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Unexpected Japan - Final Video

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 29 - Nara Deer and Temples and Shrines!

For our final day of activities today, we saw deer in Nara and visited a temple with a huge Buddha statue! This was a really amazing day. I honestly enjoyed it so much. We took the train to Nara and walked. I thought there would be a designated area that was closed off for the deer, but much to my surprise as I was not paying too much attention while I was walking, I felt something brush past me and it was a deer out in the open! Then, I proceeded to look around and saw many deer just roaming around freely! It was totally an experience! I wanted to feed some but I was afraid of my hair getting caught in the process and getting chewed off by one of the deer haha. I also Facetimed my friend to show him some deer just roaming around because he really wanted to see them! I ended up just giving him a tour of the other places we visited before breaking for lunch anyway, and he was super interested in the lanterns as well as the thousand year old tree! It was super enticing. Then, we broke for lunch. The lunch was mid for its price but I was glad I ate! Anyway, we went to the temple with the huge Buddha and I got to witness some of our classmates get super lucky! They went through the hole and it was super entertaining watching everyone. Afterwards, we broke off and headed back to either the hotel or to Uji to get souvenirs or matcha!

Academic Reflection

For today’s readings to be connected to the excursions, one can discuss how we witnessed Shinto priests praying to the Buddha! It exemplifies the idea behind the peaceful coexistence of the two religions dominant in Japan, Shinto and Buddhism. This was such an interesting thing to witness! I know Shinto priests and worshippers were able to reconcile the fact that Buddhism was also prevalent, with the idea that Buddhist gods are also manifestations of Shinto gods. Thus, it may not be so uncommon or out of the ordinary to see these things!

I am 90% sure this was my first time ever witnessing this, so it is super interesting! I really would like to look into more details about how they operate with each other and how they come to agreements on who or what to worship and when they do it.

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 28 - Himeji Castle

Today, we switched activities actually, and ended up going to Himeji Castle! Needless to say, it was an EXPERIENCE alright. This was the day that I chose to return back to activities and look at where it got me. Drenched, cold, and honestly annoyed. However, I did enjoy seeing the castle a lot! I swear today was a literal typhoon. I had to drudge around and climb the different parts of the castle soaking wet. My umbrella did not flip at any time so this was a major win, but ultimately, I still got soaked because the rain was coming in every single kind of direction. In addition, there were far more tourists than expected in this weather, so it took a really long time to get through everything anyway even with everything going on. I think that I deserve compensation for enduring this while I was sick! Anyway, after Himeji, I went straight home in my wet socks and soaked shoes. I definitely slept a couple of times on the train trying to avoid thinking about the bad! Also, I did not eat that much, so I was very irritable until I was able to change and get comfortable. We arrived at the hotel after about two hours and I took a bath and then just put all of my stuff in the dryer afterwards. That bath was the best I have ever taken in my entire time here! I felt much better afterwards, ordered Indian food with the gang, and we just watched anime for a little! Then I proceeded to do whatever I had to do and now I am getting ready for bed.

Academic Reflection

How I can relate today’s excursions with the readings is that the way the castle was built is so interesting. It is so steep on the inside, it is like you are climbing ladders as opposed to just stepping up on steps. I feel like they truly took advantage of the structure of the mountain that they are on as it was a genius and beautiful way to build the castle. Not only for the aesthetic purposes, but for the defensive purposes as well due to it being a little harder to do anything if everything is generally steeper.

However, I wonder if the people who resided here ever got tired of climbing up everywhere. I think I would definitely get tired easily when trying to climb up and do things. I do not think I have the energy to constantly go around and climb. It was really nice seeing the main keep, though it felt like a labyrinth. It just kept going up and around and up and around and it was kind of disorienting, especially doing it in drenched clothing.

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 27 - Bamboo Forest and Monkey Park; Sick once more :(!!!

