Spiri at Work

The original article, “Lawmaker takes 9/11 Doubts Global” is here.
note: For the 25 comments below, names have been deleted for privacy, and two extremely long ones were <snipped> at a logical point.

 

1. Thank you for printing this article. Please continue along these lines, and resist the pressure to keep quiet. The perpetrators of 911 must be exposed and held accountable.

 

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20080617zg.html

2. > The 9/11 truth movement does not “claim to have exposed” the truth, it

> merely pointed out the obvious to fools like yourself.

3. Dear Sir/Madam,

I am British and have just stumbled upon your excellent article about

Yukihisa Fujita san. I applaud the efforts of Fujita-san and he has my prayers and best wishes.

If you can convey these sentiments to him in Japanese then I shall be very grateful.

The world really does need the efforts of all Japanese — citizens and politicians — to force the truth out into the open so as to ensure the criminals responsible (such as George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, and all the many so-called Jews active in that administration, such as Michael Chertoff) are brought to justice, and if found guilty, executed by hanging or by lethal injection.

We must rid this world of the Illuminati. All efforts must be concentrated on eliminating the Illuminati.

Yours truly, and thank you.

4. The 9/11 German Connection: Bush I, Born and Trained As A Spy In WWII Germany,

Stood down America’s Defense

http://home.att.net/~south.tower/911GermanConnection1.htm

5. > I am only a citizen. I am not a celebrity, a sports hero, or a politician. I have watched our world descend into chaos, led by our country, which was once arguably, “The greatest country in the world.”

 

> I watched the twin towers burn then collapse. I saw the Pentagon on fire. I heard about the heroes of Flight 93. I was stunned. NOT BECAUSE IT HAD HAPPENED. BUT BECAUSE SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN MONTHS BEFORE. I was a witness to something horrible but saw it in a light different from everyone else. <snip>

6. Dear Staff of The Japan Times,

I would like to congratulate you on taking the step to journalistic responsibility.

The issues of 9/11 will come out in full one day and you will be respected for being one of the first moves in the main stream media to actually start talking about the issues.

I hope you will have more articles discussing the flaws with the “official story”.

This issue permeates all our lives and it needs to be addressed.

Thank you again for your honorable actions.

7. > Dear editor,

> I read your article “Lawmaker takes 9/11 doubts global” By JOHN SPIRI

> with great interest.

> I would be interested in reprinting this article in our small newspaper,

> with your permission.

> May I have permission to reprint this article (with full credit to the

> Japan Times, of course).

8. It is gratifying to know that one Japanese lawmaker isn’t kissing George W. Bush’s

backside and blindly accepting the 9/11

Disinformation offered by the post-9/11Bush administration. Democratic Party Diet representative has done the right thing to intelligently question what happened on 9/11 and to confront those who would mislead the public with dubious claims about how buildings just simply collapse neatly after being struck by commerical airplanes or not struck by anything, such as was the case with Building #7. And anyone with the a even a morsel of common sense can see that a Boeing 767 NEVER hit the Pentagon.

Something hit the Pentagon, but it wasn’t a 767. Where’s the tail section and the two massive jet engines, each weighing 6 tons? These are two massive engine blocks that would not have been destroyed on impact, even by the explosion of a fully fueled commerical jet.

Someone is lying big time. Bush’s pants are on fire as in “liar, liar, pants on fire”, but he’ll never see the inside of any courtroom. Like Marlon Brando’s “Godfather”, Bush is too well connected to ever sweat a courtroom appearance.

Too much is at stake for the truth to ever be revealed. Just after the 9/11 attack, Bush advised the American public to simply go back to their daily routines and forget about the WTC bombing. Even this advice was an attempt to encourage the public not to be overly curious about what really happened that dark day in September 2001. Funny how a president can lie his way into a war with Iraq and the people of the United States still elected him to a second term, or did they? Voter registration fraud and voting fraud are nothing new in America, but with new computerized voting machines, the electronic shell game just got easier.

Long live emperor Bush, America’s very own Nero. And Rome is indeed burning.

The fire started on Sept. 11, 2001 and the fire is still raging.

9. Truly courageous reporting, more people need to know about 9/11 and true heroes like Fujita-san. Thank you!

10. was very good, and i was wondering if you could send me a link to it or maybe even the article in the mail? I’m trying to get a non-infowars link preferably..thanks so much

11. note: this was neither supporting nor criticizing the article, but is not available.

 

12. The premise that the WTC towers were intentionally destroyed (based on the written articles and videos which have been flooding all the various airwaves), plus, the “crashes” into the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania…I would have to concur. It is quite unfortunate that the powers whom believe they be-think that by initiating such blatant acts of terror on ones own people, and then using these said same acts as a “springboard” for the invasion into other countries re: Iraq, Iran-just to name a couple…would have another thing coming.

I find it quite incredulous that the public as a whole is falling for the line that those so-called elected officials at the top are feeding them. All of the evidence-whether it be via video or by literature should suffice to convince a people they have been conspired against for very many years. There are many situations which are being controlled by irregular channels and these will eventually end up being corrupted like many well-placed individuals. Until the vast majority of citizens realize that those in a higher placement have far more ulterior motives than the fair representation of their elective region re: State,Country,Province-we as a whole will tend for the time being be not to much more than bottom dwellers to them.

