lets-go-to-japan

[lets-go-to-japan]

Unexpected Japan Video

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[lets-go-to-japan]

May 29th - Free Day

びわこ

Freewriting:

Today was my last day in Kyoto and the last full day of my trip. While were plenty of activities to choose from, the plan I ended up settling on was a short trip to see Lake Biwa. Since we’d already been to see Mount Fuji, the biggest mountain in Japan, I thought it would be nice to see the biggest lake as well. While there wasn’t time for a cruise on the lake, Emily and I still made the trip out, just to see it really. The town was cute, and the area we went to reminded me of home. It smelled familiar. Looking out over the lake, I could see the buildings on the opposite shore to the east, but the north side of the lake stretched out into the distance. I had wanted to see the Lake Biwa Flower Fountain, since I thought it sounded cool, but when we finally found it was a bit of a let down. I wonder if it looks better in spring?

After that Emily and I went to the nearby Round 1 and messed around in the arcade. I managed to win a sleeping Kirby after blowing like 3,000 yen. Those things are designed to make you fail 😔 Emily and I spent about 7,000 yen total trying to win her a straw hat plushie. We didn’t get it in the end, and the staff determinedly avoided making eye contact so they wouldn’t have to give it to us. After we left, Emily and I agreed we had been robbed.

The train got us back around 4pm, which was good because the farewell banquet was at 5pm. Dinner was pretty good. あかねさん got all of us Daruka dolls; it was really sweet. I’m grateful to have had such a wonderful guide! We took a group photo outside of the restaurant first with Gui’s polaroid camera and then with Akane’s phone. I’m really glad I had such a great group to study abroad with. I think I’ve made some good friends on this trip.

Overall, my study abroad in Japan was incredible. It was practically non-stop, but I can say definitively that I made the most of my time here. I did everything I wanted to (except see a Kabuki show) and learned so much. I’ve got all of the readings downloaded in case I ever want to read them again. Thank you to all my classmates, thank you to Akane-san, and thank you to Professor Smith for making this trip such an incredible experience 😊

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 28th - Osaka

Dotombori District in Osaka

Freewriting:

Today we spent the day in Osaka! Although I spent my last free day in Osaka exploring Den Den Town, today we saw a totally different part of it - many parts, in fact. We started the day at Umeda Sky Building, which was cool not only because it's great observation deck but also because of the architecture. Professor Smith told me that part of the reason Umeda is so famous is because it's a symbol of Osaka's modernity, which I can certainly believe. After that we took a quick trip on the subway to Osaka Castle, the location of the final battle between warlords after Ieyasu betrayed and defeated Hideyoshi at the end of the Sengoku period. I'm sad we didn't get to see inside, and annoyed that I forgot to get the stamp (it will be the only one I'm missing...). It definitely looked intimidating from up on that hill! The castle was in an entirely different part of Osaka, so then we had to take the subway back to the main part of Osaka. Professor Smith lead us on a walking tour of the main street of the commercial district, which was absolutely packed with foods of all kinds. The running man ad, which has been up for fifty years (?), was there too. After that we were let go for the day. Aruba really needed some food, so Sammie, Jen, Emily, Aruba and I set out in search of something to eat for lunch. Finally we settled on this great とんかつ place - it was delicious! I'd been noticing the whole trip, but I guess strawberry is a really popular flavor here. I ended up getting a strawberry-milk tea soft serve, which was pretty good.

After lunch Emily and I had tickets to the Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium, so we took the subway there. It was amazing! I loved the jellyfish exhibit so much!! Also, when we signed out the audio guides the woman at the counter was really pleased I knew some Japanese, which made me feel happy. I like using it, even if I'm not very good...

I had some dinner with Emily at a grill place near our hotel in Kyoto (once we got back). Great dinner, honestly. Today has definitely been a day for 美味しい食べ物.

Academic Reflection:

Our trip up the Umeda Sky Building in Osaka was helpful in contextualizing the reading with the urban state of modern-day Osaka. While looking out over the city from the observation deck I took note of how the roads cleanly divided sections of the city, even if those sections looked to be a mix of commercial and residential areas. I noticed that the area by the bay appeared to have the most industrial activities going on, such as freighters docking and the loading and unloading of storage containers. A few bridges stretched out over the bay, which I found intriguing, since in Florida there's really only one main bridge linking areas together. Though, I guess in a city as big as Osaka there would logically be more bridges.

