Course Title: Media Kyoto: Japanese Popular Culture in City Space
Instructor: Caitlin CasielloFall 2024
Brief Course Description:
When you walk through Kyoto, how do you picture yourself? Are you treading the ancient pathsof Heian-era magicians? Are you floating through the air drawn by the echoes of your friends ata restaurant up ahead? Do you imagine yourself meeting geisha, tanuki, and fierce warriors? By
exploring many images of Kyoto, we will consider how the mediated image of Kyoto informs
our own experience of life in the city and our own ideas of what “Japan” means.
This course draws on modern/contemporary Japanese media texts to explore how the city ofKyoto is imagined as both fantasy and real space in media. We will look at media depicting
Kyoto, made in Kyoto, or engaging with the concept of “Kyoto” and its associated tropes. This
includes considering the historical position of Kyoto as the “ancient capital” of Japan, as a centerof media production, and as a space perceived as being at the intersection of“traditional”/”modern” Japan. Students will learn how to analyze media and space. This includes
how to write about visual media using tools from film and media studies, but also how to write
autoethnography on their experiences in Kyoto as a mediated city. The course further includes
class field trips and individual student site trips in order to consider how the works we watch inclass are integrated into the city itself. Course materials include film, anime, manga, and video
games.
Course Objectives:
1. Consider how local space and global popular culture interact in the case of Kyoto andJapanese popular culture.
2. Learn the history of film and media production in Kyoto and Japan more broadly.
3. Analyze Japanese film and media in writing and discussion; engage with physical spaceas another form of media.
4. Reflect on lived experience within Kyoto in relation to media objects.

Media Kyoto: Japanese Popular Culture in City Space
Prof. Caitlin Casiello(she/her/hers)
Class: MW 1:10-2:30
Screenings: TBA
Office hours: Tuesday & Thursday afternoons
course website: TBA
Course Description
When you walk through Kyoto, how do you picture yourself? Are you treading the ancient pathsof Heian-era magicians? Are you floating through the air drawn by the echoes of your friends ata restaurant up ahead? Do you imagine yourself meeting geisha, tanuki, and fierce warriors? By
exploring many images of Kyoto, we will consider how the mediated image of Kyoto informs
our own experience of life in the city and our own ideas of what “Japan” means.
This course draws on modern/contemporary Japanese media texts to explore how the city ofKyoto is imagined as both fantasy and real space in media. We will look at media depicting
Kyoto, made in Kyoto, or engaging with the concept of “Kyoto” and its associated tropes. Thisincludes considering the historical position of Kyoto as the “ancient capital” of Japan, as a centerof media production, and as a space perceived as being at the intersection of“traditional”/”modern” Japan. Students will learn how to analyze media and space. This includes
how to write about visual media using tools from film and media studies, but also how to write
autoethnography on their experiences in Kyoto as a mediated city. The course further includes
class field trips and individual student site trips in order to consider how the works we watch inclass are integrated into the city itself. Course materials include film, anime, manga, and video
games.
Goals of the course
1. Consider how local space and global popular culture interact in the case of Kyoto andJapanese popular culture.
2. Learn the history of film and media production in Kyoto and Japan more broadly.
3. Analyze Japanese film and media in writing and discussion; engage with physical spaceas another form of media.
4. Reflect on lived experience within Kyoto in relation to media objects.
ASSIGNMENTS
Weekly Postings (250 words)
Personal site report (2-3 pages)
Midterm paper (4-6 pages)
Research Presentation (10 minutes)
Research Paper (6-8 pages)

By 9 am on WednesdayYour choice of dates
October 9Will be scheduled in class
December 11

1. Participation: Class will be heavily based on participation of the students. The goal is topractice thinking out loud expressing ideas about media with colleagues (your fellow

2.