13. > As a US citizen, I have been waiting for my representatives in Congress

> to launch an investigation into what happened on 9/11. Fujita is now my

> best hope and my adopted representative. I don’t know what happened on

> that day, but the investigations of the truth movement make more sense,

> are open and publicly reviewed, while the official investigation has

> enormous shortcomings, has no spokesperson to answer criticisms. We

> need a new investigation!

14. It would be good to keep in mind that people who serve in the USA’s armed forces often are told that some military operations & national policies which date from the period from 1774 to 1787 remain state secrets. The American mind & character remain inscrutable. It is rather doubtful if the USA’s leaders will recant the USA’s official stories of the destruction of the WTC & damage to the Pentagon on 9/11/01. American leaders would loose face if they revised the official story of 9/11/01. We Americans are a very strange people. What became the USA has always has been a multi-racial society since Europeans first settled in N America in the 1500’s & 1600’s. It is impossible to create & enforce any American attitude in a pluralistic nation of many races & religions. Americans are, by nature, doubters & skeptics; that never will change.

15. Read your article and I thought this would interest you

http://belowgroundsurface.org/belowgroundsurface/framespage.htm?loc=http://belowgroundsurface.org/belowgroundsurface/Comments.aspx?StoryURL=616

perhaps you could find a way to get it to Fujita. It might lend some help to his argument.

16. Dear Japan TImes,

Regarding “Lawmaker takes 9/11 doubts global” from June 17th, 2008.

Let me commend you for printing an article about the alternative theory for 9/11. I was cursing the Japan Times for ignoring the story back in January, but you’ve made up for that! I’m looking forward to more real journalism like this in the future.

17. I was quite surprised to find John Spiri’s article about Yukihisa Fujita on the Japan Times website yesterday. Surprised because, despite Fujita’s credentials as a Diet member, he is simply repeating the tired intonations of completely discredited theories regarding the events of September 11th. Additionally Spiri writes with a very exaggerated and outright misleading writing style, doing his best to inflate the tiny influence that a band of wingnuts has on real discourse. From its focus on asserting the “growing number of individuals”, the “many” who are “convinced” that we are not being told the truth about the September 11^th attacks and so on, the writing style alone makes it clear that Mr. Spiri is a sympathizer of these embarrassing claims.

Let’s take a look at what he has written in this article, and the claims of the conspiracy theorists themselves.

With regard to World Trade Center Building 7, a building located near the two main World Trade Centers, and which collapsed later in the day of September 11^th, after sustaining major damage from debris and internal fires, Spiri writes:

“Between the videos showing the way it fell, and the numerous reports of explosions, many are convinced that this building was demolished.”

What reports of explosions is Spiri talking about here? If we imagine for a moment that it would even be possible to wire such a building with explosives without anyone noticing, we would have seen and _heard_ explosive charges traveling up the building as in any standard controlled demolition. Why does Spiri ignore the overwhelming accounts of firefighters including Chief Firefighter Daniel Nigro who have said repeatedly that it was obvious the building was coming down hours before it actually did? The minority of witness accounts that claim to have heard explosions are dwarfed by the direct accounts of survivors in these buildings who heard nothing but the building collapsing around them as they raced downwards to survive. Are we really expected to believe that these explosions were so quiet?? The subsection “Did eyewitnesses report hearing or seeing bombs and demolitions explosives in and around the towers?” at http://wtc7lies.googlepages.com/ is an excellent resource which illustrates exactly what survivors experienced, and thousands of them: eyewitnesses, firefighters and rescue personnel did not hear bombs. What does that mean for the conspiracy theory? If no bombs can be heard on any recording of any of the three buildings that collapsed that day, what leg does any conspiracy theorist have to stand on? <snip>

18. > ‘Lawmaker takes 9/11 doubts global’

> You might also like to consider reporting on Danny Jowenko (Dutch demolition

> expert who claims WTC7 is clearly a controlled demolition) and/or William

> Rodriguez (WTC janitor and 9/11 hero who was an eyewitness to a huge

> explosion in the sub-basement just prior to the first plane impact).

> I would be happy to provide more information.

19. Jews did 911 and all world wars.

The one word that is not being said is usually the guilty party. This is the case.

http://www.Jews-Did-911.com

Only the Jews and Israel have profited from 911 and the Next False Flag will happen before Oct 2008 and plunge the world into total oil cutoff and Japan will starve. So cut your goddamn Political Correctness and start telling the truth. The Jew press and media in the USA won’t. Are you under the thumb of Jews there too?

Commander Z,

Patriot Militia.

20. The 911 farce is just that and covered up by the Republican leadership! If you look at every individual member on that commission they are connected like a circle :The most prominent other than Zelikow and Rice ,Is Tom Kean ;He knew Bush in 1986 ,when Reagan held a press conference on IRan / Contra ,bush told Kean that he did not know how much Reagan knew ,or even if all the players were on the “plane “. Kean took over Bush’s seat on Aramark in 1984 ,He gave a speech at the 1988 RNC for bush . He is the most powerful person on oil Giant Hess by virtue of controlling all the shares from the Estate of a Mr. Hess. I could go on and on ,but i am sure you have as much info. NO plane crashed into the Pentagon according to Jamie Mcintyre ,CNN, Senior Reporter (Pentagon) his video is available on line .. I am 73 and really appreciate what you are doing to get to the bottom of this for US. obviously we can’t do it on our own ,Canada has introduced a bill in Parliament for the same reasons ,I am a veteran USNavy 1952-1956 ,not proud of my country