Honestly, even though we spent the day in Osaka, I couldn't help but feel like I barely saw any of it. Osaka is huge! I understood Tokyo was a megopolis, but even then I kind of thought of some places as just cities-within-a-city. With Osaka, it really did seem like one big city, which was kind of overwhelming. It's really admirable how Seki cleaned up Osaka from the 'city of smoke' to the now famous 'food capital of Japan'. The urban reforms that took place in Osaka were amazing, and you can see their impact today. Although it's a distant possibility, it would be awesome if a few cities in the states took notes...

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 27th - Nara

Example lantern statues down the walkway in the park

Freewriting:

I was really excited to go to Nara today! I had actually planned to use one of my free days to go to Nara until I realized it was on the itinerary. Anyway, after the morning meeting we headed out to Nara. The first thing we did there was the deer park. I don't know what I expected, but honestly whatever those expectations were, they were kind of blown away. Feeding the deer was fun even though they liked to assault you to obtain crackers; I did it three times. It's an art, really (lol). We walked in the park down to the かすがたいしゃ shrine. There were a few huge deer statues honoring the deer for their role as sacred messenger. Also in the かすがたいしゃ shrine was a really old tree, and also a dark room meant to emulate the walkway up to temple at night, when the lanterns are lit.

After that we grabbed lunch. Then we headed to と大二 to see the giant statue of the buddha / Vairocana (among other deities). Honestly, it was a little intimidating! It felt very grand, and the 大仏円 itself inspired self-reflection and respect. I can't imagine how hateful you have to be to have had it burned down. But it's back now, and still beautiful, despite being built in the 12th century.

Overall, Nara was amazing! Despite the deer poop. I would have loved to have toured a museum detailing its history as the capital of Japan, but I suppose that will have to wait for another trip.

Academic Reflection:

Though we didn't climb a mountain to see the head Shingon Buddhist temple, there was still plenty to see in Nara. We started off the day at the famous Nara deer park, where we were accosted by deer. The deer in Nara are sacred to Shintoism and are designated as messengers of the かみ of the Kasuga Taisha shrine. This means that there are deer everywhere and if you accidently strike one you will be cursed for life (my own extrapolation). It was really cool to see the tree that stood for one thousand years in the かすがたいしゃ shrine (the same one from the scroll). It kind of reflects how no matter what, life goes on. Even if something were to happen to that tree - such as it being chopped down by a deviant like the 金閣寺 temple was burned, it doesn't mean the end. Same thing with the rebuilt Buddha statue in だいぶつでん. The fact that the かすがたいしゃ shrine and the とだいじ temple exist peacefully in such close proximity is yet another demonstration of the symbiotic coexistence between Shintoism and Buddhism in Japan.

Speaking of the とだいじ temple: wow. The Buddha statue (and its surrounding deities) were incredibly impressive, as was the entire temple. Vairocana, as the most prominent figure in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism - and is the 'true' cosmic being from which Kukai claimed to have been instructed in his teachings of esoteric buddhism. The statue reflected this grand nature, even if it's absolutely miniscule in comparison to the truth of the Buddha's form as described in the sutras.

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 26th - Free Day!

Finally…

Freewriting:

After going out last night I took the opportunity to sleep in today. Somehow, I managed to sleep in until approximately 12:30pm. I had been waffling yesterday about whether I should check out Osaka or Lake Biwa on this free day, but now I was running out of time for both... anyway, I picked Osaka and headed out.

Do not get me started on the railway experience today. I had to navigate from Kyoto to Osaka and somehow managed to get turned around no less than three times during the entire round trip. Google Maps just likes to change it's mind when it's most inconvenient, in my opinion. Anyway, I hadn't eaten all day, so once I got to Osaka (at like 3:30pm) I wanted to hunt down something to eat. I didn't end up eating until like 5:30pm. The style of the restaurant was a bit strange. They had a lot of dishes for cheap on the menu, only about 600 yen each, so I thought the dishes would be kind of small. That wasn't the case, and I ended up ordering three separate meals when I probably should've just done three. The potato salad was delicious, but unfortunately the other two things I ordered weren't really what I thought they were. I tried some omiyaki salad (?) and what I thought was supposed to be pork tongues, but which turned out to be some sort of omelet. Even though I didn't really enjoy the last two, I'm glad I at least tried some stuff in an authentic Osaka restaurant.

While I was in Osaka, I made my primary area of exploration the Den Den Town area. During the past three weeks I have been attempting to hunt down a very specific figure with absolutely zero luck. I went to Ikebukuro, Nakano Broadway, and Akihabara, but it was finally in Osaka that I found the one I was looking for. I think I might have been blessed by Kannon or something after the shrine visit yesterday; or else one of the bodhisattvas or Shinto gods finally took pity on me. The biggest lesson I learned today is to continue following my adopted motto:

NEVER GIVE IN NEVER WHAT? NEVER GIVE UP!!!

