Many Meetings

The Japanese students returned to campus a few weeks ago, the first time they have been on campus all semester.  They have a long winter break, which is similar to summer vacation in the U.S.  Anyway, the campus is now extremely packed.  I guess I got used to deserted hallways and no line at McDonald’s (it now runs out the door)!

This is actually a very good thing to happen, as it results in me getting to know many more Japanese students.  They often just come up to me while I am reading/doing homework/sitting/sleeping and ask to talk.  They are very polite, often shy, but very excited to practice English.  I have made MANY new friends over the past few weeks, my Facebook has received the greatest adrenaline shot ever with numerous friend requests.

There are also many organized opportunities to speak and meet with Japanese students.  I have gone to two “Language Cafes” where foreign students meet with Japanese, and today I attended a Japanese classroom, helping students with English.  Overall, I have a very good time talking with them and I am glad to have them finally on campus.

A Day at the Beach

Long time between posts, I know.  I have been very busy and I still am, but this was long overdue.

The second half of my Spring Break had me visiting beautiful Okinawa.  Because the first thing I used to think of when I heard Okinawa was kamikazes, I think a little Okinawan history would help a lot.

Okinawa was originally the centerpiece of the Ryukyu kingdom, which had much success trading with Korea, Japan, and China.  However, as time went on, the Ryukyu kingdom became sort of tributaries of both China and Japan.  While China was content to leave the Ryukan islands alone for the most part, Japan continued to restrict the islands.  Eventually in 1872, Japan took over Okinawa, ending the Ryukyu kingdom.

Okinawa had a hard time with Japan.  The Japanese wanted Okinawa to be more like Japan, while the Okinawans wanted to preserve their old customs.  However, after Japan became very successful in several wars, the Okinawans desired to become more Japanese.  Unfortunately, the Japanese never regarded the Okinawans as Japanese anyway, and the Okinawans were seen as inferior and somehow separate from the “real” Japan.

This came to a climax in the WW2 Battle of Okinawa.  The island was left with a skeleton force to defend it, with the Japanese officials already anticipating Japan’s defeat in the battle and already preparing for the Americans’ inevitable (so they thought) invasion of the main island of Kyushu.  The goal of the military on Okinawa was to endure the Americans and hold off defeat for as long as possible.  The battle ended up having the greatest number of of civilian deaths in the war, as civilians were often included–willingly or not–in the fighting.

In the end, Okinawa went to the U.S., who had it for twenty years before giving it back to Japan.  Okinawa still has about 70% of all Japan’s American military bases, and they take up about 20% of the island’s area.

So, Okinawa has been taken in many different directions over the years.  The U.S. influence can be seen in many places.  The military bases aren’t hard to find and the island even has A&W restaurants while the rest of Japan does not.  But Okinawa’s Ryukan roots can be seen as well.  I visited Shurijo Castle, the former castle of the Ryukan kingdom, as well as the Cultural Museum, which went into detail about Okinawa’s history.

I did not see any resentment towards Americans.  Some people told me that the Okinawans have a lesser opinion of Americans due to the great number of bases in the area.  From what I saw, they were just as nice and willing to help as all other Japanese.

In the end, I went to the beach.  I happened to find an incredible tidal area filled with coral, which was amazing to swim in.  Overall, I ended up loving Okinawa and only wish I had had more time to spend there.

 

 

Nago, Okinawa!

City of Blinding Lights

Tokyo is what I expected most of Japan to be like–a gigantic, thriving metropolis.  Osaka failed to meet my expectations, as it is unfortunately 86 square miles and 18 million people of nothing interesting except Universal Studios.  Kyoto–while always interesting to visit–just never seems like a big city, maybe due to its strict zoning laws banning tall buildings.

Tokyo met every expectation I had of it.

The biggest city in the world, Tokyo is gigantic.  35 million people live in the Tokyo metro area, and you can tell.  People are everywhere, making Osaka look like a baby in comparison.  The train system–both subway and above-ground–I believe sets a record for being the most extensive  in the world.

Speaking of trains, I finally had a “crushing” experience on one of them!  I’m not sure if any of you have seen the photos of train officials pushing people into a packed train, but those people exist!  I got on the train only to be pushed (and pushed and pushed) into some guy who was himself smashed against a wall.  I tried to move my feet but couldn’t.  Luckily, I was so crammed in there that I couldn’t possibly fall over if I tried!  The instant a seat opened up I took it, but standing up was certainly…an experience.

