#Otsuka Museum of Art

[iamfanfan]

@Rascal_tweet

[theminkyu]

OTSUKA MUSEUM OF ART | One Day Trip With Singto Prachaya

[jdrachel]

(via Life In Japan: Otsuka Museum of Art | John Rachel) Japan continues to dazzle and amaze me. This past weekend, Masumi took me to the Otsuka Museum of Art, and it was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen.

[wizardfrog69]

'•.¸♡ museum date ♡¸.•'

Fyodor x Nikolai x reader x Sigma

Fluff

Masterlist

Enjoy!

Sigma had never been to a museum so you decided to go on a date there.

Fyodor lives museums and art galleries and probably suggested going to one after the museum.

Nikolai is the the biggest fan of museums but he did enjoy the art gallery. He also suggested getting ice cream afterwards.

Also you probably had to stop Nikolai from trying to steal or touch something.

Fyodor had a fun time explaining the history behind some of the artifacts and the life of the artists.

You and Nikolai just talked about the paintings and sometimes your conversations would turn into something of another nature.

You went to the Tokyo national museum and the Otsuka museum of art.

It was a nice day out and you all had a lot of fun

༺♡༻ 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧 ⋆ 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 ༺♡༻

This popped into my head and I wanted to write more than one thing today.

Have a wonderful day/night and stay hydrated

-love, Az

[bookclub4m]

Episode 187 - Favourite Reads of 2023

This episode we’re discussing our Favourite Reads of 2023! We talk about our favourite fiction and non-fiction books we read this year! Plus: Our favourite comics, video games, documentaries, podcasts, and more!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Favourite Fiction

For the podcast

Anna

The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao  (Episode 172 - Domestic Thrillers)

Jam

Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones (Episode 184 - Horror)

Matthew

Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Omnibus, vol. 3 by Eiji Otsuka and by Housui Yamazaki (Episode 184 - Horror)

The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023 edited by Lisa Unger and Steph Cha (Episode 186 - Suspense Fiction)

Meghan

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw (Episode 176 - Fantasy)

Not for the podcast

Jam

Heaven’s Design Team by Hebi-Zou, Tsuta Suzuki, & Tarako

Naked mole rats do not die of old age

Owls’ ears are at asymmetrical heights

Tarsiers have two tongues

Accidental Elephant (YouTube)

Matthew

Ammonite by Nicola Griffith 

Lambda Literary Award for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (Wikipedia)

Meghan

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Anna

Daisy and the Duke by Elizabeth Cole (The Wallflowers of Wildwood)

Favourite Non-Fiction

For the podcast

Matthew

Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara (Episode 174 - Economics)

Meghan

Goldenrod: Poems by Maggie Smith (Episode 182 - Lyric Poetry)

Anna

They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers by Sarah Scoles (Episode 178 - Aliens, Extraterrestrials, and UFOs)

Jam

Histories of the Transgender Child by Jules Gill-Peterson (Episode 170 - Gender Theory & Gender Studies)

Not for the podcast

Meghan 

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Anna

Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic – and what we can do about it by Jennifer Breheny Wallace

Jam

The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be: A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption by Shannon Gibney (also discussed in Episode 181)

Matthew

Thirty-One Nil: On the Road With Football's Outsiders: A World Cup Odyssey by James Montague

Other Favourite Things of 2023

Anna

If Books Could Kill

The Meme Stock Cult (patron episode) & two parter on Nudge

Folding Ideas - This is Financial Advice (YouTube)

Two Point Hospital / Campus

Oxygen Not Included

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art

Jam

Nimona (film)

Shuna’s Journey by Hayao Miyazaki

Matthew

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

Nier: Automata (Wikipedia)

Meghan

Ten Candles

Le Plonguer - Stéphane Larue

Runner-Ups

Jam

Games 

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Wikipedia)

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Wikipedia)

Redactle

Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore (Episode 176 - Fantasy)

Boy Island by Leo Fox (comic released via 133 installments on Instagram; link is installment #1)

Changing my name (legal procedure)

Best Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (cookies)

Moon (celestial body)

Matthew

Comics

Box of Light, vol. 1 by Seiko Erisawa

Cryptid Club by Sarah Andersen

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún Deluxe Edition, vol. 1 by Nagabe

