Kendo

I went to watch Kansai Gaidai's Kendo Club practice a few times this semester. The club members were welcoming to me. Sometimes after practice, another foreign student would show me the basic movements for about an hour. My arms would be sore the following day, so I have lots of respect for the members because they can endure it.

Club dedication is very serious and expected of every member. They show their dedication by being there for practice and staying after to do laundry. Sempai and Kouhai are also use within the Kendo Club to show respect towards their seniors.

For a brief history about Kendo, please visit the site below.
http://www.kendo-fik.org/english-page/english-page2/brief-history-of-kendo.htm

Ceramics

I took Ceramics this semester at Kansai Gaidai University. I expected the course to be a easy A, but it turned out to be more challenging It was very tedious to make a pot perfectly. Using the spinning stool was my hardest challenge. I had problems with centering my cay to make the pot. After the pot was made, I had a problem centering the pot to trim the bottom. My hands had to be in the right spot at the right angle in order to trim correctly. It was a rewarding experience for my first time in a college art course.

Please visit the site belowe for more information.
http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/japan-times-index.html

When I hear Geisha, I automatically think of Japan. There are two kinds of Geishas; Geiko, who are mature geishas and Maiko, are apprentices. Maiko are in training to become a full Geiko. It is easy to indentify which is which because of their attires. Geiko wears less head accessories and less flashy, bright kimonos.
Recently I went to Arashiyama with my friend to get transformed into a Maiko. The experience was enjoyable. As we both toured the town, many tourists asked for pictures and show admiration in our attires.

More information
http://www.whatever.net.au/~amaya/geisha/

Kansai Gaidai’s School festival

Our school festival is one of the biggest festivals throughout the school year. Many students and parents came to celebrate it with Kansai Gaidai. All the clubs and circle made signs and posters to attract students and parents to their booth or show. There were many different kinds of ethnic foods and things from around the world.
At the festival, I ate until my stomach was going to explode. Then, I went to watch the choir circle perform. It was unfortunate that I couldn’t understand the lyrics but the music was still captivating. I also joined other students at Sowelu’s concert. She was remarkable. The audience stood most of the time and did whatever she told us to do.

China Town in Kobe

Chinatown is an important part of Japan. Most of Japanese kanji were adopted from China. China also has influences on their arts.
The second largest Chinatown in Japan is located in Kobe, which is where the pictures above were taken. Chinatown is right by the shopping streets of Sanomiya, which is very convenient for tourists and shoppers. The town is a few blocks long and very crowded. The town is filled with food, clothing, and soverneir stalls.


(Article on China Town after an earthquake in Kobe)
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0DF153AF932A25751C0A963958260

Todaiji Temple

Todaiji temple is located in Nara. Inside Todaiji, we find a huge buddha statue of Vairocana Buddha (The Great Buddha). Also, outside of Nara, we find lots of deer waiting to be fed by the tourists.

I joined a class on a field trip to Todaiji. First, Sensei had us examine the front gate. The doors of the front gate were taken out. But the question was, why have doors when there were no walls around to keep the place closed? Second we went inside Todaiji temple and explore the wonders inside. Vairocana Buddha seemed as if it someone was to move it, the whole temple would cave in.

I ended the field trip with feeding the deer. Their behavior was amazing. They cross the streets when the time is right, and they even bowed when I held up the cookie to feed them.

(Please visit the sites below for more information.)

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ANCJAPAN/NARABUDD.HTM
http://www.jal.com/world/en/guidetojapan/world_heritage/nara/see/

Blog Essay 2

I believe that kids are allowed to wander freely in Japan because of their parent’s trust in their neighbors. Also, the fellow blogger that you had mentioned spent his day with a young boy he had just met. This creates trust in one’s communities. Also, the article was revealing its pros and cons of taking kids to a sterilized playground. I believe that kids need to be exposed to “fresh air” to be “immune” to future diseases.

In the first picture, you mentioned in your text that the turtle would have been stepped on if the owner was not there. I don’t know if the owner was angry that the kids played with the turtle or not, since I cannot see his facial expression. But I do believe that the kids will not step on the turtle because one kid is petting him and the other kids are watching the turtle. It doesn’t seem they have an evil intent to their actions.

Also, in the picture below, a little girl is allowed to go near a deer. I have seen these deer in Nara, in front of Todaiji temple. They are not scary but hungry. These deer would follow anyone with food. When they want food from you they stand still and bow then raise their head hoping to receive food. But the deer doesn’t seem to be hurting this child since the child is facing the deer with her hands moving and the deer is just standing still. If a deer is not afraid of a child, and a child is not afraid of a deer, then both creatures will be safe from each other. It is fear that triggers us to act irrationally. And in these two photos, they seem to be amazed at the sight of animals, not fear.

http://visual-gaijin.livejournal.com/