Well, the last few days have been a flurry! Thursday was the last day of the program. It has only been 10 days, but they have been great. It seems that with so little time, every minute of my days have been packed with fun and enjoyment. It is only now that I have time to sit down and ponder everything over, yet I am supposed to be checking out from this hotel in about 7 hours so even now I am still on a time crunch!
Tuesday July 26th
On this day, our class and some Tokyo University faculty went on a study trip. We visited the Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan, a former all girl's school, and the Sasaki House, a house from the Dojunkai Egota Housing Project of the 1930s. These are not typical tourist destinations, yet historically significant and beautiful nonetheless. The girl's school was a building designed from Frank Llloyd Wright in the 1930s. The second is an example of typical middle class housing of that period. I really enjoyed getting a view of Tokyo that is not so typical and touristy. I especially loved the tour of Sasaki House. The grandaughter of the owner actually show the house to us. We were free to walk around and explore. It was incredible!
After the Study Visit, Professor Kimura took us to fireworks. It was in a distant part of western Tokyo, but I enjoyed it because JAPANESE FIREWORKS ARE INCREDIBLE! Fireworks are a popular Japanese summer pastime. I found this fireworks show to be far more impressive than the Fourth of July fireworks show I attended in Berkeley, actually... After the fireworks show, Professor Kimura returned with the entire class to Shibuya and took us all out for dinner! I was taken aback by how friendly he is with his students. I can't believe he actually wanted to hang out with us outside lecture when some professors at Berkeley don't even want to talk to students at office hours.
Wednesday July 27th
On this day, we heard two particularly interesting lectures. The first lecturer was Hiroko Takeda. She spoke about an incident in which Japanese citizens in Great Britain contacted the Japaenese embassy when a British comedy show featured a joke about the dropping of the atomic bombs in Japan. The complaints created a great media frenzy and outrage in Japan. She explored as to why these people complained to the embassy instead of BCC or the producers of the show. Robert Campbell was the second lecturer. He is an expert in Japanese literature, and he is very famous in Japan! He speaks "better Japanese than a Japanese person", apparently. He spoke about a book club he started in a town that is housing refugees from the Tohoku earthquake.
After class, a new friend took a few of us to this awesome sushi restaurant in Mark City at Shibuya Station. It was an excellent restaurant! Thank you so much Alden, if you are reading this.
After dinner, some of the girls and I went to see Harry Potter in 3D. It was incredible to watch, though I don't think the Harry Potter movies themselves are that good. Still, I got shivers just watching the opening scene.
Thursday July 28th
The bittersweet last day of the program ended with a discussion followed by a banquet. Though the topics of each lecture has been fairly scattered, they have been a good base for interesting discussions. We have had many, many excellent and thought-provoking discussions throughout the course, and have easily conversed about controversial topics. Even during the closing banquet when we were eating lunch, the coversation was very intelligent. However, it's not just in lecture that my classmates are so brilliant. Even conversations at late night hang outs have turned philosophical or political at times. I'm proud to been part of such a bright, diverse group of students. The discussions I've had with other students have been very smart and interesting. I am so sad to say goodbye to many of these people. We are scattered all around the world, and who knows if we will see each other again soon. Still, now I have a great reason to travel the world! I definitely would like to see my new friends again, and I hope they will come visit me too.
In the evening, everyone in class went out to dinner and karaoke together. We ate at an Italian restaurant, oddly enough. It was my first time going to karaoke, and I was not disappointed! It was very fun, and I definitely plan on going again, whether it's in Berkeley or Japan.
As for now, I need to get packing! I will be in Japan for three more weeks traveling with my boyfriend. He is flying in to Tokyo tomorrow. I am so excited that I will see him again! Sorry again, no pictures this time... But my next post will have many!
One last thing: I am so glad that I had the opportunity to come to Tokyo University, and I want to thank everyone who made this experience possible! Friends of Todai, Inc., IARU, UC Berkeley, Tokyo University, my parents, my relatives in Tokyo... there are countless individuals, and I know must have forgotten many. Still, it should be known that I am eternally grateful!
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