Still sick and stayed back at the hotel today, unfortunately. But the good news is that I felt somewhat better when progressing throughout the day so I forced myself to get out of my bed rotting phase and buy some essentials/souvenirs. I began the day by taking vitamin C and just resting. I felt terrible originally, but the two days of rest really worked wonders for me! I did not eat much yesterday so I made sure to order some food before I decided to do anything and then got ready in the late afternoon to buy some more meds like cough drops and souvenirs! I went to Don Quijote again for everything, and I really have to reiterate how amazing this place is! Quite literally has anything you can ask for. Then, I went home to rest again, and eat. I was SO upset that I missed the monkeys! I really wanted to see them and interact with them, but I knew that trek would do me in. I also could have visited the bamboo forests but I really was not feeling well enough to even get up and I was still hacking like a dog. Anyway, I lived through the cameras of my classmates and would like to pretend I was there. I will probably be okay enough for Himeji Castle! Hopefully! I would not like to miss the last few days.

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 26 - Kiyomizudera (plus Sannen-zaka & ninen-zaka); Mindar at Kodaiji; Gion Tour — BUT I was sick again! :(

I was terribly sick, again! I kind of overworked myself in Osaka yesterday and essentially relapsed? Anyway, I stayed at the hotel and rested. I virtually did not do much aside from catching up on other classwork! I also drank a ton of C.C. Lemon and took other things with vitamin C, but I did not have much of an appetite. I was so upset over not getting to go to Gion especially to see geisha! I have always wanted to. However, there was something coincidental that I witnessed while staying back at the hotel. I saw a TikTok of this foreigner chasing down a geisha to take a picture of her even though it was not allowed, and I already connected this with the bans on tourists going into certain streets and parts of Gion due to the constant disrespect and harassment the places and the geisha face from tourists. I have not asked anyone as of yet, but has anyone witnessed anything out of the ordinary while there? I just think it is incredibly awful for the geisha to be subjected to that type of behavior and for people to not realize how damaging this could be for people who actually want to experience this in the future! I hope nothing terrible happened!

P.S. I don’t have a picture for today so have this Uber Eats screenshot I accidentally took today

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 25 - Osaka Day Trip

I returned after being sick for a while! We went and traveled to Osaka today, which turned out to be super interesting! Although I pushed myself more than I needed to, I felt as if I had fun! The first thing we did was visit the Umeda Sky Building. It was super cool and nice! I took lots of pictures up there, especially near the heart locks. I also managed to get this thing called a croissant waffle (a croffle?) which was matcha flavored. It was okay, but would have been totally better if it were heated up! Also, up there we saw the road that went through a building which was pretty amazing to see as well! Then, we went to see the castle for a brief moment, which was a walk and a bit of a climb! I will admit it was a bit tiring, but we managed to take a small break before proceeding to the shopping hub! This place was totally cool! Saw the big ad of that guy holding his hands up (I forgot the name haha), a giant moving crab, and more. I really thought I was back in Tokyo! I did see a lot more eccentric activity and people though. We broke off shortly after this and the group I went with found a good book store to shop at that was really cheap. In addition, I went shopping a bit over there and then we ate okonomiyaki which was super delicious! It was my first time having it and I will definitely be having it again!

Academic Reflection

How I can relate today’s readings to the excursions would be the fact that the building with the road running through it exists, like for real! I think this really exemplifies the way urban planning works in Japan. I found it super cool. The choices made are very intentional, but it makes me wonder about other circumstances. What about the environmental impacts and what about maybe smaller buildings or cities? When it comes to urban planning and development, are homes heavily considered or just a bit?

This takes me back to Tokyo and how the imperial land has never been touched or bought out by mega corporations—will there be a time where urbanization requires these lands to be touched? I am not too sure about everything or maybe I am just yapping, but this is super interesting!

