MET Column | My Eyes Tokyo

Happy Double Ten Day!

2018-10-10

Banners and flags hanging in Montreal’s Chinatown in celebration for the 100th National Day. *Photo from Wikipedia October 10 is Double Ten Day, The National Day of Taiwan. It celebrates outbreak of the “Wuchang Uprising”（武昌起義）in 1911, which led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in China and establishment of the Republic of China (ROC) on January 1, 1912. As a result of the Chinese Civil War, fought between forces loyal to the Kuomintang (KMT)-led government of the Republic of China, and forces loyal to the Communist Party of China (CPC), the government of ROC lost control of mainland China

Happy Fiji Day!

2018-10-10

Coconut palms line the beaches of Fiji. *Photo from Wikipedia October 10 is Fiji Day, celebrates the independence of Fiji from United Kingdom in 1970. The first settlements in Fiji were started by voyaging traders and settlers from the west about 5000 years ago. Over the centuries, a unique Fijian culture developed. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman visited Fiji in 1643 while looking for the Great Southern Continent. Europeans settled on the islands permanently beginning in the 19th century.The first European settlers to Fiji were beachcombers, missionaries, whalers, and those engaged in the then booming sandalwood and bêche-de-mer (sea cucumber)

Happy Birthday to Uganda!

2018-10-09

Ugandan children attending a primary education program for conflict-affected students. *Photo from Wikipedia October 9 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Uganda from United Kingdom in 1962. Arab traders moved inland from the Indian Ocean coast of East Africa in the 1830s. They were followed in the 1860s by British explorers searching for the source of the Nile. British Anglican missionaries arrived in the kingdom of Buganda in 1877 (a situation which gave rise to the death of the Uganda Martyrs) and were followed by French Catholic missionaries in 1879. The British government chartered the Imperial British East Africa

Happy Birthday to Croatia!

2018-10-08

Croatia national football team came in second at the 2018 World Cup. *Photo from Wikipedia October 8 is Independence Day, celebrates the official separation of Croatia from Yugoslavia in 1991. The Croats (South Slavic ethnic group at the crossroads of Central Europe, Southeast Europe, and the Mediterranean Sea) arrived in the area of present-day Croatia during the early part of the 7th century AD. They organized the state into two duchies by the 9th century. Tomislav became the first king by 925, elevating Croatia to the status of a kingdom. The Kingdom of Croatia retained its sovereignty for nearly two

Happy Columbus Day! *United States of America

2018-10-08

First Landing of Columbus on the Shores of the New World; painting by Dióscoro Puebla (1862). *Image from Wikipedia October 8, 2018, is Columbus Day in the United States. Celebration of Columbus’s voyage in the early United States is recorded from as early as 1792, and also the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston celebrated the 300th anniversary of Columbus’ landing in the New World. President Benjamin Harrison called upon the people of the United States to celebrate Columbus’s landing in the New World on the 400th anniversary of the event. Many Italian-Americans observe Columbus Day as a celebration of their

Happy Birthday to Lesotho!

2018-10-04

Maseru, the capital and largest city of Lesotho. *Photo from Wikipedia October 4 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Lesotho from the United Kingdom in 1966. The present Lesotho (then called Basutoland) emerged as a single polity under paramount chief Moshoeshoe I in 1822. Under Moshoeshoe I, Basutoland joined other tribes in their struggle against the Lifaqane associated with the reign of Shaka Zulu from 1818 to 1828. Subsequent evolution of the state was shaped by contact with the British and Dutch colonists from Cape Colony. Territorial conflicts with both British and Boer settlers arose periodically, including Moshoeshoe’s notable

Happy German Unity Day!

2018-10-03

Berlin Wall, October 1990, saying “Thank You, Gorbi (Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union)”. *Photo from Wikipedia October 3 is German Unity Day. It is the national day of Germany, celebrated as a public holiday. It commemorates the anniversary of German reunification in 1990, when the goal of a united Germany that originated in the middle of the 19th century, was fulfilled again. After World War II, the remaining German territory and Berlin were partitioned by the Allies into four military occupation zones. The western sectors, controlled by France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, were

Happy Gaecheonjeol!

2018-10-03

Mausoleum of Tangun, the legendary founder of Gojoseon (古朝鮮), the first ever Korean kingdom. *Photo from Wikipedia October 3 is Gaecheonjeol（開天節）or National Foundation Day. It is a public holiday in South Korea on October 3. This holiday celebrates the formation of the first Korean state of Gojoseon (古朝鮮) in 2333 BC. This date has traditionally been regarded as the date for the founding of the Korean nation. Gaecheonjeol is also recognized in North Korea, although not as a public holiday, with an annual ceremony at the Mausoleum of Tangun (檀君), the founder of Gojoseon. In commemoration of the day, let

Happy Birthday to Guinea!

2018-10-02

A market in Guinea. *Photo from Wikipedia October 2 is Independence Day, which celebrates the independence of Guinea from France in 1958. The slave trade came to the coastal region of Guinea with European traders in the 16th century. Guinea’s colonial period began with French military penetration into the area in the mid-19th century. France negotiated Guinea’s present boundaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the British for Sierra Leone, the Portuguese for their Guinea colony (now Guinea-Bissau), and Liberia. Under the French, the country formed the Territory of Guinea within French West Africa. In 1958, the

Happy Birthday to Palau!

2018-10-01

Koror City, the largest city in Palau. It was formerly the capital until 2006. *Photo from Wikipedia October 1 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Palau from the UN Trust Territory status in 1994. The country was originally settled approximately 3,000 years ago by migrants from the Philippines. The islands were first explored by Europeans in the 16th century, and were made part of the Spanish East Indies in 1574. Following Spain’s defeat in the Spanish-American War in 1898, the islands were sold to Imperial Germany in 1899 under the terms of the German-Spanish Treaty, where they were administered

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