Adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun.

As I reflect back on my study abroad experience, I cannot help but feel so grateful for the experiences I’ve had and meeting the amazing people that have changed me for the better. I have learned about a country that has captivated my imagination and ironically, learning about Japan has deeply informed the way I view America.

Once we arrived in Tokyo after a weekend of exploration, I could feel the sadness creep in as we counted down the days. On Monday we told our peers about our eventful free days with an activity that blended our weekend narratives. As an end cap to our first day back in Tokyo, Andrew, Josh, Andrea, and I went out to get ramen. We slurped through bowls of salty ramen broth, and shared what we would consider a “perfect” day. While we did this, I realized just how much I had missed these amazing people. Tuesday was our trip to the team lab art installation. I had been looking forward to this excursion since the moment I saw it on our itinerary. As we walked into the exhibit, I could barely hide my excitement. Vivid images of butterflies, flora, and fauna danced around the dark room. I felt like a kid as I ran my hand across the thick black soft walls and attempted to catch one of the holographic butterflies. I kept walking and found myself in a room filled with powerful spotlights. My jaw unhinged as the lights gave a spectacular show bouncing around the mirrored room. I continued to explore the instillation and I found several other amazing rooms, each with a distinct aesthetic. My favorite room from the exhibit was a circular room with projections of beautiful Hokusai style waves. Kitty, Andrea, and I sat on the voluptuous beanbags gathered at the center of the room. We watched as the waves rolled over each other. I became hypnotized by the seemingly real waves that surrounded me. This room so beautifully synthesized the ideas of a Japanese aesthetic with modern technology.  I was both disappointed and delighted that the installations were challenging to photograph. Disappointed because I could not capture the depth and brilliance of the exhibit, however delighted because I realized, often the feelings that are the most enriching should be hard to capture.

After visiting the TeamLab exhibit, I took a quick trip to The Museum of Packaging Culture, this was a great experience that informed my personal research topic about Japanese packaging. The museum was just a large room. The walls were white and on the left side they were panels of text and information about the packaging industry. In the center of the room there were three larger than life bottles. One was a soda can, the other was modeled after a glass milk jug, and the last was in the shape of a classic plastic bottle. I picked up a pamphlet that translated the exhibit into English and began walking through the small museum. The museum walked through a packaging timeline that started at the beginning of preservation and ended at the movement for sustainable packaging. I was excited to see a museum dedicated to packaging, however, little was mentioned about the cultural practices surrounding packaging. Nevertheless, I learned a lot about the industrial process of packaging. This aided my project by helping me dive into an aspect of packaging I had been hesitant to look into. Little did I know how much the production of packaging dictates the limits of our every day packaging.

I have always loved interactive exhibits and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science was a family favorite. I vividly remember the human body exhibit and the space exhibit, and those were both the most interactive. As a kinesthetic learner, I have always enjoyed a hands on approach to learning and I think it should be more utilized in the classroom and any learning environment.

Museums were a big part of my childhood, however art museums were the minority, so I was interested in how an art exhibit could be “interactive”. A science museum lends itself to many more avenues of interaction and based on my experience, art museums were much more static. From my basic research online, I was curious if the pictures really did the exhibit justice. However, after seeing many instagram posts about the TeamLab exhibit, I was excited for our trip.

An early morning, a lost suica card, and a bullet train.

Monday was a packed day. I had been anxiously waiting for the adventures that we had  planned for today. After getting onto the bullet train we arrived at Nagoya station, here we watched a sumo tournament. I have been so excited for this excursion and excitement only increased as we entered the arena. With big eyes I watched two masses collide on the centerstage. I was surprised at how quickly each round passed. It seemed as if they took a longer time to prep then in actual combat. Nevertheless, I enjoyed their showmanship and was excited to experience a sumo tournament in real life. I have read articles about the wrestlers diet and watch videos on how the train, so this was a real treat for me to experience a true sumo tournament. After our brief trip to Nagoya, we boarded the bullet train again and headed to Hiroshima. After we settled down in the hotel, Cassie, Andrew, Abby, Josh, and I searched for an Okonomiyaki restaurant. After some navigational help, we found a perfect, small, authentic Okonomiyaki location. After dinner, we promptly went to back to the hotel and fell asleep on the fluffy beds, counting Okonomiakis in our sleep.

A moving museum, a paper crane, and the most perfect beach.

Tuesday was another busy day. Looking back it almost feels like two. Although it’s hard to put in words my experience at The Hiroshima Memorial Museum, my most poignant memory is reading the stories of the struggles people experienced during and after the A-bomb while tears blurred my vision. Before that I couldn’t remember the last time I cried. The juxtaposition of the school children swarming through the exhibition and heartbreaking stories of the children that suffered tugged at my heart strings. I couldn’t help but feel furious that Life was treated with so much disrespect.  However, when we visited the Orizuru tower I was greeted with a sense of peace and closure. Making paper cranes was incredibly healing and sparked a lost memory of me making paper cranes for one of my friends who was sick and in the hospital. The rest of the day was spent at Miyajima. Once we arrived at the popular island off the coast of Hiroshima, we were greeted by deer and then had time to wander and enjoy this beautiful island. It was refreshing to be a part of nature and after dinner some friends and I sat at the beach and watch as the waves rolled onto the sand. I took off my shoes and ran towards the wet sand. The cold water kissed my feet and I looked out to the horizon. The sun was setting and just above the mountains the sky was a beautiful golden color. This was a perfect ending to an emotionally draining day. I sat with my friends and took in the amazing view.