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 24 - Sick! Missed Excursion :(

Today, I unfortunately stayed at the hotel from doing all of the excursions today. My worst fear came true—I got sick! The plague ended up spreading. I actually ended up being in bed for most of the day, just resting and catching up on work for the Japanese Culture class that I am taking. In addition, I ordered food in twice and watched some shows to pass the time as I was getting super bored. I also went outside for a little just to get some fresh air. I took a nice hot bath as well just to feel a bit better, which worked! I am not forcefully coughing but the sniffling and congestion is definitely there. I also went out to get some vitamin C to ensure that it does not get worse, or at least to feel a bit better faster. I really want to go to Osaka tomorrow, so this is something I am really working on! I will say that I enjoyed reading about the garden readings for today, and was definitely looking forward to going. However, I did decide that I will stay home just for the sake of not exhausting myself after my excursion to Kojima as well as walking around for a while the day before. Anyway, I hope to see everyone tomorrow in Osaka!!!

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 23 - Okayama, Kojima Jean District (Free Day Independent Excursion 2, Media)

Today, I made a solo trip to the Kojima Jeans District in Okayama! I did this as a suggestion provided by my friend, who wanted some good quality denim from this place. I woke up almost late but I made it to the station on time. However, I do not like asking people for help so I was heavily struggling to use my ticket at the station for the bullet train. I then found out minutes before when the train was to depart, that all I needed to do was scan the code into the gate and be let through. I ran all the way to the train and got there right at 11:02, when it was to depart! It was so scary as I really could have lost out on about $160. Anyway, I made it to Okayama and had to take a local line to Kojima. I proceeded to ride on this really noisy line, to the point where my watch told me that the sound level exceeded 90 decibels. I was also on the phone with my friend the entire time, so I was kept company for a while. Upon arrival, I saw jeans hanging up outside of the station! It was so cool to see that. Also, Kojima itself is a pretty old city, a lot of the buildings of shops were still wood. There were also a lot of people surprised to see me, you can imagine why. I saw some middle school kids quite literally say: “外国人だね？黒い人だ！” if you can paint the picture, as they stared right at me. Anyway, I walked a while from the station to find the Jeans street. It was behind a neighborhood that I walked through for a minute to find, and it turned out to be more magnificent than I could have ever imagined. There was just a line of shops selling denim, and pretty expensive denim as well! The average was over 30,000 yen! However, my friend was definitely determined to spend a pretty penny as he wanted these jeans for a while. He did inspire me to do my media project on this area as well! We ended up finding this particular shop that he wanted to buy stuff at, which was called Dania jeans. The store owner made different types of outfits and accessories and stuff—it featured a lot of patchwork, or “Bolo/Boro”! It was so interesting to see the work of this man. The total my friend spent at this store was around 27,200 yen, coming to about $174 USD. Honestly, the stuff that he bought was so cool! The shorts he bought were 180000, and he bought himself and me a whale pouch made of denim for 4200 yen each! It was totally awesome. I then went back to Kyoto and just rested when I got home.

Media Reflection

The way this relates to Japanese media is the way Japan embraced the art of making denim following the conclusion of World War II. Due to the occupation of the United States forces, blue jeans and denim were introduced to Japan! As a result, they began with creating high quality denim. Since American culture was something that teens and adolescents really enjoyed in Japan, the denim aspect was wildly popular. There were several brands that popped up reflecting their images and perception of the west including Edwin, Betty Smith, John Bull, and others. I have seen various magazines, promotional material, and more before exploring Kojima. In addition, my friend had seen it all over the internet since he is really into high fashion and its history. While visiting the Dania store, I noticed magazines featuring the owner/president, Osamu Kanemitsu, conducting interviews and shoots with his work! It was super nice to chat with him and buy some of his things. I also read some articles about the history of denim with Japan, as well as found some YouTube videos that explained everything. When finding his store through the media I have seen, I was able to make a direct connection to World War II as there was one denim jacket that came from the U.S. Army back in the 1940s, costing 600,000 yen which is nearly $4000 USD! That was insane. It was mote extensive than I thought it was, and made me view Japanese denim in a very different light because of how interwoven U.S. culture is on Japan and how it presents itself to the world as a country. I am very thankful to my friend for putting me on to this because this was an incredible experience! We are definitely going there together again at some point in the future!

