#fukugawa

[stuff-diary]

The Parades

Movies watched in 2024

The Parades (2024, Japan)

Director & Writer: Michihito Fujii

Mini-review:

Wow, what a beautiful film. It's true that there are similar stories out there, but this one is told with such warmness and gentleness that I couldn't help but fall in love with it. If anything, my only complain is that it should have been a miniseries or something like that, cause I wanted to spend more time in this world and with these characters. But truly, this star-studded cast does one hell of a job, even the actors with less scenes or smaller roles. And the cinematography is simply stunning. The whole movie looks gorgeous, to the point of being awe-inspiring, and it has quite a few unforgettable shots. Oh, there are also a couple of triggering moments, so be careful with that. But yeah, I loved The Parades so, so much. I'll have to look up more of this director's work.

[nicerandsmarterthanme]

[ella-chan-or-evelynp]

A little wip of my first nnd compass fanart where voidoll is hiding behind two sliding doors while the corrupted original 9 are behind those doors, wanting to get in the room to kill voidoll

and the second is just a poorly drawed sketch of what the final image may look like

it’s going to be an au called the corrupted au where voidoll has to save everyone after being corrupted by bugdoll

I technically stole the main points of the pokerus au by @monsoon-of-art aka @monster-mons and smash ultimate’s world of light

[city-cost]

Plenty of foot traffic on New Year's Day heading to Fukugawa Fudoudou temple and Tomioka Hachimangu shrine in Tokyo's Monzen-Nakacho district for hatsumode, the first temple or shrine visit of the year.

[luke-r-gillespie]

May 6 - Asakusa / Fukugawa Edo Museum

Freewriting

For my first day in Tokyo, I woke up around 6AM (thank you jetlag) and reviewed the days readings before heading downstairs to eat breakfast with my group. Following breakfast, I attended the first class meeting before embarking to Asakusa by train. Asakusa temple was amazing, the size and intricacy of the temple and the surrounding structures was breath taking.

After looking around in some stalls around the temple, I paid 100 yen to have my fortune read. I received a bad fortune (not cool,) but I tied it to the designated to post to hopefully shake my bad luck. After looking around at the shrine for a bit longer, I went to lunch with some friends and had some great Japanese food (despite the meal taking way longer than we initially anticipated.) It was the type of restaurant where they prepare the food in front of you, but it was taking too long and we were going to be far too late returning to the group, but thankfully my (sub-par) Japanese speaking helped me to resolve the situation. After Asakusa, we went to the Fukugawa Edo Museum where a great tour guide told us all (but mostly Zachary) about life in the Edo period. After the days excursions were done I went to the Pokemon center, UNIQLO, Don Quijote and a really strange free art exhibit. I ended the night at a great pizza place down town where I had a really nice time with some friends. After a missed train or two, I ended up back at Hotel Edoya where I now sit writing this post.

Academic Reflection

The Asakusa temple is an ancient Buddhist temple which is extremely popular in and around Tokyo. The temple is that of Kannon, the god(ess) of mercy. Many aspects of the temple are indicative of Buddhist history and its influences. For example, the giant sandals meant to ward off demons or the statues that stand on either side of the temple's entrance which have obvious Greek influence. Unlike many other temples and shrines in Japan that are typically only visited in the event of someone's death, the Asakusa temple was bustling with commerce and activity. The influence of Buddhism on Japan's economy and religious beliefs was very evident at the temple. The deity (Kannon) presented at the temple seemed more in line with Mahayana sect of Buddhism. The Fukugawa Edo Museum presented an extremely accurate and realistic depiction of a small section of Edo era Tokyo. The entire "city block" was very reminiscent of the reading on premodern Japan. The businesses and homes presented real world examples of how many different individuals lived in the Edo period (aside from the Emperor, Shogun, and his Daimyos.) It is not hard to picture how Japan prospered under the Tokugawa's rule if these were the conditions at the time. The rice warehouse and the boathouse were particularly interesting and it helped that our guide was passionate about the material.

