Fourth Post: Favorite Parts

     One of my favorite parts so far in The Street of a Thousand Blossoms is when Tanaka, Hiroshi's sumo coach, gives him the name Takanoyama which means Noble Mountain. This is my favorite part because Takanoyama was Tanaka's sumo name also making bearing the name a great honor. I chose this as my favorite part because it shows how  far Hiroshi has come despite the war and how hard he has worked at his dream. Hiroshi had gotten a scholarship with Tanaka when he was younger but choose to stay with his family and help them. This is my favorite part because it shows Hiroshi's dream coming true little by little. Page 189.
     My second favorite part is when Akira, Kenji's sensei, returns from his mysterious disappearance to discover that Kenji has followed his dreams and opened his very own Noh mask shop. Also to Akira's surprised Kenji the once shy boy is now married to his college sweetheart. This is my favorite part because when the war hit Akira ran away to avoid the war leaving Kenji without the mask shop. And even though Kenji went to college for architecture he decided to open his own mask shop instead. Just like Hiroshi, Kenji did not let the war destroy his dreams and ends up accomplishing it. Pages 266-267.

Related Sites

In my first site, http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/10/the-real-reason-america-used-nuclear-weapons-against-japan-to-contain-russian-ambitions.html , talks about why the United States dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is prevalent in my book when Hiroshi and Kenji dig fallout shelters and the endless air raid sirens. This website is in the Japanese favor stating the theory that the United States did not bomb Japan to end the war, contrary to the long held belief. This blog states "Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated." They side with the Japanese and plan to get the word out through the blog.

In my second site, http://www.stripes.com/military-life/japan-take-a-rare-look-into-abandoned-wwii-site-1.182140, talks more about air raids and about military life which is described in the book. Kenji is worried when his sensei mysteriously takes off and is worried the war caught up to him because those who go never return. This particular one is a naval bombing in Japan. This site sides with Japan and stands that Americans were harsh with some bombings.