National Day | My Eyes Tokyo

Happy Vietnamese National Day!

2018-09-02

Vietnamese women wearing traditional costume Áo dài. *Photo from Wikipedia September 2 is National Day, celebrates the independence of Vietnam from Japan and France in 1945. The Japanese occupied Vietnam during World War II but allowed the French to remain and exert some influence. At the war’s end in August 1945, a power vacuum was created in Vietnam. Capitalizing on this, the Việt Minh launched the “August Revolution” across the country to seize government offices. Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated on August 25, 1945, ending the Nguyễn Dynasty. On September 2, 1945, at Ba Đình Square, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, leader

Happy Birthday to Uzbekistan!

2018-09-01

Uzbek newlywed couple. *Photo from Wikipedia September 1 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Uzbekistan from the Soviet Union in 1991. What is now Uzbekistan was in ancient times part of the predominantly Persian-speaking region of Transoxiana, with cities such as Samarkand growing rich from the Silk Road. The area was later conquered by a succession of invaders including the Arab Caliphate and Turkic states such as the Göktürk Khaganate (a political entity ruled by a Khan or Khagan), after which it was laid waste by the Mongols. The region was conquered in the early 16th century by Eastern

Happy Birthday to Kyrgyzstan!

2018-08-31

Kyrgyz family in a region of Kyrgyzstan. *Photo from Wikipedia August 31 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Kyrgyzstan from the Soviet Union in 1991. Although geographically isolated by its mountainous location, it had an important role as part of the historical Silk Road trade route. In between periods of self-government it was ruled by Göktürks (突厥, a nomadic confederation of Turkic peoples in medieval Inner Asia), the Uyghur Empire, and the Khitan (契丹) people, before being conquered by the Mongols in the 13th century; subsequently it regained independence but was invaded by Kalmyks (the Oirats in Russia), Manchus

Happy Birthday to Malaya!

2018-08-31

Kuala Lumpur was the capital city of Malaya. *Photo from Wikipedia August 31 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Malaya from the United Kingdom in 1957. The Federation of Malaya was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising 11 states (nine Malay states and two of the British Straits Settlements, Penang and Malacca) that existed from February 1, 1948 until September 16, 1963. Although Muslims had passed through the Malay Peninsula as early as the 10th century, it was not until the 14th century that Islam first firmly established itself. Islam had a profound influence on

Happy Birthday to Trinidad and Tobago!

2018-08-31

Masqueraders during Carnival celebrations. *Photo from Wikipedia August 31 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Trinidad and Tobago from the United Kingdom in 1962. The island of Trinidad was a Spanish colony from the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1498 to the arrival of a British fleet of 18 warships on February 18, 1797. During the same period, the island of Tobago changed hands among Spanish, British, French, Dutch and Courlander colonizers, more times than any other island in the Caribbean. Trinidad and Tobago (remaining separate until 1889) were ceded to Britain in 1802. The country Trinidad and Tobago

Happy Birthday to Moldova!

2018-08-27

Central market in Chișinău, the capital and largest city of Moldova. *Photo from Wikipedia August 27 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Moldova from the USSR in 1991. Most of the Moldovan territory was a part of the Principality of Moldavia from the 14th century until 1812, when it was ceded to the Russian Empire by the Ottoman Empire (to which Moldavia was a vassal state) and became known as Bessarabia. In 1856, southern Bessarabia was returned to Moldavia, which three years later united with Wallachia to form Romania, but Russian rule was restored over the whole of the

Happy Birthday to Uruguay!

2018-08-25

Uruguay supporters at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. *Photo from Wikipedia August 25 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Uruguay from Brazil in 1825. Portuguese established “Colonia del Sacramento”, one of the oldest European settlements in the country, in 1680. Montevideo was founded as a military stronghold by the Spanish in the early 18th century, signifying the competing claims over the region. In 1816, a force of 10,000 Portuguese troops invaded the Banda Oriental (comprising the modern nation of Uruguay, the modern Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul and some parts of Santa Catarina) from Brazil;

Happy Hungary’s State Foundation Day!

2018-08-20

The Chain Bridge, the most famous Budapest bridge built in 1849. *Photo from Wikipedia August 20 is Saint Stephen’s Day – Hungary’s first king St. Stephen’s Day, also the day of the Foundation of Hungary and “the day of the new bread”. St. Stephen of Hungary (975 – 1038), as the first king of Hungary, led the country into the Christian church and established the institutions of the kingdom and the church. Following centuries of successive habitation by Celts, Romans, Huns, Slavs, Gepids (East Germanic tribe) and Avars (a group of Eurasian nomads), the foundation of Hungary was laid in

Happy Estonia’s Restoration of Independence Day!

2018-08-20

The central business district of Tallinn, the capital and largest city of Estonia. *Photo from Wikipedia August 20 is Restoration of Independence Day, re-declaration of the independence of Estonia from the Soviet Union in 1991. Following centuries of successive Teutonic (The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem), Danish, Swedish, and Russian rule, Estonians experienced a national awakening that culminated in independence from the Russian Empire towards the end of World War I. In the aftermath of the war and the Russian revolutions, the Estonian Declaration of Independence was issued in February 1918. During World

Happy Birthday to Afghanistan!

2018-08-19

A market street in central Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan and its largest city. *Photo from Wikipedia August 19 is Independence Day of Afghanistan, commemorates the Treaty of Rawalpindi in 1919, granting independence from Britain. The land has historically been home to various peoples and has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those by Alexander the Great, Mauryas, Muslim Arabs, Mongols, British, Soviet, and in the modern era by Western powers. The political history of the modern state of Afghanistan began with the Hotak and Durrani dynasties in the 18th century. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a buffer state

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