Kaiten, The WWII Japanese Suicide Torpedo. It's not phallic - it's just shaped that way!
I have a new favorite word. Kaiten (kai-ten) means "to make a radical reverse in the course of events," and I think it's just surpassed ichiban as the best-ever Japanese import word. (Well, maybe not, but I like it a lot right now, anyway.)
I heard kaiten for the first time last week, when I found myself in an unlikely place with unlikely company.
I was visiting Pearl Harbor with Bambi (Day 15, Day 69).
Bambi is (among other things) a yoga enthusiast and instructor, a musician, a former vegan (okay, it was a short-lived pursuit), technical director for a large acrobatic circus in Waikiki, and a liberal. She doesn't spring to mind as someone who would find a massive military display to be riveting. And yet, there she was, poring over the exhibits, rapt in the museum, listening to every word on the headphones as we toured the USS Bowfin Submarine. The Bowfin, which was first launched in 1942, now sits anchored in Pearl Harbor, and it's decked out exactly as it was 60-odd years ago.
Truth be told, Bambi kinda digs the hardware. Maybe it's the military genes in her family, but she's just that sort of girl. It's yet another stereotype-shredding aspect to her persona that makes Bambi one of the coolest people I've ever known.
We hadn't intended on going to Pearl Harbor - we'd been meaning to go on a hike. Bambi's friend Fawn had kindly procured a van for the morning (I had to be at the airport by noon), and the three of us were off to have an adventure. After stopping at Eternity Beach, however, we found ourselves running short on time, and the decision was made to scrap the hike and visit the infamous harbor (which happens to be near the airport).
Like Bambi and Fawn, I didn't expect to be so moved by what I saw. To be honest, while I respect the service of people in war, I'm more likely to be involved in an anti-war protest than pay much attention on Veteran's Day.
(Okay, that's a lie. I'm more likely to talk about being anti-war than actually get my ass downtown for an anti-war protest. I wish I could say otherwise, especially if we're talking about the current war we're stuck in ... In fact, I say "kaiten!" to my pattern of political laziness and hereby vow to attend a protest before this blog ends. There.)
Speaking of Kaiten, which was where this entry began, it's also the name of a Japanese suicide sub, and one of them sits on display in Pearl Harbor. It was fascinating. I peered inside (they've made little windows on the sides), looking at the cramped slot where the pilot would sit, wondering what they must have een thinking about in those final seconds before they sacrificed their lives for what they felt was right.
It got me thinking about 9/11, and the current memorial that's being debated and planned in New York City. I wonder if, among the exhibits, there will be imagery and artifacts related to the terrorists, Islam and the Middle East. Pearl Harbor is filled with information about Japan as well as America (at least overtly, it's a lesson in history, not patriotism), but for some reason, I can't see that same approach being taken at Ground Zero.
Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I am. As I wandered through the overwhelming number of exhibits in Pearl Harbor - letters written by doomed seamen in the days before the attack, a battered life ring from the USS Arizona, videos about the Japanese mindset - I felt more pride in my country than I have in a long time (like, a really long time). No one had to hit me over the head or present just one side ... I simply looked at what was and felt my heart swell.
Side note: I didn't have time to take the boat out to see the underwater remains of the USS Arizona. I wish I had. Next time.
Fawn and Bambi aboard the USS Bowfin.
Sleeping quarters in the front section of the Bowfin - sweet dreams above a live, ready-to-load torpedo.
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