I tried to look at the sunset for as long as possible hoping it would burn into my eyes and I would never forget what it looked like.

A castle, some temples, and so much rain.

Wednesday we left Hiroshima and arrived at Himeji castle. This beautiful white castle stood tall on top of the mountain and I wondered how we could possibly get to the top. Fortunately we made it to the apex and my imagination took flight thinking about this castle in its prime. With some friends, we enjoyed the sweeping views from the top of the castle and imagined what life would be like as a lady in waiting.

I really enjoyed the article by Markus Oedewald. He really did a great job of challenging the notion that tradition was the exact opposite of modern. He also defined tradition, which at first seemed totally intangible, but through the article Oedewald explained the way a tradition is generated and the criteria it must posses. In terms of how tradition shapes national identity, tradition is emphasized in “discourses and in narratives.” Modern media can take traditions and convolute them into a sort of us vs. them mentality. This is especially the case with Japan, Japan has an entire industry dedicated to speciality “traditional” goods. We have seen these in airports, train stations and any tourist location available. However, these items that sell “tradition” are not necessarily traditional. Oedewald talks about this as “Invented tradition”; this is when the idea or perception of traditional trumps anything that is actually traditional. To connect this with my research, in an article titled “Too Pretty to Throw Away”, the author talks about the saturation of nostalgia packaging in the modern market. Nostalgia marketing targets the feeling of tradition rather than actual tradition.

When visiting Himeji castle, I thought it was interesting how transparent they were in the reconstruction process. Seemingly contrary to the idea that tradition is authentic, there were videos that detailed the laborious process of reconstruction. The castle even had plaques with more information. At first it seemed to decrease the authenticity of the castle, that most of it was built in the 21st century. But once I had gone through all the exhibits it was clear that great care was taken to preserve anything that was left, but some things were beyond repair. The article about Kyoto’s Glocal identity also had some answers for me and mentioned the emphasis on renovation rather than replacement. Kyoto does not sacrifice tradition for modernity and that has helped them to make a name for themselves as the cultural center for Japan.

Today the rain is persistent. The sky is a permanent light gray. The skyline disappears into the clouds and the tall buildings melt into the solid background. It looks like a movie. While walking outside my canvas shoes are no match for the puddles. I can feel the rain seeping into my shoes. Little kids with small brightly colored umbrellas pass by me. Their moms call after them as they jump into a puddle. The festival I am attending is almost done and most of the vendors are putting away their tents. I watch the end of a dragon performance in the middle of the street. The younger kids stare with big eyes at the peculiar monster and the older ones squeal when the dragon comes closer to munch on the money they hold out. The dragon then reaches for the money and gobbles it up. Adults also take part in this dragon dance. One older gentleman seems to receive a blessing from the small dragon. I couldn’t help but smile during this adorable exchange. Once the performance is over, I walk back to the metro station. With my shoes already soaking I don’t even bother avoiding the puddles. Today has been a nice compliment to yesterday’s incredibly busy day. A lazy Sunday.

While walking through the festival near the Yoyogi-Koen station, I was strongly reminded of the Yasukuni- Shrine and my experience there. Perhaps it was the same drizzly gray weather that took me back to Thursday when we visited the shrine. Or perhaps it was the similar feeling of national identity but this time it was generated from an entirely different source. Either way, I was thinking about this controversial shrine as I walked through the festival. I thought about the ways national identity are portrayed. Waking through the Yasukuni-Shrine and the adjacent Yushukan museum, conjured feelings of sadness, confusion, and anger. I was happy to get a hearty bowl of ramen with my friends after the emotionally heavy day. Although I would not say the excursion was particularly fun, I believe that it was necessary and important to visit the shrine that is at the confluence of national pride and heartache. This is a critical location for national identity and tells a greater story of how the Japanese long to be remembered. In contrast, I had a much better experience at the festival. I felt a strong sense of national pride, however this was incredibly different than the feeling I got when at the shrine. I loved being around the happy people and the bright colors of the festival. I walked with my friends and tried food from the tempting booths that lined the streets. We saw everyone from little kids to the elderly tie brightly colored paper onto the trees that lined the streets. We also watched performances from the local dance troop. Seeing all the traditional foods and activities was a great way to learn more about the beautiful culture of Japan.

One of the highlights for the week was going to Shibuya. We went to Shibuya 109 and swooned over the adorable clothes and accessories. I loved melting into the crowd at the famous Shibuya crossing and then watching the madness from above at the Starbucks. Shibuya has such a vibrant nightlife and I spent many nights wandering around the busy streets. I had my first experience in the arcades and spent some serious coinage trying to snatch up a cute stuffed fish. I also loved spending too much time in the Don Quixote. I geeked out over the rows and rows of packaging. Although not every type of packing is pertinent to my research project I have a new affinity for the beauty of everyday packaging. I was overwhelmed but incredibly delighted by the vivid colors that covered the store. By Friday, I could walk around Shibuya with some notion of direction and did not feel tethered to my phone.