My mother's family home is the family of the head priest of Shirahata Shrine, which was built by Minamoto no Yoshitsune, so I think she definitely has Japanese blood. The Imperial Family is at the top of all shrines in the country, and it has a very old-fashioned atmosphere. My paternal relatives lived in Manchuria, a puppet state created in China during the war, and when the war ended they returned to Japan with no assets or anything, and struggled to even get food. I think they probably had a very hard time surviving. After losing the war, Japan came under American occupation, and is still an American colony. Now that Japan is a member of the Western side, Japanese leaders can't say no to America, and they are buying a lot of American fighter planes. Isn't this a violation of the spirit of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which vows to never wage war again?
I feel like nothing is certain these days. Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has expressed a sense of crisis about climate change, but experiencing the unusual heat this summer, I wonder if the Earth really is dying. Putting aside the country, data shows that Japanese companies are making some effort to reduce CO2 emissions. The problem is that humanity only has about five years left to take measures against global warming. Will we make it in time?
In reality, now is not the time for war. Needless to say, war emits a lot of CO2. People of the Western side criticize Russia's war against Ukraine, but are silent about the genocide that Israel is committing against Palestine and the Gaza Strip. Because America was involved in the founding of Israel, they have no say in what Israel does. Even President Biden supports Israel by providing it with weapons. I'm disappointed. America has been in many wars in the past. It should be criticized just like Russia.
I grew up in Russian culture. When I was little, my parents took me to see a performance by the Soviet national song and dance troupe. I will never forget the vivid national costumes and the lively dynamism of the dance. I grew up looking at Russian paintings. Repin, Shishkin, Serov, Aivazovsky, etc. I read Russian literature in high school and was deeply impressed. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Gorky, etc. In the 1980s, I was a big fan of Soviet gymnasts and figure skaters. Now I'm no longer interested in the Olympics because I can no longer find athletes from the former Soviet Union. I have been influenced by countless Russian peaces. German conductor Jun Märkl said on Facebook, "Should we play Russian music now? Yes!"
I know that Edward Snowden revealed the large-scale eavesdropping activities being carried out by the CIA internationally and defected to Russia. I wonder what he is doing now. What is he doing, and what is he thinking? He must be having very complicated thoughts.
So, I'm sorry this article is disorganized. For now, I have written down what I am thinking at the moment.
The photo is the torii gate of Shirahata Shrine.