Here are some links I wanted to provide:

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 22 - Kyoto Imperial Palace and Kyoto National Museum

Today, we went to the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Kyoto National Museum! At the Imperial Palace, we actually did a tour! It was super informative and interesting. I honestly noticed how vast and amazing the palace was—I feel like I would totally get lost if I lived there! It was just a beautiful place overall. Of course, my favorite aspect was the garden! Comparing the Tokyo palace and Kyoto palace was something that I found myself doing. I assume because the Kyoto palace is generally older, they had more restrictions on the grounds we could actually access. Most of the garden was blocked off, but I still managed to take great pictures! We then went to the Kyoto National Museum. Unlike the Tokyo National Museum, we were not allowed to take pictures of anything in the museum—we were not even allowed to have our phones out. In addition, when we were writing notes about our favorite objects, we actually were not allowed to use pen but pencils only! It was kind of a little shock to see Alexyss get called out so quickly. Then all of us proceeded to get pencils as well. I wonder if they are worried about people writing things on the walls or something. Anyway, these pieces were entirely beautiful and I found several items I was interested in! After this, we broke off and I got to eat fried shrimp at a place nearby, then went back to rest again because I felt exhausted and felt as if I was getting worse. I hope I’m not sick!

Academic Reflection

How I can relate today’s excursions to the readings would be through the fact that the palace, to begin with, was so open! I was entirely surprised. However, we can understand that it was due to the heat—it provided a great way to stay cool during the summer, allowing the breeze to come in. Also, learning that not only the imperial families but servants and high officials lived in the palace was interesting based on the layout. The further from the emperor’s quarters one was, the lower rank they would be apparently. In addition, the palace was originally supposed to be built symmetrically, but because of the many times it burned down, it ended up being a bit asymmetrical.

For my object in the museum, I picked a painting called Birds and Flowers of the First Season. All of the paintings were beautiful and essentially ancient artifacts, but this one spoke out to me the most. The pop of blue and red in the painting while everything was essentially sketched was something that caught my eye. It really added a sense of personality and perspective to the painting, highlighting the beauty of the flowers and birds in that picture! I enjoyed seeing this a lot! I think this was featured twice, both on the first floor and second floor I believe.

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 21 - Free Day; A little Sick?

Today was a free day! I actually took the time to rest a bit because I started feeling sick I think! I stayed in bed for most of the day. I watched some shows and decided to do some assignments for this other summer course I am taking, which is actually Japanese Culture (JPT3500) with Dr. Matthieu Felt, who does say hi by the way Dr. Smith! It was fun to just chill and relax, and then I went out to eat dinner eventually. I went to this nearby ramen place to try it for the first time! Since I was feeling kind of bad, I thought ramen would be the perfect cure. Although not the smartest idea, I got coke, some extra noodle portions, and some eggs. I also got spicy miso and added some chili oil and red pepper paste to add extra spice! Also, it is an absolute must for me to have gyoza as well. Unfortunately, my appetite went away and I did not get to finish everything! However, I ate whatever I could and proceeded to go back to the hotel. I wanted to rest for a while after this, so that is exactly what I did! I eventually went to sleep and was mentally preparing myself to make it through the next few days.

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 20 - Kyoto Manga Museum and Mt. Fushimi/Inari Shrine

Today, we went to the Kyoto Manga Museum and hiked up Mt. Fushimi while seeing the Inari Shrine there! To start off the day, we arrived at the Kyoto Manga Museum too early, so we went around to nearby areas. I ended up getting a latte with a waffle for breakfast, which was super yummy! Then, we went to the museum! To say this museum was super cool is a total understatement. The fact that a museum dedicated to manga exists is something that is mindblowing to me, and even more, the fact that the history of manga is so intricate! I appreciated walking around and taking everything in around me, I seriously enjoyed my time there. We also saw a little paper show which was very entertaining. I would totally go to see it again! I am also super excited about it being super near the hotel, so I can go back and visit any time! It truly was a wonderful experience! Then, we went on to eat lunch, then went out to Mt. Fushimi and the Inari shrine. This was such a beautiful experience! The one thousand tori was such a life-changing thing to see. We also lifted a rock to see if our wish would come true. Apparently, if the rock is lighter than you would have assumed, your wish will come true. If it was heavier, your wish would not come true. I got super tired after climbing, however. Though, the view was totally worth it! That concluded our time out and I ended up going back to the hotel to rest.