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 25th -きよみずでら / さんねんざか + にねんざか / ぎおん

Kiyomizudera temple with Kannon

Freewriting:

Today was craaazy. Busy. It was crazy busy. We got up and did the lesson, then walked like forever to the Kiyomizudera temple where the statue of Kannon is. It was really busy, I wish I had gone out of tourist season. We went through Kannon's womb - actually pitch black, a little unsettling to be honest - and drank from one of the three sacred springs. One brings success in endeavors, another success in romance, and the last longetivity. But you don't know which is which, so you've just got to hope and be grateful. I think I'm hoping to success in endeavors. Then we checked out the streets n stuff. Lots of shops but me n Aiden n Aruba were focused on finding food. We got some food. Then we split off an I got ice cream. I wish I had gotten a hair thingy in the shops there. I got some soft serve topped with chocolate syrup and sprinkles, which was a first for me. It was delicious. Then we saw a robotic boddisattva. I felt like it kept looking at me and judging me. Very uncanny. Then we checked out Gion and saw this a-maze-ing performance of some maiko. I’m really impressed with their grace and admire their dedication. Hanging out with Sammie, Alex, Gui, Aruba, Emily and Kat tonight. Bowling. So fun!

Academic Reflection:

The story of 新徳丸 is not a story accepted by monks as part of the Buddhist canon, but it is a popular folk story. In that way, 新徳丸 is a work representative of what the people of Japan hoped to accomplish through Buddhism, despite their hopes not being totally reflective of the actual doctrine of Buddhism. For example, monks may strongly disagree that Kannon, the bodhisattva of mercy, would have been spiteful enough to kill over a verbal disparage, or that Kannon would ever lay a curse upon someone. However, those events takes place in the story because the story of 新徳丸 is first and foremost a folk tale. To the people of that time, it didn't really matter that Kannon was supposed to be representative of mercy and that cursing someone isn't something that the official religious organization believes Kannon would do. What mattered to the people was that Kannon was the one you visited when you wanted something to happen, good or bad. Seeing how busy the temple was today, I think that sort of stance towards religion is still pretty common. There are more educated people who know what Kannon is about and specifically visit (きよみずでら) Kannon to seek aid with something; then there are those, like tourists, who just know that Kannon is a powerful deity in Japan and think that it wouldn't hurt to pray for whatever's on their mind.

The second reading had to do with the Gion entertainment district. I had watched the "Memoirs of a Geisha" movie a few years ago so I had a bit of an idea of what being a 芸者 was about, but it's still amazing to me that it's essentially a lifetime commitment. 舞妓, or apprentice 芸者, were the ones who performed the dance today. The explanation on the paper we received at the performance explained that this particular 舞妓 school of dance had a history of partnership with 芸者 schools. These schools are reflective of the education expected of 芸者, or any women who hopes to become one. In order to entertain high society, 芸者 needed to be educated. While the push in Kyoto for "good wife, wise mother" promoted education (in a sense) for 芸者 and prostitutes, it failed to find a foothold in Tokyo. However, the modern-day understanding of a 芸者 as a high-society educated entertainer demonstrates that the movement did not fail entirely.

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 24th - ひめじ Castle / ここえん Gardens

ひめじ Castle

Freewriting:

Exploring ひめじ Castle and the ここえん Gardens was probably my favorite activity that we've done thus far. Even though it rained this morning, by the end of the day the weather was really beautiful, and perfect for seeing such a historical sight. ひめじ Castle was huge and impressive. Honestly, I think it was more impressive to me than きんかくじ temple. Reading the blurbs about not just the history of ひめじ Castle but also Princess Sen and the families that lived in the castle was really interesting. Even though the castle was basically a military fortress, I don't think it felt oppressive. Maybe that's just the value of hindsight, though.

The ここえん Gardens were also extremely beautiful. By then the rain had stopped, but the air was still cool and raindrops were on the plant leaves. The gardens were sprawling. Besides the various plants and flowers there were occasional rest areas, Buddhist structures, and a tea ceremony room. The koi in the many ponds were beautiful and graceful; I totally see why the upper class wanted them to occupy their ponds. Honestly, the whole place just gave me a peaceful feeling, which is kind of ironic considering its intended use. The town of Himeji itself I felt was kind of westernized. It reminded me of a boardwalk / coastal town in the states. Overall though I really liked Himeji and I would definitely go back!

