian areas gradually adopted Islam which became the dominant religion in Java and Sumatra by the end of the 16th century. For the most part, Islam overlaid and mixed with existing cultural and religious influences. Europeans such as the Portuguese arrived in Indonesia from the 16th century seeking to monopolize the sources of valuable nutmeg, cloves, and cubeb pepper in Maluku.

Happy Birthday to Republic of the Congo!

2018-08-15

School children in the classroom. *Photo from Wikipedia August 15 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Republic of the Congo from France in 1960. The region was dominated by Bantu-speaking tribes, who built trade links leading into the Congo River basin. Congo-Brazzaville was formerly part of the French colony of Equatorial Africa. Following the revision of the French constitution that established the Fifth Republic in 1958, the AEF (French Equatorial Africa) dissolved into its constituent parts, each of which became an autonomous colony within the French Community. During these reforms, Middle Congo (French Congo) became known as the

End-of-war Memorial Day

2018-08-15

The National Memorial Service for War Dead, August 15, 2008. *Photo from Wikipedia August 15 is Japan’s End-of-war memorial day. It marks the end of World War II (August 15, 1945) as per the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The day is called Shūsen-kinenbi (Japanese: 終戦記念日), also written as shūsen no hi (Japanese: 終戦の日). It is an informal reference used by the public, for August 15 and related to the historical events that culminated with the ending of World War II, and the restoration of Japanese political independence. Those events were: ●August 14, 1945, the day the Imperial Japanese government gave

Happy Birthday to India!

2018-08-15

Uttar Pradeshi thali, a Northern Indian cuisine. Thali is the Indian name for a round platter used to serve food. *Photo from Wikipedia August 15 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of India from the United Kingdom in 1947. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE. In the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, and Buddhism and Jainism arose. Early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires; the later peninsular Middle

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