March 30, 1860 How We Arrived in the Americas after

Two Centuries of No Foreign Trade We the Japanese have been

shut out of the rest of the world because we

felt that we did not feel like we needed supplies from other

nations. No one could come and trade with

us, nor could we trade with them. That all

began to change after a man named Com-modore Matthew C. Perry arrived in Edo bay, July 8 1853. He

brought with him what we called four “black ships” every-one was shocked; we had never before seen

such huge ships in our lifetimes. To this day those ships still re-

main in my eyes. Be-ing closed to foreign

trade for over two centuries we had

never seen ships that big let alone those massive black can-

nons staring us in the face. He came with a

negotiation we have to open up our doors to the Americas and let

them trade with us. He told us he would come back in one year and

threatened us with war if we refused.

Our fellow shoguns had no choice but to accept the fact that there was no way out

of this, we did not have much of a choice

The Americans Coming?

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The Japanese Times

PAGE 2

Come down to Yuki’s Choice of Clothes Dept. we have a major sell on Kimonos. The Miyako odori is coming

up hurry and buy them before they sold out. Notice our sell ends

April 1st

Losing Our Tradition A problem arises once we real-ize what has happened over the last years. After our country, since we have agreed to trade with foreigners and other na-tions, after being shut out from the world for two centuries, our nation does not know what is worth more than the other. The question is should we stick to trading with other foreigners? There are two sides to this, many of us disagree with trad-ing because it basically tells us

to drop what we have been do-ing for over two centuries and follow the world’s footsteps, the problem with that is other nations will manipulate us and use trickery to get our prized possessions that we exclusively have in our country. Some are frustrated that it was a treat to force us to trade with the rest of the world, we were fine without the rest of the world but it seems that they have ad-vanced far beyond what we thought they could achieve.

Others agree that trading is a must in order to keep up with

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Are we losing are tradition

PAGE 3

Yuki presented her husband with ten fine and handsome children, fairer of skin than average. When Minokichi's mother died, her last words were in praise of Yuki, and her eulogy was echoed by many of the country folk in the district.

One night, while Yuki was sewing, the light of a paper lamp shining

upon her face, Minokichi recalled the extraordinary experience he had had in the ferryman's hut.

"Yuki," said he, "you remind me so much of a beautiful white woman I saw when I was eighteen years old. She killed my master with her ice-cold breath. I am sure she was some strange spirit, and yet tonight she

chanced to meet a pretty girl by the name of Yuki. She informed him that she was going to Yedo, where she desired to find a situation as a servant. Minokichi was charmed with this maiden, and he went so far as to ask if she were betrothed, and hearing that she was not, he took her to his own home, and in due time married her.

Mosaku and his apprentice Minoki-chi journeyed to a forest, some little distance from their village. It was a bitterly cold night when they neared their destination, and saw in front of them a cold sweep of water. They desired to cross this river, but the ferryman had gone away, leaving his boat on the other side of the water, and as the weather was too inclement to admit of swimming across the river they were glad to take shelter in the ferryman's little hut.

Mosaku fell asleep almost immedi-ately he entered this humble but welcome shelter. Minokichi, how-ever, lay awake for a long time lis-

We might win. Look at what they wear compared to us. Their cheap clothes are not meant for war. Guns do not require skill but we spent years to train for bat-tle. We can win against them we are faster smarter and more skilled.

Can We Win Against The Americans?

tening to the cry of the wind and the hiss of the snow as it was blown against the door.

Minokichi at last fell asleep, to be soon awakened by a shower of snow falling across his face. He found that the door had been blown open, and that standing in the room was a fair woman in dazzlingly white garments. For a moment she stood thus; then she bent over Mo-saku, her breath coming forth like white smoke. After bending thus over the old man for a minute or two she turned to Minokichi and hovered over him. He tried to cry out, for the breath of this woman was like a freezing blast of wind.  

She told him that she had intended to treat him as she had done the old man at his side, but forbore on ac-count of his youth and beauty. Threatening Minokichi with instant death if he dared to mention to any-one what he had seen, she suddenly vanished.

Then Minokichi called out to his beloved master, "Mosaku, Mosaku, wake! Something very terrible has happened!" But there was no reply. He touched the hand of his master in the dark, and found it was like a piece of ice. Mosaku was dead!

During the next winter, while Mi-nokichi was returning home, he

to resemble you."Yuki flung down her sewing. There was a horrible smile on her face as she bent close to her husband and shrieked, "It was I, Yuki-Onna, who came to you then, and silently killed your master! Oh, faithless wretch, you have broken your promise to keep the matter secret, and if it were not for our sleeping children I would kill you now! Remember, if they have aught to complain of at your hands I shall hear, I shall know, and on a night when the snow falls I will kill you!"Then Yuki-Onna, the Lady of the Snow, changed into a white mist, and, shrieking and shudder-ing, passed through the smoke-hole, never to return again.

Folklore Of the Week

Articles: David Lei Political Cartoons: Stephanie Tom Ads: Sergio Luna Editor: Kevin Wong

Story found on http://japanese.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=japanese&cdn=education&tm=12&gps=295_448_1276_835&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.pitt.edu/%7Edash/japanlove.html Pictures found on http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/uncyclopedia/images/c/c3/Katana.jpg&imgrefurl=http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/File:Katana.jpg&usg=__8aFtgFhtdf1ZEYCuTrayYhlm9sQ=&h=271&w=294&sz=60&hl=en&start=64&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=3bX7h5mRH2ehxM:&tbnh=106&tbnw=115&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkatana%26start%3D54%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_sushi

Link for Picture was lost no copyright in-tended.

Articles: David Lei Political Cartoons: Stephanie Tom Ads: Sergio Luna Editor: Kevin Wong