12 years...
My grandfather is great.
He's been relating old war stories to me, and based on what he's said, I've been using google.com to look up information on weapons and equipment he used, and trying to find out unit information for the 2 different units he served with.
So far I have found out that he served as a Corporal of Mountain Artillery and was a gun captain for a type 41 75mm mountain gun. This was developed from a 1908 German Krupp design, which was adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army and heavily modified, to lighten it and have it be easily transportable by horse, or manpack. He served in Central China from 1933-37. Upon his discharge from the regular army, he was drafted once again into the Air Defence services. He was given a promotion and put in charge of an anti-aircraft artillery battery, situated near the Kawasaki manufacturing area, south of Tokyo. His battery was equipped with 3 type 99 88mm anti-aircraft guns. These were developed from the famous German 88mm cannon, and modified for use in Japan. Evidently, his immediate superior commanding officer was a bit of a twit, so the commanding officer's boss made my grandfather an acting sergeant major, so my grandfather had the responsibilities of a sergeant and a sergeant major. He served in this capacity til the end of the war, in '45.
The Imperial Japanese Army took 12 prime years of my grandfather's life.
Dayamn.
I went out the other night, just barely making it onto a train to Roppongi. It seemed pretty tame out there as compared to the last time I went partying in Japan. I guess people don't party it up the Sunday before New Years. I sat in Club Nature and another bar down to street for the night hours drinking Hennessy, danced a bit, then wandered about the district for a bit waiting for the trains to start running again.
Upon getting back to the house here, I got about 6 hours of sleep then went and explored Asakusa with my father... I paid my respects at the temple complex out there, and did a bit of shopping. My ass got pinched in the crowds.
Today, I got bored hanging around my grandfather's house, so I took my walkman and several jungle tapes to a mall and wandered around in the pre-newyears crowds, looking for people bobbing to the offbeat. I didn't find any, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. I forget who was talking about taking acid around Christmas and wandering around the madness of a mall with a walkman on, but after today, I like the idea a lot.
Tonight is New Years Eve. I was born in this neighborhood and was blessed at the neighborhood temple, so at 11:45pm, I will be going to the neighborhood temple to pay my respects, and ask for blessings for the year ahead.
2 people in my family are sick, in a very bad way. We'll get through this though, we've gotten through everything else up to this point together...
I've been taking 3 mg capsules of melatonin before bed, and it's working wonders... I get to sleep within 30 minutes or an hour of downing a pill. I took melatonin a couple years ago but I wasn't taking it properly... I would take a capsule and keep going about my business, expecting it to put me to sleep on my feet. That's not how it works, it's meant to be taken, then you go get in bed. If I do that, it works.
I looked up information on melatonin and I'm amazed at how controversial it is. Some people claim it effects sex drive, brainpower, and longevity. I guess I'll be seeing the effects of it on my sex drive and brainpower when I get back to the states.
I finished Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, on to The Two Towers.
Ah, it's set to snow tomorrow morning. Snow in Tokyo... I wish I'd brought a snowboard with me.
I guess that's that, I am done.
He's been relating old war stories to me, and based on what he's said, I've been using google.com to look up information on weapons and equipment he used, and trying to find out unit information for the 2 different units he served with.
So far I have found out that he served as a Corporal of Mountain Artillery and was a gun captain for a type 41 75mm mountain gun. This was developed from a 1908 German Krupp design, which was adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army and heavily modified, to lighten it and have it be easily transportable by horse, or manpack. He served in Central China from 1933-37. Upon his discharge from the regular army, he was drafted once again into the Air Defence services. He was given a promotion and put in charge of an anti-aircraft artillery battery, situated near the Kawasaki manufacturing area, south of Tokyo. His battery was equipped with 3 type 99 88mm anti-aircraft guns. These were developed from the famous German 88mm cannon, and modified for use in Japan. Evidently, his immediate superior commanding officer was a bit of a twit, so the commanding officer's boss made my grandfather an acting sergeant major, so my grandfather had the responsibilities of a sergeant and a sergeant major. He served in this capacity til the end of the war, in '45.
The Imperial Japanese Army took 12 prime years of my grandfather's life.
Dayamn.
I went out the other night, just barely making it onto a train to Roppongi. It seemed pretty tame out there as compared to the last time I went partying in Japan. I guess people don't party it up the Sunday before New Years. I sat in Club Nature and another bar down to street for the night hours drinking Hennessy, danced a bit, then wandered about the district for a bit waiting for the trains to start running again.
Upon getting back to the house here, I got about 6 hours of sleep then went and explored Asakusa with my father... I paid my respects at the temple complex out there, and did a bit of shopping. My ass got pinched in the crowds.
Today, I got bored hanging around my grandfather's house, so I took my walkman and several jungle tapes to a mall and wandered around in the pre-newyears crowds, looking for people bobbing to the offbeat. I didn't find any, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. I forget who was talking about taking acid around Christmas and wandering around the madness of a mall with a walkman on, but after today, I like the idea a lot.
Tonight is New Years Eve. I was born in this neighborhood and was blessed at the neighborhood temple, so at 11:45pm, I will be going to the neighborhood temple to pay my respects, and ask for blessings for the year ahead.
2 people in my family are sick, in a very bad way. We'll get through this though, we've gotten through everything else up to this point together...
I've been taking 3 mg capsules of melatonin before bed, and it's working wonders... I get to sleep within 30 minutes or an hour of downing a pill. I took melatonin a couple years ago but I wasn't taking it properly... I would take a capsule and keep going about my business, expecting it to put me to sleep on my feet. That's not how it works, it's meant to be taken, then you go get in bed. If I do that, it works.
I looked up information on melatonin and I'm amazed at how controversial it is. Some people claim it effects sex drive, brainpower, and longevity. I guess I'll be seeing the effects of it on my sex drive and brainpower when I get back to the states.
I finished Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, on to The Two Towers.
Ah, it's set to snow tomorrow morning. Snow in Tokyo... I wish I'd brought a snowboard with me.
I guess that's that, I am done.