Academic Reflection

How I can relate today’s excursions with the readings is by talking about the foxes and Inari. We saw foxes quite literally everywhere and as discussed before, most officials can agree that the fox is not Inari. However, due to the way foxes are displayed all around the shrine, the general public would probably have mixed feelings about whether Inari is a fox or not. Either way, it is super interesting to see this! We know that the fox is a messenger of Inari, but I understand the sentiments that people feel about assuming Inari’s true form being a fox.

Also, I wonder which sex is more popular among us and others (seeing if Inari is a man or a woman). I know there is debate surrounding that, so it would be totally interesting to search that up.

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 19 - Shinkansen to Kyoto

Today, we left Hotel Edoya in Tokyo for Sakura Stay in Kyoto! We rode the shinkansen, or bullet train, which was my very first time ever riding one! The entire morning leading up to it was stressful—I woke up early to pack the rest of my stuff as I did not finish packing last night. I also went last minute souvenir shopping for everyone that asked for stuff the night before, which was A LOT of people. I had so many shopping bags and did not get the opportunity to obtain an extra bag, so it was a constant struggle to get all my luggage and bags around. The time on the bullet train was nice since I got to sit down and experience its speed! It was a wonderful time seeing everything in high-speed and I felt like I was floating! I eventually fell asleep and then we arrived in Kyoto! We met up with the new guides once at the Kyoto Station, and went on to have lunch at the station while waiting for the check-in time at the hotel. I got some curry with Dylan, Tyler, Jonah, and Sadia! We had all of our stuff outside while Sadia kept watch most of the time. Dylan and I then went to find a bathroom, and the Kyoto Station turned out to be a literal maze! Luckily, we found it eventually. We then went to the hotel and got familiarized with the area. I honestly prefer the beds in Hotel Edoya, but the amenities here are far more useful to me.

Academic Reflection

How I can relate today’s experiences to the readings is realizing how intricate and complex the bullet train system is. I always looked at the bullet train in a positive light, as it provides an immensely useful and convenient service to those traveling far. However, watching the trip made me think about the smaller towns and areas that are basically cut down due to the construction of these bullet train lines. I wonder how people felt when they were forced to move to busier areas and acclimate to the city.

Also, I know Japan is concerned about environmental measures, but I also wonder what the implications would be for the future. Would it cause issues to arise and prevent the future development of bullet trains? Or would they find a way to find some balance between the two? Either way, I will be interested to see its development later on!

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 18 - Sanja Matsuri (Free Day)

Today, I went to the Sanja Matsuri with Serena! Honestly, I was not going to go because I did wake up way later than intended. However, I ended up going anyway because I did buy a yukata and obi to wear! Anyway, I decided it was best for me to go anyway and stay for a little, plus take wonderful pictures. I put on my yukata by myself, which was a slight mistake! I completely forgot to wear it the right way as I was in a rush—I put right over left instead of left over right. Left over right is the correct way, while right over left is for dead people. So I walked around for a bit with right over left, which was totally embarrassing! Regardless, I did get some compliments. I had to go to the station bathroom afterwards to fix it and then went to meet up with Serena. Due to all of the chaos and excitement for the Matsuri, there were so many people there! It was really hard to find Serena, but I eventually did! While I was looking, I got stopped by some people to take my picture and received lots of compliments! In addition, I got to see the processions and such go around, as well as the kids playing the drums and such. It was super cool! Serena and I also got stopped by a couple to take pictures with them and of us, which was super sweet. I enjoyed myself a lot and would absolutely love to go again eventually! I am so glad I went out!