Academic Reflection:

Himeji Castle was impressive, but because of the readings I was also paying attention to the 'castle town', as it were. The town of Himeji has of course modernized in the years after the Tokugawa Era, but the layout of the city itself makes it apparent that Himeji Castle is the centerpiece of the town - in other words, it's obvious that the town developed out from the castle. It's hard to imagine trade and commerce flourishing under the (believed) despotic rule of the daimyo. It makes much more sense that these towns thrived through the movement of the people who composed them and the jobs which naturally sprung from such massive migration movements. The reading points out that in reality many daimyo had more of a supervisory rule, where they set the urban framework and the townspeople themselves determined the actual workings of the city. Seeing Himeji today, I can believe that was the case. It probably would not have stood so strong through the centuries if its wealth could only be attributed to a single tyrannical leader.

The Third Bailey of Himeji Castle was a great example of how the defensive innovations of covered long-range attack revolutionized warfare in Japan. Additionally, building mountain-based defensive walls also made it significantly more difficult for invading forces to capture the fortress. These innovations in organized gunfire and relatively simple defense allowed Himeji castle to stand strong as a military stronghold in the Tokugawa Era and beyond.

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 23rd - 金閣寺 / 大徳寺

A 彼安推 (with more greenery than normal)

Freewriting:

First I went to class. Then I went to 金閣寺. It was pretty in person, but it was definitely a tourist hot spot. Personally, I think the color looks a little nicer in photos. Then I went to two other temples, one of which was 大徳寺. 大徳寺 has this really famous 彼安推. So I stared at that for a little bit. I didn't have any revelations though so maybe I'm not meant to be Buddhist, or at least Zen Buddhist. Anyway, after that I got lunch at this udon place with Sammie, Aruba, Xan, Emily, Aiden and Jennifer. I had this pork bowl that was delicious, the meat was nice and soft and the broth was delicious.

After that Aruba, Xan, Emily, Aiden and I went to Aeon Kyoto Mall. It was kind of a big complex and reminded me of the malls back home. I split off and wandered around for a few hours. It still surprises me how international some of these bigger shopping complexes are. This one still had local chains but there was for example Prada and Godiva stores too. I'm probably gonna go do karaoke tonight so that will be fun hopefully.

Academic Reflection:

Even after seeing the golden temple in person I didn't really understand why the narrator from the Golden Pavillion reading was tweaking so bad. It was kind of pretty but maybe just not my thing. Still, I understand why it was impressive for its day. Gold leaf trimming on everything was surely incredibly difficult to do back in the sixteenth century. As a show of power and wealth, I understand why it would have been inspirational to not just the commissioners but to have also maintained its legacy as a marvelous wonder in Japan (at least until it burned down).

As for the zen gardens and stuff, I think I was worse off at those temples than I was at 金閣寺. I tried hard, I really did, but I think I must be unenlightened because I was staring at that zen garden for like twenty minutes and felt nothing. An internal revelation about the great river did not occur. I guess that means I'm too obsessed with material things... but I feel like the zen gardens / 彼安推 are just so lifeless that they don't spark anything spiritual for me. Buddhism is cool but maybe zen buddhism isn't for me.

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 22th - Free Day: Kyoto Station / Aeon Kyoto Mall

My new suitcase that I got (ignore the laundry)

Freewriting:

I had a very important mission to accomplish this free day. So, after sleeping in and then calling my mom, I had a chocolate croissant and headed out to go suitcase hunting. Since my current duffel bag is woefully inadequate for containing the sheer amount of clothing and other souvenirs I've obtained this trip - not to mention the fact that it doesn't have wheels and is therefore a PITA to bring through the subway system - I was in dire need of a suitable suitcase. Since I had no idea if any travel specialty stores existed in Kyoto, much less where they would be, I decided my best bet would be to go to the nearest mall and try to hunt one down there. To that end I hopped on the subway and rode down to Kyoto Station.

To be frank, the station was a bit of a madhouse. I know my mom would not have liked it. I went suitcase hunting and got a little lost. I had to be careful not to accidently go into the subway system before I was ready. Kyoto station was huge! I attempted to buy a 新幹線 ticket and was a little shocked at the price. Postponed for another day!

After like forty-five minutes of searching I finally found a suitcase store and bought a suitcase. It's a bit fancier than I'm used to, with a lock function and everything, but I'm pretty happy with it. Then I went and got lunch at this Italian place (but because it was in Kyoto, it was like Japanese-Italian, you know?). Anyway, I had a good lunch there. Then I came back to the hotel and watched like ten episodes of Phineas and Ferb. I texted Sammie and Aruba to see if they were back yet from their island adventure but they had *other* dinner plans so I went to go find something for dinner. I ended up at this cute restaurant down the street. The workers were so nice and complimented my shoddy Japanese. They also liked my Yoidore shirt that I got in Harajuku! One of them was in her first year of college and learning English, so we ended up having a decent conversation in Japanglish. I really am glad I took those language classes before coming! I had a good dinner of にく and scallops and vegetables and now I am back at the hotel.

