And So It Goes

It's getting hot in here
Another ridiculously muggy day in Tokyo: the humidity was so strong that you could see it, with views beyond a few hundred meters being fuzzy and indistinct. Sigh, another miserable summer awaits

So why are so many capital cities sited in such inhospitable climes? Washington DC and Tokyo are both artificial cities (originally established as national capitals) built on swampland, which is why both such horrible places to live in during the summer. Thank god for air-conditioning.

400 years ago...
There is something to look forward to, though. In the last few weeks, I've noticed more and more banners and posters marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Edo Shogunate, even on the streets of the suburban city I live in. Those of you familiar with James Clavell's Shogun (or the TV miniseries) know the basic outline--though, of course, Shogun has to exaggerate the role of the Westerner involved to make it appealing to a Western audience.* For them who aren't, that was when Tokugawa Ieyasu (the first shogununited Japan under one ruler--himself--with the Emperor as figurehead in the traditional capital of Kyoto. Ieyasu established his political capital in the small town of Edo, which subsequently grew to be the city now known as Tokyo. This year's significance slipped right by me, though I in fact knew it, so I'll have to check out some of the exhibits and events.

*You can see that same thing in action, it looks like, with the upcoming release of the new Tom Cruise movie, The Last Samurai, about the end of the Edo Shogunate in the late 19th century.

Links of the Day:

The Japan National Tourist Office has listings of events commerorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Edo Shogunate
Japan-Guide.Com includes a brief history of the Edo Shogunate, as well as other informtive links about Japan.
The Edo-Tokyo Museum is highly recommended, whatever the year. It's a large ultramodern museum focusing on the political ans social history of this 400-year-old world capital. If you're in town, it's worth a visit.