Say What? (Gray)

For this blog post I was asked to learn a bit of the local dialect and then talk about it, so I went about trying to learn at least a little bit of Akita-ben, the accent native to the prefecture. I don’t have friends who are from Akita, so I had to go outside native speakers to learn. This led me to the internet and our school’s library. There is not a comprehensive dictionary of Akita dialect, as even within the region it can vary, but there are plenty of examples and even a small flashcard booklet I saw in a souvenir shop at the Akita Airport that compares “standard” Japanese phrases and their Akita-ben counterparts.

The first buttons I saw in the airport. 

The dialect is notoriously impenetrable, though through the use of one to one comparisons to phrases I already knew, it became easier to simply switch words out. Some of the nuances of the specific vowel pronunciations that are different from the Japanese I was taught are still unfamiliar to me, but I think that listening to native accent speakers could help me become more accustomed to it.

Another interesting thing I found at the airport’s souvenir shop was a variety of buttons with Akita-ben phrases and their English equivalent with a cute Akita dog character on them. What I found most interesting is that the translations were in English, not in “standard” Japanese. I asked myself if this was an attempt to appeal to the relatively few international tourists who make their way through this further northern region, or just an aesthetic choice as the phrases are common enough in English that ESL speakers would be familiar with them.

Some more buttons featuring Akita-ben

In conclusion, the dialect of Akita is a little harder to seek out than perhaps in regions like Kansai where the accent is more well known. Even with the difficulties in finding resources to learn, I found that I enjoyed learning about how it is similar and different from the Japanese I’d learned before and the ways that it is used both in the region and out.

A Look into Tokyo’s Past (Rylee)

Over fall break I have decided to use my free time to visit one of Tokyo’s many museums. I eventually decided to go to the Edo-Tokyo museum as I wanted to see how they presented Tokyo’s past, and because I have not been to any of the other major museums around Tokyo other than the Miraikan - therefore making it an excellent opportunity to explore more museums.

The Edo-Tokyo museum

Upon my arrival I was greeted by a large modern building standing on 4 pillars. The contrast between the sleek building and the historical nature of the exhibits of Edo was quite surprising. As you enter up the long escalators to the 6th floor you are greeted with a recreation of Nihonbashi – a large wooden bridge in the center of Edo. It served as the symbolic point of entry for travelers to Edo and now it is your entry to the museum. This is where you begin to realize that this museum is highly focused on replicating physical Edo on all scales. The miniatures, interactive exhibits, recreations of housing and objects from Edo to modern Tokyo, and the displays of historical objects all help you immerse yourself into Tokyo from 1603 to the 1960s.

Nihonbashi

In general, the museum is laid out in a chronological order from the foundation of the Shogunate in Edo to the end of the 20th century. The exhibits are straightforward, and the explanations are strongly based upon empirical evidence. The museum accommodates foreign language speakers quite well by offering audio tours and digital displays in over 12 languages. However, as the content of the displays themselves are straight to the point, most of them contain endless amounts of graphs and charts of Edo statistics which forms form my main gripe with this museum - its overwhelming amount of graphs. For starters they are the only things that do not feature full translations that aren’t historical articles. Second, they serve as the main source of evidence behind the reasoning in the English explanations making me feel like I was left out on more of what the museum had to offer. This leaned me toward the feeling that the museum tended to be more cut and dry than your typical museum. Even if I were fully fluent in Japanese, I would still think the museum relies a bit too heavily on solely presenting statistics to allow less written explanations. There was still plenty to read, but the downside that I saw was in the lack of historical narrative leaving the patrons to be the ones to decide what really went on during the Edo period. Little to no explanation seemed to be available on the rise and fall of the Tokugawa regime and emperor Meiji from the view of a common person in that era, but more on the general conditions people went through during these times and less about what was seen in written sources and accounts.

More pie charts than my AP stats class

The Edo-Tokyo museum in general was more of an experience the past type of museum rather than containing any major theme or message type of museum therefore giving it a strongly neutral impression if you don’t interpret it as being some kind of monument to the hardships Japan has endured. You can deduct a lot of the history by understanding why they chose these exhibits and the facts that you are given. However, I assume that the museum expects you to have an all-around knowledge of the Edo period and therefore what the museum offers compliments your knowledge while still offering the bare basics for foreigners and schoolchildren.

Ryōgoku Bridge

More Miniatures

Akita Dialect (Zowie)

This is at the Namahage Museum. During the performance, they used heavy Akita Dialect. 

Over the past few weeks, I have been trying to learn Akita dialect from classmates, online, and from first-hand experiences. Akita Dialect is known for its relaxed pronunciation being compared to a “lazy” way of speaking. There can be subtle differences, for example, instead of “taberu” (to eat) they would say “daberu” sounding less clear. There are also a lot of words and phrases that are completely different from standard Japanese. One explanation, I read, about why Akita dialect takes on a relaxed pronunciation is because it is so cold in Northern Japan which makes it difficult therefore leading to an unclear pronunciation. While I don’t know how accurate this is I thought it was an interesting explanation for the variation in the language compared to standard Japanese.

