Old Japan

Hello, everyone~!

First of all, I did enjoy talking to the members of AGU 2007 through the online chat! Though we hadn't met face to face before, it made me feel like I had. Moreover, I couldn't help but be grateful for the technologies that has allowed us to connect with each other internationally! I'm looking forward to talking to you again on Monday!^^

Well, what I'm going to talk about today is my visit to the American embassy. You might remember that I've talked about my visit to the American embassy with Hiro to listen to the lecture which had something to do with the collaboration between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Armed Forces of the United States. This time, I went to visit there again by myself to listen to the lecture about the cultural exchanges that occurred between the Japanese and the American in the 19th century, and how the American discovered the things about the Japanese culture, and also how the Japanese rediscovered our own culture through these exchanges.

Though I'm not particularly majoring in this kind of field, I was interested in what the speaker would talk about because I thought that to know how the cultural exchanges were done in the 19th century hopefully would offer me some new perspectives for the cultural exchanges that I've tried to promote in my daily life. In addition to that, I've always been amazed by the power of a piece of work that has let us connect with each other, and inspire others regardless of linguistic barrier and historical background between each other's country. What matters most is what one says in his work, not who he is or where he comes from. You might see what I mean If you think about the influence of the Japanese animation and "MANGA", right? Lastly, as the Japanese rediscovered our own culture at the time, I also would like to rethink about my own culture by listening to the lecture by the American author whose name is Christopher Benfey. (The picture on the left side is the book he wrote called "Great Wave".)

While listening to the lecture by the author, it really made me realize how much ignorant I've been about the Japanese literature and I was ashamed of my lack of knowledge. However, I was glad to be able to face with the face because I'm now interested in reading the books that the author mentioned such as "And Then" by Soseki Natsume, "Book of Tea" by Tenshin Okakura. I didn't know that Tenshin Okakura wrote "Book of Tea" when he was in Boston, and to my surprise, it was written in English at first! It must be really interesting to read something Japanese in English, don't you think? Also, it would definitely make me think about who I am.

So, I'm going to buy the book and read it! Which do you think is better for me, the book in English or Japanese, or both at the same time?

Alright, that's all for today!

I hope you enjoy reading today's post. ^^

See you soon~!

Chang's Meeting!

Hello, everyone~!

First of all, I'm glad that the participants of AGU 2007 arrived safely! I hope that all of you had slept well on the plain so that you wouldn't get jet lag. ^^

Well, I went to Akasaka (It's part of Tokyo) to visit Tokyo American Center to listen to the lecture conducted by United States Forces, Japan. The division of the US government has given opportunities regularly for undergraduate/graduate students to know more about American culture, politics, and so on. I came to know this because a friend of mine who belongs to different seminar from mine talked to me abotu that, and I began participating. Today was the second time for me, and the topic of the first time was "President Race '08". This time, the topic was about how the US Forces in Japan has worked with the Japanese Forces. After visiting the base of Japan Air Self-Defense Force, I've been interested in how Japan-US Security Treaty has influenced on missions and the relationship between the US and Japan. So it really was a nice opportunity for me!

Moreover, I thought it might also be interesting for Hiro to go to the lecture. So I asked him if he wanted to go, and he said he was interested. So it became literally "Chang's Meeting"! After the lecture, he was able to ask the speakers several questions face to face. He seemed to be glad to do so becaues what he majors in is International Relations, especially in the era of Cold War. We've also got some materials at the end.

After listening to the lecture, we felt like going to the book store near Aoyama campus called Aoyama Book Center to take a look at magazines and books that each of us was interested in. So we got on the train and headed to Shibuya. Hiro and I enjoyed being at the book store so much that I just didn't think about leaving there until we realized that we were hungry! Hahaha~. We finally came to decide what to eat. What do you think we had as dinner? UDON!! It was so delicious that I even forgot to take a picture for you! Sorry! Hehehe~ Donmaikeru. ^^

Alright, that's all for today!
See you soon~. ^^