Hiroshima - A story of survival, loss and forgiveness

 

Aug 2, 2025

A family is torn apart when the first atomic bomb is dropped in Japan in 1945. A teenaged boy is separated from his father in Hiroshima. Now, decades later, the boy’s daughter tells the tragic family story. On August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., the first atomic bomb explosion in a war killed more than 70,000 Japanese civilians in Hiroshima in one fell swoop. Countless others, seriously injured, fought for their lives. The massive detonation wave completely destroyed 80 percent of Hiroshima’s city center. Just 1,200 meters away, Shinji Mikamo and his father Fukuichi miraculously survived the catastrophe. Shinji was rescued from the danger zone by his father, who was also wounded and suffering from severe injuries and burns. It was a long, painful journey. When they parted ways, the teenager Shinji had to survive on his own. The documentary shows the true story of Shinji's journey of survival and forgiveness. It combines rare footage with poignant re-enactments to create a haunting first-hand account of the horrors of nuclear war. It was produced by Shinji's daughter Akiko. She sends a message of peace to the world, so that "no one has to suffer from nuclear war again”.

The Trump Era Explained

 

 

The Trump era signifies one thing: a damnation and plague on both your houses—liberal and conservative, left and right. This is the hell we’ve created for ourselves through unforgiving, unmerciful pursuit of culture war. Holier-than-thou, self-righteousness from all sides has built walls so high we can no longer see each other as human. Certitude is a killer. The result? We got what we paid for. A fool in the White House. Civil rights destroyed. Concentration camps—literal ones—being built. Fruit unpicked left to rot in fields, cities raided by masked men dragging mothers from children in the night.

50th Anniversary of Donald Richie's The Inland Sea

 

 

The Inland Sea (1971), the poetic travelogue by Donald Richie, detailing several months in the late 1960s he spent voyaging amongst the islands and coastal towns of the 瀬戸内海, Japan's inland sea which separates Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, has become an enduring classic for many people. Last month was the 50th Anniversary of the first publication of this famous book that is often considered the finest book on Japan ever written. Join us in a conversation between writer, editor, lecturer, and author Roland Kelts and translator, filmmaker, and scholar John Nathan, moderated by Peter Grilli, President Emeritus of the Japan Society of Boston, and learn why The Inland Sea is very often the most memorable book one reads about Japan. This program is brought to you in collaboration with the Stone Bridge Press.

Sexual abuse at the Christian Academy of Japan

 

Christianity Today March 13, 2023

Decades after dozens of missionary kids suffered physical and sexual abuse at the Christian Academy of Japan (CAJ), mission agency leaders associated with the Tokyo school fell prostrate on the ground to perform dogeza, Japan’s deepest form of apology.

The 13 leaders met with victims at a private retreat in Colorado last fall to hear their stories and offer a formal apology.

“On their knees, heads on their hands, sobbing,” recalled Janet Oates, a 1963 alum of the academy, which was founded in 1950 as a boarding school for missionary children. “Alumni were sobbing too … one moment of justice.”

 

Why Do So Many Christians Adore Trump So Much?

 

If you grew up fundamentalist, end-times rapturist, pessimist, cynical and black & white then you are tempted to passionately support Donald Trump. Do not fall for the temptation but instead continue in 'the faith' but this time ‘contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints’, Jude 3 and not the faith once and for all delivered by THE MOST DANGEROUS BOOK (in the English language), the Scofield Reference Bible. Why do millions of Christians passionately support Donald Trump, despite his controversial past?

A psychiatrist, explored this psychological puzzle from both clinical and cultural angles. This video gets deep into the roots of authoritarian parenting, childhood conditioning, and religious psychology to understand why evangelical support for Trump feels almost unshakable. It’s not just about politics, it’s about identity, power, and deep emotional imprinting. If you’ve ever wondered why religious conservatives stand by Trump no matter what, this analysis might surprise you. This video touches on concepts like “authoritarian personality,” “Christian nationalism,” and “psychological projection,” weaving them into a coherent, easy-to-follow explanation. Whether you agree or disagree you are encouraged to critically reflect on how belief systems shape loyalty.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

 

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence / Furyo（1983） In 1942 British soldier Jack Celliers comes to a Japanese prison camp. The camp is run by Yonoi, who has a firm belief in discipline, honor and glory. In his view, the allied prisoners are cowards when they chose to surrender instead of committing suicide. One of the prisoners, interpreter John Lawrence, tries to explain the Japanese way of thinking, but is considered a traitor. Composed by Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto recorded for the film of the same name. The song has become a staple of Christmas music in the USA, Britain and Japan. A vocal version, "Forbidden Colours", features former Japan frontman David Sylvian and charted in the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart.