“Damagonabe” also known as “tamagonabe” is a soup dish that contains rice balls, various vegetables such as burdock root and spinach, and meats such as beef or chicken. 

While visiting Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture with one of my classes, I got to experience native women speaking with heavy Akita dialect. During a cooking session where local women taught us how to cook a local dish called “Damagonabe” a type of soup, one of my classmates, from Tokyo, (where they speak standard Japanese) expressed how she could barely understand what the women were saying. Personally, I could only notice a few instances when the dialect was prominent because my Japanese is not at a level where I can tell the difference yet.

Akita dialect also has several sounds such as ne and ke that can be used for several different meanings. Here is a list of ne examples which is one of my favorite things I learned!

ない＝ね(ne) = no

ないじゃん＝ねね(nene) = isn’t it?

寝ないじゃん＝ねねね(nenene) = I will not sleep

寝れないじゃん＝ねれねね(nerenene) = I cannot sleep

寝なきゃ＝ねねば(neneba) = I have to sleep

寝なきゃいけないじゃん＝ねねばねね(nenebanene) = I have to go to bed

Kansai-ben (Shelby)

I’d heard from many people before I came to Kansai Gaidai that if I went there, I would have to deal with Kansai-ben. I didn’t think much of it, it’s just more Japanese that I would have to learn, or at least get used to, right? So far, that’s mostly how it’s been-- I’ve listened to how people speak, and while some things took longer to figure out, and sometimes an explanation, I figured out the common expressions they use here. I also learned that many students here, or at least many of the ones that I’ve talked to, aren’t from the area and don’t know Kansai-ben.

Kansai Region

A couple of the first words/phrases I heard and noticed were うち (uchi) and ~へん (hen). For the longest time, I could not figure out why people were saying うち. The only thing I could think of when they said it was “house,” and that made no sense at all, making it hard for me to follow the rest of what they said. It wasn’t until a day in Japanese class, several weeks in, that I learned うち is used in the same way as 私 (watashi). After that, things made so much sense since I wasn’t focused on the thought, “What does any of this have to do with a house?”

I had a much easier figuring out when people used へん at the end of their verbs. This was mainly thanks to a lot of context-heavy situations when people didn’t understand either what I was trying to say or they just didn’t know an answer to a question. Then they would use 分からへん (wakarahen) instead of 分からない (wakaranai). It still took a long time to puzzle it out, but I was able to do it myself.

Kansai-ben examples

Since I’ve been here, I haven’t really heard anyone talk about Kansai-ben, other than to say that they don’t know it. The people who do know it, as I mentioned in another post (I think), don’t seem to know which words are Kansai-ben and which are “standard” Japanese. In a way, as Furukawa-sensei mentioned during a recent class, this is kind of a way in which they take pride in their dialect-- they don’t have the same kind of boundaries that those with other dialects in Japan do. They don’t try to speak “standard” Japanese to people because they either don’t feel a need to or don’t know the difference in what they’re saying to what is considered “standard.”

Osaka History Museum (Keaton)

When I started school at Kansai Gaidai, everyone received a booklet which allows free admission to many museums in the Osaka area. With one of the selected prompts being a trip to a museum, I thought this is the perfect chance to try it out. I chose to go to the Osaka history museum.

The museum was divided into four levels of exhibits. The first level focuses a lot about artifacts from around the Jomon period through the Yayoi period. This includes tools, dioramas of settlement layouts, and religious practices. The theming gave off a very mysterious vibe. There was mostly dark lighting with music played with very “traditional” sounding instruments of flutes and strings.

One of the displays in the first exhibit.

The second exhibit took place in the Edo period and explained daily life and major event during this time. This part felt most like a story where a Bunraku puppet, named Naniwaya, explained every part of the exhibit in an upbeat tone. The last exhibit was about the “Great Osaka Era.” This part is advertised as a look at modern and contemporary Osaka. This floor has large replicas of trains and markets from an early 1900 time frame.

The large set for "The Age of Greater Osaka"

I felt like the story that was being told in this museum is a very positive one. First off, the names for exhibits are grand titles like “The Age of Great Distribution” or “The Age of Greater Osaka”. This also shows in the presentation. Every picture, statue, and cut out has a smile on their face. I had a hard time finding a part of the museum that talked about any negative events or tragedy. This seemed to paint a very nice picture of Osaka, but does not seem to tell both sides of the story. There are also big gaps in eras covered. The museum went from their “ancient” exhibit, to the Edo period, and then to the 1900’s. It feels like there were a lot of events not covered and the museum was very selective in what they presented. Despite my criticisms, I understand that a lot of the presentation is for kids, and it was nice to see the kids engaged in the colorful and extravagant sets they had. And in the end, I am glad that the kids were excited to learn about history.

An Adventure in Fushimi Inari Taisha (Rylee)

Imagery of Kyoto is everywhere. If you were to see Japan as the topic of something, e.g. television episode, magazine article, movie, imagery of iconic places in Kyoto are almost certain to appear. No image more than Fushimi Inari Taisha’s countless torii gates has appeared in popular culture back in the United States when concerning Japan that I have come across, therefore I had to visit the grounds to find out why this place is so popular.

