WesWorld

January 3, 1924
Today’s birthdays: Tokugawa Rueko, Tokugawa Yukiko

January 7, 1924
Construction is well on the way of Japan’s Antarctic Station for Environmental Observation (JASEO), at latitude 71 South and longitude 165 East. From here, scientist will observe the Antarctic region. There are already plans to build an Observation station further to the south in order to observe Antarctica’s most active volcano, Mount Erebus.
(OOC: I didn’t realize it at first but YEEEESSS!!! It is in my claimed sector of Antarctica!!)

January 21, 1924
Today’s birthday: Princess Takiko

January 22, 1924
It’s rather busy these days around Edo Castle as preparations are made to welcome the captain of the Italian Carrier Francesco Morosini and his senior officers.
The Japanese and the Italians will (as it was mentioned) ‘compare notes’ in regard to carrier operations. It is much different than last month when it appeared that no one was present at the Castle.
The damage to the castle from September's earthquake seems to have been completely restored.

January 23, 1924
Oonishi Manzo has been reported missing... again. This usually happens when some other nation comes to visit Japan and the Shogun does not want to be embarrassed by Manzo's actions. We'll expect him to appear again next month.

January 25, 1924
Shinsengumi leader, Jeehuubaa Edoga, announced today that they are looking for this man, who, rumors have it, is somehow involved with the great earthquake last year. What his role is no one knows, but the people were warned that this man is considered to be extremely dangerous.
(OOC: this would be a better picture. Hope the links work, because I know from the last one that Hooman could not get to it. Hopefully more success this time)

Januasy 28, 1924
Today’s birthday: Princess Kane

January 30, 1924
The Italian Carrier Francesco Morosini arrived at Yokosuka Naval Base late in the morning. They were welcomed by many Citizens of Yokosuka as well as the Shinsengumi, who made sure al of the Italian sailors were familiar with Japan’s law against firearms. In the evening, the captain of the Francesco Morosini and his senior officers were invited for dinner at Edo Castle. Two of the officers turned ill after returning to the Francesco Morosini. One of them said: “The Japanese are very friendly people, but they sure don’t know how to prepare good pasta.”

February 2, 1924
Today’s birthday: Emperor Shodahito
After a short stay at Yokosuka Naval Base, the Francesco Morosini set out to sea to join the Shoho and Zuiho, who both are on their shakedown cruises.

February 10, 1924
Francesco Morosini returned to Yokosuka Naval Base this morning. Here it refueled before leaving for Italy in the evening.

February 27, 1924
Today’s Birthday: Tokugawa Tsugako

March 1, 1924
Today’s birthday: Tokugawa Onyanko

March 16, 1924
It has been confirmed that Edo will receive a delegation from the Philippines sometime in the next few months, to discuss a strengthening of relations between the Empire and the Republic of the Philippines...

March 24, 1924
Today’s birthday: Empress Kameko

March 30, 1924
Today’s birthdays: Princess Hanako, Yagyu Kagamiko, Yagyu Minoru

March 31, 1924
Today’s birthday: Tokugawa Yakiko

Many, many happy birthdays....

....still can´t open that link... :o(

Quoted

Many, many happy birthdays....

Yes it's quite busy over there.

Quoted

....still can´t open that link... :o(

That really sucks... What if you try to copy and paste the link?

www.animanga.com/db/gallery/archives/anime/title/megalopolis/screen/large/mega1101.jpg

I'm not much of a writer, but here goes...

You might recognize the bits of the ceremony from Rocky's "India, 1-2 January 1924: Akbar laid down" thread.

========================================

“Japan’s presence at the keel laying ceremony of the Emperor Jalal ud Din Akbar”
or
“Why it was so quiet at the Imperial Palace and the Shogun’s Castle. ”
A conversation between the Emperor and the Shogun.

