School was okay, but I was really bad at Japanese history. I know that the Meiji Revolution was in 1868 and that Shinzo Abe became prime minister in 2006, but everything else has escaped me over time. That's why Japanese toy company Epoch invented this Doraemon Japanese History board game. It's to help all of us who are learners by association. And who better to associate dates and names of old Japanese dudes with than a cartoon robotic cat from the future that revolutionized the imagination of every kid in the country?
Available for 3,210 yen here.
Do players get extra points for wearing army uniforms and raping tens of thousands of Asian women dozens of times a day? How about for shooting Allied POWs? I'll give you 50 points a pop and another 100 each time you eat their flesh. 500 points if you knock off a little kid in Nanjing while he's running, or if you throw him still screaming into a mass grave. That's a big part of what happened between the Meiji Revolution in 1868 and Shinzo Abe becoming PM in 2006. The truth hurts, though, so not knowing the truth makes things easier for some people. Hopefully you're not one of them. I love Japan and wish it the best. But that game has gotta be about the glorious exploits and not truly all that educational.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 24, 2006 at 04:21 PM