spotlight on honors: study abroad

The street near our dorm in Ikebukuro (a district of Tokyo) that we take every day to get to the subway.

Takeshita-dori, one of the main streets in Harajuku, a very popular shopping district in Tokyo.

As a part of the Japanese culture class for first-time American students, we went on a guided tour of the Edo-Tokyo Museum. The museum had many exhibits detailing things such as architecture, art, and commerce of these two time periods. It was especially interesting to see how the Japanese adapted Western culture to fit in with their own. The tour ended with an exhibit on life during World War 2, and its effects on industry when it ended. 

Ukiyo-e, or woodblock printing, was a very tedious form of art. As this picture shows, multiple blocks were needed to make just one picture! This method was popular for portraits, newspapers, flyers, and books.

On a rainy Saturday, a small group of American students and I ventured to Sensoji, a Buddhist temple in Asakusa. It is one of Tokyo's oldest and largest temples. This is a photo of one of two large gates leading into the temple. After entering the first, there is a long street filled with vendors selling snacks and souvenirs. Through the second, there is a fountain where patrons "purify" themselves by washing their hands and drinking some of the water. Unfortunately, the temple is under some renovation and had a large tarp covering it, so we were unable to get the full view from outside. The inside was amazing with a very lavish worship area. We were also able to get our fortunes told by shaking a metal container filled with numbered sticks and finding the fortune that corresponded with the number we received.

This picture was taken outside of Kabukiza, a kabuki theater in Ginza. Kabuki is dramatic theater with only male actors. Shows usually last all day and can be very expensive. We were able to attend one act of that day's show for about 20 dollars. The act we saw lasted about two hours. The story line was set back in the days of courtesans (geisha) and tea houses. A wealthy farmer went to the city and fell in love with the most popular courtesan. He spent a lot of money on her and was willing to buy out of her contract so she wouldn't have to work at the tea house any longer. Her lover found out and believed she was being unfaithful; to prove her love, he wanted her to tell the wealthy farmer that she wanted nothing to do with him. So, she does it and publicly humiliates the farmer in front of his friends. He goes home, shamed, and returns several months later saying he wants to put the past behind them. Well, he manages to get her in a room alone, tells her that she completely ruined his life, reaches for his sword, and kills her. It was very dramatic.