The famous torii path

Finding the place was no difficult task as it is always at the top of tour pamphlets and marked on Google Maps with thousands of positive reviews. Fushimi Inari Taisha is located near a JR train station making it easily accessible compared to other shrines I have previously visited. Shuffle your way through a narrow street of shops and suddenly you reach the main path to the temple grounds. There is no entrance fee and I saw no opening and closing times, therefore you may come and go at your own pace and without the need to hurry or worry about paying admittance. This brings the impression that these temple grounds are more akin to a public park. Free for anyone to use without restrictions, with the added bonus of the beautiful sights.

Main path facing away from the grounds

Fushimi Inari Taisha had a steady number of guests on the day that I visited. It was not crowded to the degree of Nishiki market or downtown Kyoto but there was a noticeably large crowd. Many Asian tourists other than the Japanese seemed to be visiting as the slight majority and the other half seemed to be half Japanese and half Westerners. The Asian tourists seemed to interact with the temple’s amenities to a greater degree. A large crowd of Chinese tourists always seemed to be swarming around the offering boxes, buying gifts, and in general being more energetic. Westerners seemed to stand back and take pictures and spectate.

Stickers everywhere

The area has definitely shown its popularity through its physical features. Stone steps and paths were worn down to be quite slippery and vandalism seemed to be quite higher in comparison to other shrines and temples through litter, stickers and people trying to engrave stuff into the torii and trees. Some of this is to be expected as this temple gets so much traffic to make it feel like a train station but stands as evidence as to why some people do not tolerate tourists. The most important part of my experience though was to see the beauty of the temple grounds. Fushimi Inari Taisha is one of the most quintessential Japan-esque places boasted by many and it definitely shows. It may be due to the overloading of cultural symbols of torii, folklore, and the serene nature of the forest on a mountain, or just our predisposition as tourists as we have seen pictures of this place many times before coming. Our expectations were set beforehand and were well surpassed. The temple’s popularity is expected due to its ease of access and its sheer size. However, Fushimi Inari Taisha does not use any gimmicks as seen in other temples to attract guests, therefore further pushing the point that the temple grounds itself though seemingly rarely modified to meet modern demands can still attract plenty of visitors and remain relevant.

Places to Find (Shelby)

Two weekends ago, October 13 and 14, I met with Furukawa-sensei in Kyoto. After we went to various places for those two days, Furukawa-sensei sent us on our way to find somewhere we hadn’t been yet. There are no shortage of places to visit in Kyoto-- places for tourists, history buffs, or just places you can happen upon by chance. For me, I wasn’t thinking about going to a well-known place that people are likely to know or can easily look up. While those places are important and often nice places to visit, I opted to take another route in finding a place to go, one that I preferred to be on the way back to Hirakata City. Thus, I took to Google Maps to decide for me, and I chose a temple at random to find and visit.

My decision took me to Tobakaido station. From what I saw of the town and the size of the station, the town is likely small and relatively unknown to tourists. I saw few people there and only two foreigners. That being said, from the station, it took roughly 3-5 minutes to walk to the temple I had chosen. Based on what I saw of the town, I wasn’t expecting a large temple, but what I found was even more out of the realm of what I expected; in fact, I almost walked right past it. It was right in between two housing complexes, with one stone post and a wall that you would expect to see at a temple. While I can’t read what was on the stone post, I’m assuming it had something to do with the temple.

Post by the temple entrance

The temple wasn’t really a temple at all-- it was a small space in between the houses around it, where a small, orange altar had been set up. That was all. There were no people, but there were bikes, likely belonging to the people who lived in the houses whose front doors were right next to the small altar. I could tell that it was visited at least kind of frequently, as there were cups that I guessed were offerings on the altar.

Temple gate

I wouldn’t say that I was disappointed in my choice of actions, but I was very surprised that such a small temple would show up on Google Maps. I know, just from going from my house to school, that there are small places like that everywhere in Japan that you can walk past a hundred times before you realize it’s a shrine. I assumed that it was probably just a neighborhood temple.

Site Discovery in Kyoto (Keaton)

For my field notes, I looked at Nishiki-Tenmangu shrine. Strangely, this was not my first choice in selecting a site to research. I decided to look do my report on this place because of its surprising appearance. The shrine itself is in the middle of a busy shopping district with an arcade, samurai museum, and Wendy’s just a few feet away. While in the middle of this chaos, Nishiki-Tenmangu is behind an open gate which feels like it takes you to another world.

What you see when you walk in

Unlike the rest of the shopping district, the shrine is outside, and like many other places like it, Nishiki-Tenmangu has all the materials most other shrines have: hand washing station, omamori for sale, and ema. The ema, which people write hopes and dreams on, were the most interesting. Since the shrine is right in the middle of a tourist heavy area, there were many ema written in non-Japanese languages. While there were some ema written in various European and Asian languages, about one-fifth all the ema were written in english. From reading the Eenglish ones, I found that most wished for general things like good health and a happy future.

