In the autumn of year 1280, Kublai Khan, the only non-Han to rule China convened a meeting at his summer palace in Shangdu, Inner Mongolia. He wanted to mount and attack on Japan, and eventually did so in 1281. Seven hundred years later, Japan was fighting another war it was losing quickly - World War II. What could possibly connect these two wars fought in completely different eras? And what does that have to do with cherry blossom trees and a cocktail you can find all around the world? This week, we travel to Japan, and uncover the story of Cherry Blossom Trees, and how they shaped European Impressionism and Japanese Nationalism.

Till then Check out the other episodes of "Ireland Untravelled"

Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3okwxm5
Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language : https://ivm.today/3zmhE9i
Trinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3PnZkSE
U2, Body Snatching and the Irish Way of Death : https://ivm.today/3IQ6fl3
Bombay, Paris and the improbable victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland : https://ivm.today/3AJLa9B
Irish roads that go nowhere, Houses no one lives in : https://ivm.today/3PGG95X
Titanic, Mosul and the Global shame of Western Museums : https://ivm.today/3R9uBce
Three Irish Women, Emigration and India's National Anthem : https://ivm.today/3KfZdqz

You can check previous episodes of 'Podcasts from Nowhere' on IVM Podcasts website
https://ivm.today/3xuayw9
You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: @whywetravel42
(https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42)
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