June 8
1869 Frank Lloyd Wright was born. Wright, among the most famous of American architects, was quite interested in Japan. It was the only foreign country where he designed and built buildings and he was an energetic collector of Japanese art, particularly Ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Wright's prints make up the bulk of the Van Vleck collection at the Elvehjem Museum in Wisconsin.
In 1996-1997, the National Building Museum (Washington, D.C.) hosted an exhibition titled "Three Buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright: American Spirit Alive in Japan." The Wright Web Guide offers links to sites with information about his designs, buildings you can tour, and more.
1985 The Onaruto bridge across Japan's Inland Sea opened. The Naruto Strait is 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) wide. Construction on the Onaruto Bridge began in 1976. It is 1,692 meters (5,551 feet) long. This page includes a map showing how these bridges link Honshu (the main Japanese island) with Shikoku (one of the four main islands) via the smaller Awaji island. The Japan National Tourist Organization offers information about Shikoku and the Inland Sea. In 1998, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge (3,910 meters, 11,847 feet) was opened linking Kobe in Honshu with Awaji island.
2001 In an attack that stunned Japan, Mamoru TAKUMA went into an elementary school in Ikeda (just north of Osaka) and stabbed students and teachers, killing eight children. Another fifteen people were wounded before he was subdued. Takuma was 37 years old and was described as a troubled drifter. Japanese police quoted him as telling them, "I hate everything. I tried to commit suicide several times but could not die. I wanted to be arrested and executed by the death penalty."
The Teaching about Japan website is
edited by Clayton Dube.
He welcomes your comments and suggestions.
© 2001 UCLA Center for East Asian Studies