Japan has this incredible thing called a capsule hotel.  They are like little cells in the wall that have a mattress and a TV.  The TV is extra money, so the bed is it.  The capsules are stacked two levels up, and line most of the walls.  Curtains cover the opening when you are sleeping.  Overall, it is a very cheap and surprisingly comfortable place to sleep.

Tokyo is a bit lacking in historical or religious places.  The Meiji Jinju Shrine and the Sensoji Temple are the only two really major temples in the city, although both are excellent.  The Imperial Palace was surrounded by beautiful cherry blossom trees, making the area even more beautiful than usual.  The Imperial Palace East Gardens and the Shinjuku Gyoen are both incredibly beautiful gardens.  Tokyo also has the largest fish market in the world–the Tsukiji Fish Market.  I visited all of these places and more.

In terms of amusement parks, Tokyo DisneySea is the most immersive, well-themed park I’ve been to and the rides were excellent.  Tokyo also has the world’s only looping, launched spinning coaster–which was amazingly disorienting.

Shinjuku and Ginza light up at night, hence the title this post.  It’s really incredible with all the lit-up billboards and neon signs.  I want to go back already.

Faster

On February 8th I wrote that I would comment on the Japanese bullet trains once I got a chance to ride one.  So, finally, here is my report.  I got to ride the Shinkansen from Osaka to Hiroshima.  The journey took about 1 hour 45 minutes to cover roughly 150 miles.  It was not the very fastest Shinkansen, it was a Hikari rather than a Nozomi, so it had more stops, but the top speed was the same at about 180 mph at points.

Overall, I was very pleased with the ride.  Despite moving incredibly fast, it really did not seem too fast as it was so smooth.  I almost wish it was an open-air train because that would be exhilarating!  But maybe too much of my rollercoaster obsession is shining through.  The train went through countless mountain tunnels and had some cool views of the mountains and occasionally the coast.  It was certainly an experience and was much more convenient than waiting in an airport for a plane or taking a bus.

The Unforgettable Fire, Part II

So, in case you haven’t noticed (and most probably haven’t), the last five titles of my entries have been song titles.  I find it interesting to find a song title that I like and wrap the title around some subject that I can relate to.  ”The Unforgettable Fire” is a little different, however, as this title comes from the source.  ”The Unforgettable Fire” is the name of U2′s 1984 album and the album’s second single.  But it goes back farther than that.  On U2′s 1983 tour the band visited Chicago and one of the city’s art museums had an exhibit on the atomic bomb.  One painting depicted a skinless person walking among piles of dead bodies.  It was called The Unforgettable Fire.

     And let me tell you, Hiroshima does not allow anyone to forget the fire.  The Hiroshima Peace Museum is a large museum that does not hold back at all on horrific imagery.  In it, visitors can look at pictures of burn victims, models of the 90% destroyed city center, and life-size mannequins with burned skin falling off their arms.  It’s a quite harrowing and solemn experience. The overall point of the museum is much like that of Osaka’s Peace Museum, as about 1/3 of the exhibits call for nuclear disarmament, but the content of the museum is, of course, much more extreme.  We had a Japanese woman who survived the bomb as a speaker, and you could tell that she was very emotional about her story.  While the English translation was a little rough, I am glad I had the opportunity to listen to her.  The accompanying Hiroshima Peace Park is a beautiful area that includes many monuments–including a children’s memorial–and an eternal flame.  Not far off is the famous atomic bomb dome, which formally served as an administrative building and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

     Hiroshima goes further, however, by having monuments scattered all over the city as well as dead trees with little labels on them stating, “Atomic Bombed Tree.”  I hate to be slightly critical here, but the city seems to lay on the “We were bombed” status just a little too thick.  The event of course needs to be remembered, but it’s hard to walk anywhere without a reminder.

     I think this is sad because Hiroshima is a city that can stand easily today on its own.  Hiroshima Castle offered great views of the city and had extensive grounds with foundations of old buildings as well as fully-bloomed plum blossom trees.  The nearby Shukkei-en Garden was picturesque, with multiple bridges, waterfalls, and flowers.  The city has many rivers, and all have easily accessible walkways to walk along, and the downtown was a lot of fun.  The oceanfront offers views of the Seto Inland Sea, and nearby is the island of Miyajima, which had some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen.  I felt that the stigma of being an atomically-bombed city was holding Hiroshima back, as the city has so much else to offer.  It’s one thing to not forget, but it’s another to push the issue into view at every opportunity, and Hiroshima doesn’t need to use a crutch.  Therefore, while I will always remember Hiroshima’s Peace Park and Museum, they will not be the things I remember the most about Hiroshima.

