3 days ago, my husband and i took a night bus to go to Tokyo to join the premiere show of 海難1890/Ertuğrul. 

We were already looking forward to watching this movie. Because, we knew the story of two countries will be taught forever. We also travelled Wakayama-Kushimoto last summer and went to Ertugrul Memorial and Turkish museum there. It was a 3 day-trip and we took lots of pictures there.

One of our Japanese friends,who lives in Turkey for 25 years, he was also in the movie,too. I am really proud of all my Japanese friends and students who love Turkey and Turkish people. Same respect is given by Turkish to Japanese as well.

The beginning of the movie was the first event of chronological order in history. Ertugrul was the name of Ottoman Emperor's frigate. And, it was sent by Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II, to Japanese Emperor Prince Komatsu Akihito to show our appreciation of the first visit of Japanese Emperor. We also wanted to start our first relationship to a far eastern country and the frigate was carrying many gorgeous souvenirs and gifts from Turkey.

The name of the movie, as an accident, when the Turkish navy departured from Yokohama Harbour, just next day the army faced with strong wind and 40 m high mizzen mast collapsed and caused a damage by falling over the sailors.

While the storm was getting stronger to a typhoon, the ship was already existed severe problems. Waves were coming over the front deck and seperate the front. To pass over the high waves, they needed the speed up triggering the machine room's boilers. But the boilers were broken down with the water and the ship started sinking.

About 650 sailors, only 63 of them were saved by Japanese corvettes. That was the first serious event and it started real friendship between us. Kushimoto people they dived and took out all our dead and alive sailors, the sick ones they cured, they shared their foods with us, however they had a very hard time to survive. They even tried to prepare coffins to send sailors' dead bodies to make them in peace at Turkey. Japanese showed their hospitality and courage to a country whom even they didn't meet and i am appreciated from the bottom of my heart as all Turks could do.

And at the second part and i was really excited to see that part, was Iran-Irak war in 1985. It was happened when i was born. Of course,i don't remember any of these things.

During the war, there were so many Japanese and Turkish who work and live in Tehran. Japanese government couldn't send any rescue planes to save their citizens due to airbase was closing only in 2 hours before the war. Japanese embassy couldn't do anything but only asking help if Turkish government could do. After Turkish Embassy of Tehran contacted with Turkey, our prime minister sent an airplane to rescue 215 Japanese from Tehran Airport quickly ,however the plane was threatened by being shot-down while landing there.

In this case, the company i used to work as a flight attendant, Turkish Airlines, which is our national airline company, prepared an empty plane to bring back all the Japanese. I was proud of working at such a great and brave company. This made me quite emotional during the movie.

After all the citizens safely arrived, Turkish government issued a statement:"We have not forgotten the rescue of the sailors of Ertugrul.Thus, once we heard there were Japanese citizens in need of help,we went to their rescue."

After the movie ended, we were all taking pictures with the real flight and operation teams who went to Tehran and saved Japanese. And moreover, we changed one of our  planes' name to 'Kushimoto'. It is the first time in Turkish Airlines to give a foreign city name into their fleet.

These both important relations, we both bound to eachother and this is such a perfect relationship ever we could read in history.

Movie will be released on 5th of December as roadshow in Japan and on 25th of December in Turkey. Please, don't miss out watching the movie :)

I suggest all the students to watch this movie. You will find the answer of why Japanese love Turks and Turks love Japanese. 

いつもありがとうございます！