This is a little off topic, but I wanted to share it with our forum community in case there is interest. It is about a book I read recently (and would recommend). The book is titled, “The Kobe Hotel” written by Saito Sanki (translated into English by Saito Masaya), a well-known haiku poet of the 20th Century. The book is a compilation of several short stories that are based on the life of Saito, who lived in Kobe during and after the war. Lots of small references to Japanese home front efforts during the war: Seeing off a friend who joined the IJN, references to the military and municipal police, the war in China, the bombing of Hiroshima, and Army of Occupation stories. There are also multiple references to the German sailors who were stranded in Kobe during the war since their submarines and ships were restricted in movement by the Allies. An interesting glimpse into the world of Japan’s home front. There are also several wartime haiku poems at the end of the book that Saito wrote. Although the translation certainly does not do the poems justice, here are a couple of interesting (although somewhat macabre) ones that he wrote:
A machine gun-
in the middle of the forehead
a red flower blooms.
and
In a trench
a sacred I.D. tag
gleaming.
Thanks for looking!
Tom
A machine gun-
in the middle of the forehead
a red flower blooms.
and
In a trench
a sacred I.D. tag
gleaming.
Thanks for looking!
Tom
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