House Special

Kobe is famous for Kobe beef!  Kobe beef is available in the U.S. for often wildly expensive prices, and it’s just as expensive in Japan.  BUT IT’S WORTH IT!  Kobe beef is from cows that were treated very well, even massaged.  The result is an extremely tender piece of meat that can even be cut with chopsticks!  It was an excellent meal and it was well worth trying the famous meal at its home.

I could be a beef enthusiast…

The Unforgettable Fire, Part I

On Thursday I decided to check on the status of my local amusement park for the third time.  So I hopped on a train for two stops and got off to see it was closed.  Yet for some reason open on Wednesdays, so maybe one day I’ll get around to translating the website.  Armed with unfilled time, I decided to go to Osaka and visit the harbor.  I thought that there might be something fun to do there and I wanted to make sure that the ocean wasn’t a myth.  I impressed myself with my subway map reading skills and got off at the right spot.  In the area was the world’s fifth-largest Ferris Wheel, the Tempozan Giant Wheel.  I had to get on SOME form of amusement ride so I paid and got on.  I took some great pictures of the harbor and the views were incredible.  I explored a little more, and then I went home.

The following Saturday, my trip to Osaka was different.  I went with a friend to the Osaka Aquarium, followed by Osaka Castle (which also had great views).  But our primary destination was the Osaka Peace Museum.  The museum focuses partly on the firebombing of Japanese cities, mainly Osaka, Kobe, and Tokyo, but of course the atomic bombs are also mentioned.  However, the general point of the museum is to expose the horrors of war in an effort to avoid war in the future.  Something I found interesting was that the museum does not try to hide Japan’s aggression in the war.  They say quite plainly that Japan was the cause of the conflict–starting with their war with China–and not the effect.  I’ve heard that some Japanese textbooks gloss over Japan’s war crimes, so I found it good that the museum spoke the truth.  The museum was quite interesting and featured replicas of some of the bombs dropped, and well as models of sections of the burned-out city.  They even had an exhibit on the German death camps, also for the purpose of exposing the aggressors of World War II.  An animated film was also shown, which quickly turned very graphic and focused on a family in Osaka during the firebombing.  The museum ended up being an interesting but bleak experience (much like this blog article), and I was very glad that I went.

Up in Flames

Reading through my Japanese guidebook, I noticed that fires and other natural disasters seem to have plagued various historical sites.  For instance, Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), in Kyoto was burned in 1950 by a disturbed monk.  The current structure was built in 1955, and I find it interesting that such a well-known Japanese structure is actually in fact relatively new.

More recently, I had the opportunity to visit Nara–an old city that was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784.  Nara is famous for many things, however possibly the most interesting are the (mostly) domesticated deer that wander freely around Nara Park.  I say “mostly” domesticated as they will stop at seemingly nothing to get food once they see that you have it.  Deer food is available to buy and after getting it in my hand I was immediately crowded, chomped at, and nearly mowed over.  Still, the deer’s presence adds variety to a normal walk in the park, and it’s fun to watch car drivers navigate around them.

Nara has experienced disasters of its own.  Kofukuji Temple, with its five-story pagoda, has burned down five times.  The current one dates from 1426, while the original dated from 730.  Another major attraction in Nara is Daibutsu–the Great Buddha.  This statue is the second-largest bronze Buddha in Japan and is housed in the Daibutsuden–the largest wooden structure in the entire world.  In 855, the statue lost its head due to an earthquake.  It was rebuilt only to be melted in a fire that broke out in the building.  The current head is from 1692.

The point of this mini history lesson is that the constant threat of natural disasters is something that greatly affects Japan.  Structures (and rollercoasters) built today in Japan are made to withstand earthquakes of powerful magnitudes, but the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster combo of March 2011 was only the most recent example of the horrors that can occur in this small island nation.  The rebuilt temples and statues also serve as reminders of nature’s violent past in Japan.

But no matter what happens, hopefully Nara will always have its deer.

Taken at Dotonburi in Osaka.