[zacharyja]

Monday, May 6th, 2024

Asakusa and Fukugawa Edo Museum

Today began early at 7:30 with breakfast at the Hotel Edoya buffet, many normal items including white rice, sausage, sliced chicken, smoked salmon, toast, and an assortment of other various Japanese dishes unbeknownst to me. Though I was able to try natto, which is a type of fermented soybean dish, that is sticky and foamy and tasted of coffee, not great but not as bad as people make it out to be.

Following this meal we met on the rooftop conference room to discuss the day and meet our local guides. We then took the Japan Railway (JR) to get to Asakusa in order to see the Senso-Ji temple, which was built for the “Kannon Goddess of Mercy” and completed in 648 making it the oldest temple remaining in Tokyo.

After this we went to get lunch and some friends and I decided on a random Okonomiyaki restaurant where I ordered a “Beef Tendon Curry” meal which was then turned into a pancake-esque dish cooked on the griddle directly in front of my seat. They also brought us 4 octopus tentacles and grilled them up despite us not ordering them still decided to charge us ¥418 per tentacle.

Following this we made our way to the Fukugawa Edo Museum, which consists of a large life size replica of a Tokyo neighborhood from around the year 1840, stylized to match the end of the Tokugawa period.

While here I met an 80 year old Japanese man who volunteered at the museum offering information to english tourists. While I was with a group of about 20 other students the elderly man decided to single me out for some reason and essentially give me a private tour in front of my entire group. Opting to not break eye contact with me or ask anyone else questions for some reason.

This was done by about 3pm and we were then free to do whatever we wanted for the rest of the day. Some friends and I decided to go to the Pokemon Center Tokyo DX, as we are all big fans of the Pokemon franchise. This place was pretty awesome and a consumerist dream. Pokemon galore and the amount of people in the store likely outnumber the total number of Pokémon in existence. Still was worth it and I got some merchandise to satisfy my capitalist cravings.

After the Pokemon Center we decided to walk to a store called “Don Quijote”, which is hard to describe unless you’ve seen or heard about it already. But it is essentially a discount store offering every single product you could possibly imagine, ranging from hair dryers to kit-kats to lingerie. Getting there was a bit of a struggle as the person who decided to lead the way typed in the wrong place into his navigation, thus leading us quite far out of the way and we ended up in Ginza, which is an upscale shopping district in Japan, though lucky for us there was another Don Quijote about .3 miles away so we opted to walk. On the way we stopped by a 7 story Uniqlo store and browsed around for a bit and bought some shirts.

We eventually made it to Don Quijote in Ginza and browsed for a while before getting a bit overwhelmed with the sheer size of the store and the breadth of product. After this we walked around Ginza for a bit and decided we were getting hungry for dinner and the consensus decided on Pizza for dinner which is an interesting choice for our 2nd meal ever in Japan but the urge for bread, marinara and cheese was too strong to be avoided. We hopped on the train bound for a Pizza place called “Savoy” in Azabujuban. Though not sure how but we ended up at the wrong place and apparently the location had been moved for a while at this point. I looked up the how far the actual restaurant was and it was only a 7 minute walk away so we made the journey. After getting to the restaurant and seeing a decent amount of people waiting we were unsure that a party of 6 would be able to get seated anytime soon, but nonetheless the staff pulled through and seated us in the “Platinum” room which was a private room with a table for 6. We all ordered Margherita pizza and scarfed it down as fast as it came out.

After this delectable meal we decided head back home as it was 8pm by this point and we were all exhausted. We went back to the train station and made our way back to the hotel to conclude the day.