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 21st - Arashiyama Bamboo Forest / Monkey Park

Freewriting:

Due to a rigged election we got up at like 5:15am today to make it to the bamboo park early. While I’m glad we did so, I don’t think I’ve napped enough yet to make up for the sleep deprivation. Luckily tomorrow is a free day so I’ll be sleeping in 👍

So yeah, first was bamboo park. Then we hunted around for breakfast and finally got something at Tully’s cafe when it opened. There were a lot of other cafes in town but all the rest of them didn’t open until 10-11am, and we needed to regroup at 9am for the monkey park. It was a frankly miserable climb up the mountain to the monkey park, but I guess it was worth it; the monkeys were pretty cute. After that a group of us headed down. There happened to be a river cruise offered nearby, steered by a guy with a pole. The view from the river was gorgeous! It was honestly probably my favorite part of the day. Despite being briefly marooned on some shallow rocks we made it back to shore and across the river, then split off and headed into town for lunch. Upon getting back to the hotel I relaxed for a few hours then fell asleep.

I am definitely looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow…

Academic Reflection:

The reading two days ago described how the building design of the houses of the nobility lent itself to secret meetings between lovers, and yesterday's reading of the Tale of Genji described exactly such a scene. Visiting the Nonomiya Genji shrine in the bamboo forest today was really cool. I paid to have my fortune told; I'm not really sure what to make of it, but I hope I end up better than Lady Rokujo.

The climb up the monkey park mountain was kind of draining, but despite being out of breath and sweating miserably it was nice to see such a healthy forest surrounding the walk upwards. The article concerning forest preservation was interesting to keep in mind while we hiked through the forest and later up the mountain. During both the excursions it was evident that the focus was on a) the bamboo and b) the monkeys, while the rest of the forest kind of fell to background. Maybe because it wasn’t cherry season there was less discussion about the cherry trees and environmental protection, but the values suggested by the article versus the actual experience were interesting nonetheless.

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 20th - Kyoto Imperial Palace / Kyoto International Manga Museum / Kyoto National Art Museum

Freewriting:

The morning started out cool enough, though unfortunately the weather didn't hold for the rest of the day. By the time we got to the Kyoto Imperial Palace I was already sweating badly (though that might have had something to do with the fact that I had chosen to wear jeans). I didn't mind, though; the tour was really interesting, and admiring the architecture and grounds took my mind off the weather. After touring the old imperial palace it was off to the Kyoto International Manga Museum, which I had been looking forward to. I think I was a little disappointed that the museum ended up being pretty much one library, but I do think it's great that the museum exists at all and honors the numerous influential creatives of Japan. I know for a lot of people, myself included, manga and anime were kind of the gateway into learning about Japan at all. It was cool to see some of the charts describing how different art styles and graphic novels forms have impacted different cultures, as well as how manga has shaped foreign works (and how foreign works have shaped manga). I was happy to see Devilman made it into the museum. In my opinion it's more than worthy of being named a classic.

After the manga museum was lunch, and after lunch was the Kyoto International Museum. The exhibition this month was focused on influences on Japanese art, and how Japanese art is in turn received by the rest of the world. The exhibits that most caught my interest were the ones dedicated to showing the long-standing connection between Japan and East Asia. In particular I quite liked "Copy of Landscape with Figures" and "Eight Great Events from Life of the Buddha". Both of these pieces exhibit Japan's admiration for China while maintaining the uniquely Japanese style. Japan during the Nara and Asuka period was, despite myths of its isolation, connected to foreign kingdoms, most especially those in East Asia. Trade relationship and cultural exchanges with East Asia, the influence of which is demonstrated through Japanese art, is representative of Japan's status as the "terminus of the Silk Road" and shows that Japan has a long history foreign relations.

Academic Reflection:

Since everything in Japan had a habit of burning down, the Kyoto imperial palace as described in The Tale of Genji no longer stands today. However, we did have the privilege of touring the grounds as they were reconstructed in the 1800s. Although the grounds are technically incomplete, with only the 'most important' buildings remaining on site after the emperor's move to Tokyo, I felt I was still able to gain some understandings of how court life might have functioned. The parts of the tour that particularly stood out to me were the two gardens. I remember that the reading mentioned that the great lake the nobles used to entertain themselves by is now just a pond, and I wonder whether the ponds and gardens on the palace grounds have shrunk from how they used to be.