Incredible Doom, vol. 1 by Matthew Bogart and Jesse Holden

Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni

Steeple, vols. 1-3 by John Allison, Sarah Stern, and Jim Campbell

Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru

Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen: Who Killed Jimmy Olsen? by Matt Fraction and Steve Leiber

 Books

Boss Fight: Jagged Alliance 2 by Darius Kazemi

Limbo: Blue-Collar Roots, White-Collar Dreams by Alfred Lubrano

Chop Suey Nation: The Legion Cafe and Other Stories from Canada's Chinese Restaurants by Ann Hui

Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Dr. Kit Heyam

The Caped Crusader: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture by Glen Weldon

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge

Games

Hitman: World of Assassination Trilogy

Yakuza 0 (Wikipedia)

Tetris Effect

Bayonetta (Wikipedia)

Video Essays

The Future is a Dead Mall - Decentraland and the Metaverse - Folding Ideas

Panzer Dragoon Series Retrospective - A Complete History and Review - I Finished A Video Game

 Meghan

Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Whitaker

Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

Onley's Arctic: Diaries and Paintings of the High Arctic by Toni Onley

Vita Sackville-West's Sissinghurst: The Creation of a Garden by VitaSackville-West and Sarah Raven

Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga by Benjamin Lorr

A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There by Aldo Leopold and Charles W. Schwartz

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

Made-Up: A True Story of Beauty Culture under Late Capitalism by Daphné B.

Witch King by Martha Wells

Bad Fruit by Ella King

Other Media We Mentioned

Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh

Theme Hospital (Wikipedia)

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, January 2nd when it’s time for trains, planes, and automobiles (and bicycles) as we discuss non-fiction books about Transit and Transportation!

Then on Tuesday, February 6th just in time for Valentine's day we’ll be discussing the genre of Humourous/Funny Romance.

[japanguiding]

TOP TOKYO THINGS TO DO:

-Shibuya/Yamashita Park/Harujuku/Meiji Jingu/Yoyogi (Nearby)

-Shimokitazawa Rojiura samurai curry is the best curry, desserts at Captains Donut and Shirohige Ghibli cafe

-Kichijoji Go Inokashira Park and Ghibli museum

-Mount Takao Get nature see monkeys

-Kamakura and Beach

-Yokohama and Chinatown (Close to Kamakura)

TOKYO DAY TRIPS

-Hakone

-Atami

-Nikko

CHAIN RESTAURANTS

-Saizeriya (italian)

-Hub (british pub)

-Torikizoku (izakaya/wetherspoons style)

-Mos Burger

-Sushiro

-Hamazushi (sushi)

-8 Pizza

-Pizza Slice

BIG MUSEUMS

-Mori Art Museum Roppongi

-National Art Center Tokyo Roppongi


-Ghibli Museum Kichijoji / Kichijoji Park

-Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

-Team Lab Odaiba

-Team Lab Planets

SMALL GALLERIES

-Gyle art gallery harujuku

-Voillld

-Scai the bath house

-Shibafu

-Anagra art gallery

-Otsuka

-Adachi

-Ohara el greco




CLUBS

-Harlem

-Atom

-Oath shibuya

-A Life

-WWW

TOKYO  RECOMMENDATIONS:

EBISU

-Hainan Jeefan Shokudo (singapore chicken & rice)

-Chinese Cafe 8 (cheap lunch)

-Blue Papaya (cheap lunch)

-Afuri healthy ramen restaurant

-Ebisu Bahn Mi sandwhiches

-Falafel Bros

-Yebisu beer museum (500 yen includes 2 beers)

-Tokyo Photographic Museum

-Parasitological Museum (free)

-Ta-im (Israeli food)




NAKA MEGURO

-Nakame no teppen honten Izakaya (expensive)

-Onibus Coffee

-Fukuho Gyoza (very cheap)

-Kiyosugi standing bar

-Colloseo Italian restaurant

-Baja Mexian Take out (cheap)

-Junakdelic Mexican Food (3000 yen)

-Breakfast Club (american breakfast)

-Bells Hotdog

-8 Pizza

-Hatos BBQ meat (expensive)

-Berry/ Just Another Space (cool secret gaijin bar 3rd floor)

-Locale Tokyo (organic)