The “Bakufu representatives” (all in disguise except for the admirals and their wives):
Emperor Shodahito and Empress Kameko
Shogun Tokugawa Kaetuza and Lady Nakamura Maeko
Lord Nakamura Shoda and Princess Hanako
Lord Nakamura Jomei and Lady Yagyu Kagamiko
Lieutenant Colonel Oonishi Manzo and Lady Nakamura Mieko
Admiral Kato Tomosaburo and Lady Higashiyama Seiko
Vice Admiral Takeshita Isamu and Lady Shibasawa Kazuko
Lord Yagyu Minoru and Lady Akaibara Yayoko
Lord Chosokabe Benjiro and Lady Imadegawa Ryouko
Lord Asano Toru and Lady Yamaguchi Mayumi
Lord Ogawe Morio and Lady Akimoto Reiko
Lord Shimazu Chigemi and Lady Tokugawa Tsugako
Lord Mouri Kanjirou and Lady Tokugawa Rueko
Lord Date Hazime and Lady Tokugawa Onyanko
Lord Yagyu Hachisaburou and Lady Tokugawa Yukiko
Lord Kuroda Emori and Lady Tokugawa Yakiko

Those aboard the Nagaragawa Maru:
Imperial Guards 1st Unit
Imperial Guards 2nd Unit
Shogun’s Guards Unit
Shinsengumi 3rd Unit
Manzo’s Buddies Unit (a.k.a. Jigoku no Tenshi)

(for some reason, the two spaces at the beginning of a sentence are removed, so I replaced them with '--', until I can find a better solution.)