21. Saturday, November 24, 2007 Prothink Interviews NYC First Responder Paul Isaac

CLICK HERE FOR THE INTERVIEW

PICTURE TAKEN OF PAUL ISAAC AND MIKE DELANEY AT WTC GROUND ZERO, NEW YORK, NY 9/11/2007

Paul is going to be presenting evidence of 9/11 to the courts and would like your support if you are in the Brooklyn area. This will be going on at the Brooklyn Circuit Court December 7th, 2007. He requests that people come to support him in his efforts to obtain justice for 9/11/01. Here is some of the evidence he will be presenting:

More Unanswered Questions re: Keyspan Tanks

Paul Isaac is an Auxiliary Fireman and first responder. 
He has spent an untold number of hours doing in-depth research compiling 
many areas of evidence challenging the official account of 9/11.

The image below illustrates a parallel between the 
demolition of the Keyspan Maspeth Holding Tanks in Queens, NY on 
July 15th, just a few months before 9/11. Although explosives were 
outlawed, somehow with the Giuliani administration in power, this 
demolition was carried out even though the surrounding area was 
residential. You can still see the Queens Gazette article from 7/18/01 here. 
Also,

The height of the tanks is approximately the same 
as the height from where Flight 175 struck the south tower and the 
top of the building. The angle of the collapse of the South Tower 
(see Image 2) was almost identical to the angle of the demolition-cased 
collapse of the tanks (see Image 3). Also, the antenna from Tower 
One came down in the same direction, into Tobin Plaza rather than 
west towards the World Financial Centers. The demolition of the 
tanks was planned and carried out by Controlled Demolition, Inc. 
Isn’t it interesting that this company also was contracted to do 
the cleanup after the Oklahoma City Bombing, then again for cleanup 
of the World Trade Center towers? Also, see the Online Journal article here by Jerry Mazza.

22. > I have been writing about this issue, demonstrating, letters to the

> editor, talking to groups about this issue. There was no plane that

> hit the pentagon, building #7 was brought down because it had

> computers in it that were used to destroy the twin towers floor by

> floor and it was all a false flag to put terror on our hearts and

> allow Bush to take over and go to war with Iraq and now he is about

> to go to war with Iran and we must stop it.

> More people like you must come out about the truth of 911. Flight 93

> was shot down by us before it was supposed to have crashed. The wool

> has been put in front of the eyes of many but not me and not the

> others in your article.

 

> Our country is run by crooks and liars. Bush and Cheney should be

> impeached and put in jail for their actions.

> They don’t represent me and the other 88% of our population.

> Thank you for speaking up.

23. Sir:

I answered your polled….never thought about it until now…and I must say…this story has started an itch I would like to scratch. Whether this is a conspiracy or not by the Bush administration…but I am sure of one thing though….they certainly used the situtation for their own agenda and also lost the world sympathy and its own people’s trust.

PS: please keep up the research on this subject.

24. Dear Sir/Ma’am,

Thank you so much for publishing the story “Lawmaker Takes 9/11 Doubts Global” in the Japan Times, and thank you so much for having a courageous, truth telling Diet member such as Yukihisa Fujita who realizes how important the truth is for peace in this world and the prevention of nuclear war.

Here in the U.S. there is almost total censorship of the truth by our mainstream media, the Congress, the Senate, and our “President” (he doesn’t even deserve such a title). There are a few brave people in our Congress and newsmedia, but they almost invariably wind up losing their jobs, or their lives (as with Senator Paul Wellstone who was killed in a plane crash shortly before the invasion of Iraq because he opposed the invasion because it was all based on lies and was, and still is, a war crime). As it was with Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, the people of those countries were mostly kept in the dark about the truth by their respective governments and newsmedia while the rest of the world knew what the truth was. Since we don’t get the truth from our government or newsmedia, we have to rely on the Internet and the governments and newsmedia of othercountries to bring the truth to us. There is a statement in the Bible, “Remove the log that is in your own eye first so that you can see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye” which is very true. It is obvious that this statement also applies to countries, with the people of these countries being blinded to the truth by their owngovernments and newsmedia. Fortunately, with the Internet and rapid worldwide communication, all that people in one country have to do in order to get the truth is to look at what is being said by the newsmedia and leaders of other countries.

The people here in the U.S. owe Mr. Yukihisa Fujita and the Japan Times a debt of great gratitude for their honesty and courage. In this world, people should all want to be at peace with each other and get along happily. The only way that this can happen is for the truth to be told. The Bible also says, “You shall know the truth and the truthshall set you free“; it doesn’t say “maybe” or “possibly”. Therefore, the best way for there to be peace, and avoid a nuclear World War 3, is for the newsmedia to tell the truth at all times and for the people to demand the truth and accept nothing less than the full truth.

 

25. Dear Sir,

9/11 WAS an inside job, a false flag operation, and Dr David Kelly WAS murdered (as was Robin Cook).