-Niigata Sanpō-tei Tokyo Lab Nakameguro




JIYUGAOKA

-New new york club deli

GAIKUGEIDAIGAKU

-Sunny Boy Books (zines)

-Higuma Doughnuts




DAIKANYAMA

-DooWop Daikanyama (chicken burger)

-Pizza Slice

-Tsutaya T-Site magazine shop

-Log Road shop road

-Mina Perhonen fancy clothes

-Okura traditional clothing

-Maison Kitsune clothes




SHIBUYA

-Commune Takobar Parco Mexican food

-Risotto curry restaurant

-Shibuya Crossing

-Mandarake manga

-Loft department store

-Miyashita park

-Eggs n things

-World breakfast

-Harrys Sandwhich Company

-Takenostuka (bar diner)

-3 Coin Bar (cheap)

-Beat Cafe bar (THE ONE)

-Tasu Ichi bar

-DJ Bar Oath

-Hanbey izakaya

-Ko Chan izakaya

-Bar Trench

-Nondoko 209

-Wayback Burgers

-Swig Bar

-The Nuts Exchange (vegan)




OMOTE SANDO

-Taro Okamoto museum (620 yen)




HARUJUKU

-Sama Curry

-SmokeHouse BBQ

-Takeshita Street shop road

-Kiddy Land

-Purikura Land Noa photo booth

-World breakfast

-MOMA art design shop

-Dog cafe

-Yoyogi park

-Meiji Jingu temple

-Sakuratei okonomiyaki

-Jins Glasses (glasses shop)

-Menchirashi (udon)

SHINJUKU

-Shinjuku Gyoen park

-Sekaido art supply shop

-Fukuho Gyoza (very cheap)

-Alley tapioca

-Gong Cha tapioca

-Momo Paradise sukiyaki restaurant (3000 yen)

-Mannen Ya fashion

-8 Bit Cafe

-Shot Bar zoeotrope

-Vagabond shinjuku




SHIN OKUBO

-Nene Chicken (Korean chain)

-Mash Bros (pie shop)




UENO

-Ueno Park

-Ueno Zoo (600 yen)

-Ueno National Museum

-Tomato fabric shop




ASAKUSA

-Asakusa local burger

AZABUJUBAN

-Soul food house

-Sukha Latin food




AKIHABARA

-Manga shops

-Sex shops




TOKYO STATION

-Park

-National museum MOMAT (500 yen)

-Imperial Palace




ROPPONGI

-Hainan Jeefan Shokudo (singapore chicken & rice)

-Mori art museum

-Tokyo Tower

-Brew Dog bar

-Mercer Brunch (expensive)

-Havana Cafe (diner bar)

-Geronimo (shot bar)

-Falafel Bros

-Gon Pachi (Kill Bill bar)




GINZA

-Kagari ramen




ODAIBA

-Team Lab (3000 yen)




SHIMOKITAZAWA

-Rojiura samurai curry restaurant

-Ghibli Cafe

-Captain’s Donut

-Flippers pancakes

-Bio ojiiyan restaurant

-Trouble Peach bar

-Marvel bar

-Waffle cafe orange tea

-Good Heavens british pub

-El Caracol mexican food

-Miyoshino sake bar

-Umeshu bar

-Stick up (clothes)

-Grizzly (clothes)

-Desert Snow (clothes)




YOYOGI UEHARA

-Anda Gyoza restaurant

-Commune Press zine shop




SANGENJAYA

-A Bridge restaurant

-Borrachos

-Dar Roiseau

SETAGAYA

-Seatagaya art museum

-Saigon Kamimachi




KICHIJOJI

-Ghibli museum (must book in advance)

-Inokashira Park

-Inokashira Park Zoo

-Cafe Russia Restaurant

-Cave Frog Shop

-Cat cafe

-Avril No Mise yarn specialist

-Home Planet restaurant

-Ramen Maji




NAKANO

-Manga district

-Broadway

-Taco Che Alt Manga Shop




OTSUKA

-Bar Speakeasy




KOENJI

-Faith Koenji Gallery

-Hattifnatt cute cafe

-Sound Studio Dom Koenji

-Jirokichi Live House




IKEBUKURO

-Sunshine City

-Aquarium (2000 yen)

-Shops

-Pokemon Center shop

-Snoopy Charlie Brown shop




KYOTO

-Arishiyama

-Arishiyama Monkey Park

-Ki Kyoto (Lebanese food)

-Muraya Kyoto (cool bar)

-Nakagawa Liquor Store

-Public Tavern Tsubame Hall 大衆酒場つばめホール

[naggie-w]

The topic of 2018.