75th Anniversary Celebration Slideshow

 

A slideshow of almost every student that has ever attended CAJ.

MAGA Man

THE GREAT WAVE OF 2011

 

The Japanese city of Kamaishi was almost entirely destroyed in the earthquake and ensuing tsunami of 2011. It was the biggest natural disaster to hit Japan, killing nearly 20,000 people. More than a decade later, local taxi drivers claim to frequently pick up "ghost fares" of the deceased. Passengers spot an increasing number of wild deer which some claim to be intermediaries between the physical and spiritual worlds. A night with Kamaishi’s taxi drivers reveals a community haunted by its loss while still struggling for closure. Tsunami Ghosts is a documentary film by Katharine Round.

Japan's Mass Immigration Town is Wild

 

Nishi Koizumi in Gunma where 20% of people in this town are foreign born, making it the biggest mass immigration town in Japan. Follow me and ‪@NinjaMonkeyguy‬ as we explore Japan's controversial experiment in reviving the dying countryside.

Jared Taylor talks to Eddie Huang about white supremacy

Raised in Japan by Christian missionary parents, Taylor attended Japanese schools throughout his childhood and adolescence where he learned to speak fluent Japanese. He went on to attend Yale University and later worked and traveled extensively in West Africa. He also studied in France, where he received a graduate degree in international economics from the Paris Institute of Political Studies. His cosmopolitan and peripatetic background, however, did not prevent him from moving gradually in the early 1980s to adopt a white-centered view of American nationality and to develop the conviction that cosmopolitan and multiethnic societies are much less successful than those consisting of a single dominant ethnic group. Through his American Renaissance magazine, annual conferences, and videos, Taylor has set the intellectual standard for highbrow white racial advocacy and what is variously called “White nationalism,” “White identitarianism,” or simply the perspective of the “alternative” or “dissident” Right. Taylor’s thinking combines conventional conservative ideas regarding family and community, classical liberal and libertarian ideas regarding freedom of association and basic property and economic rights, and ideas championing ethnoracial homogeneity within nations and disdain for multiculturalism. His arguments are drawn from both historical experience and contemporary sociobiology.

Evangelical Madness is Driving US Policy

 

Evangelical Madness is Driving US Policy -Trump was sent by Russia to Help Russia Destroy Israel, Says Anne Graham Lotz– Franklin Graham’s Sister.

Asking Japanese Christians why they converted to Christianity

92 Year-Old Shares His Life In Japan Since 1960

 

 

Reinventing Japan (entire)

 

This transformation of the Asia Pacific region in the wake of World War II was profound, with the Pacific victor, the United States, taking a direct hand in reforming Japan under a new, hastily drafted constitution. The expanding and often contentious American - Japanese relationship included the ambiguous roles of conqueror and conquered. Meanwhile, the revolution in China combined with the beginning of the cold war in Asia, substantially altered America's expectations of Japan and vice versa.

bidet converts say they’re never going back

 

An 'exvangelical' on loving, leaving and reporting on the culture of Christianity

 

Remembering Akira Toriyama

Remembering Akira Toriyama

Akira Toriyama, one of Japan’s leading comics authors, helped bring anime to the rest of the world. He died this month at 68.

Toriyama was most famous for “Dragon Ball,” a manga and anime franchise that earned global success. The series, known for its comedic characters and martial arts battles, follows a young boy named Son Goku, who embarks on a journey to collect seven magical orbs that summon a wish-granting dragon.

“Goku is Toriyama’s greatest creation,” our critic Maya Phillips writes in an appraisal of his work. “He’s timeless and he’s unbeatable.”

A “Dragon Ball Z” booth at New York Comic Con in October. Charles Sykes/Invision, via Associated Press

Japan Issues Tsunami Warnings After Powerful Earthquake

 

Yusuke Fukuhara/Yomiuri Shimbun, via, Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Japan Issues Tsunami Warnings After Powerful Earthquake

Officials ordered evacuations and said that some people were trapped under collapsed buildings after a quake struck western Japan.

Follow live updates

Sukeban, a new women’s wrestling league

Sukeban, a new women’s wrestling league featuring Japanese performers, is the first of its kind in the U.S. It was inspired by the female gangs of the 1960s and 1970s that helped to bring feminism to the fore in Japan. Fashion plays a key role in the league, and organizers hope the flashy costumes will help the sport to appeal to an audience unfamiliar with it.

A Sukeban performance in Miami earlier this month. Martina Tuaty for The New York Times