26. This is the full 3 hour 25 minute version instead of 3 parts (I removed those):

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5449411180557792649
Speakers include award winning actress Christine Ebersole, former CIA analyst, Ray McGovern, who wrote the President’s Daily Brief for President Reagan, Dr. William Pepper, international attorney who pursued the case in a court of law for the Martin Luther King family showing that the assassination was not by James Earl Ray, but some government people, and subsequently wrote the book, Act of State, about the assassination. The usual excuse for withholding the truth about these crimes, from the Kennedy assassination to 9/11, is usually something about “National Security”, “protecting sources and methods” for the CIA” etc. That’s just lies for covering up crimes, the people shouldn’tbelieve the lies any longer, and they need to demand the truth about the crimes and those involved:
27. Dear Editor: The NYC 9/11 Ballot Initiative Campaign is committed to a thorough, transparent, and non-partisan examination of the facts surrounding the crimes of September 11, 2001, to be accomplished through the creation of an independent, investigative body, a Citizen’s Commission, with subpoena power. The Commission, staffed by competent, professional individuals of the highest caliber, will be mandated to search for the truth, wherever that search leads, without prejudice or preconception, and to recommend the best course, as they see it, to achieve justice for all those involved in, and affected by, the 9/11 terror attacks. This investigation, if granted via placement by the NYC Council on the Nov. voting ballot, will be privately financed, therefore no taxpayer dollars would be spent investigating the attacks and all circumstances related.  http://www.nyc911initiative.org/mission_…
Launched in Feb. of 2008, the initiative, through on-the-street petition signatures, Sunday night meetings in a church in the Lower East Side and a trickle of media coverage, has picked up momentum in recent weeks with the following media coverage:
 http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscar…
 http://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/17/fo…
 http://www.thevillager.com/villager_268/…


In questioning the events of 9/11 as Mr. Fujita has so bravely done, he is in good international company, a movement for truth which includes:
* Former Italian President Francesco Cosiga  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_C…)
* Germany’s Andreas von Bulow
* England’s Michael Meacher
* The U.N./Princeton’s Richard Falk
* Japan’s Yukihisa Fujita
* Countless 9/11 family members (many of whom I have met)
* 20,000-plus signees to the NYC 9/11 Ballot Initiative
* U.S. State Dept. Veterans
* Former CIA Officials
* Actors Charlie and Martin Sheen, Ed Asner, Daniel Sunjata (Fox’s “Rescue Me”), Mark Ruffalo, Christine Ebersole (Tony award-winner), etc etc.
* Former Cowboys All-Star Mark Stepnoski (who has contributed to our effort via a donation).
* Ralph Nader
* Current Arizona Senator Karen Johnson
* Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura
* Members of Pilots for Truth  pilotsfor911truth.org)
* Members of Scholars for Truth  st911.org)
* Members of Student Scholars for Truth  sst911.org)
* Members of Veterans for Truth
* Members of Architects and Engineers for Truth
* Musicians Jim Corr of the Irish rock band “The Corrs” and rapper/actor Dante Smith
* The list is long. For a more complete list, go to patriotsquestion911.com


U.N. Official Supports New Investigation
 http://www.nysun.com/news/foreign/un-off…
British Parliament Member, German Secretary of Defense Doubt 9/11 Story
 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Event: Press Conference with Senator Mike Gravel

Topic: Support for NYC 9/11 Ballot Initiative, Call for New Investigation

Contact: Les Jamieson 718.492.2192 or 917.658.0132 / info@nyc911initatiative.org

28. To disbelieve is incorrect and insane. Ask the those people who lost loved ones whose lives were destroyed by fanatic Jihadists. .

http://www.republicbroadcasting.org/index.php?cmd=news.article&articleID=764
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAH3AeFy0SY&feature=related
31. To the editors:
The JT is now on a par with the Weekly World News. Why the JT would give any ink to the loony theories of 9/11 conspiracy nuts is beyond me. Because a Diet member believes them to be true? Because the pursuit of journalistic “truth” requires an open and honest inquiry into all possibilities? Ridiculous and moreover, impossible. The search for answers requires exploring various possibilities, not all possibilities. The creation of a theory does not inherently give it validity, however much whack-jobs wishes it were so. If the JT is going to continue in this vein, might I suggest a probing article on how the moon landing was faked or proving the existence of Bigfoot? I`m sure one could find true-believers of those myths as well. Credibility takes so long to acquire, but can be lost so quickly.
My response to Rodger:

It’s interesting, and revealing, that the lone critic, Jon Rodgers, would disparaging refer to Mr. Fujita’s “tired intonations of completely discredited theories.” The observations of Mr. Fujita are, as Mr. Fujita and several letter writers noted, new to most media save the internet. And if the theories are so discredited, JT readers are out of the loop: Rodgers was the lone believer in the official story to criticize the article out of over 20 responses, most of which strongly praised the article and noted ‘it’s about time mainstream media covered it.’

What exactly is the theory Mr. Fujita–or myself the writer–promoted? A careful reading would reveal that the article raised many questions and doubts about the official 911 explanation—that buildings fell in the manner they did for the reasons claimed—and put forth no theory at all to replace it.

Like his hyperbolic “discredited theories” snipe, Rodgers refers to “real discourse” which he presumably envisions himself a part of. But his discourse consists largely of name-calling (doubters of the official story like Mr. Fujita are “wingnuts” and later “nuts on their way out”), misreadings, and obfuscation.

Rodgers, for example, is either unaware of the convention of quotation marks, or is a very poor reader. He attacks me for “writing” passages like “Between the videos showing the way (building 7) fell…” adding, “What reports of explosions is Spiri talking about here?” However, I’m not talking about anything; I’m simply quoting Mr. Fujita.