The shrine also has unique characteristics that set it apart from shrines that I have seen in the past. One of the first attributes I notices was the brass bull towards the entrance of the shrine. I saw many times during my visit the bull getting touched and rubbed. It is clear that it is a common occurence from the obvious color change on the statue’s head. Other unique features I spotted were two machines near the head of the shrine. One machine was a robot Kamishibai that told a story by selecting different pictures for each part. The other machine took me a while to understand, but eventually, I saw that it was a fortune teller that uses a mechanical dragon to pick a fortune out of a bowl.

The fortune telling robot also comes with English fortunes 

This place is on of the shrines for Tenjin, a kami for studying. While some may use this shrine for that purpose, I found no English ema about this topic. This may be because of the high amount of tourists that visit this shrine. The shrine does contain many resources for english visitors. This includes detailed maps of the shrine, warning signs, and instructions on shrine etiquette. The shrine seems overall welcoming to tourists, and it is nice to see a shrine that welcomes both the local and the visitor.

A Tourist's Perspective - Namahage (Zowie)

On October 12, 2018, I traveled to Oga Peninsula with Professor Furukawa and Gray. During our time there we visited Godzilla Rock, Akagami Shrine Goshado and climbed its 999 steps, the tip of the Peninsula to eat lunch at a delicious restaurant, and the Namahage Museum. Even though Oga is only about an hour away from my university I felt like I had been transported to a completely different place.

The shrine allegedly has 999 steps that were built by the Namahage 

The trees that grow up the side of the mountain appear to be stripped of their leaves and the buildings were dusted with rust from years of salt water eroding the metal. These harsh weather conditions are a reflection of how Oga was formed as a landscape, as a people, and the traditions that came about. And yet, there is still something absolutely breathtaking about this area regardless of its rugged appearance.

Godzilla rock stands fiercely next to the sea.

While in Oga I wanted to look into how the Namahage traditions are being kept alive, as the population decreases. Specifically, I focused on how Oga is marketing to tourists and what has changed as a result of trying to preserve this tradition. While the Namahage has a few different stories about their origin their main purpose is the same. During the New Year Holiday, they come down to the villages to scold and threaten lazy children and sometimes even family members. They come into the house scolding the lazy people and try to take them back to the mountain in a sack. Many kids cry to their parents in fear and run into their protective embrace as it can be quite frightening. However, after eating and drinking sake the Namahage leave good wishes for the family and leave the house only to return again the next year.

At the Namahage Museum you can see the different types that are located in this area. Some Namahage masks are intricately carved while others are made from paper mache or even wood bark.

Fast forward to today, the purpose of the Namahage has shifted in numerous aspects in order to adapt to the new conditions which mostly comes down to the lack of people. Apparently, there are only a dozen, or so, children in Oga and they probably won’t stay to carry on the tradition. Therefore citizens in Oga are forced to adjust the tradition or watch it fade away along with the people. There is a divide between many citizens, some want to create a nicer version of the Namahage as a way to attract tourists and check on the elderly during the winter months; however, some refuse this and would rather have the tradition stay within the community.

I bought a keychain souvenir with the cuter image of the Namahage. This image can be seen in numerous products when marketing to tourists.

The nicer Namahage image popped up often as we traveled around the peninsula. There are cute versions posted on fliers and items such as souvenirs are paired with popular characters such as Hello Kitty and Tamago making them appear much less terrifying then they are intended to be. Even during the performance I watched which is supposed to replicate a night with a Namahage, they didn’t act as they would during a local home visit. They greeted me with good evening and didn’t act out trying to take someone from the home. It was much less fearful than I thought it would be. The other tourists seemed to be smiling and laughing, enjoying the performance, rather than feeling afraid.

There are numerous reasons behind the attitude shift towards how the Namahage should be presented to “outsiders”. But it is apparent that the nice Namahage is the most popular. In the future, I wonder if the Namahage tradition will be sustained as there are less people to take over and what other aspects the community is willing to change in order to keep it alive.

Goshado Mountain Trek (Gray)

We went to the Oga penninsula this week on a field excursion, and decided to climb the 999 steps of the famous Akagami Shrine Goshado. The shrine is built into a mountain, with three large shrine buildings at the peak, along with a holy well and a small building where you can buy good luck charms and fortunes. The main feature of the shrine is the long stone path carved into the mountain. It is nearly vertical in places, but has a couple forgiving slopes. It was used for ascetic training when it was founded as a Buddhist temple in 860, and was converted into a Shinto Shrine in 1860. 

There a five identical shrine buildings at the top, with the center one being larger because it houses the head god of the shrine. 

The shrine also holds interest for those looking to learn about the possible origins of the Namahage, the ever present spirits that are a mascot of the peninsula. According to legend, a Chinese emperor in search on immortality brought ogres to Oga, where they terrorized the local populace. The locals made a deal where if the ogres could build a thousand stairs to climb the mountain up to the shrine in a single night, they would be given a maiden every year as tribute. If they failed, they must never descend upon the village again. The villagers trick the ogres into thinking sunrise has come by making a rooster sound and the steps remained unfinished. This is just one of the many theories as to where the Namahage ritual comes from.

It was quite a trip to the top!