I learned that a museum in my home prefecture had a reproduction of our beloved Eminence's portrait! (Strictly speaking, the museum has porcelain panel paintings, so you can touch them)

So...

This is an idiot desperately trying to touch His Eminence's elegant hand.

[bluestembers]

Replica of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel at Otsuka Museum of Art

[koumeworks]

やばい、使える ネタが多い 笑 #鳴門 #大塚美術館 #大塚製薬 #徳島 #Naruto #otsuka #museum #tokushima #art (大塚国際美術館 Otsuka Museum Of Art)

[thekimonogallery]

"I went to see the exhibition at the Nomura Museum of Art, and there are a lot of works by Koshu (* ´◒` *) Today I chose a kimono with an indigo white leaf pattern and matched it with a crimson cloisonne obi and a bamboo pattern haori (* ´∇ ｀) *) Half collar, kimono, obi obi, three-quarter string: Return bridge obi: Otsuka Kuremonoya Obidome: Kyoto Kimono Karakusa."

GreenRainbowTwisted Swamp (* ˇωˇ * people) Self-made Obidome Kyoto Light Shokai Sanjo store on sale@ SevGreen0326

[michelangelob]

L'Otsuka Museum of Art è stato inaugurato nel 1998. Si trova sull'isola di Shikoku, all'interno del grande parco nazionale di Naruto. Al suo interno sono esposte le repliche di più di mille capolavori assoluti della storia dell'arte occidentale, appartenenti a oltre 190 musei ubicati in 25 differenti paesi. Una collezione di repliche fuori dall'ordinario: è l'unico museo di questo tipo che offre al pubblico la possibilità di accedere a una replica della Cappella Sistina a grandezza naturale anche se a esser riprodotti sono solo gli affreschi miei e non quelli quattrocenteschi dei registri laterali. . . https://ift.tt/2O6HUi2 . . #Michelangelobuonarrotietornato #Michelangelo #otsuka #giappone #artblogger #storytelling #arte #love #beauty #bellezza #luxury #cappellasistina #museum #travel #trip #giappone #japan #michelangelobuonarroti #copy #replica #art #inartwetrust #otsukamuseumofart — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/30eklba

[mzsmith17]

Blog #7 (CH 8/9)

Chapter 8

ANIME IN THE MOVIES

“Studio Ghibli is perhaps the Japanese animation studio known best worldwide. Founded in the eighties, it specialized in film production. Their most famous movie is Spirited Away,which won awards at the Oscars and the Berlinale competing against real live actors. The main creator in Studio Ghibli is Hayao Miyazaki, considered one of the most important artists in Japan.” pg. 106

Visiting the Ghibli museum is something that I am very excited for during this trip. Studio Ghibli has made some of my favorite movies and I am excited to see the characters and figures in person. One of my favorite movies is Howl’s Moving Castle, so I am excited to see the items from that movie while we are there. I am hoping to take many pictures and enjoy the beautiful art.

MANGA CHARACTERISTICS

“The japanese are very good at incorporating things from overseas, adding their part, creating an improved version, and selling it again to the rest of the world. For example, the transistor radio, curry, cars, etc. As regards comics, they took the basic ideas and Japanized it, creating manga. Its length is far greater than the typical 2 pages in a comic book, and there are dozens of genres beyond superheroes and adventures. Manga achieves an expressive power similar to novels or movies. In fact, Japan is one of the countries with the fewest movie theatres in the world-- the manga industry is much more powerful than the movie industry.” Pg. 104

While in Japan, I would like to purchase one or two mangas to take home with me. I would love to read and experience their stories. I think it would be interesting to read and compare them to american books. I also would like to see how expressive they are and look at all of the different genres of manga. I hope that I am able to find some to read while we are in Japan.