I found it really interesting that modern-day Kyoto is technically only the eastern half of the old capital. The reading measures things in acres, but I find that hard to visualize. But by comparing Kyoto's current size to the estimated size of the old capital, you can get a much better understandings of just how extensive it was. In that sense, it's inevitable that some part of the capital would have fallen into disrepair. Though, like the reading said, Kyoto has always been situated between ideal landscapes, and remains beautiful to this day.

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 19th - Fushimi Inari Shrine

The とりい Gates of Fushimi Shrine

Freewriting:

The Fushimi Shrine and winding road of とりい gates are some of the most iconic sights in Japan. Of course, that also means they're very touristy, but even so, I enjoyed my day. We started off at the Inari Shrine proper. Honestly, I thought the fox statues were a little intimidating; though in retrospect that might be intentional, showcasing how Inari is not a totally benevolent deity. We were lucky enough to see a shrine maiden dance for Inari on the outside stage of the shrine for some businessmen, though no photos were allowed. The Fushimi shrine is also one of the only Shinto shrines to display the object of worship, a bronze mirror.

Somehow I ended up incredibly lost on my way up Mount Fushimi, so I never quite made it to the summit. However, I thought that the shrine and expressions of faith along the way were beautiful, and I feel lucky to have seen what I got to. I really admire Inari worship as a syncretic religion, and overall my trip to the Fushimi Shrine was a wonderful experience.

Academic Reflection:

Inari is an amorphous deity worshipped across Japan. While Inari has a consistent domain, typically being portrayed as a deity overseeing a bountiful harvest and in modern times, business success, the deity itself has no consistent appearance and the specifics of its worship practices differs throughout the country based on a variety of factors. However, most agree that the worship of Inari began at the Inari Shrine at Fushimi Mountain. Today the shrine is well known for its extensive line of とりい gates, almost all of which were paid for by Japanese companies seeking Inari's favor.

Throughout the mountain were many side pathways with smaller shrines; I think all of them had miniature とりい gates and fox statues. The sheer variety of shrines I saw was reflective of the syncretic nature of Inari worship. There is no central text or authority. Inari is most often an individual appeal to the deity, and the Fushimi Shrine has evolved from a central shrine into a winding road of branches reflective of this.

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 18th - 新幹線 / Arrival in Kyoto

First night in Kyoto!

Freewriting:

Today was the day we left the new capital for the old - that is, we took the 新幹線 bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto. Unfortunately I far overestimated myself and in my pride assumed I would be able to carry a duffel with my backpack. My folly earned me two new bruises and blisters on my palms. Aruba, who I probably now owe a life debt to, took pity on my poor soul and let me put my duffel on her suitcase and roll the two together. Although this act of mercy was much appreciated, my duffel was larger than the top of her suitcase, which meant that we needed to constantly keep the suitcase tilted so my duffel wouldn't fall off. It still did a couple times, but by the time we got to Tokyo station I did not have the energy to care. As if punishing me for my hubris in not purchasing a rolling suitcase, the great and powerful managers of the staySakura hotel in Kyoto informed us that we wouldn't be able to check in until three (it was two when we arrived). Unwilling to drag that stupid bag anymore I just sat out front of the hotel for the next hour and asked my roommate to bring me a cheeseburger and fries from Mos Burger. Once we were finally permitted to enter the premises I dropped my duffel on the couch, claimed my transferred luggage, unpacked some, then got in the bath. As of now I am sitting in a real bed and marveling at the luxuries of modern hotel rooms while writing this blog post. Despite my self-inflicted complications today, I have finally made it Kyoto.

Academic Reflection:

Even at home I was aware of the famous 新幹線 locomotive. Honestly, I wasn't too surprised to learn about the negative consequences of the 新幹線; any big infrastructure changes will inevitably impact surrounding communities. I did think that the connection between the 新幹線 and population movements in Japan was of particular interest. The article noted that many young people who would have otherwise remained in more rural communities have moved to suburbs because work in the city became more accessible once a 新幹線 station was built close to them. This links with earlier information we learned about how it's mostly older people who remain in those rural communities. The 新幹線 continues to connect the country, and yet its focus on city centers inevitably leaves people behind.

While I can't say whether the 新幹線 has done more good or bad (socially or economically), I can repeat what others have said it about the 新幹線 being pretty cool. As a symbol of Japan's industry and incredible engineering, the 新幹線 is a fitting choice. I'm curious how the mag-train to come will continue to shape Japan.

