Japan has apologized to Korea

The Japanese have repeatedly attacked Korea over the last few centuries. As a result of this, Korean have an understanably hostility towards Japan. A few examples of Japan attacking Korea are:

From the Silla Dynasty (668-935 AD) to the ending states of the Goryeo Dynasty (935-1392), Japanese pirates were a problem in Korea. Near the end of the Goryeo Dynasty, Japan began to be more aggressive; actively sending military campains against Korea. General Yi Seonggye (later known as King Taejo) was largely responsible for driving the Japanese back. He was also the man to usher in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1907).

Throughout the Joseon period, the Japanese invaded Korea many times. The most famous of these was throughout the 7-Year War (1592-1598), when Toyotomi Hideyoshi (many liken him to Hitler in many respects) was emperor of Japan. There are numerous stories of the Japanese brutally maiming Koreans during this time. General Yi Sun Shin (a hero for many Koreans. He was a really cool character, I must admit) was one of the main people, as well as allies in Ming Dynasty China, responsible for repelling the Japanese back to Nihongo with what many historians give the nod to as the first ironclad ship, called a 'turtle ship.'

The Joseon period ended in the early 20th century, when Japan created a protectorate (1907) over, and later annexed (1910), Korea. This lasted until the end of the Japanese Empire, following Japan surrendering in World War II (1945). There were countless atrocities committed by the Japanese during this time. You can get a small picture of this by reading my post, and looking at the pictures, of Seodaemun prison in Seoul. My heart feels heavy everytime I think about that place. You could also do an internet search on the rape/massacre of Nanking, to get an idea of what the Japanese did to Chinese people during this same time.

Yet, these events are all in the past. Although history should never be forgotten, those responsible for the sad events of the past are just that; past. Over and over again, I've heard from Korean people that Koreas would be more inclined to, well, not hate Japan so much if Japan would only apologize for it's actions against Korea. Well, that has happened a couple times that I can think of. The first instance that I came across was when I was in Hiroshima.

This statue, located in the Peace Park in Hiroshima, is a memorial dedicated to all of the Koreans that were killed by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. I don't know if the word apologize was specifically on there, but there was definetely a feeling of regret for the Koreans that were used as slave labourers during WWII.

The second time that I've came across an apology (this one was much more direct, although it covered a broad range of time) I came across at Wikipedia.org. The current Emperor of Japan, Emperor Akihito (the son of Hitohiro, of Emperor during World War II), acknowledged his countries actions against Korea; calling them "regretable." It reads that, "On December 23, 2001, during his annual birthday meeting with reporters, the emperor, in response to a reporter's question, remarked that he felt a "certain kinship with Korea", and went on to explain his feeling as resulting from the fact that the mother of Emperor Kammu (736–806) was a descendant of Korean dynasty King Muryeong of Baekje as documented in Shoku Nihongi. The emperor also noted that Koreans who migrated to Japan in ancient times introduced important aspects of culture and technology to the country, and then called upon his countrymen never to forget the regrettable fact that Japan’s exchanges with Korea have not all been so friendly." On top of this, Emperor Aihito, as well as his father, Emperor Hirohito (since learning who was there), have boycotted visiting Yasukuni Shrine, where a number of Japanese war criminals are enshrined there (the Japanese Prime Ministers (ie. PM Koizumi) have not boycotted visiting this shrine, much to the digust of Japan's Asian neighbors, however).

I'm not exactly sure what many Koreans are expecting. Do they want Japan to bow down to Korea? I'm not sure if they would fully accept any apology from Japan. Personally, I think Koreans should work to have a more friendly attitude towards Japan. In turn, I do think that Japan should be a little more sensitive to Korea in the way they do things. It's a sad situation, especially from the view of an outsider looking in.

The Friendly Taxi Driver

I've been constantly amused (more so than usual) by taxi drivers lately. Due to my broken leg and crutches, drivers have been curious about my leg. More than often, since they can't speak English, they want to look at my leg and do a assessment for themselves. Today, much like a few other previous times, the driver actually reached behind himself, to feel up my leg; checking the situation (I sit in the back seat, because of my crutches). When they feel my half-cast, their curiousity is generally satisfied. I consider myself fortunate that nobody has tried to check the size of my 'gochu' yet.















A basket of gochus.

Boong-ga Boong-ga

I've just found the ultimate arcade game. There is no explaination necessary; only pictures:

Gay Super Vomit

One of my middle-school classes that I've taught (I say taught, because the class has changed enough in the past couple weeks that it seems like an entire different class), was an all boys class. There was probably eight or so boys in the class. As the boys are all in the middle of puberty, they are perverted at best.

Anywho, at the end of most classes, I do a fun activity (read: game) with my classes. One of the activities is called "The Never-ending sentence." The goal of the game is, as the title implies, to create as long of sentence as possible. This is done by having each student say one word; adding it only the sentence in a somewhat coheirant fashion.

I should've known better. Within two rounds, the sentence went something like this:

"The gay man went to the gay restaurant and ate three dogs, then he did a gay super vomit."

This was the tame part! Of course, I was laughing so hard that I didn't even try to stop it.

And people wonder why I'm the favorite teacher (the candy I give out might be a factor in this as well)!