Academic Reflection

Today’s readings focused on contemporary Japanese Buddhist traditions and detailed the arrival of Buddhism into Japan from China in the 6th century. This gave me a deeper understanding of how Buddhism spread throughout and eventually became the leading religion in Japan. I was able to see just how true this is with the touring of the Senso-Ji temple in Asakusa where I saw the sheer scale that 7th century Buddhist monks went to in order to practice their religion. Building a structure of that sheer size without any power tools must have been a logistical nightmare, and seeing it firsthand really showed me how dedicated they must have been to put so much time and effort into building something so complex. I was also interested to learn that the main purpose of most Buddhist temples is funerary services, which is also how they make most of their money. This was a bit shocking to me as most western religions tend to focus more on practicing the religion at the place of worship, which is not really the case for most Buddhists. Going to the Fukugawa Edo museum was a great way to almost step foot into 18th century early modern Japan. Which was characterized by urbanization, relatively high literacy rates, stable population, overall peace, and an enjoyment of arts and growing culture. In the readings about the early Tokugawa, it was quite shocking to see the seemingly widespread common theme of samurai and other devoted vassals committing hara-kiri upon the death of their lords. When the Shogun Iemistu died, 13 people committed hara-kiri which is shocking as I could not possibly imagine being so devoted to your leader that you are willing to take your own life at the news of their passing. After reading about this period, seeing a model of how this would have looked and actually walking through the buildings definitely helped to cement the reality of the past into my brain. Overall was a great educational experience and I appreciated my time spent there.

[toonabby]

Happy (late) 35th birthday, Tom Laflin!

Characters of Tom Laflin:

Anubis from Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts

Page One from One Piece

Yuji Hitouji from the Sound Cadence dub of The Prince of Tennis

Yajirobe Ueno from Tribe Nine

Reiji Yamamoto from Shangri-La Frontier

Haruka Fukugawa from Lovely Complex

Demioros from The Fruit of Evolution

Yomotsuzaka from The Vampire Dies in No Time

Kasha from The Demon Prince of Momochi House

[rhijp]

May 28 - Asakusa

Today was our first full day in Japan. In the morning we took the metro to Asakusa and visited Sensoji, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. This particular temple —completed in 645 C.E— has been devoted to the goddess Kannon, known for her mercy.

After entering the gates to the temple square, we were greeted by an incredibly vibrant market filled with souvenir and food stands of all varieties. We spent time exploring the many streets of this area which, as you can see in the picture below, were filled with many other visitors who also wanted to see what the temple square had to offer.

As we neared the temple, we came across sites such as charm booths, a fortune telling stand, and even a place of burning incense said to heal the ailments of those who touch the smoke. Many of our group had their fortunes given to them after offering 100¥ and walked through the healing incense in hopes of improving their odds of success in this class.

In the temple, we saw a beautifully sculpted alter where many Buddhists were paying their respects.

After eating lunch at the food stands, we took the metro to the Fukugawa Edo museum. At the museum our group was able to see Tokyo as it once was while it was still known by its previous name Edo.

Here at the museum, we were able to learn about many kinds of shops and buildings that would have been found in the city during 18th century.

(Left: inside a storage house, Right: portable soba shop)

After visiting the museum we each split for the day and enjoyed our own activities around Tokyo.

Academic Reflection

In the first two readings we had today we primarily focused on Mahayana Buddhism and how it is typically expressed in Japan. One subject that was discussed in these readings is that, since the primary role of the Buddhist priests in Japan now lies in the performance of funeral rites and functions, many Japanese people have detached themselves from this way of life and only see it as a means by which the dead are taken care of. Because of this declining lack of vigor in the religion, many of the Buddhist denominations have taken to trying to make themselves a larger part of Japanese life.

Two of the ways which the denominations have been trying to insert themselves into peoples’ lives have been to increase commercialization and to create pop culture elements such as anime/manga adaptations of their most important stories. During our visit today, the commercialism, in particular, stood out to me as we walked through the streets. To me, the temple square felt primarily like a tourist attraction and lacked any significant presence of religion aside from the artifacts themselves. Even the amulets and other technically religious items such as the fortune telling sticks felt more like souvenirs and fun games. While I admit, this sort of commercialism does seem to greatly deepen Buddhism’s connection to Japanese culture (the participation of the thousands of people present can attest to that), it seems as though a piece of the movement itself is lost in the fun.