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 17 - お台場 (Odaiba), Barbecue, Teamlab, Fuji Television

Today’s excursion included visiting Fuji Television, eating barbecue, exploring Odaiba, and experiencing Teamlab! It was a very eventful day, and super fun. First, we went to Fuji Television. Although it was supposed to be a museum, we were just met with a gift shop. However, we did get an amazing view! I really loved seeing the city from the observation sphere. After spending time there, we went outside and explored for a bit! We saw a mini Statue of Liberty, which was really fun to see. In addition, we saw a huge Gundam statue and the Bridge of Dreams! It all was such a nice thing to see, if I have time tomorrow, I might go back to the gift shop and Bridge of Dreams tomorrow just to explore more. It was an amazing thing to see and I really wish we saw it earlier! Also, the Teamlab activity was so AMAZING! I think this was my favorite thing to experience so far. All of the art exhibitions were so nice. I think my favorite aspects were the gardens! They were so beautiful, especially the flower one. I think I took like 50 pictures in there. I was absolutely shocked about the quality of the place!

Academic Reflection

Today’s excursion included visiting Fuji Television, eating barbecue, exploring Odaiba, and experiencing Teamlab! It was a very eventful day, and super fun. First, we went to Fuji Television. Although it was supposed to be a museum, we were just met with a gift shop. However, we did get an amazing view! I really loved seeing the city from the observation sphere. After spending time there, we went outside and explored for a bit! We saw a mini Statue of Liberty, which was really fun to see. In addition, we saw a huge Gundam statue and the Bridge of Dreams!

It all was such a nice thing to see, if I have time tomorrow, I might go back to the gift shop and Bridge of Dreams tomorrow just to explore more. It was an amazing thing to see and I really wish we saw it earlier! Also, the Teamlab activity was so AMAZING! I think this was my favorite thing to experience so far. All of the art exhibitions were so nice. I think my favorite aspects were the gardens! They were so beautiful, especially the flower one. I think I took like 50 pictures in there. I was absolutely shocked about the quality of the place!

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 16 - Mt. Takao Hike

For today’s excursion, we went hiking on Mt. Takao! We did not hike the whole way of course, but we did climb a bit and it was such a nice experience. This was my first time hiking up a mountain trail, aside from Hakone. I think I almost died at several points, but it was totally worth it. Experiencing the lush and green of the surrounding areas and forest was something so soothing. Also, the chair lifts were awesome! I thought I would be terrified at first, but it was my favorite part of the whole excursion. I also tried new things, like a cheese dart and dango! The dango was delicious! It was like a walnut miso flavor, which I thought I would not like but I ended up loving it! I shared with Serena and she actually gave me the rest which was nice. The cheese tart was from Jack, he did not like it as much but I gladly took it off of his hands. Something else that I also wanted to mention was the tengu statues we saw! They were so interesting looking, and I did enjoy taking pictures of them the most (aside from the views). Also, I rubbed an octopus for good luck! Hopefully, my luck does come and continues to flourish. I was telling my mom about my adventures and she hopes to come and experience this one day as well.

Academic Reflection

How I can relate today’s excursion with the reading is simple: the lushness of the forests! As read previously, the forest was overused and suffered from deforestation in the past. However, Japan made enormous strides to ensure that the forests would be maintained for environmental purposes and such. Seeing that Mt. Takao is not a virgin forest blows me away, as it really shows all the effort the Japanese have put into making sure the forestlands remain beautiful. I really can say that I am proud (if that’s a good word) of Japan for this. You can see how incredible results can be if a government works to make sure that whatever the desired outcome happens.

I wish the United States government took matters like these seriously as well. If we made the same efforts earlier or with more intention or force, I think that we could have achieved the same levels. Japan realized that there was a huge problem and there was a need for a call to action. Considering this, it makes me want to pay attention more to environmental efforts made by the United States within the past two decades.

