As I write this post I am sitting on a bench surrounded by excited children, massive golden cat sculptures, and a giant blue roller coaster with cars shaped like a ukulele-playing hamster riding on a cloud. In the distance there is a hazy but still majestic Mt. Fuji. Immersed in these sights and sounds, it is […]
Culture, Consumerism, and the Cult of Mt. Fuji: Reflections on Overseas Scholarship in Japan
Looking around, I had a strange feeling at the Sendagaya Fuji-zuka shrine in Tokyo. Utilitarian scaffolding and other metallic construction equipment were strewn about the grounds at the Fuji-zuka (“Fuji mound”)–a religious miniature replica of Mt. Fuji, of which there are many and which are often constructed from actual stones taken from Fuji herself. A typical […]
Portland, LA, Beijing …next stop: Tokyo. Expanding horizons and finding connections
Sunday, July 13th, 2014 Today marks week one in Tokyo. Despite what the calendar says, my time in Tokyo has been so teeming with new culture, outings, readings, and people that I feel as if I have been here for several weeks already. After studying abroad at Peking University last fall, I expected to […]
Natural Culture, Cultural Nature
I have officially been in Japan for one week, but it feels like it has been at least a month. Each day is packed with something new, be it stumbling upon a small town’s sacred ritual, meeting with Japanese experts, eating an octopus pancake, or exploring the many wonders of Tokyo. The day’s adventures always […]
Finding the Local in the Global: Japanese Karaoke
Week one in Japan has been filled with invaluable lessons and experiences, all of which relate to at least one of the three themes of Imagining the Global in some way or another. Examples of the local-global dyad are not only found inside of the classroom and during structured activities, but we can also find […]