The third reading, focused on the rise and leadership of the Tokugawa shogunate. From the great founder of the shogunate Ieyasu to its later leaders of varying power and influence, these ruling warlords’ regimes oversaw Japan during the Edo period which was depicted at the museum we visited today. Although, the reading did not much affect my view on the museum, learning about edicts did help explain what one could see while viewing the exhibit. One such edict was that each regional daimyo was required to spend much of their resources coming to and residing in Edo. Having such an law in place makes it clear how the city was able to flourish as it did as thousands of wealthy samurai frequently made the journey to Japan’s future capital, spending their money and causing the city’s economy to rapidly grow.

More tomorrow!

[rkhemlani]

May 28th - Asakusa/Fukugawa Ego Museum

Today was the first official day of class and daily activities within our study abroad journey to Tokyo, and we definitely started off with a bang! As a class, we began the day with a lesson on the readings from the night before, mostly concerned with Mahayana Buddhism, and then proceeded on by making way to the district of Asakusa via metro. We visited the Senso-ji temple which was surrounded by bustling markets, food stalls, and craft shops that sold traditional goods such as chopsticks, katanas, and kimonos. Some interesting sights at this temple were the fortune reading cards, the healing bowl, and the Buddha statue depicted above. After walking through the temple, taking photos, and engaging in prayer, we took an hour break for lunch and most of us grabbed lunch at the surrounding food stalls. I had Japanese fried chicken, which is known as Karaage, followed by a green tea ice cream sandwich. Afterwards, we headed to the Fukugawa Edo Museum, which was entirely devoted to the layout of the city of Edo, the name of the city prior to Tokyo. The museum included a life-size depiction of a neighborhood in Edo including stores, the boathouse, and private homes. It was interesting to see the scale of houses and how the average person lived in Edo, prior to the massive city that is Tokyo today. After leaving the museum, some of us split from the class and trekked over to Tokyo Skytree, a 634 m (2,080 ft) observation tower that offered wonderful panoramic views of the metropolis.

Academic Reflection

While visiting the Senso-ji Temple today in Asakusa, some of the noticeable characteristics of the Inner Gate were the muscular deities that were said to guard the temple along with massive sandals that were said to scare away any evil or demons. The deities were especially distinctive because they were muscular, which was typically not depicted in Eastern Buddhist culture, meaning that the influence for that characteristic may have been Greek, in which their art depicts gods as strong, athletic beings. This relates to the Porcu reading in class, which mentioned the close link between Buddhist institutions and global economic and cultural patterns. The influence of the muscular deities may have stemmed from Greece through trade on the Silk Road, making its way to Japan and influencing common people. To appeal to these commoners, Japanese Buddhist artists made the deities muscular and built. 

The Fukugawa Edo Museum includes aspects that directly stems from the Hane and Perez article which noted the rise of Edo as a prosperous city following the emergence of the samurai class. The museum included depictions of a port, rice stores, merchant shops, and individual tenements which the reading described in great detail. One of the greatest threats to Edo were fires, which the reading mentions that the officials and townspeople created firefighting efforts such as building tile roofs. The museum included more depictions of these firefighting efforts including a fire watch tower and a local rain-collecting well that was used to put out fires. It was interesting to see aspects from the readings come to light in life-size figures. 

[maddieonthemovee]

May 6 — Asakusa

We started off our day at Asakusa, which was filled with stands, shops, and restaurants. After wandering the shops and purchasing a couple of blind box collectibles and a matcha latte, my friends and I met up with the rest of our group. Each of us got our own fortune by paying 100 yen and then shaking a container full of sticks, each with a number. Then we pulled out a stick, found the box with the matching number, and pulled out the first fortune in the stack. My fortune read, “The Final and Last Fortune,��� which seemed very ominous. I was told it was worse than a regular fortune, but better than a bad fortune. At least I didn’t the worst one! Next, our group walked up the steps of the Senso-ji shrine, dropped a coin into a collection box, and joined our hands in silent prayer, ending with a bow. We repeated the process once we were inside.

