MET Column | My Eyes Tokyo

Happy Birthday to Pakistan!

2018-08-14

A Pakistani dish prepared using the tandoori method (*tandoor is a variety of ovens, the most commonly known is a cylindrical clay or metal oven used in cooking and baking). *Photo from Wikipedia August 14 is Pakistan’s Independence Day, which celebrates the country’s independence from the British rule on that date in 1947. The area has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties, including the Persian Achaemenid Empire, Alexander III of Macedon, the Indian Mauryan Empire, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate, the Delhi Sultanate, the Mongol Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Afghan Durrani Empire, the Sikh Empire (partially), and most recently,

Happy Birthday to Central African Republic!

2018-08-13

People at a local school in Bangui, the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. *Photo from Wikipedia August 13 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Central African Republic (CAR) from France in 1960. The country’s current borders were established by France, which ruled the country as a colony starting in the late 19th century. After gaining independence from France in 1960, the Central African Republic was ruled by a series of autocratic leaders. The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast,

Happy Birthday to Chad!

2018-08-11

A Chadian tailor sells traditional dresses. *Photo from Wikipedia August 11 is: Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Chad from France in 1960. French colonial expansion led to the creation of the Territoire Militaire des Pays et Protectorats du Tchad (Military Territory of the Lands and Protectorates of Chad) in 1900. By 1920, France had secured full control of the colony and incorporated it as part of French Equatorial Africa. The French primarily viewed the colony as an unimportant source of untrained labour and raw cotton. Only the Sara (ethnic group who reside in southern Chad and Central African Republic)

Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony

2018-08-09

Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. *Photo from Wikipedia August 9 is Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony. Nagasaki is devastated when an atomic bomb, Fat Man, was dropped by the United States B-29 Bockscar at 11:02 A.M., August 9, 1945. 35,000 people were killed outright, including 23,200 – 28,200 Japanese war workers, 2,000 Korean forced workers, and 150 Japanese soldiers. Victims of the Nagasaki bombing are commemorated on August 9 each year. Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony is held in the Nagasaki Peace Park. The Mayor of Nagasaki delivers a solemn speech on the occasion. In commemoration of

Happy Birthday to Singapore!

2018-08-09

Hainanese chicken rice, a dish adapted from early Chinese immigrants originally from Hainan province in southern China, is considered one of the national dishes of Singapore. *Photo from Wikipedia August 9 is National Day, celebrates the independence of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965. Evidence suggests that a significant trading settlement existed in Singapore during the 14th century. In the late 14th century, Singapura was under the rule of Parameswara (the last king of Singapura) until he was expelled by the Majapahit Empire or the Siamese (Thailand). It then came under the Malacca Sultanate and then the Johor Sultanate. Modern Singapore

Happy Birthday to Côte d’Ivoire!

2018-08-07

Congestion at a market in Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d’Ivoire. *Photo from Wikipedia August 7 is Republic Day of Côte d’Ivoire, which commemorates its freedom from France, gained in 1960. Prior to its colonization by Europeans, Côte d’Ivoire was home to several states, including Gyaaman, the Kong Empire, and Baoulé. Two Anyi kingdoms, Indénié and Sanwi, attempted to retain their separate identity through the French colonial period and after independence. Côte d’Ivoire became a protectorate of France in 1843 – 1844 and was later formed into a French colony in 1893 amid the European scramble for Africa. Côte

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony

2018-08-06

Atomic Bomb Dome, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The ruin of the hall serves as a memorial to the people who were killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. *Photo from Wikipedia August 6 is the day Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony is held. On Monday, August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., the nuclear weapon “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima by an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, directly killing an estimated 70,000 people, including 20,000 Japanese combatants and 2,000 Korean slave laborers. By the end of the year, injury and radiation brought the total number of

Happy Birthday to Bolivia!

2018-08-06

People in the city center of La Paz, the de facto national capital of Bolivia. *Photo from Wikipedia August 6 is Independence Day of Bolivia, celebrates the independence of Bolivia from Spain in 1825. Before Spanish colonization, the Andean region of Bolivia was part of the Inca Empire, while the northern and eastern lowlands were inhabited by independent tribes. Spanish conquistadors arriving from Cuzco and Asunción took control of the region in the 16th century. During the Spanish colonial period Bolivia was administered by the Royal Audiencia of Charcas. Spain built its empire in great part upon the silver that

Happy Birthday to Jamaica!

2018-08-06

The streets of Kingston, the capital and largest city of Jamaica. *Photo from Wikipedia August 6 is Independence Day of Jamaica, celebrates the independence of Jamaica from the United Kingdom in 1962. Inhabited by the indigenous Arawak and Taíno peoples, the island came under Spanish rule following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Early inhabitants of Jamaica named the land ‘Xaymaca,’ meaning “Land of wood and water.” Many of the indigenous people died of disease, and the Spanish imported African slaves as laborers. Named Santiago, the island remained a possession of Spain until 1655, when England (later Great Britain)

Happy Birthday to Burkina Faso!

2018-08-05

The Grand marché (Main Market) in Burkina Faso. *Photo from Wikipedia August 5 is Independence Day of Burkina Faso. Various ethnic groups of present-day Burkina Faso, such as the Mossi, Fula and Dyula, arrived in successive waves between the 8th and 15th centuries. From the 11th century the Mossi people established several separate kingdoms. In the 1890s during the European Scramble for Africa, the territory of Burkina Faso was invaded by France, and colonial control was established following a war of conquest between 1896 and 1904. The territory was made part of French West Africa in 1904, and the colony

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