The experience of climbing to Goshado was interesting due to many factors. At the bottom of the mountain there was a basket full of bamboo and wood walking sticks that had clearly seen some use, so our party each decided to take one, yet none of the Japanese climbers had one. It also struck me as strange that there was a whole party of men in dress shoes going up what was very rough terrain without the assistance of a walking stick.

As is typical of most shrines, there was a small building to buy good luck charms that was closed when we arrived. It was very different to the high traffic shrines I had been to in Kyoto and Tokyo and provided valuable perspective on what these historical sites look like in more isolated regions such as Oga.

Second-Hand Games and Goods in Japan (Rylee)

I am not the most enthusiastic shopper compared to most people. I try to avoid spending money on non-essentials often, especially as a college student, but over my life I have carved out a fairly large niche for retro games. So, when I discovered a store dedicated solely to the sale of second-hand classic video game hardware and memorabilia called Super Potato I was instantly amused. Accounting for my past trips to Japan and now, I still firmly believe I have visited this store more often than shopping for groceries or food. I consider myself a regular as I visit every week as stock always cycles through frequently and there is always something new to see.

A wall of Super Famicon in box games.

Super Potato has two stores in Tokyo, a conveniently located East Ikebukuro store, and a much larger Akihabara store. I take pleasure in going to these stores not for the purpose of buying things but for the sights. Many people state that Super Potato is much as a museum as it is a store and I couldn’t agree more. What makes Super Potato stand out is the sheer quantity and quality of its collection making it unmatched to other used games stores around the world. Super Potato attracts a lot of foreign visitors and surprises them with a working demo unit of a Nintendo Virtual Boy, obscure game systems and much more that you would be bewildered to find back in places such as the United States.

Nintendo Virtual Boy Demo Unit

The people who come from afar usually buy a lot at Super Potato even though the prices are not exactly bargains. Enthusiasts are excited to see things such as more working Sega Saturn units stacked on a shelf than all listings on eBay combined, and to have all of the accessories and games sitting right next to them for sale. Super Potato is an archive of Japanese video games where you will find anything released between 1980 to the early 2000s.

The beauty of it all is that you see gently used stuff from ages ago on display as if it were brand new. The ability to have places such as Super Potato and many other second-hand stores within Japan selling used goods as if it were bulk is definitely surprising. People surprisingly take care of their possessions in Japan allowing for the second-hand market to thrive and allows us visitors to witness parts of history such as through the evolution of consumer Japan.

Stacks of Famicon Systems

In the home entertainment or video game sense, the prevalence of old electronics and media can be also attributed for Japan’s stubborn nature towards adoption of more advanced and more complicated technologies. Games from the 80s and 90s were fun and easy to understand with their plug and play nature. Why would someone want to spend more money on something more complex for the same result on what you already have? Thus, the abundance of second-hand game stores unparalleled to any other place on earth. There is certainly evidence for and against this, but the fondness Japan has developed for older technologies and mediums is well beyond what I have experienced in America. The surging economy in the 80s is another factor into the prevalence of luxury goods, so the record-breaking sales numbers in the mid 80s are no doubt a contributor to the abundance of Nintendo Famicom systems and the sort. The surge of home computer systems and game consoles in Japan had far reaching effects on countries such as the United States, and without it today’s video game scene would be very different.

Nintendo Game and Watch

My Trips to the Grocery Store (Zowie)

A sweet treat from Aeon Mall.

Over the past month in Akita, the place I have become a frequent visitor to is the grocery store. It is about a 15-minute bus ride from Akita International University and located in the basement of Aeon mall. Every Sunday without fail I head to Aeon around 9 am or 11 am. While a grocery store may seem like a lackluster place there are plenty of new foods to buy and samples to try (during the morning hours). Every week I feel like I find a new section of the store I’ve never seen before. The main reason is there is only a limited time before the next bus comes so I try to get in and get out as efficiently as possible, but every week I try to buy something I have never had before. For example last week, I discovered the section that sells pre-made goods like fried chicken, grilled pork on a stick, and seafood. It is similar to the deli section at Walmart that has pre-made food, but at Aeon, there is a larger variety of delicious food to choose from. As funny as it sounds, I was overjoyed and relieved that I could buy something to eat after returning to campus without having to cook first.

Like most stores, it has a separate alcohol, fruits, vegetables, meats, cereals, hygiene products, sweets, and pre-made goods sections. However, something that I don’t see in the United States is the gift section. They have sweets like cookies, cakes, that are packaged nicely and some have cute designs specific to Akita, like Namahage, which is a type of mythical creature that is like a demon, mountain ogre, or spirit.

These are Namahage (https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue_of_Namahage_,_なまはげの像_-_panoramio_(1).jpg)

Aeon isn’t as big as large chain retailers in the United States, but it has everything I need and more. The workers who are giving out samples always have a smile on their face. There have been a few times when they tried to hold a conversation with me, but I only could pick up less than half of what they were saying. But we were still able to communicate through gestures. Also, I have noticed that I am used to hearing my professor speak clear concise Japanese but most of the students and locals speak fast and somewhat unclear.