As far as the tone, I readily acknowledge that I find many of the criticisms of the truth movement compelling, including Mr. Fujita’s views. That’s what the article was, after all, a recapitulation of Mr. Fujita’s testimony to the Japanese Diet and Prime Minister, and the subsequent worldwide support he received from politicians and citizens groups in Australia, Europe, America, and Japan. If Japan Times granted me a 5,000 or 10,000 word limit I could have certainly sought out counterpoints, like about the Popular Mechanics ‘debunking debunkers’ article, and other points-counterpoints. 1600 words, however, was not fully sufficient to adequately explain all the doubts, let alone a series of counterclaims. Finally, the official story has had its day in court, so it seems fair to me to let the doubters and critics of the official story have their day.

Rodgers claims to know so much about what happened on September 11, and that’s a main difference between us; I don’t. For example, he “knows” the buildings did not fall horizontally as Dojimaru claims, calling him “hilariously wrong,” or claims it was a “mistranslation”. When I first read Mr. Dojimaru’s email, recalling my impression that the buildings had fallen vertically, I inquired, and Mr. Dojimaru pointed me to some videos. And you know what? A case could be made that at least a significant portion of the buildings did spew out horizontally.

As far as who Mr. Dojimaru is, as the article notes, he is the Japanese author of a book about 911 who influenced Mr. Fujita. Rodgers is practicing obfuscation by attacking him as an “anti-semite.” What does that have to do with an article about 911? Getting even further off the point, and betraying his tendency to launch attacks based on absolutely no proof, he guesses that “Mr. Spiri does not read Japanese.”

As for still another attack on me, that I am “not a person who looks critically at what is placed in front of him,” I’ll offer a conjecture of my own. I conjecture that every man who seriously considers the claims and counterclaims about what happened on 911 believes he is looking at it critically. Every person. The extent to which we can achieve a critical reading, and a reasonable opinion, depends on our ability to set aside biases and see with clarity. A serious inquiry, I submit, starts with an understanding of a human’s natural propensity for self-deception and leads through a thorough and dispassionate appraisal of the evidence. At the very least, we should engage in the debate without shrill accusations and name-calling.

 

Japan has no shortage of winding roads cut into cliffs overlooking the sea. They are as quintessentially Japan as quiet mountain villages and rice terraces. The roads of Amakusa in Kyushu run around and near 120 or so islands, where the beautiful sea teems with colorful fish and dolphins. The inland roads, meanwhile, lead to springs and sites with the bones of Christian martyrs.
Accessibility, however, is the reason the Amakusa islands merit little more than a scant paragraph in most guide books. Inaccessible by train or bus, Amakusa is about a three-hour drive from Kumamoto.
One route from Kumamoto to Hondo, Amakusa’s main city, traverses the north coast of Amakusa’s main island along an unspectacular and heavily-trafficked road. The longer and lesser traveled southern route, however, has some limestone caves and a statue of Ebisu, the portly god of the fortunes of business.
The main attractions are after Hondo. Tsuji Island is a well-known dolphin-watching spot, a short drive north. The many restaurants along route 389, famed for their fresh crab and other seafood, also provide information about glass-bottomed boat tours. The dolphins are known to playfully jump alongside boats and may even be spotted from the shore. There are reports that some dolphins have moved on to cleaner waters due, perhaps, to diminishing feeding grounds, environmental pollution, or even the tour boats themselves. A little further along is the road to Tomioka, a small port with calm waters, a castle and the former residence of the novelist Hayashi Fumiko.
The coastline south of Tomioka has dramatic sea views, with good snorkeling and diving. Traffic is sparse and there are plenty of places to take a dip. Just after emerging from a tunnel, Shimoda has picturesque views from the parking lot of a souvenir shop. The beach is nothing special, but the underwater view is great. This is the place to make for the sea. Synchronized-swimming shoals of small fish dart in the water and other colorful underwater exotica swim around the shallow, rocky waters. An eye should be kept out for jellyfish, even after the danerous month of September. A short way down the road is a diving school which offers lessons for beginners. A little further down the road is a sea salt factory. The guide explains that the local soil has a low mineral content which makes unseasoned meat and vegetables in Japan particularly tasteless. To compensate, Japanese have long relied on salty condiments. This may explain the high death rate from stomach cancer in Japan.
The main Christian-related information site is at the Amakusa Shiro Memorial Hall. Portuguese and Spanish missionaries, most notably Francis Xavier in 1549, first set up shop in southern Kyushu. Missionaries were shipwrecked on Tanagashima (also the Japanese name for the harquebus, a kind of matchlock). Portuguese Jesuits were allowed to proselytise and gain converts until, the story goes, imperial regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi (nicknamed “Monkey” for his ugliness) sent some men to find local women. When the women resisted, some Jesuits intervened. Hideyoshi had been tolerant to that point, but that sort of chivalry crossed the line. In 1587, Hideyoshi issued an edict denouncing Christianity and martyred those who wouldn’t renounce their faith by fumi-e, trampling Christian icons.
Mogushi, at the southern tip, is arguably Amakusa’s best beach. It has great views, above and below water, and a great deal of privacy (lack of accessibility has its upside).
In the warm southern waters, the swimming season continues through September into October, and that month, on the weekend of October 26-27, Hondo hosts the Junkyo Festival. In part a commemoration of the peasant rebellion of 1634, as well as a call for peace by Japan’s main religions, the festival features a procession around the city, with stops at the river to comfort the souls of those who died in the rebellion.
Amakusa Tourist Bereau tel. is 0969-22-2243

