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/

Toji Temple Market

Toji is a Buddhist temple in Kyoto. Inside Toji temple you will find “Yakushi Nyorai, the healing Buddha”. The pagoda at Toji is also “the tallest wooden tower in Japan”. “On the 21st of every month, a market is held at Toji temple in honor of Kōbō Daishi who died on the 21st of March”. Many people set up tents in front of the temple to sell antiques and food.

The products are sold for a decent price. I bought a sake set for ten dollars. The set was in great condition. The following month, I went back with my friends for a second visit to see if we could get another deal on more pots, which we did. She bought a set of four plates for three dollars. Toji Market is a great place to buy sovernirs for a decent price.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8D-ji

Danjiri Matsuri

The Danjiri Matsuri started 400 years ago as a festival to pray to God for a good harvest. Many still believe that a God resides inside Danjiri. Danjiri is a wooden cart shaped like a shrine. Inside Danjiri, men are playing the flute and drums. Danjiri is carried by many men and children while yelling kakegoe (heave-ho!). The youngest will be farthest from Danjiri and the oldest nearest. The festival is celebrated by many towns so each town wears a different happi coat and headband to distinguish itself.
Danjiri is carried slowly throughout a town until they reach a turn. The turn is the most difficult task to perform while carrying Danjiri. Everyone has to cooperate and run as fast as they can in order to turn Danjiri properly. If Danjiri were to fall or hit something; the men inside and outside can be seriously injured. Despite the casualties, the participating towns love celebrating Danjiri. Many come out to cheer for their towns and loved ones who are carrying Danjiri.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danjiri_Matsuri
http://www.op97.k12.il.us/cyberteen/2003/fall/danjirifes/begin.html

Blog Essay 1

Japanese Sign Language is Visual Anthropology, too…

This posting was very informative about how culture is implemented in body language. This is the first time I’ve heard that Japanese sign language has keigo, too. I suppose honoring the elder is part of culture; therefore, whatever language you speak, you must still honor the elders.

The author also did a great job at showing us how genki both the guest and students were at learning Japanese Sign Language with the photos. I liked how the author added the example of “older brother” in the post. It definitely gave me an idea of how sign languages vary from country to country. They don’t just vary with the countries; they also vary within the country. The author mentioned that Japanese Sign Language varied from four different cities within Japan.

The flow of this post is smooth and understandable. He started off by telling us how the study group formed and his role in it. The he ended the post with his hope for his students and the future of sign language by hoping that they’ve learned something about sign language in the study group. In other words, this study group started for the students and ended in hopes that the student can better the world.


http://visualanthropologyofjapan.blogspot.com/2006/12/japanese-sign-language-is-visual.html

Shosei-en Garden

The Shosei-en Garden belongs to Higashi Honganji temple. The garden is also known as Kikoku-tei (Orange Grove) because of the orange trees planted there. The pond in this garden was made by Prince Minamoto no Toru. He wanted the pond to resemble Shiogama seacoast of Oku province and filled the pond with seawater from Namba.
The garden site was given th HIgashi Honganji from the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1641. In 1643, Ishikawa Jozan created the garden, which was destroyed in a fire in 1858 and 1864. The garden was rebuilt in 1865 to its orignal condition. Today, the garden is designated as a National Historic Site.

*Information on Shosei-en Garden was cited from a pamphlet given at the garden.

Amida Hall

Amida Hall is built to honor the beginning of Buddhism. Prince Shotoku's portrait hangs on the right side inside the temple so everyone can honor him for being the "'father' of Japanese Buddhism".
Buddhism originated from Indian to China and transcended to Japan. "Today, about 90 million Japanese consider themselves Buddhism. Though the Buddhism doesn't affect your daily life, it can still be practice during funerals or display in house home altars."

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2055.html

Osaka Castle

Japanese culture is older than Osaka Castle; however, the culture grew and developed alongside Osaka Castle starting in 1496. During the time of the Osaka Castle, there were two leaders, Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Tokugawa Shogun. During each leader’s rule, the culture was changed according to each leader’s liking. After the period of their rule, the people rejected and accepted different aspects of culture from each period, just like the castle. The castle was fixed with new materials, but you can still find the original stones in which it was built outside Osaka Castle.


http://www.tracyanddale.50megs.com/Japan/html%20files/osakac.html

Welcome!

I took a picture of a Welcome sign that was in front a friend’s host family’s door. These door signs are seen in the US as well. But like our reading this week, people may have a welcome sign up but are outsiders really welcome? Visitors that are invited by the host family are always welcome whether the invitation is sincere or not, but what about the ones that just show up at the doorsteps? Are they welcome inside the house? Will they be treated well because they are visitors or will they be ignored? Most of the time if the visitor isn’t invited before hand, the host family will most likely be annoyed but will treat their visitor with proper etiquettes by offering drinks.