7/4: War! What is it good for?

After a morning lecture, we visited the Yasakuni Shrine which houses the souls of the Japanese war dead, including those of 14 Class A war criminals from World War II. The shrine had a very imposing feeling, from the large arches to the statues on tall pedestals. They were also setting up for a festival by placing lanterns everywhere which I unfortunately did not get to see them all lit up. We also visited the corresponding Yushukan Museum which was essentially about the conflicts that Japan had been involved in over the years. The museum gave off a somewhat nationalistic vibe by praising the sacrifice of the soldiers and glossing over any fault Japan might have been at in instigating conflicts. After the museum and shrine, a group of us made our way over to Ginza to check out Uniqlo and Itoya. For dinner, we ate at the ramen place I had previously eaten at in Ginza. On our way back, we stumbled upon a Belgian beer festival where we ended up having some delicious brews and enjoyed a performance by Belgian singer WWWater.