Kikuchi Keikoku (Kikuchi Gorge) is a 4km long gorge located in Aso Kuju National Park. The water runs from the outer rim of the Aso Crater. It is also known as Kikuchi Suigen (water source), and was selected as one of the 100 best waters in Japan
News: The Ukraine ‘Peace Summit’ In Jeddah, Niger Junta Defies Deadline
The New York Times — Monday, August 7, 2023
Putin’s Forever War
Vladimir Putin wants to lead Russians into a civilizational conflict with the West far larger than Ukraine. Will they follow him?
Anguish in Camelot: Kennedy Campaign Roils Storied Political Family
The presidential bid by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has tested the bonds of an iconic Democratic clan that does not want him to run and does not know what to do about it.
‘We Are Feeling Overpoliced’: State Troopers Join Patrols in Austin
The city ended a partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety this month after troubling incidents. In response, Gov. Greg Abbott sent in more troopers.
In War on Congestion Pricing, Governor Turns to Courts and Trash Talk
A lawsuit that Gov. Philip Murphy of New Jersey has filed against New York’s congestion pricing plan has reignited a border war and led to charges of hypocrisy.
Ukraine War: Importance Of ‘155 Artillery Shells’
Video timeline: 0:00 Intro 0:52 Why 155s are so important in Ukraine 2:40 How 155mm shells are made 4:20 History of 155mm shells 4:53 Other expensive weapons NATO has sent Ukraine 5:51 How America is sending cluster bombs during shortage
Travel Guide: Berlin’s Top Three Castles In One Day
Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:35 Charlottenburg Palace 03:06 Glienicke Palace 04:30 Grunewald Hunting Lodge Palace
Hannah takes you from the Mediterranean-style Glienicke Palace to the royal baroque Charlottenburg Palace and on to the remote Grunewald Hunting Lodge Palace.
Travel Tour: The People And Cultures Of Bhutan
We were lucky enough to be invited to explore this unique country steeped in history and culture, where a traditional way of life reigns supreme and we were given access to film places cameras have never been before. Join us as we explore a remote indigenous mountain village, meditate with monks, and are welcomed into the homes of locals.
Views: American Heritage Magazine – August 2023
Cities Reduced to Ashes
In the spring of 1945, American bombing raids destroyed much of Tokyo and dozens of other Japanese cities, killing at least 200,000 people, without forcing a surrender.
After the bloody battles at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, planners feared as many as two million American deaths if the US invaded the Japanese homeland.
By the summer of 1944, U.S. military power in the Pacific Theater had grown spectacularly. Beginning days after the D-Day invasion in France, American forces launched their largest attacks yet against the Japanese-held islands of Saipan on June 15, Guam on July 21, and Tinian on July 24. Situated 1,200 to 1,500 miles south of Japan in the crescent-shaped archipelago known as the Marianas, they were strategically important, defending the empire’s vital shipping lanes from Asia and preventing increased aerial attacks on the homeland.
Struggling to End the War
As defeat became inevitable in the summer of 1945, Japan’s government and the Allies could not agree on surrender terms, especially regarding the future of Emperor Hirohito and his throne.
As the Allied armies closed in on the German capital in 1945, the complications for ending the war in Europe paled, in comparison with the difficulty of forcing a Japanese surrender. For the Japanese military, the concept was unthinkable, a state of mind confirmed by the hundreds of thousands of Japanese servicemen who had already been killed, rather than giving up a hopeless contest.
For the Japanese leadership, the whole strategy of the Pacific war had been predicated on the idea that, after initial victories, a compromise would be reached with the Western enemies to avoid having to fight to a surrender. Switzerland was thought of as a possible neutral intermediary; so, too, the Vatican, for which reason a Japanese diplomatic mission was established there early in the war.
The Japanese government watched the situation in Italy closely, when General Pietro Badoglio became prime minister after the fall of Mussolini’s fascist regime, and remained in power after the Italian surrender in 1943. If Badoglio could modify unconditional surrender by retaining the government and Victor Emmanuel as king, then a “Badoglio” solution in Japan might ensure the survival of its imperial system.
Sunday Morning: Stories And News From London, Zurich, Lisbon & Bangkok
August 6, 2023 – Emma Nelson, Damita Pressl and Charles Hecker unpack the weekend’s hottest topics. We also hear from Monocle’s editorial director, Tyler Brûlé, and our Bangkok correspondent, Gwen Robinson.
The New York Times — Sunday, August 6, 2023
How Jack Smith Structured the Trump Election Indictment to Reduce Risks
The special counsel layered varied charges atop the same facts, while sidestepping a free-speech question by not charging incitement.
Clarence Thomas’s $267,230 R.V. and the Friend Who Financed It
The vehicle is a key part of the justice’s just-folks persona. It’s also a luxury motor coach that was funded by someone else’s money.
Summer Camp: Sun, Swimming, Archery. And Therapy.
As the United States grapples with a mental-health crisis, summer camps are looking more closely at the children in their care.
Man of the People? Jolted by a Mutiny, Putin Works the Crowds.
His contained interactions with crowds this summer are a noticeable change for the Russian leader, who disdains retail politics and operated in extreme seclusion during the pandemic.
Japan Views: ‘Eikan-do – Temple Of Zen’ In Kyoto
The temple compound is nestled in Kyoto’s Eastern Mountain (Higashiyama), and its buildings, most of them connected by covered walkways and staircases, are scattered among a range of heights.
– Main gate – the Kōrai-mon (高麗門) is named after the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo (Kōrai in Japanese). The current structure dates from the late Edo period (mid-19th century).
– Inner gate – the Yakui-mon (薬医門), along with the Kōrai-mon, derive from the fortress gates that would have surrounded the aristocratic mansion before it became a temple. Their placement and architecture are said to still reflect these origins today. The current structure dates to 1744.
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