--“You know, I would have loved to come as I am and show off the latest stuff we have.”
--The Emperor smiled as he looked at the Shogun. Tokugawa Kaetuza looked like a completely different person without his beard and mustache and wearing a gray suit. He had been grumbling ever since they left Japan on the cargo ship Nagaragawa Maru. Not a comfortable way to travel, but nobody would expect the Emperor of Japan to travel aboard a cargo ship. It was risky to use a ship with not that much armament. The Iberian and Japanese forces did do some damage to the South China Sea pirates, but the Emperor wondered if it had been enough. It appeared that pirate activity was increasing in the south.
--Still they made it to Madras in India without any problems.
--“You know, I can understand that we have to come here to witness the start of the construction of the Indian Battleship and later meet with the Raj,” Kaetuza mumbled. “But what I do not understand is why you let them come along!” The Shogun pointed with his left thumb over his shoulder.
--Shodahito smiled a bit as he looked back to the group of thirty behind them that Kaetuza was pointing at. “Is that a problem?”
--“You wanted to come in secret here. With such a big group, it will be extremely difficult to remain unnoticed!”
--“You have a point there, Kaetu-kun.”
--“Of course I do! It is already bad enough to have Minoru, Benjiro, Toru and Morio running around here. But what about Minoru’s wife? Everybody knows her! And why did you allow my sisters to come along? And what about Manzo and is buddies! The Jigoku no Tenshi are nothing but trouble!”
--“Kaetu-kun, if you keep on going like this, we are sure to be noticed in this crowd,” Shodahito stated with a grin.
--Kaetuza grumbled something but remained quiet after that.
--The two watched, as did many other guests, as a barefooted frail, bald man, dressed in white cotton robes, walked toward the podium in front of the crowd. He spoke some words that none of the visitors understood through a microphone placed there.
--“I wonder what he just said” Shodahito mumbled. “He looks like a priest or something like that.”
--“We should have asked if Ammi Visnaga wanted to join us. He could easily have translated it for us,” Kaetuza told.
--The Indian attendees quickly rose to their feet and bowed their heads. Like the other visitors, Shodahito and Kaetuza quickly did the same.
--“When in India…” Shodahito said.
--“… do as the Indians do,” Kaetuza finished.
--The priest went on with what appeared to be some short prayer, before sitting down in a nearby chair. After that, the crowd, too, sat down.
--“It should be normal to have Admiral Kato and Vice Admiral Takeshita here. Your sisters were pretty much fed up with all the whining of the Bakufu about you letting them in charge whenever you are out of the country… so they insisted that they would come along. Their husbands weren’t too keen to let them leave… so they all came along as well.”
--“I know that, Shira-kun.”
--The two watched for a moment as an honor guard marched by, before the Emperor continued: “Your men are here to keep an eye on Manzo. Even in disguise, his foolish actions will certainly cause some problems.”
--“That’s a relief. But what if they lose sight of him?”
--“Pray that he doesn’t find and Indian plane.”
--“Why do I suddenly have this feeling that it will all become a disaster?”
--With the honor guard in place, three more men marched out. Kaetuza recognized the man dressed in the attire of the Admiral of the Navy.
--“Sanjay Das,” the Shogun told the Emperor. “He was one of the representatives of India at Cleito. Certainly hope that he does not recognize me after three years.”
--“You worry to much Kaetu-kun. He won’t recognize you as you are,” Shodahito assured.
--Sanjay Das began his speech in Hindi, which lasted for a few minutes. After finishing the speech in Hindi, he spoke in English: “Honored Guests and Fellow Citizens. Centuries ago, our shores lay undefended against the predations of those who would have struck us down.”
--Shodahito didn’t pay really attention to the speech as he said: “As for the Jigoku no Tenshi, as long as they do not touch any alcohol and remain on the ship, there should not be any problems.”
--“And if they leave the ship?” Kaetuza asked.
--Shodahito did not want to think about what would happen. It was very likely that the Indian Battleship would be turned into scrap before the construction even started.
--“I thought so. You’d rather not talk about that, do you?” Kaetuza grinned.
--“Well, I do agree that they can be a bother at times,” the Emperor replied.
--“And what about Akaibara?”
--“Yes, her popularity is extremely dangerous. I guess that as long as she does not laugh, we’ll be safe.”
--“But what if she does? Everyone could go ‘Yay! It’s Yayoko-chan! Lets get her autograph!’ and the ceremony will be completely forgotten.”
--The Indian Admiral paused in his speech. The Indian attendees cheer raucously and the foreign visitors applauded politely. Neither Shodahito, nor Kaetuza had followed the speech but applauded as well