Kind Koreans

On my way home today from work, I was having a bit of trouble flagging down a cab (I was near Dave's house, which is closer to the express section of the road). A Korean couple, in their early-50s, saw that I might be waiting for a little while. The man honked to get my attention, and then asked me, "where you live?". I told him "woo-shin go hak-yo" (the nearby high school). He motioned me to get in. We talked more in Korean than in English in the car, as their English was nearly non-existant. They were super friendly though. The took me right to where I live (well, I got them to drop me off at the corner store near my place so I could get a beer), and were on their way after I said my thank yous.

A very pleasant experience!

I'm moving to Japan

I'm moving to Tokyo (actually Saitama; a north sleeper city of Tokyo) the second week in March, three weeks from now.

I had originally applied for this job back in October. I didn't get the job at first, but one of the two people that were hired backed out, and I ended up getting called. The job is at a Lutheran private school in Saitama, Japan. It's quite a good job, as it's at an actual school. There's even a swimming pool. ^_^ I had the opportunity to fly to Tokyo last weekend (they paid for everything), in order to check out the school and have a personal interview. I'll technically be a missionary, although my job will be to teach English. The other new teacher and myself are replacing a married couple who'd been working there for 5 years. So, I might be working there for some time. I'll be making substantially more money than I am now, my apartment is beautiful, and, amongst many other benefits, I'll be chaperoning a group of Japanese students to America for a month every summer (LA and Pheonix). My teaching hours will be about 16 hours a week (maybe a couple more), and I'll be at school between 8am and 5pm. In other words, it's, as my friends here are putting it, an "actual job."

As for my current job, I finally had a chance to talk to my boss, Mr. Lee, today. He'd been busy in the last week, as he'd just got back from Australia, and has attending his son's university graduation ceremonies. So, yesterday, I decided to explain everything to Richard, my direct boss. He was cool with everything. He understood that I had a good job to go to, and he said that he'd tell Mr. Lee when he had a chance, and get him to speak with me.

Today (Friday), during an interview I was having with a couple of students, Mr. Lee came in and told me that everything was alright, and that I could talk to him after the class period was over. So, I sat down and talked to him for a bit. He was very understanding, and actually wished me congratulations and good luck. He said that I could leave when I wanted to, and that I could even have an extra day for packing if I wanted. He told me that I'd be paid everything on the Friday before I left. I was also told that if I were ever to come back to Ulsan, that I could have my job back. He was definetely better than my last boss! So, if anyone wants to come and work in Korea, Mr. Lee is a good guy to work for in my opinion. I'll actually be a bit sad to leave. I'll really miss a lot of the kids. They sure are great sometimes! That is one thing that I've learned over this past year; that I absolutely love children. I even love the older children (I'm referring to high school students, who aren't really children. Some of them are adults, whether their parents realize it or not!). They just might be the greatest thing on Earth, most of the time...


Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
-Matthew 19:14




















Here's a view of Tokyo from my hotel.
















Another view.
















The city feels like it never ends...
















Those cars are on the wrong side of the road!
















Hey, I have a view of Mount Fuji!
















Fuji-san, in zooooom mode.
















Fuji-san at dusk.





















My hotel, at night.
















Hey, it's Family Mart. Just like in Korea!



















I was given a quick tour of the apartment that I'll be moving to. It's about a block, if that, from the largest Bonsai garden in the world (Omiya Bonsai Village). This is a quick blueprint of the place that I drew up on MS Paint. It should give my family an idea of where I'll be living.

The Drunk Guy

Upon getting home from work today, at 1o pm, I noticed that two of the three motorbikes out front had fallen down. They both had damage (broken tail-lights, baggage compartment, etc.) My bike was the only one that was standing. It didn't take me too long to find the culpret; an extremely drunken guy sleeping in the middle of the mess. As one of the bikes belonged to a co-worker, I was rightfully pissed off. I didn't like the thought of my bike being damaged either. So, after poking the guy with my crutches a bit, and realizing that he wasn't responding to much of anything, I knocked on the door of the restaurant across the street from my apartment building, and pointed them in the direction of the drunken idiot. They tried to get his attention, but the guy was beyond drunk. They called the police, which showed up after a few minutes. They couldn't get his attention either. So, I just watched as they threw him into the car and drove off. The guys from the restaurant picked up the bikes (one of which had fallen on a car, but didn't seen to damage it; this was before the police arrived), and informed me that the police might be back later for questioning tomorrow.
















Unfortunately, the picture is a bit blurry. I took this just as the police were arriving. This guy was toasted.

Busan 2008

One of the highest skyscrapers in the world, Lotte World 2 Tower, in Busan, is currently under construction. According to Chosun news, it's supposed to reach a height of 494 metres. I've seen the construction zone many times now, which is walled off. Anyway, here's a couple renditions of the tower over the current downtown area:

The Second Best Blog on the Net

Okay, I've found the second best blog on the entire internet, other than mine. It has absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH ASIA! In other words, if you don't want to meet one of my former dorm-mates from university, do not go there. On the other hand, if you want to see the homepage of one of the most splendid people living in the Republic of Alberta, click here: THE SPLENDID SEMINARIAN.

Silly Korean Gameshows

Here's an example of what I get to watch on TV. Korean comedy is actually pretty funny sometimes!