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 15 - 武蔵 (Musashi) University and 東京 Station Tour with 獨協 (Dokkyo) Students

Today, we visited Musashi University and sat in on a lecture about future studies, and got to interact with the Musashi students. Then, we went on a tour of Tokyo Station with students from Dokkyo! To start off with Musashi, it was honestly less nerve-wracking than I thought it would be and I really enjoyed talking and connecting with the students! They were super nice and extremely knowledgeable, so I enjoyed that. I also liked talking about future studies as I had never heard of it before, nor have I had the incentive to study that. It was something that was intriguing to me, so now I will be looking into it more often! In addition, Musashi in general is very beautiful. I think it is a highly wonderful place to attend university! Concluding that, we went to Tokyo station to meet up with students from Dokkyo University to give us a tour around! My guide was Rina, and she was so incredibly sweet! I loved talking to her a lot! She showed us around some places in the station (I am compelled to go back and buy stuff) and we ate good snacks! We got to know each other more, and found out some really cool things! Next, we went and explored Roppongi. Roppongi was so beautiful! We went to a garden and took lots of pictures! It was a really nice change of pace, and I really am glad that she showed it to us. Then, we exchanged Instagrams to keep in touch!

Academic Reflection

How I can relate today’s excursions with today’s readings is simple—communicating with college students like us is simply part of what the future could be. We are coming into a point where we have the power to influence what the future could be like. This is a prime example of the way future studies conducts itself as a topic—we make up images of what the future could possibly be, but we cannot necessarily predict it.

Also, the questions of utopia vs. dystopia also come to mind. As we watched a clip about these terms, it made me wonder what images people have in terms of a possible future utopia or dystopia. This is a great aspect of future studies that I would like to look into more. What does utopia mean to us? What does utopia mean to them? What makes societies utopian or dystopian? What can we do to achieve utopia?

[joeysayskonnichiwa]

May 14 - 上野 (Ueno) Park, 東京 National Museum, and 秋葉原 (Akihabara)

Today, we visited Ueno, specifically the park and the shrine in the park! Then, we visited a museum and Akihabara. To start off with Ueno: Ueno Park was such a nice place! It was nice to walk around and see the pond, the ducks in the pond, the tons of pigeons that were roaming around, and the little stands/shops set up throughout the park. I really enjoyed just taking in the scenery and seeing everything! I also did not know there was a zoo nearby, so that was a nice surprise as well. Maybe I will visit one day! Aside from that, we attended the shrine. It was a very nice little shrine with great scenery. I originally thought it was odd for one to be in a park, which was generally uncommon anyway, but it was a really nice change of place and added a great touch to the park. We then went to the Tokyo National museum and got to roam around and explore for a while. This was super nice as I found several displays of art that were super beautiful and interesting. I loved taking my time to just absorb everything and appreciate the history there. We also stopped by Ameyoko to eat, and it was super fun! Finally, we got to go around in Akihabara! I have already been here before, so I got to explore some of it prior to our official visit. It was such an interesting area! Got to see lots of the electronic and animanga aspect of everything, and I was compelled to spend a bit of money. I had a lot of fun just generally exploring. I will be visiting some more before leaving for Kyoto!

Academic Reflection

How I can relate the excursions to the readings for this day are one, I saw some Haniwa! They were really cool to see! Also, there were some things about Kofun that were mentioned as well, so that was nice as well. As for Akihabara, the otaku culture was alive and well. There is so much merchandise for so many forms of media, I was extremely shocked! It proved to be a wakeup call—people legitimately come from work to engage in consumerism of the media that they like and use that as a way to remove themselves from their reality. And with the doujin store that was mentioned, artists also use otaku culture as a way to reimagine their favorite characters in a different way, which can commonly include erotica. It was such a good way to display what the articles have said!

I also wanted to mention the object that I found most interesting at the museum. I focused on the hair pieces, as I found them among the most beautiful of the items displayed. I think it represents an aspect of Japanese culture that is seldom talked about in the larger context—how certain combs or hairpins really determine one’s tastes, status, culture, etc. They were really beautiful! I want to go and find some hairpins for the festival on the 18th!