Even though this is the place I have frequented the most I hope to find other places to go to over the next few months I am here. There are so many things I want to do, but transportation can be extremely inconvenient when trying to plan a trip off campus. But I am hopeful I can travel off campus more frequently on the coming months.

Student Lounge (Shelby)

One place that I go almost every day of the week is the student lounge in the center for international education on campus. The room is large, with many chairs, tables, and couches, and a large wall in the back showing the time for various places of the world. International students and native Japanese students alike come to the lounge to hang out, do homework, recruit people for events, or take naps. Some people even use the building next to the lounge, where there are large, reflective windows, to practice dancing. I, personally, like to watch them sometimes while I’m there.

People use it as a mutual meeting ground when they need to meet up with someone or get a group together because almost everyone knows where it is. Often times, the Japanese students who are not part of the study abroad prep program go to the lounge to find students that can help them correct their English homework or help them with a project. I’ve been approached by several girls who have asked me to help them correct papers or understand a part of their class reading. Just recently, I was asked by a trio of students in a Japanese linguistics group to help them with a project where they have to teach someone ten Japanese words, so they decided that they would teach me ten words of the Kansai dialect. I was also asked by a few people if I was interested in participating in field trips or volunteer activities.

Volunteer Opportunity Flier from Last Week

The student lounge provides a unique dynamic on the campus, as it is not an exclusive area for international students or students who want to study and it’s not a place where there are any particular set of expectations. People are loud, they play games, do homework, nap, or just do whatever they want to do. Japanese students seem to go there to hang out with other Japanese students rather than to meet international students, which I find surprising, as it’s probably one of the most densely populated places in terms of where international students go. And, as someone who has the chance to sit in the lounge for extended periods of time, mainly over lunch, it’s interesting to see the amount of people who come to the lounge to eat lunch. As soon as lunch is over, the room quickly empties and becomes incredibly quiet. And even then, when people are in class or eating lunch, there’s almost always people dancing outside.

Japan’s Gashapon (Keaton)

When looking at what I was consuming here in Japan, the gashapon, or gacha, is a strange decision I settled on. This is because I have not been buying a lot of gachas (compared to my friends anyway), but I believe this is not the only thing involved in the culture of gachas.

First off, gashapons are small dispensers that give out a small item depending on the gacha you use. These items range from small magnets that cost around a 100 yen to a modest size figure that can cost around around 500 yen. These little machines can be found almost anywhere and can be found in groups. While you find a lot of these in groups of around six, there are some places that can contain rows and rows of these dispensers.

Example of a typical gacha station.

America also has gacha, but on a smaller scale. Supermarkets may have a small candy or bouncy ball dispenser near the entrance that costs 25 cents, but Japanese gacha give off a different feel. The items you get from gacha differs depending on the machine; however, most of the gachas are anime related. By appealing to fandoms, Japanese gashapon gain more incentive to buy than a 25 cent bouncy ball. Not only this, but the items you receive are quality products you could buy at comic stores like keychains and pins.

One of the items I was able to get.

But like I said, I have not purchased from a lot of gacha, but I still feel like I am a consumer unlike some customers I have watched which come to machines with a cup of 100 yen hellbent on getting the one they want. For me, like the gambling high of getting the right keychain, there is also a high in finding the right machine to use. Since gashapon cover many properties, there is always new gacha to find, and finally finding the one with the show that you like is a exhilarating feeling. I even biked an hour out of my way to just use the gacha because my friend told me of a gacha I was looking for.

Gacha are more than just a machine on the side of the street. However small they may be, the nicknacks you can get from gashapon can be a way to show off your interests for just a small small price. While the item may be nice, finding the gacha you have been searching for is half the fun. While I do not buy a lot, I am always waiting to find the the one gacha that will make my day.

Yokoso, YouTube! (Gray)

My prompt for this week was to become a “fan” of something. Though I am a regular at the campus conbini, I decided it would be interesting to take my research to a digital space: YouTube! In the course of my time in Japan so far I have picked up several Japanese YouTube channels that I watch regularly, though I had started watching one while I was still in the U.S. The ones I’ll be talking about, because I watch them most regularly, and have participated in their comments section, are a prank/comedy channel called SUSHI RAMEN [Riku] and a cooking/vlog network of channels run by Rachel and Jun, an American/Japanese married couple living in Japan.

Banner from Rachel and Jun's main channel, where they mostly post in English about life in Japan. Jun has a cooking channel of his own.

The general flow of consuming these videos is dependent on if a new one has been uploaded. While some channels have a more regular upload schedule, others are more scattered in their upload times. When a new video was uploaded, I would watch and comment, usually in Japanese but there were some channels with majority English comments. The content of the videos on these channels varies but I’ll give an example of a recent video by SUSHI RAMEN [Riku].

Thumbnail and description from SUSHI RAMEN [Riku]'s most recent video.

By the thumbnail and editing you can tell that he takes a lot of inspiration from Japanese comedy variety shows, with colorful subtitles in Japanese as well as general absurd video concepts, like building a slide from the front door to the living room with guitars attached to the sides so he can play a song when he comes home from his part time job. This, while patently ridiculous, is enjoyable because of [Riku]’s personality and his unique editing style. 