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 17th - Independent Excursion: Kamakura / Shibuya

Freewriting:

Alex suggested to me that we go to Kamakura today, as since I didn't really have any plans, I agreed. Unfortunately when we woke up today it was raining quite heavily. Still, Alex, Will, Ahn and myself braved the storm in the hopes of being able to see the Great Buddha statue of Kamakura. We grabbed food at an udon noodle place by the subway station. I had some sort of tomato curry / three cheese melt. It was honestly delicious. After that we hopped on the JO line and went to Kamakura. It was still raining pretty heavily when we got there, and we were all a bit damp by the time we finally got to the statue. He was impressive, and Will commented that he almost seemed lifelike. The Buddha had mercy on us on our way back and it stopped raining quite so hard. After exploring Kamakura a bit, I headed to Shibuya, looking forward to finally having some time to check it out more thoroughly, especially since today will be our last full day in Tokyo.

I found a small cozy bar for dinner tonight. The employees were really nice and I was able to have a semi-coherant conversation with them in Japanese. I'm proud of myself for that! I'm really glad that was my experience for my last night in Tokyo.

Media Reflection:

Once I left Kamakura I headed for Shibuya. I hadn't been back since our first excursion there as a class and I wanted to see what else the city had to offer. Of particular interest to me was the Star Wars Cafe, as I had seen it earlier in the trip and hadn't had the chance to visit yet. Star Wars was doing a collaboration with Starbucks. The collaboration itself isn't too surprising, considering Star Wars' link with Japanese culture even from its inception.

George Lucas has stated that the original vision for Star Wars was a fairytale-like narrative; but even in Star Wars (later redubbed as A New Hope) the inspiration that Japanese history and culture had on Lucas' 'fairytale' was clear. Lucas took especially strong inspiration from さむらい. To list just a few obvious connections between the さむらい and Star Wars:

Darth Vader's armor takes obvious inspiration from さむらい armor, especially in the shoulders and helmet

Lightsaber duels are choreographed to be quite similar to Kendo duels

A New Hope closely follows Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress

The Jedi Code is

While the samurai certainly influenced Star Wars, I don't feel that Star Wars touched on any of the deeper aspects of さむらい culture. It's not necessarily a misrepresentation of the さむらい, as Star Wars doesn't set out to directly depict the samurai in a historically accurate manner. Basically, despite the visual influence of さむらい on the films, the Jedi are not functionally comparable to the さむらい warriors. They don't serve a だいみょ or swear fealty to anything but the Force, nor do they have land holdings, and no tea ceremonies have been depicted in the franchise as far as I'm aware. They're not really a political class, but moreso function as warrior monks.

On another note, I feel that in Japan franchise / business collaborations are more popular than in the states, or maybe that Japanese marketers tend to push collaborations more than their U.S. counterparts. I'm not sure if these kinds of collaborations are necessarily unique to Japan, but from my experience they definitely experience a lot of success here.

However, although the exhibit space for the collaboration was somewhat busy, it was nowhere near as crowded as other collaboration venues I'd seen on the street, such as those featuring anime characters (e.g. One Piece x Baskin Robins). I would have expected the Star Wars display to be busier than it was, or for there to at least be some sort of Star Wars-themed drink at the Starbucks, but that wasn't the case. I guess my takeaway is that while Star Wars does have links to Japanese culture, at its core it’s still a western property.

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 16th - TeamLab / Odaiba

Freewriting:

Odaiba was an interesting excursion. Today I wore a shirt I got in Italy, which says Italia, while in Odaiba (in Tokyo, Japan), in front of the imported Statue of Liberty from France. It definitely gave an impression of Western influence. The architecture looked a lot like what I see in Florida, and it was easy to forget I was in Japan. The TeamLabs interactive art exhibit was so cool; I had a lot of fun, especially in the water exhibit. Honestly it was kind of fun walking around barefoot, especially in the ‘soft black void’.

Seeing the life-size Gundam was amazing! Its existence in and of itself demonstrates the influence of media and pop culture has on Japan itself. Pop culture reflects the values of the population, so it’s notable that money was spent to build this statue in a district essentially designed to appeal to an international audience. I’m curious what the influence and popularity of the mecha genre says about the values of Japanese people.

Academic Reflection:

Once we got to Odaiba, it was quickly evident that something about its structure and appearance was different from the rest of Tokyo. From the train window, I could see high-rise offices and on the ground were many high-end malls. Walking through Odaiba, the streets were clean and wide. Because of the reading I was on the lookout for leisure spots, of which there were a lot. I saw the headquarters for Fuji TV, and a couple more office buildings, but I don’t think I saw any residential areas. According to the article, the workers of Odaiba have to live in homes close to the commercial district, but I didn’t see them - though that might be because we didn’t really go to the commercial distract.

Most of the time we spent was in the leisure district. I enjoyed the TeamLabs interactive art facility, but it’s definitely a leisure activity. Same thing with the Gundam / Gundam mall. All the leisure activities are spread out throughout Odaiba, but there’s not an equal balance between live, work and play. In the future I’d like to see whether the rest of Tokyo follows the regeneration pattern of Odaiba, and / or how it will preserve its own culture in a continually globalizing world.

