[SunkenCiv]

Up by the wall in one of the forts not too many years back an archive of discarded correspondence was found, preserved by wet soil. One of the commanders of that fort, writing a report to his superiors, referred to the locals (in Latin of course) as "dirty little Brits".

[poconopundit]

Now I know what archeologists live by.  Amid the tortuous and relentless digging and finding nothing, at long last gems like are discovered, and a lifetime of hope disappointed is all worthwhile.

My wife from Sasebo gets the TVJapan (NHK) channel.  Quite frequently they run historical shows highlighting famous people of the past.

And very often we'll see an archivist wearing white gloves opening up a vault and displaying a medieval document for the cameras.

Lovely to see how reverently they try to preserve and re-animate their sunken civilization.

It's one reason to look forward to the Tokyo Olympics this summer.  They are sure to put on a memorable show...