The majority of comments on [Riku]’s channel are in Japanese, with the occasional one-off English comments remarking on how “Japanese” his videos are. My attempts to engage in the comments were mostly in Japanese, garnering a couple likes but no replies, which I in general expected. The comments section of a Youtube video is not the best place to have conversations with other fans as there are a lot of comments and it is easy to get lost in the shuffle.

I think in future I should also ask my Japanese friends and my roommate what YouTube channels they watch, so I can watch the same things and have discussions with them from that. I was particularly interested in investigating a form of pop culture created by the individual instead of by larger companies and industries. It was interesting to see how the content on YouTube borrows from more traditional mediums like television, and the cultural specificity of those references. But all in all, I encourage my fellow students and blog readers to check out Japanese YouTube! You never know what you’ll find!

The Search for General Nogi’s Grave (Rylee)

My task for this scavenger hunt is to find the grave of the general who committed ritual suicide following Emperor Meiji’s death. This at first did not seem too difficult since I have learned about this event in a Japanese history class. It was General Nogi Maresuke and it was quite surprising to have someone highly regarded commit ritual suicide – an act that was a rare occurrence even a century ago when medieval traditions were long gone.

So, I searched some sources on the internet to refresh my memory and luckily the Rikkyo library had the same books in their collection that I used in my history class. When it came down to finding the exact location of the headstone most of my research was sourced from Google maps, a postcard collectors’ website, and findagrave.com which helped immensely me in identifying the gravestones of Nogi and his wife who also committed ritual suicide.

I set off to what I learned to be the location of Nogi’s headstone – Aoyama cemetery. It was actually very close to the Nogi shrine and his residence, so finding the approximate location was not difficult. However, finding the gravestone in the massive cemetery was the most difficult aspect of the scavenger hunt. All I had to base my search on is what the two headstones of him and his wife looked like, and it wasn’t terribly difficult in retrospect since they are big boulders in a sea of polished and cut headstones.

Aoyama Cemetery

After a half hour of walking around the cemetery I managed to come across a little gated in area in the northeast corner of the cemetery where the two headstones reside. Even though I was the only person in sight and there was no lock on the gate itself, I decided not to create a fuss and try to figure out how the gate worked, so I just stuck my camera in-between the metal bars to take some photos.

The gated area of the two headstones.

The stones did match up with the pictures I have seen previously, and I did recognize the kanji for Nogi Maresuke’s name, so I am certain this is the spot I am looking for. There was a lot of other headstones in the gated area, much of which I have no idea about other than them being family members. In general, my understanding of Japanese cemeteries and the post-death process is extremely limited. I assume everyone is cremated and their ashes are placed in these stones which makes me doubt using the term ‘headstone’, but I could be wrong. It is something I want to look into further and would enjoy learning about Japanese religion in general.

The two headstones

In the end I did not end up making it to the Nogi shrine and residence to further my understanding due to my exhaustion at the end of my search of the grave. I hear I just missed the day when they open Nogi’s house to the public on the day of his death – September 13 when I just went to the cemetery on the 19th. Much of what I learned through the process about Nogi himself and the end of the Meiji period was my research conducted through rereading some parts of Donald Keene’s Emperor of Japan: Meiji and his world and Japan a Documentary History by David J. Lu. The death of Nogi Maresuke was a controversial one and casted many doubts on Japan’s future direction. It affected many citizen’s lives and jogged my memory on Natsume Soseki’s mentioning of the impact of Nogi’s and Meiji’s death. With his death being reacted to by many people it raises the impact I witnessed in my research and definitely is an event not to overlook. In general, it created a bleak outlook for Japan after the death of the popular emperor Meiji and the following event of Nogi’s ritual suicide.

Settling in to Shiinamachi (Rylee)

It has nearly been a week since I have arrived in Tokyo and settled down in Rikkyo’s housing in Shiinamachi. It is quite surprising how quiet and homey this neighborhood feels even though it is only a 15-minute walk away from one of the busiest places in Tokyo. It contains all of your small-town amenities such as a barber, drug store, a few restaurants, a produce grocer and of course all of the convenience stores and chain establishments. My apartment resides on one of the main streets going directly north from Shiinamachi station. This allows me to walk through the neighborhood’s center and see what’s happening on my way to and from the dorm. The more time I spend witnessing the town do its daily routine and visit the stores the more I feel like I am a citizen of Shiinamachi.

My first map

My initial map is very lacking in detail on streets and locally owned stores. Streets on one hand seem to spiral off into random directions as they very rarely follow the four cardinal directions which makes my walk to Rikkyo a bit complicated if I want to take the shortest route since I cannot just walk East. Stores are something that I discover each day. I see their signs but many of them I do not know their function. Just recently I found out a place named Red ended up being a barber even though I thought it was a bar with its neon lights and tinted windows.

Street to the station

A festival was held last Saturday evening, and all of the shops and vendors were open for regular business and were also selling food and toys in stalls, allowing me to see much of the insides of stores and what they were selling. I am glad to see that many family-owned places are still open. In the United States similar stores would be out of business due to fierce competition from major chains. It surprises me that they can coexist to a better degree than the U.S. even though Japan also has major shopping chains and convenience stores.