Then it was lunchtime! My friends and I got udon to eat (a couple of us also got prawn tempura), which was amazing. I also tried barley tea for the first time! Three of my friends enjoyed an ice cream float of sorts, and then we met back up with the group to head to our next destination, the Fukugawa Edo Museum. At the Edo Museum, we were personally guided through a replica of a neighborhood from the mid 1800s, which was built to scale, interactive, and immersive through its audio and visual elements. We could hear rain falling, bells chiming, and cats meowing!

After our time at the Edo Museum, we had the rest of the day off. My friends and I located a park that we strolled around. We saw various animals like turtles there; it was very peaceful and quiet. After a little bit of downtime at the hotel, we walked to an area filled with arcade/gaming complexes, anime stores, and maid cafes. It was very crowded and more city-like, a stark contrast from the museum and park we went to earlier in the day. There, we walked around, ate sushi, went shopping in Don Quixote, and then headed home. Our first day in Japan and in Tokyo was an amazing, packed day! 

Academic Reflection:

In “Contemporary Japanese Buddhist Traditions”, I was introduced to the basic aspects of Buddhism in Japan. Common activities include visiting temples, participating in rituals, receiving divinations, and purchasing amulets. Through today’s activities, I was able to witness and participate in a variety of rituals that sought to dispel misfortune and danger. At the Senso-ji shrine, I saw many locals gathered around an incense burner, wafting the smoke over their heads, and for some, even into their hair. This reminded me a lot of my own faith and the role that incense plays in it. I practice Roman Catholicism, and incense plays a large role in many of our rites on specific dates, such as solemnities or Good Thursday. I can see the potential influence of Asian belief systems’ use of incense on Catholicism’s, as trade likely spread it from China to the Roman Empire. In Catholicism, feeling incense on your head or any part of your body is seen to be a blessing from God. Therefore, I found it surprisingly easy to lean into partaking in this ritual.

In the reading, I learned a lot about the various aspects of Japanese Buddhism and how it has evolved. One thing that specifically stood out to me was how its demographic evolved and was broadened over time, specifically due to the influence of pop culture. Manga, anime, and characters/mascots all played a role in how Buddhism experimented and spread their teachings in order “to interact with a larger and younger audience and to make Buddhism relevant to the outside community”. This phenomenon of elements of media and pop culture being used to influence public attitudes and behavior was evident to me as many advertisements and instructions were communicated through engaging visuals with animated characters while we were navigating the subway system and choosing stores to shop in. Before utilizing the subway, our course director shared with us a Japanese graphic depicting animals and humans in a subway. The humans were covering their ears while the animals were shown to be speaking and/or yelling very loudly. This graphic reminded me of what I had read about experimental Buddhism, and I could therefore understand how a religion’s teachings could be effectively spread through manga and other forms of media.

[loganinjapan]

Day 1: ACADEMIC

Well, for my family reading this back in the USA, you already ate dessert and the big juicy steak with my activities post. This is my academic reflection (it's here so I don't get an F in the study abroad). I think the most amusing thing I witnessed at the Senso-ji Temple were the giant sandals. Dr. Smith explained them well - when an evil spirit rises up and sees the sandals, they get scared off because they see the sandals and assumes whoever lives there has super giant feet. The concept of scaring off evil spirits is very common in buddhism, and personally, I think the concept of displaying the sandals outside doesn't just fend off bad spirits, but it also attracts more people into learning about Buddhism. As states in the Porcu reading, Buddhist movements have resorted to tactics like producing anime and creating mascots/characters, all in the name of public outreach. It ties into a big world involving religion and consumerism - Senso-ji Temple becomes a big attraction and in turn, lots of shops and food stalls are able to thrive thanks to the increased foot traffic. It's similar in the USA with Christianity - Christmas and Easter are two holidays that generate a lot of revenue because of gifts and candy. Mmmmm, money... As I stated in the activity reflection, I really liked the Fukugawa Edo Museum. It was nice to get a glimpse of how Japanese people lived such a long time ago. I loved seeing the different types of technology on display - from abacuses to big pounding machines. I was a bit shocked to learn that the watchtower was for fires and not for opposing fighters, but I understand that farming is a priority. It even states in the Hane/Perez reading that samurai farmed in times of peace and in times of war, head to the battlefield. It's a given - more farming equals more food, and more food means more room to stockpile. I noticed the rice stockpile exhibit with the super-thick wall building, apparently the building was designed so if there were to be a fire in the town, the walls would prevent the fire from damaging the inside. Therefore, keeping rice in there ensures that people can be fed and that the farms can live on..