More than a few enchanted Westerners ahve come to Japan intending to gain a deeper understanding of the country and its people. Their efforts, along with those of native writers, have produced numerous books written to explain various aspects of Japanese culture. What follows is a personal list of my top ten must-reads for any aspiring authority on Japan:
10. Anatomy of Dependence by Takeo Doi – Never mind that the central claim–that amae is a word utterly unique to the Japanese language–is considered bunk. Still, Doi makes many interesting insights into the Japanese psyche and ties these in with the langauge. The word amai refers to the suckling infant’s feeling of dependence and passive love for its mother, but the implications of amae extend into obligations to others, ways to deal with negative emotions, inner and outer circles, and, uh, the uniqueness of the Japanese. Never mind that either. The textbook-like style of writing makes it worthwhile for any gaijin-cum-psychologist.
9. The Chrysanthemum and the Sword by Ruth Benedict – This perhaps most well-known book on Japan postulates the causes of world War II and moves into analyses of psychology, ethics, and personal relatinships. Often noted for her guilt vs. shame culture distinction, Benedict asserts that some cultures like the US have absolute moral standards and rely on the individuals to develop a conscience. Citizens of such a society take great relief in confession–in the modern context read “therapy”. Countries like Japan, conversely, have external sanctions to enforce good behavior. The mere perception of societal disapproval can bring shame. Very interesting stuff for sure, which sometims suffers for stereotyping assertions like, “They (Japanese) sleep with complete relaxation, in any position…” Benedict has also often been criticized for never actually having come to Japan.
8. The Wages of Guilt by Ian Buruma – Buruma assesses how differently Japan and Germany have dealt with World War II. He quotes a typical textbook on the Nanking Masacre: “In December 197, Japanese troops occupied Nanking.” A footnote adds that many Chinese, including civilians, were reported to have been killed. Still, conservative politicans wanted the passage deleted altogether. When Nagasaki Mayor Motoshima held the emperor responsible for the war, conservatives were outraged. Motoshima was later shot. This incident, Buruma notes, lends credibility to Ruth Benedict’s theory about guilt and shame cultures. The Germans needed to confess their sins; the Japanese needed silence.
7. On Familiar Terms by Donald Keene – Japan’s pre-eminent scholar, writer and translator, Donald Keene, takes readers on a personal tour of the Japan he intimately knows. And Keene’s love knows few bounds. Working as a POW transalator during the war, Keene befriended prisoners and once played Beethoven’s Eroica symphony for them. He writes passionately about vintage 1950s Kyoto, and mourns its modernization. Readers encounter some of the many noted figures Keene has had the pleasure of knowing, Abe Kobo and Mishima Yukio among them.
6. Lost Japan by Alex Kerr – Kerr, who recently bolted for Thailand, has entered the world of Japanese arts as few foreigners have. Whether dealing with antiques, kabuki, noh, or an old house in a remote valley, doors seem to open for Kerr. Originally written in Japanese, Kerr’s concern for the vanishing arts and deteriorating environment make the book an important warning.
5. Memories of Silk and Straw by Dr. Junichi Saga – Saga records the experiences of more than 50 of his elderly patients living in the Lake Kosurnigaura region, northeast of Tokyo. The unadorned retellings portray the harshness and dire poverty of an utterly different world that existed just 100 years ago. Master craftsmen and fishermen tell of getting ten potatoes for a sen, parents tell of leaving newborns to die, and beggars tell of a meager existence in the mountains. Short sketches do much to enhance the overall floavor of this book.
4. The Lady and the Monk by Pico Iyer – Iyer seeks to find the “lunar Japan” of delicate poems, impeccible tastes and Zen insights. While allusions to Zen and spirituality serve as a backdrop throughout, foreigner complaints, concerns, and intercultural relationships are also featured. The reader may find him or herself in this book, in more ways than one. The book typifies many a gaijin experience: a passing interest in the arts with the main focus on money and Japanese chicks. Given Iyer’s talent as a storyteller, the book can’t help but succeed.
3. Japanese Inn by Oliver Statler – Statler writes with a focus on the Minaguchi-ya, an inn along the old Tokaido Road, weaving historical facts into his own experiences. Statler masterfully captures the flavor of the era (the 1500s), prompting James Michener to call it a minor classic. Like Momories of Silk and Straw, readers get a sense of the vast changes the past centuries have wrought. Statler’s other book, Japanese Pilgrimage, is equally fascinating, retelling the author’s trek to visit the 88 temples of Shikoku.
2. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden – This novel follows the life of a young girl taken from a poor fishing village to the glamour of Kyoto, and details what it was like to become a geisha–not a pleasant experience. Gripping and informative, the book records a way of life that is rapidly fading into oblivion. Based on the actual experiences of the famous geisha Nitta Sayuri, Memoirs of a Geisha invokes an empathy usually reserved for non-fiction works. A “can’t-put-down” classic.
1. The Roads to Sata by Alan Booth – This was an easy call for number one. Booth exemplifies much of what I aspire to as a traveler, a writer, and a human being. His big heart and integrity come through page after page. He describes his walking adventure from northern Hokkaido to southern Kyushu with candor, insight and humor. Although he makes more than a few criticisms, it is always clear that he is in love with Japan. Along the way he gamely (and drunkenly) wrestles with a sumo, gets harassed for “his” country’s awful deed at Hiroshima’s Peace Park (unfairly because Booth is British) and has comical encounters with Japanese who cannot accept that he speaks Japanese fluently. One reviewer called his walk a “1,000-mile pub crawl” and it is true that readers get the keenest sense of the Japan Booth went out in search of at the drinking establishments he visits along the way. With Booth’s death, Japan and the world lost a great writer.