--“Why are we applauding?” Shodahito asked.
--“If you know it, Shira-kun, then I know it as well,” Kaetuza replied.
--“I will ask Mr. Dhiren Naidu to tell you of our venture.” Sanjay Das told. “Mr. Naidu has supervised the design of the battleship since scoping studies began in 1920.” After these words, 20 men wearing the uniform of India’s naval infantry pulled a large wooden cart with something covered by a large canvas toward the podium.
--“Looks like they’re about to reveal the ship itself,” Kaetuza pointed at the cart.
--A thin, gangly, older gentleman wearing a khaki suit had appeared from the other side as the cart reached the podium. India’s leading naval architect began to speak: “Warship design is not a simple process…”
--Kaetuza groaned. “More talk. I’m getting bored here.” Looking over his right shoulder at the others, he noticed that they were as interested in all those speeches as he was. Kaetuza shook his head as he saw his wife and her two sisters make all kinds of weird faces. “Looks like the Empress and her sisters are acting silly again,” he told the Emperor.
--“I won’t mention that your sisters have ran off.”
--“What?!” Kaetuza looked over his other shoulder and saw that his five sisters were no longer in their seats. “Great! Where did they go to?”
--“If you know it, Kaetu-kun, then I know it as well,” was the Emperor’s reply.
--“I hope they stay out of trouble.” Kaetuza’s eyes widened as he noticed that Manzo was not there either. “Better pray to your Gods again, priest… Manzo is on the loose!”
--“What?!” Shodahito looked over his shoulder as well. “Your men were supposed to watch him!” he snapped to Kaetua.
--“Minoru!” Kaetuza hissed.
--“Yes lord?” Yagyu Minoru moved forward to join the two.
--“You and the others were here to keep an eye on Manzo, right?”
--“Yes lord. We already took care of that. We tied him up and thrown him into the ship’s cargo hold when he tried to walk away from here.”
--“Good job.” Kaetuza gave a sigh of relief.
--“… but the Jigoku no Tenshi were no longer aboard the ship,” Minoru added.
--“Should… we tell this to the Indians?” Kaetuza looked at the Emperor.
--Shodahito thought for a while before answering. “I think… that as long as the Indians do not know it, we do not know it either. Let’s just hope that they will be back aboard the ship when we leave.”
--“Do go out and search for them as soon as the ceremony is at an end, Minoru.”
--“Yes lord.” Yagyu Minoru bowed and returned to his seat.
--“So… we have the Jigoku no Tenshi running around somewhere… probably vandalizing Indian property…somewhere…” Shodahito mused. “…and we have the infamous Tokugawa Samurai-ko… running around somewhere… terrorizing the poor people of India… somewhere…”
--“Worst case scenario, Shira-kun. Might not be as bad as that.”
--A model of India’s Battleship had been revealed by then. The Indian attendees were on their feet, cheering. Shodahito and Kaetuza were still seated, thinking about all the terrible things that could happen with the Jigoku no Tenshi and the five Tokugawa sisters on the loose.
--“Mylord!” the captain of the Nagaragawa Maru appeared out of nowhere. “Bad news! Lieutenant Colonel Oonishi has managed to escape!”
--“Oh no!” Kaetuza groaned. “The situation just got worse!”
--“Let us pray to the Gods that he does not get his hands on a plane,” Shodahito said.
--“Perhaps you should pray some more, Shira-chan,” Yayoko appeared behind the two with a wide grin on her face. “The Nakamura’s have left as well and Hana-chan has gone with them.”
--“It’s getting worse. Anything else?”
--“Yes, Mino-chan and his buddies left after they heard of Manzo’s escape.”
--The Emperor looked at who were left. Of the 32 strong group, only half of it was left. “Look at the bright side, Kaetu-kun. At least Manzo-kun will not fly his plane into your bathroom again…”
--Kaetuza’s face grew dark. “Suppose he crashed one into the Palace of the Raj?”
--“Ooooh! Yes! I can see the newspaper’s headlines: ‘Infamous Japanese pilot crashes into Raj’s palace. Being chased around India by the Strongmen.’ It’s going to be interesting news indeed!” With a smile on her face, Yayoko then vanished as well.
--“The Kogi Kaishakunin just left… Now only 15 are left of the group.” Shodahito mumbled.
--Kaetuza looked back. “Guess again. The Husbands and Wives Club has left as well. There are only 6 of us left.”
--The Emperor looked back as well seeing all the empty seats. Only he, the Shogun, Admiral Kato Tomosaburo, his wife, Lady Higashiyama Seiko, Vice Admiral Takeshita Isamu and his wife, Lady Shibasawa Kazuko, were left.
--“… Anyone fancy a game of Dai Hin Min?” Shodahito asked after a while.
--By this time the ceremony had ended and everyone began to leave. At the end of the day, neither the Shogun nor the Emperor had gotten the chance to observe the model of the Akbar.
--Still it was called the ‘Miracle of Madras’, for none of the people present seemed to have noticed what took place behind them.