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 15th - Hiking Mt. Takao

The hike down had some good views :)

Freewriting:

I think I pulled a muscle in my leg, but other than that I guess today wasn’t so bad. I’m not the biggest fan of hiking, but the weather was pleasant and the views were okay. Before the hike up I grabbed some lunch with Aruba. It was my first time trying soba (cold), and I kind of liked it. My lunch came with this weird white paste you’re supposed to mix with the noodles; but while the paste stuff wasn’t awful it had a really weird texture I couldn’t get behind. After that we got these triangular donuts; mine had custard and was totally delicious. Then it was time for the ascent. It’s surprising that the forests of Mt. Takao are so young. The summit was kind of cool, but the part I enjoyed the most was definitely the walk down. The path up the mountain was 😑 but the path down was 🙂👍. I thought it was interesting that the path split at one point into a ‘men’s path’ and ‘women’s path’. I took the women’s path and arrived before everyone 😋 though I feel the women’s path was probably more roundabout than the men’s (which was a bunch of stairs). Oh my god don’t even get me started on the stairs. It’s probably because Florida is so flat, but I find stairs really annoying, and I feel that in Japan they’re especially steep. I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t see any flying squirrels, but oh well. I did see some monkeys at the monkey park, so I guess that’s some consolation.

Academic Reflection:

I’ve never been a big fan of hiking. But while today was kind of strenuous, overall I enjoyed the trail and had a decent time. It’s kind of hard to believe the forests on Mt. Takao are still relatively young, having been planted only a couple hundred years ago. Land management has never been something that particularly interested me, but the reading helped me gain an appreciation for just how important conservation is; that goes for conservation for the sake of aesthetic appeal, conversation for the sake of livelihood, and even conservation for the sake of economic stability. We have national parks in the United States, but I definitely feel that people are out of touch with the environment and why environmentalism matters. It frequently gets reduced to just a political issue (or efforts to protect the environment are stopped by lobbyists in Congress) when in truth land and forestry conservation is important to nearly every aspect of daily life and worldwide operations. Japan seems to have a good understanding of the necessary relationship between forest conversation and sustainable growth for its people; I only wish the US would start taking steps to follow its example.

[lets-go-to-japan]

May 14th - Imperial Palace Gardens / やすくに Shrine

Freewriting:

My laundry finally dried this morning after the hotel dryer revealed itself nonfunctional, so my day started on a decent note. We started off the itinerary at the Imperial Palace Gardens - essentially what remained of Edo Castle after it burned down. There were so many slopes in the Imperial garden, but I guess that's to be expected from a castle / defensive fortress. The stone fortifications were some of the only things not to burn down the fire. It's impressive that they're still standing today. The (east) garden itself was beautiful, with a few ponds, lots of plants, and even a small waterfall. I thought about how at one time the emperor's child(ren) probably used to play in it. I think one of the most admirable parts of the garden were the different trees taken from each prefecture in Japan. Having them all in the imperial garden acts as a sign of unity among the people.

After that we went to Yasukuni shrine, which I talk about more in the academic section. It's a difficult problem to reconcile, especially when you recognize that it's not just widely identified if abstract controversies of the shrine, but also the more personal issue of someone deciding which people should have a say in the matter.

Once I finished at the gardens and the shrine, I went with Aruba to Nakano (or more specifically, Nakano Broadway). I still couldn't find the figure I was looking for, but I had a lot of fun anyway! Also, I got some ice cream, and Aruba got a crepe. I wonder why soft serve ice cream and crepes caught on in Japan so much?

Academic Reflection:

Yasukuni Shrine is a place of cultural importance to the Japanese, where the war dead are mourned - including war criminals. As the reading discussed, Yasukuni is by its nature linked strongly to the State Shinto of pre-WWII Japan. Many factors play into the controversy surrounding the shrine, but the link between church and state is one of the most prominent ones, at least when it comes to issues Japan itself is concerned about. Visiting the shrine today, I watched people come and pay their respects, but at the same time it felt as if the entire construct was built not just for mourning but in order to honor the deaths of those soldiers. Because of that, and because for many years the Japanese prime minister visited the shrine in an official capacity, I can see why China and Korea might be rubbed the wrong way. I think one of the larger issues that the shrine represents is Japan's attempt to in a way sweep the bad parts of its history under the rug, rather than owning up to the acts committed by its government during its imperialist period in a meaningful capacity. In my opinion, Japan should have the right to mourn its fallen, but it should also acknowledge that those soldiers were acting under orders that ruined or ended the lives of many people.