Chapter 9

ENKA BALLADS

“Enka constitutes a genre of Japanese popular ballad that could be considered the greatest popular empular of Japanese traditional music, although it only arose in the nineteenth century. When we listen to enka, we penetrate the heart of Japan. Frequently labeled Japan's national music, it came into being with the arrival of Western instruments and their use to play compositions based on the pentatonic scale.” pg. 111

Enka music is typically melodramatic, sad, and nostalgic. It is often highly repetitive and is based on patterns that have been used for decades with little variation. These patterns are nothing more than kata, repetitions used for practice and to improve a person’s ability in art. Tea ceremonies and flower arrangements usually rely on katta as the center of their creation. Other recurrent themes are hopelessness and unrequited love. Regardless, enka music has been around for centuries and aids in transporting the Japanese through time through music.

J-POP

J-pop is the abbreviation for “Japanese pop” coined by J-WAVE radio. It refers to Japanese popular music and covers all musical creations not considered enka or traditional music. At first, j-pop was the term used to distinguish any new Japanese song from imported music. Little by little coinages like J-rock, J-ska, J-soul, J-rap, and visual kei were created to designate different music styles of Japanese artists.” pg. 113

There are many different popular artists from Japan. These include; Hikaru Utada, Ayumi Hamasaki, Seiko Matsuda, Namie Amuro, Kumi Koda, Ai Otsuka, and many more numerous artists and groups. J-pop songs are typically easy to sing, which brought about the popularization of karaoke. Many Japanese people like to intimidate their idols and sing karaoke. During our trip, we will be singing karaoke with our group. It is quite intimidating, but I suppose I am excited to experience Japanese karaoke and embarrass myself. I’m sure it will be a fun experience.

[oldpainting]

<strong>Three Kimonos <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cathycawood/">by kansaikate</a></strong>

"One of Japan's most admired traditions! Taken at the amazing Otsuka Art Museum in Naruto."

[natsumiabe]

I don’t know why but I like this now❤️ (at 大塚国際美術館 Otsuka Museum Of Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5xDc3gF_6I/?igshid=m1ha7kb2y0y6

[randomnessisamust]

TIL for the 69th Kohaku, Kenshi Yonezu competed with/performed 'Lemon' which was broadcasted live from the Otsuka International Art Museum located in Naruto city, Tokushima prefecture. I'm assuming the stage was set in the Sistine Hall (exhibit?).

The dancer for the performance was Koharu Sugawara - not Nao Yoshigai, who danced in the music video.

Sugawara also made the choreo for Foorin''s 'Paprika' alongside Tomohiko Tsujimoto (who you might know as Kenshi's dance teacher for 'Loser' and 'Flamingo)

So, yeah. I'm gonna put my fangirl ramblings down the cut - cause there's a LOT to unpack.

I know Kenshi said he is from Tokushima but not sure if it’s Naruto city.

My thoughts on the performance? - wow. Who would've thought! Man! It was so good. It was so beautiful! Kenshi what the fuck!? How the fuck!? WHY the fuck!? He deserved that final 10 spot. He deserved to sing his full song. Can't believe I live in a time when Kenshi went LIVE on TV stream!

No need to tell me about the entire set. I’m so thankful to Kenshi’s team. The stage. The candles. The crowd holding those candles. That lemon tree/bush umbrella thingy tied over Kenshi’s beautiful, beautiful head.

And that scene after the second chorus where Sugawara sits to face Kenshi? And the camera angle for that scene alone!? ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL. And the cut to the bird's-eye view? That. Light. Show. BRILLIANT! KENSHI BLESSES THE RAINS DOW- no? k (.___.  )

And his smile? That smile he tried so hard to hide after he performs? Oh my god. What a lovely face. He looked so happy and relieved. He tweeted about trying his best not to mess up the lyrics days before the performance. And. You. Did. It. Boy. You really did! I'm so proud. We're so proud of you.

Overall, I'm so happy for Kenshi on his TV debut. Kenshi and his performance team did amazing. Lemon still makes me go "(　；∀；)" every time I hear or sing it and like he said "he's thankful that this song has reached so many people" same boy. SAME (　；∀；) I’ll bring this song to my GRAVE (well, maybe not actual grave but ygmp?)

Iirc in an interview, while producing Kenshi called the song ‘Memento’ then his grandpa’s passing made him rethink that the word felt too easy (or too much)... And I kinda agree with that. All things considered, ‘Memento’ would’ve felt too on the nose. Anyway, I’m glad we got ‘Lemon’ instead.