Saturday night festival

For each day I walk around Shiinamachi my mental map of the town grows, however there are physical limits I set in place that determine the boundaries of Shiinamachi. The busy avenue to the east and north sets the barrier between busy Ikebukuro and calm Shiinamachi. However, I have not traveled too far South or West as it is more residential areas. As a matter of fact, I don’t know what to make of that area as I have no bike and friends tell me there is not too much in those directions within walking distance. The boundary between Kanamecho and Shiinamachi also seems to be nonexistent. I assume stations are named after their neighborhoods in most cases, but Kanamecho to the North is right on my boundary of the two avenues as it is a subway station underneath the busy road. There seems to be no town center for a subway station unlike a train station. It makes you wonder what a community or town in Tokyo needs to be put on the map.

Adjusting to a New Home (Keaton)

When I got to Japan, I knew nothing about my surroundings and knew I had to start from scratch. Because of my unfamiliarity, a daily victory only took my ability to walk from point A to point B. Even when I moved again from my dorm to my host family, I found myself worried about getting lost in the new maze-like surroundings I was living in. After a while, I was able to switch off that survival mode, really take a look at my surroundings, and discover new locations that were off the path or just hidden from my peripheral view.

When I first started to leave my temporary home in the dorm, I found that the local convenience stores were most important to know. Since we were not given any meals, it was up to the students to supply meals for the first week. This led to me finding cheap meals at convenience stores. After multiple trips, the path to each store was paved more and more in my head. While I felt confident about these destinations, I felt I was not truly exploring. I knew where I came from and where I was going, but I completely ignored everything in between.

Once I started the first week of school orientation, I started to stray off the necessary path. My mental map did not necessarily gain new paths, but instead, gained branches off the main path I was using often. I would go a few blocks to the south to find an arcade that was hidden by a few rows of tall apartments. I would go a few blocks west to find a small restaurant that was only visible by looking at google maps. Even buildings on my main path have revealed secrets, like a karaoke bar tucked away with a not-so flashy exterior.

One of many karaoke bars I have walked past.

After moving to my host family, I felt like I had to start the process again. However, I found that I did not have to. Once I discovered my bike route for traveling to school, all I did was add to the long main path I already had engraved in my memory. I still feel like there is work to be done to be completely confident in my surroundings. While I know the way to my school, I know almost nothing about the maze-like surroundings of my host neighborhood. My host family lives in a small house that is connected to a long and winding row of similar houses that makes it hard to find my way back home.

The street right outside my door.

After looking at the mental map I constructed over these two weeks, I notice how much the city changes once you go farther in any direction. Some places get heavily populated quickly, while others quickly turn into a shopping district. However, the more I move away from the center of my map, the more the city stops looking like a cluster of different neighborhoods and starts looking like a singular community that flows together seamlessly. With each passing day, I am feeling more and more familiar with this new neighborhood of mine.

Navigating Unfamiliar Territory (Zowie)

ワン (one) - The friendly, Akita dog, mascot for Akita International University stands outside the entrance of the cafeteria.

Over the course of the past few weeks, I have made numerous new discoveries about the area that surrounds and encompasses Akita International University. Even though AIU is a small campus and the area surrounding the university is rural, there are many things to notice and experience. Sometimes you just need to miss the bus back to campus or go a little out of your way to find them. 

To better understand AIU and the area around it, I drew three maps based on my personal observations. The maps were created during the first few days, 5 to 7 days, and 12 to 14 days after arrival. When drawing the map for the first time, I realized how little I actually knew even though I had been to AIU before. I had a general understanding of where the main buildings were and where I lived, but I did not know the names or what a lot of the facilities were used for. As I progressed into the start of classes and clubs my understanding of AIU became greater and I was able to identify the location of each building and more of their uses. As I drew the second map, I was able to add a few more buildings that I did not notice before and label old areas, from the first map, with the correct names. By the end of the first week, I felt more comfortable on campus and finding my way around. I even found myself helping other international students finding their way around campus.

This is a square section of trees that stand tall in front of the library; it is a hard sight to miss when entering the AIU campus.

When I drew the final map I added to areas beyond AIU since I had been to the mall and had to go to the Immigration Bureau both of which require public transportation. When I returned to the train station from the immigration bureau, I walked back to campus with a few people since the bus only runs every few hours I would have to wait for the bus. This was a good opportunity to get to know the area better. On the way back, I found different landmarks I could use as a reference if I ever decided to walk around the area or from the train station again.

Looking back on the maps now, I realize that some of the streets and locations of buildings began to shift as I became more aware of my surroundings. However, there are still buildings I see every day, but still, do not know their purpose. There are also areas I have not explored yet. As I begin my third week on campus, there are times when I feel comfortable with where I am, but there are also times when I find myself feeling like a stranger even in the apartment I now call home. In the coming weeks, I hope to explore beyond the campus boundaries more often to gain a better understanding of the area around me, as well as, learn more about how I influence my surroundings and how my surroundings influence me in my everyday life.