Weekly Reflection #4
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.
Wednesday was my big interview with Mr. Watanabe of the Japan Package Design Association. With the help of Miki, Mr. Watanabe told us about the process of package design as well as their association’s packaging competition. This was my first formal interview and I learned so much from the process. In preparation I had drafted questions to ask Mr. Watanabe. I was never able to ask all of the questions because Mr. Watanabe was excited to tell me and Miki the details of his association and the process of packaging in general. Even though I didn’t get to ask all my questions I learned so much and I’m glad I was able to talk to him candidly about packaging. I learned a lot about his organization and the criteria they use to decide the best packaging of the event. I was surprised that he mentioned beauty as the key characteristic of the winning package. I was surprised because, beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder. Although I did not have enough time to get Mr. Watanabe’s official definition of beauty, it is clear to me that he views beauty as something that can be agreed-upon and as something that is distinct. After my interview with Mr. Watanabe, I briefly visited the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo here I breezed through eye catching modern art pieces and a beautiful exhibit on Takahata Isao, the famous Japanese animator. Thursday was our big presentation and I was delighted to hear about my peer’s research projects. I learned so much and it was fascinating to hear about the diverse projects my peers have been working on throughout the trip. To end on a literal high note, we went out to karaoke Thursday night and got back to the dorm as the Friday sun was rising.