[openpostal]

今回愛媛県から書く

お久しぶり！

This time, I’m writing from Japan! Probably before anything else, I should mention that the other guy in this picture is Joseph Iseri (henceforth referred to as: Joe.) We might look a little out of it in this picture, but we had just been on an airplane for nine hours, and we were a little stressed about catching a regional flight immediately afterwards!

This summer, we’re the two students chosen from the University of Hawaii to participate in an internship program at the Ehime Prefecture International Center (EPIC), an organization that helps to coordinate international relations for the prefecture. In Japan, prefectures are the way that the country is divided, sort of like our American states. Geographically, Ehime is located on one of the southern islands of Japan, indicated on this map by our friendly prefectural mascot, Mikyan: 

This image, by the way, is taken from the official Ehime Prefecture website, so all credit goes there. Mikyan is a really cute mascot, but I’m...not sure if it’s a cat or a dog, so please decide that for yourself. 

At the supermarket, you can find his smiling face on products that are made here in the prefecture (here are some rice and eggs!) On the egg carton, you can see two other of his pals - the one on his left is Child Mikyan, the newest of our mascots, and on his right is Dark Mikyan, who is based on a moldy orange. Oranges are one of the largest prefectural specialties here. Because Ehime faces the Seto Inland Sea, the soil is rich in nutrients, and the sunlight reflecting up from the ocean nurtures oranges. Unfortunately, we’re here when orange season has already passed...

The city that the Ehime Prefectural International Center is in is Matsuyama, the prefecture’s capital, and as such, that’s where I’m living for these two months. Matsuyama is famous for Dogo Onsen, one of the oldest hot springs in Japan. It also has one of Japan’s oldest castles.

Don’t let all the buildings fool you - Matsuyama is surprisingly rural. I took a long walk last weekend and found some farms, and even some tractors. A few students from Ehime University have actually asked me why I have an internship here, because it’s in the “inaka,” the Japanese countryside. 

My apartment is right at the foot of the hill the castle stands on! This is the view from my back window. 

The hill looks like a forest rising above the city. The first time I saw it, I was stunned. 

As for what our internship actually entails, we’re essentially acting as foreign dignitaries to spread knowledge about the relationship between Ehime and Hawaii by giving seminars. Sometimes this is at schools, and sometimes this is for other audiences (we have one for visiting G20 labor coordination officials.) We’re also going to visit some government personnel, such as the prefecture’s governor, and we also attend events and perform speeches. For example, this Saturday we’re helping with the opening ceremonies for the Uwajima Hawaiian Festival. 

What this looks like on a day-to-day basis is a little different from that description. 

(Joe didn’t really warn me that this photo was happening.) 

We come and work at the EPIC office from 8:30 AM to 5:15 PM Monday through Friday, and usually the visits and duties mentioned beforehand are somewhere in those hours! At the office, so far we’ve primarily been working on preparing our seminar PowerPoint, helping to coordinate more school visits, creating Japanese scripts for what to actually say in our presentations, creating high-level self-introduction speeches...etc. We also help close up in the afternoon and participate in workplace conversation, which has been significantly more casual than I expected!

It’s really a fantastic place to work. All of our coworkers are interesting and kind. The office layout is a pretty traditional Japanese office layout - in the photo here you can see the open office style, where there are no cubicle, and the desk in the very back underneath the window is where the office president sits. It seems like it would be difficult to work in, but in practice, because everyone is so friendly, it works well here at EPIC. We’ll also help with the office’s general duties once in a while, which entails helping tourists and expat residences as well as foreign exchange students. Today we helped out with administering an interpretation test. 

Because some of our school visits and duties take place on the weekend or on holidays, in the middle of the internship we have a week off to make up for those extra work days. Joe is planning on traveling with his girlfriend, so I’m actually not really sure what to do...but I need to make plans if I want to do anything. There are a few interesting opportunities that have come up. It turns out that our office president is actually an art teacher, so he’s invited me to come to his classroom sometime, and our supervisor Oomori-san has shown me some incredible art museums in the region. Read that as: the Otsuka Museum of Art. Seriously, go look it up. It’s insane. 

Anyways, to end this update off, here’s two more pictures from around Matsuyama. The glowing sign is for a hot spring...it’s very close to my apartment. 

Thank you for reading so much! I hope everyone is doing well, no matter where they are at the moment.