My apologies for the delay in putting up this activity as it took a really long time - more than 3 hours just to upload my interesting pictures!
Task [30 minutes]:
In December 2008, I visited historical Kagoshima located in Kyushu Japan. The weather was nice and there was a volcano near by. Many monuments and statues [Fig 1, 2 & 3] surounded the city and overall, an interesting place, serviced by electric trams.
Figure 3 shows a statue carved out of bronze outside the Reimeikan Museum
If you are passionate about History, you must visit the Meiji Restoration Museum and the Reimeikan Museum [Fig 4]. The Meiji Restoration Museum tries to create the 'golden age' of Kagoshima when Saigo, one of the leading figures in the Meiji Restoration and other local luminaries were worked hard at returning power to the emperor and led the Meiji reforms. In fact, Shimazu Nariaka [Fig 1] was the one who started introducing Western technology, such as spinning machines [Fig 6], printing press and weapon manufacture.
The Reimeikan Museum, however provides a good introduction to local history and culture of Kagoshima[Fig 5 & 6]. Diorama, life-size models and video presentations take you from stone-age villages to post-1945 recovery.
Figure 4 is a photograph taken with the Reimekan Museum in the background.
Figure 5 is a photograph showing a traditional rifle, taken at the hands-on section in the Remeikan Museum.
Figure 6 shows a spinning machine introduced in Kagoshima during the period of the Meiji Restoration.
After the interesting visits made to the Museum, it was almost evening, close to 4pm. We walked a couple of kilometres from the Reimeikan Museum up to the Shiroyama Observatory to view the magnificent volcanic cone of Sakurajima, still rumbling away and pouring a column of dense black ash into the air[Fig 7]. Though it was a very tiring climb and we almost lost our way up, thanks to the help of a passer-by in his 70s who walked with us to show us the way, the sight of Sakurajima was rewarding indeed!
Finally, after an eventful day, the moment i always look forward to - Dinner [Fig 8 & 9]!
Figure 8 shows sashimi jack mackeral
Figure 9 shows the delicacies of Kagoshima.
After a sumptuous meal, we took a night stroll in the town of Kagoshima, admiring the litted momuments at night. I stopped by at the monument dedicated to "Young Pioneers" who were students who went abroad to London to study at a time when foreign travel was prohibited [Fig 10 & 11]. As i was reading the information displayed at the foot of the monument about these young pioneers, my stomach started to churn. Why was that so? FACTUAL INACCURACIES on Singapore! The thought of many foreign tourists like myself who have read the information and perhaps believed in what was said! Well, at least i did not since i was able to make useful cross-references to my own knowledge!
Can you? NOW, this is your task. Study the information here; how reliable is the information as evidence about what Singapore was like during the 19th century? Remember to make use of the source content, complete with valid cross-references.
Figure 11 shows the monument of the Young Pioneers during the day.