[thisisryderinjapan]

Day 1

May 6 - Asakusa, Fukugawa Edo Museum, Kiyosumi Park, Arcade, Don Quixote

This moment marks the end of my first day in Japan. I started the day by waking up at midnight, rising from bed in fear that I had slept through half the day (I thought it was 12pm, not 12am), then tyring to go back to bed after realizing it was actually midnight. I was able to fall back asleep, but woke up at three o'clock in the morning with no hope of falling back to sleep, at which point I did the readings for class later in the morning. After class, we went to Asakusa to see the temple and the shops, where I got a matcha puff pastry and a strawberry frappuccino. I don't like matcha, and was reminded of this reality when I bit into the pastry and didn't like it at all. Nevertheless, i finished the whole thing. The strawberry frappuccino was very good and had delicious almond flour jelly on the bottom. After Asakysa, we went to the Fukugawa Edo Museum where we learned about what the area looked like hundreds of years ago. Then, a few of us traveled to nearby Kiyusomi Park, where they had turtles, koi, and pretty vegetation. After the garden, I unsuccessfully tried to withdraw cash from an ATM, and then we went back to the hotel. As I write this, we just returned from going out for dinner, browsing an arcade, and seeing one of the many Don Quixotes (something I can confidently say I will never do again). Overall, the day was productive, but I am extremely tired and looking forward to showering and sleeping.

Academic Reflection

One of the things that has most clearly revealed itself to me after completing the readings was the "cuteness" of Japan that was explained in the Yano - Wink on Pink reading, in which Yano describes a country whose international defining characteristic has become the novel cuteness of characters such as Hello Kitty. Some support the symbol of the Kitty because it represents the rise of Japan on the world stage after its obliteration in WWII, while others reject the dominance of the Kitty as a reduction of Japan to nothing more than cartoon characters in the eyes of the world, lamenting the departure of the past's characterization of Japan as being filled with strong Samurais and hard-working salarymen. After reading about the "cuteness" of Japanese culture, I definitely noticed it in person in most of the young women that I saw and even some of the men. It was certainly very evident in the "maids" advertising the maid cafés on the streets and in the young Japanese people throughout the arcade we visited who were indeed ogling for every stuffed animal in the building.

[eienoah]

May 6 - Asakusa

Today marked my first full day in Japan ever. Starting the day off strong I woke up at 6 am on my own surprisingly and was fully rested for what may be the first and only time in my life. Last night I was so tired I accidentally passed out on the couch while looking at my phone and woke up two hours later to have to move over to my bed. After doing a bit of cleaning from the previous night I realized I left an ice cream in the fridge of all places and went to check on it. Surprisingly, it still looked in shape but as soon as I took a bite out of it, the inside burst out. A wonderful start to my morning. After that I hopped in the shower, ate breakfast and met up with everyone on the top floor before our trip. I got to meet Leina and Riki from Worldstrides who were incredibly nice. From there we went on to Sensouji where I got to see a Buddhist temple for the first time in my life. It was incredibly shocking, especially the ceiling. I’m always intrigued by artwork on ceilings as at first it can be hard to even notice it is there. “I didn’t even notice it the last time I was here.”-Richard Sorkin. After that we stopped for lunch and I learned that Japan’s oranges are full of giant seeds and that different cities have city pins. I grabbed two Asakusa pins off a small vending machine on the street. Then we all met up and headed to the Fukugawa Edo museum. I thought the houses inside were pretty cool but my favorite part was talking to the workers. やっぱ、日本で日本語を話さなきゃならないんです。