========================================
Japanese honorifics (taken from http://www.animeadrenaline.com/japbasics.shtml)
-kun: Primarily used in reference to young males, the Kun honorific is placed after the first name and used in casual conversation usually between males that have known each other for quite some time. In extremely rare cases it will be coupled with a female's name, but this is highly rare.
-chan: Used only in cases of familiarity or friendship, the "Chan" honorific is always paired with names of people of a younger age, typically females. To use it in reference to somebody older than yourself is to show a great amount of disrespect. Chan can also be used in reference to pets.

Few other notes:
Kaetu-kun: short for Kaetuza-kun. Only the Emperor uses this. Maeko addresses/refers to the Shogun with Kaetu-chan.
Minoru, Benjiro, Toru and Morio: the Shogun’s assassins (and those who keep an eye on Manzo) Lord Yagyu Minoru, Lord Chosokabe Benjiro, Lord Asano Toru and Lord Ogawe Morio.
Jigoku no Tenshi : The “Angels of Hell.” The notorious biker gang from Japan, famed for riding the Harley-­ Davidson 1920 989 cc IOE V-twin model “J” painted black with red flames.
Ammi Visnaga: Indian writer and poet, currently residing in Japan.
Shira-kun: In the early days of his life, Shodahito was called Prince Shira. Only Shodhito's sisters and Kaetuza address him by that name.
Hana-chan: Short for Hanako-chan. Only a few adress/refer to Princess Hanako as Hanako-chan or Hana-chan.
Mino-chan : Short for Minoru-chan. Only Yayoko addresses/refers to Yagyu Minoru using the ‘–chan’ suffix.
The Husbands and Wives Club: I can't remember it exactly, but I think I got this from "Karekano" in which Miyazawa Yukino and Arima Souchirou were referred to as the 'Husband an Wife club' (have to look it up). I used it to refer to the Husbands of the Tokugawa sisters and the wives of the Shogun’s assassins.
Dai Hin Min: Card game. Not sure about its history, but assumed that it is already around in the Wesworld. See the Fruits Basket feature at Tokyopop.com

*snicker, snicker* *chuckling*

"Jigoku no Tenshi : The “Angels of Hell.” The notorious biker gang from Japan, famed for riding the Harley-­ Davidson 1920 989 cc IOE V-twin model “J” painted black with red flames."

You know those guys on occasion love to travel to Atlantis (with their Harleys) to enjoy the many drinking festivities durring Athesteria in late Feb. early March!
They have been seen riding accross the Atlantian country side, hell bent for leather and lightning water!
Cigarettes accopanied with an odd smell also have been seen around these characters and the words "pass the electric lettus" have been heard frequently.

Quoted

Cigarettes accopanied with an odd smell also have been seen around these characters and the words "pass the electric lettus" have been heard frequently

Too bad for this lot that "electric Kool-Aid" won't be along for decades yet...

Perhaps they make that phrase up too in the wesworld....

Quoted

the words "pass the electric lettus" have been heard frequently.

Hokusai Danjuro ('Jigoku no Tenshi no shubousha'): "Pa-su za erekutorikku retasu!"
Tsukatani Heizo: "Ehh???? Nani?"
Hokusai Danjuro: "Erekutorikku Ku-ru Eido"
Tsukatani Heizo: "Erekutorikku Ku-ru Eido wa nan desu ka?"
Hokusai Danjuro: "Erekutorikku Ku-ru Eido wa tairikukandandoumisairu desu"
Tsukatani Heizo: "Sokka Wakatta... Demo tairikukandandoumisairu wa nan desu ka?"
Hokusai Danjuro: "biggu ban!!"

Well, I can mess around with a few words... but am definitely not an expert (and not sure if it is correct). It should be known that they have absolutely no idea what they are talking about themselves. :-) It would be something like this in English:
Hokusai Danjuro (leader of the 'Jigoku no Tenshi'): "Pass the electric lettus!"
Tsukatani Heizo: "Ehh???? What?"
Hokusai Danjuro: "Electric Kool Aid"
Tsukatani Heizo: "What is Electic Kool Aid?"
Hokusai Danjuro: "Electric Kool Aid is an ICBM."
Tsukatani Heizo: "I see. Understood... but what is an ICBM?"
Hokusai Danjuro: "big bang!!"

BTW
"Jigoku no Tenshi" Breakup rules:
Breaking up a ship takes a total of 1/4 of the time necessary to build a vessel of its tonnage (light displacement). No drydock needed, but only 5% of its tonnage (light displacement) is recyclable (if you're lucky enough that they don't run off with the materials).