Builders in Nagasaki discovered the remains of a prison next to Peace Park in 1992. Many Chinese and Korean POWs died there, both at the hands of their Japanese captors, and in the atomic bomb. A group of individuals wanted to preserve the prison ruins to illustrate Japan’s responsibility for the bomb and for the war. Conservatives, however, argued that Peace Park was a “happy place. Why would tourists want to see a prison?” This opinion prevailed; the prison site was reburied, as was the history surrounding it.
Nagasaki’s Peace Park is one of the greener places along the otherwise busy, noisy tram street. Lined with trees, the part has bricks laid in concentric circles extending outward from the bomb’s epicenter. Although the benchers and surrounding area make the park welcoming, walking towards the epicenter is a sobering experience. A sign notes that “Bocksca,” a B-29 plane, chose Nagasaki’s Mitsubishi Arms Factory as a secondary target on that cloudy day, a decision led to the deaths of 73,884 people, mostly citizens.
Stairs lead to another part of the park where statues from several countries appeal for peace. The main statue depicts Atlas, erected as “a signpost in the cause of global harmony… the highest hope of mankind.” Atlas is flanked by colorful paper cranes.
Several cablecar stops from the park, a new peace museum opened in 1995. It is a museum that aims to balance the depiction of Japan only being victimized by the horror of the atomic bomb.
The museum was founded by a Protestant minister and peace activist, Reverend Oka Masaharu. Oka was determined to make Japan take responbility for its role in the war, the bomb, and the untold suffering caused by its aggression. This history, Ian Buruma points out in his informative book, “The Wages of Guilt: Memories of War in Germany and Japan”, has sometimes been glossed over or completely ignored by a generation of Japanese.
One example is school textbooks. Ienaga Saboro, a Japanese history professor and textbook writer, was forced to delete passages about, among other things, the Nanking Massacre, the rape of civilians by Japanese soldiers, and Japanese medical experiments in Manchuria. As recently as 1984 he has sued the government for acting unconstitutionally. Buruma notes, “Japanese school textbooks are the result of so many compromises that they hardly reflect any opinion at all.”
A visitor to Oka’s museum will find photos and explanations (all in Japanese and Korean, save for a brochure with English translations) of the approximately 10,000 Korean atomic bomb casualties. These individuals had been taken to Japan against their will and after the war, survivors were subjected to further discrimination. The exhibition provide evidence of their this discriminatory treatment.
Another room shows the grim circumstances that Korean laborers faced. Forced to labor making oil from rice and beans, they subsisted on a scant two bowls of rice and bean byproducts, along with a small bowl of soup. Another area shows the tiny space where Korean miners were forced to work 12 hours a day. These Koreans predictably contracted terrible illnesses. Others were forced to do the dangerous job of laying railroad tracks. Countless Koreans perished as a result.
Photos show Japanese soldiers bayoneting children, apparently for “sport.” One section explains how experimental surgery, much like the infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele’s experiments, was carried out in China, along with poison gas experiments. The plight of Korean and many other Asian sex slaves is explained. Indeed, the suffering of all the victimzed countries in Asia is depicted. A photo shows an armless Korean man; one arm was cut off for raising the Korean flag (in his own country); his remaining arm was later cut off for the same offense.
A main point of Buruma’s book is, “Why has Germany admitted and done so much, while Japan remains relatively blind to the suffering it caused?” To illustrate this pont, Buruma gives two striking examples. In Germany, the politician Philipp Jenniger outraged press and politicans in and out of Germany for a speech that seemed to justify Germany’s ations. Coincidentally, one month later–on December 7, 1988–the opposite situation occurred in Nagasaki. Mayor Motohshim Hitoshi stated, “I do believe the emperor bore responsibility for the war.” The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) demanded retraction of these words. Motoshima said he could not “betray his own heart.” In response, 24 right-wing gropus rode through Nagasaki on 30 loudspeaker trucks, screaming for Motoshima’s death as “divine retribution.” A month later Motoshima was shot in the back by a right-wing extremist. He survived, but just barely.
The presence of the Oka Peace Museum in no way conlficts with the concept behind the Peace Park and the noble messages of the museum near it. A sign at the park’s Atlas statue explains that the figure’s pose is meant to be both meditative (a solemn prayer for world peace) and a call to action (to prevent further wars). The museum is especially vital as the manifestation of the latter.
The Oka Masaharu Peace Museum is located a short walk from the JR Nagasai Station. It is open daily, except Monday, from 9:00-17:00. For more information, call: 0958-20-5600.