Academic Reflection

Being able to see different reflections of Kannon was incredibly intriguing in that some actually displayed the Lotus’s that she came from. On top of that,I actually talked to one of the Fukugawa Edo museum staff members who was informing me that previously there was an island in which the Samurai would be able to stay. In addition, he informed that the current subway routes actually do not go through where the Imperial Palace was at all. A line was heading directly for it and suddenly moved up to go around. It really helped to give me that connection in my head for just how strong high ranking members in society could influence the country as told in the text. In addition, rice is thought of as an extremely important part of the Japanese diet and a different one of the staff members introduced me to the machine and explained the process of blending white and brown rice. I also had a conversation with him about how to make mochi but that’s a different story for another day. All in all, the majority of the pieces that I connected from today came from the Tokugawa reading but it was super cool being able to visually connect what I am reading about to what is right in front of me.

[richs-japan-tabi]

May 6 - Asakusa

Today was my first full day in Tokyo! On our first excursion to Asakusa, we visited Sensō-ji and got to eat various foods from yatai in the surrounding area. First, I tried fruit candy, and it was delicious. At the temple, I got my omikuji, or fortune, and got the best fortune. I have been to Sensō-ji once before, but this time I had a greater appreciation for it. I think I can attribute this mainly to reading about it beforehand and having a better understanding of Japanese. After going to the temple, we had a little over an hour to explore the city a bit and get lunch. I got stuffed myself with katsu-don from a local restaurant and then went into a gashapon store. I got an Asakusa pin and a small Pokémon figure. After the temple and lunch, we headed to our next destination, Fukugawa Edo Museum. I thought that this museum was an incredible recreation of mid-1800s Japan and I got an informative explanation from one of the guides there. He explained that Edo was a much smaller city at this time, as was apparent by the addition of modern train lines on the map. For example, outside Shinjuku was nothing more than the countryside. I thought it was cool that we were able to go inside the buildings and I thought that the cat noise playing over the loudspeaker was funny.

Academic Reflection

The assigned readings explained the origins of Buddhism and the differences in how it is practiced in Japan. According to legend, Sensō-ji was built after two fishermen discovered a statue of Kannon in the Sumida River. Kannon is the Goddess of Mercy and is often worshipped for good fortune in one’s current life. This probably explains why fortunes and other things are available for purchase at the temple. One of the first things I noticed when we arrived at the temple was that they had a statue of Kannon there.

The other reading explained how Tokugawa Ieyasu unified the Japanese daimyo and became the shogunate, marking the beginning of the Edo period in Japan. This era marked what is referred to as the early modern period as many of the familiar cultural aspects of today. At Fukugawa Edo Museum they had a recreation of what a town of this period would look like. I noticed that one of the most common features was measures against fires. This included a thick clay storehouse and watch towers to ensure that the city wouldn’t burn down in the case of a fire since wood was the main building material. The town also had an accurate depiction of how cramped commoner’s houses were as the samurai’s mansions took up about 80% of Edo period towns. 

[naomi-in-japan]

５月２８日 – Asakusa | Fukugawa Edo Museum

Today was the official first day of our program, and needless to say—we did a lot! In the morning, after group breakfast, we had our first class meeting, where we reviewed the readings we were assigned about the various sects of Buddhism in Japan and their impact on Japanese society. We also had another reading on the early Edo period of Japan, which both transferred into application at where we went today. And after a brief orientation from our tour guide company, we were off to Asasuka!

•••

Asasuka🏮

Before this trip, I actually went to Asasuka in the past during high school! However, I did not have the cultural background to truly understand its significance as a Buddhist temple site. It was pretty busy the time we went, and we definitely took a lot of pictures! After a 45-minute delay, we rushed to the metro system to make it to the other portion of our class outing.

Fukugawa Edo Museum 🏛️

The Fukugawa Edo Museum had a life-size recreation of the Main Street of Koto City. It gave an excellent perspective to walk through a recreation of what it was like hundreds of years ago. There also was an animatronic cat on one of the rooftops (which scared me whenever its meow would go off). 

