Google Street Maps View of Japan' s Hashima Island (Battleship Island)

Googls Street Maps has come out with a very nice high-quality video from Japan's famous and now deserted Battleship Island.

About Hashima Island, Wikipedia says:

Hashima Island, commonly called Gunkanjima, is one among 505 uninhabited islands in Nagasaki Prefecture about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Nagasaki itself. 

The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. The island's most notable features are the abandoned and undisturbed concrete apartment buildings and the surrounding sea wall. The island has been administered as part of Nagasaki city since the merger of the former town of Takashima in 2005. It is known for its coal mines and their operation during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 and began the project, the aim of which was retrieving coal from undersea mines. They built Japan's first large concrete building, a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers. Concrete was specifically used to protect against typhoon destruction. In 1959, the 6.3-hectare (16-acre) island's population reached its peak of 5,259, with a population density of 835 people per hectare (83,500 people/km2, 216,264 people per square mile) for the whole island, or 1,391 per hectare (139,100 people/km2) for the residential district. As petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines began shutting down all over the country, and Hashima's mines were no exception. Mitsubishi officially announced the closing of the mine in 1974, and today it is empty and bare, which is why it is called Ghost Island. Travel to Hashima was re-opened on April 22, 2009 after 35 years of closure.

More on Hashima here: Japan's Ghost Island, Hashima!

Japan's Toyota Still Shines in Local Dealerships

With all the problems that Japan is currently experiencing with the Chinese, the economy, the rising yen, there are still some things that, right in my own backyard, make me glad to live in Japan and make me never want to leave.

They also make me believe that Japan, with all its warts, still is a great country and, while our economic problems are huge, there's still a good chance for this country to rise and shine again.

Take my trip to the Toyota dealer today.

Toyota Corolla Dealership in Yoga, Setagaya, Tokyo

My automobile's right rear lock has been acting up recently so I've decided to get it fixed. What a world of difference it is going to a Japanese car dealer as opposed to a dealer in the USA.

The Japanese dealerships are all spotless and clean. There is a placard at the front that shows you the names and faces of every single staff member working at that dealership.

I drove into the parking lot of the Toyota dealer in Yoga in Setagaya and within 15 seconds, there were two cleanly uniformed Toyota representatives bowing to me as I got out of my car. I explained the situation to them and they told me to have a seat in the main showroom.

There, at the showroom, I was given a refreshment menu and asked what kind of drink I'd like. I ordered coffee and was given a hot cup of coffee and two small sweet cookies compliments of the dealership.

Don't tell my wife this, but he toilets are probably cleaner than the toilet at home! And there are places for young children to play while mom and dad talk to the servicemen or the salesmen.

Spotless

From the prompt, courteous service you receive upon immediately entering the premises, to the hospitality and amenities, you can tell that these people take pride in their work and their company.

Play area for tykes

This sort of thing is what made Japan great. The Japanese take pride in what they do. They take so much pride in it that they put their family names on their companies! That's why I think for now, and for the future, names like Toyota, Honda, Sony, Mitsubishi and many more - the family names - will fairly represent the best of Japan - the pride of Japan - and that is a pride and a best that has much more to come!