‘This isn’t for everyone,’ John Cantor’s sensei informed him, referring to the ancient art of ninjutsu. But for a small group of men meeting weekly in Tsuruhashi, ninjutsu is more than a martial art. It is also a way to deal with the challenges of everyday life.
Ninjutsu, renowned for stealth, shrouded in mystery, steeped in legend and popularized with cartoon animation, may in fact be far more down to earth than most would imagine. Cantor explained the principles that ninjutsu practitioners should strive to live by:

• Patience comes first. Stephen Hayes, the renownd ninjutsu expert, has noted that ninjutsu can be translated into “Even if you hold a blade over my heart, I will persevere. I will succeed.”
• The path of man comes from justice.
• Renounce avarice, idolatry and obstinacy.
• Experiencing sadness and worry is natural. The practitioner, however, seeks the “immovable heart.” One must make the heart and spirit clean; one must strive to comfort people.
• Ninjutsu practitioners–or “bujutsuka”, nowadays preferable to “ninja” for the many associations people make with the latter word–must not stray from the path of loyalty and brotherly love.

These principles hardly seem to depict the stealthy warriors who could send fear-or a blade–through the heart of the bravest samurai. While some ninjutsu methods can be traced to ancient China, the art flourished during Japan’s medieval warring states period (mid-12th to 16th centuries). The techniques were most often used for military operations. Two main schools developed during this period, the Iga school in Mie Prefecture and the Koga school in Shiga. With the peace that the Edo Period (1600-1868) brought came a change from verbal transmission to a more systemized, codified approach. Principally, the ninjutsu master Fujibayashi Samuji wrote, in 1676, the Mansen Shukai, which brought together techniques and practices from both schools.
Ninja, who were principally spies, often fought for their village, against the aristrocracy. Ninja were in fact the elite of elite, capable not only of enduring great pain, but also of using their bodies and ordinary objects in extraordinary ways. Training for would-be ninja began early, usually from around five years old, and included training for balance and endurance as well as ninjutsu techniques. Legends of ninja’s mystical powers can be tracd to antiquity in Japan. Many of the more fantastical claims about the ninja’s powers can be easily explained, says Cantor.
“Imagine you’re a proud samurai warrior,” Cantor suggests. “You’re riding horseback when you’re bushwhacked, overpowered and robbed by a man in black. What story are you going to tell when you return to the castle? Of course you’re going to describe a being of magical powers, one who changed form to overcome you. This way the warrior retained a semblance of face, and these stories multiplied over time.”
Ninjutsu practice differs from most martial arts in that it has no fighting matches for advancement–one aspect of ninjutsu that turned Cantor on to it some 13 years ago.
Hatsumi-sensei, who lives in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, is a Japanese “living treasure” for his knowledge and skill ninjutsu. Cantor has often had the opportunity to study with Hatsumi-sensei in Japan, and was encouraged by him to set up a dojo in Osaka in 1992.
The Bujinkan Kansai International Dojo is a branch of a worldwide organization with over 5,000 members. Australia, Europe and America all have a significant number of practitioners. Not surprisingly, ninjutsu is practised rather seriously in Israel as well.
Would-be practitioners must conentrate on technique until the movements flow naturally, without thought. During the Saturday morning practice, the class practiced various rolls, and striking and dodging techniques. The technique of ninjutsu, to a large extent, focuses on body knowledge. Cantor notes that mainly, ninja were not trained to fight, but to strike and run. Everthing practiced has an aim towads practicality, towards usage in actual combat situations rather than competition. Practicality, in fact, is a key principle for bujutsuka. The other four include individuality–following one’s own path fearlessly; versatility; achievement; and practicing for “the benefit of all concerned.”
Some of the ancient weaponry, like the collapsible bamboo poles for scaling walls (shinobikumade), the starlike objects thrown on the ground to injure a pursuer’s feet (makibishi), and the sicle-like object for binding and killing adversaries (shinobigama) are still practiced with today. While the weaponry is obviously archaic, the self-dfeense principles learned can be applied to everyday objects, like lampcords and combs.
The Saturday class achieved a level of relaxed concentration, with laughter occasionally breaking the intensity, and the more skilled practitioners squared off with newcomers.
As much as the bujutsuka’s art is physically demanding, in the end it’s the mental development–the warrior’s philosophy–that more deeply depicts the path of ninjutsu. Cantor explained that one studies ninjutsu in order to study the self, to live more naturally, to transform oneself. The group is introduced to meditation techniques in the dojo and are encouraged to practice at home. At the back of the training manual, in large letters, is a quote from the Japanese Edo warrior/philosopher Yusan reminding the Bujutsuka of their true aim:
“The idea most essential to the warrior is that of death, which he ought to hav before his mind day and night, night and day from dawn first day of the year until the last minute of the last day of it… Think of what a frail thing life is, especially that of a warrior. This being so, you will ome to consider every day of your life your last and dedicate it to the fulfilment of your obligations.”
It’s no wonder that approximately 95% of new students drop out in the first year. Bujutsuka in Japan are aware of–and thankful for–the improbability of actually applying their physical defense practices. Cantor stresses that ninjutsu is really about success in life. Rank in ninjutsu–which isn’t influenced by competition–not only involves mastery over an array of weapons, movements, and the study of strategy, but also of living a full, successful life. This ability to achieve success seapartes the ranks of practitioners at the level of 5th dan and above.
The perseverance needed in pursuing an art with the loftiest objectives clearly motivates Cantor. With all the profound quotes that Cantor has encountered, and that surround the art of ninjutsu, the simplest had the the greates impace on Cantor’s life. “John, keep going,” Hatsumi-sensei implored. “Keep going.”