Transit System🚊

As part of our outing, we were given Suica cards to use throughout our program in Japan to utilize the railway system to travel around Japan. After going through the Edo museum, we were dismissed there to go out and about. But I intentionally wanted to return to the hotel with the professor so I could watch and try to follow along myself to understand the system. One thing for sure is that Google Maps is your best friend! You could tell how busy the train system can get and how heavily utilized it is here in Japan compared to the states that don’t use public transit on a mass scale.

•••

After returning to our lodging, I was completely knocked out until around 9 PM. I hadn’t realized how tired I was until after finally sitting down comfortably for the day. And now, as I scramble to finish my blog post by midnight, I look forward in excitement to seeing what Tokyo has for us next.

———————————————————

📚 Academic Reflection 📚

The first reading, “Contemporary Japanese Buddhist Traditions,” goes into a brief timeline and the impact of Buddhism in Japan from its arrival and development amidst the Meiji and postwar periods and into contemporary Japan. Reflecting primarily on the later half of the first text when it discusses the integration of contemporary Buddhism into the relevancy of the modern day in the way temples try to attract local youth and global tourists through marketing and consumerism. During our time in Asakusa, this can be seen through the shops and local goods which could be bought on the temple grounds. 

The second reading on “Mahayana Buddhism” goes into the breakdown of Mahayana Buddhism through its spread and growth throughout Asia and its doctrine. Primarily this text focuses on the concept of bodhisattva, otherwise known as an “enlightened being,” and their purpose. At Asakusa, we see examples of the growth and spread of Buddhism in Japan through the great extent of pagodas, statues, and architecture dedicated to the maintenance and construction of Asakusa.

Finally, the third reading from Hane and Perez, “Early Tokugawa,” went into the shift into the Tokugawa period after the death of Hideyoshi and the rise of Ieyasu. The social, power, and financial structure of the effects of Ieyasu could be witnessed in the layout and high populations of Edo (Tokyo) itself. On our visit to the Fukugawa Edo Museum, we got to walk through and experience a life-size recreation of what a block district looked like back in the Tokugawa era. 

[szydlowski]

May 28 - Asakusa

Today was my first full day in Japan. We ate breakfast at the hotel in the morning and then took the train to Asakusa. It was my first time riding on the subway and I was super impressed by how efficient and clean the trains are. In Asakusa, we visited the Sensoji temple, dedicated to the Buddhist deity Kannon. There, I got my fortune read, bought a talisman, and even prayed for good fortune. It was so cool how a traditional temple like this is located in the middle of a bustling city.

Afterward, I walked to a nearby cafe with some friends. The entire menu was vegan! I ordered curry with rice and it was amazing. Many people told me eating vegan in Japan would be challenging, but so far it has been surprisingly easy.

After lunch, we visited the Fukugawa Edo Museum. Inside the museum, there was an entire block designed to capture what life was like during the Edo period, complete with houses, shops, and a river. I felt like I was transported into the past, everything was so detailed. My favorite part of the day was walking around Asakusa and seeing all the little shops and restaurants.

Academic Reflection

The reading that most enhanced my understanding of today's activities was "Contemporary Japanese Buddhist Traditions." I had no idea that Japan had so many different sects of Buddhism, each with its own beliefs and practices. I could definitely see the influence of China and to a lesser extent India in the paintings and statues at the temple., which were discussed in the readings. However, while the text really stressed the idea that Buddhist temples in Japan are seen mostly just as a place for funerals, that didn't really feel true for the temple we visited today; the place was very lively and full of people going to pray at the temple and get their fortune. It didn't really seem like a place for a funeral, but that's just based on my experience there.

As for the Fukugawa Edo Museum, I felt like I learned a lot about Edo Japan just by walking through the exhibit. From what I gathered, the block of houses was supposed to be that of the lower class, and the small, simple homes and shops reflected the conditions described by the "Early Tokugawa Period" reading.

One thing that interested me the most from this reading was the Sankin Kotai system, wherein the feudal lords were required to live in Edo every other year, draining their resources and keeping them from rising up against the Shogun. I could imagine how this system contributed to Edo's rapid population growth, and walking through the busy streets of Tokyo reminded me that it is a massive city.