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students.) Besides participating in class discussion, we can discuss alternative forms ofparticipation such as leading discussion (preparing questions, presenting on a reading) for
one class session, meeting with me in office hours to discuss, or contributing additionalcomments on the class forum (replies to other students.)
Weekly Postings (around 250 words): a short reflection on the screenings or readings dueby midnight the night before class on the course website. The goal is to show you havethought about the screenings and materials; I will not be grading these except to confirm you
submitted them. I will be using them to see what is confusing or difficult, so please askquestions.
Personal Site Report (2-3 pages): You will visit a site related to the course themes andwrite a report on what you saw there. These will be shared on the course website so the restof the class can get to know your location as well. Alternative formats such as audio
recordings (e.g. podcast format), video essays, or interactive games/visual novels will beaccepted. You are welcome to choose your own location but I will also provide severaloptions.
Midterm paper (4-6 pages): For this paper, you will write on one of the works we havewatched or discussed in class up to the due date. You may conduct a formal analysis of thework or research some element of the work’s history, production, or reception. The goal is todemonstrate the ability to present an argument on the topic of Japanese popular culture. You
may build on one of your weekly postings or use the midterm paper as a jumping-off point
for the final paper as long as you submit the sufficient amount of new writing.
Research Presentation (10 minutes + 1-2 page write-up): A presentation of your ideas
leading up to the research paper. We will schedule 1-2 per class session starting in the latter
half of the course. Each student will submit a 1-2 page reflection afterwards. The goal is topractice presenting ideas orally in front of colleagues and to get feedback on your final paper
project.
Research paper (10-12 pages): You will write a paper which makes an argument based on
research about a work related to class themes. You are encouraged to also use formal
analysis. The goal is to show you can conduct research in this field, analyze sources, andcraft an argument based on texts which shows your unique point of view. If you would liketo propose an alternative format (video essay, creative assignment), please speak to me andwe will work out a balanced way of demonstrating course objectives in your new format.

GRADES
25% Participation
5% Weekly Postings
5% Personal Site Report
20% Midterm paper
15% Presentation
30% Final Paper
POLICIES
Accessibility: The course will be designed to encourage many forms of engagement for students
of different abilities. I encourage you to speak to me if you feel you need accommodations tofully participate in coursework. If you have a disability that may interfere with your ability toparticipate in the activities, coursework, or assessment of the objectives of this course, pleasecontact the university’s office for disability services.
Attendance & Participation: Students are expected to attend all course meetings andscreenings. Participation grades will be based on engagement in class, but I am open to otherforms of participation (e.g. if you lead discussion one session, if you respond to your classmates’
weekly postings, if you post more in the Utena forum, if you email me questions about course
material or come to office hours to discuss.)
Classroom Environment: All students should be respectful of each others’ experiences andperspectives. I will intervene when discussions could cause harm to attendees based on racism,sexism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, or anti-religious bias. I hope
we can all learn new things from each other as a community.
Content Warnings: Many of the works discussed will feature violence and difficult scenes; I
will endeavor to warn for sexual violence, racist violence, and self-harm/suicide both in writing(on the syllabus and course page) and verbally in lecture. These warnings are given so that all
students may be able to fully participate in the course. Let me know if you think my warnings are
insufficient.
Reporting Sexual Violence: If you have experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment,
domestic violence, dating violence, stalking or sexual exploitation on campus or between
members of the community, the university provides resources, both confidential andnonconfidential, to help. Faculty (including myself), staff, and other people insupervisory roles (including RAs) are mandatory reporters, which means we must report
all allegations of the above-listed crimes to Columbia University’s Title IX office; theTitle IX office will then reach out to offer options for how to proceed. If I believe you areabout to make an allegation, I will stop you to confirm that you are aware I cannot keep
the conversation confidential.
Electronics in Class: You are allowed to use devices to take notes in class and to Google-checkme if you feel the need to. I won’t be policing electronics usage, but you will get more out of theclass if you focus on the class (seems obvious, I know.)
Email & Contact: All communication will be through the course website or to your university
email addresses, so check them. I am available via my university email address. I will be sure to
respond to emails within 1-2 business days.
Format: Monday classes will be lecture on the topic of the week with discussion. Screenings
will be scheduled on Monday or Tuesday evening. Wednesday class will be guided discussions.
Grading & Feedback: Grading in humanities disciplines is often subjective; I will endeavor asmuch as possible to offer guidance and explanation for grades given. As part of this process, I
will ask you to grade your own progress as well at certain points during the semester. Similarly, I
will provide feedback forms for you to comment on my progress during the semester. I am happyto give extensions on deadlines if you ask before the deadline and I am also happy to give
students the opportunity to rewrite and resubmit work for a better grade.
Plagiarism & Academic Integrity: I encourage students to discuss course materials with eachother and I am open to many forms of collaborative work if proposed to me ahead of time.
However, written assignments must be the student’s own work and use of sources must becorrectly cited. We will go over correct citations and when to cite sources in class but I
encourage you to ask and err on the side of citing more if you’re unsure. “AI” resources such as
ChatGPT must be cited, including the prompt you used, and must not be used to generate
text you submit as your own writing.
SITE VISITS:
As schedules and budget allows, we will be taking field trips to media/film related sites aroundKyoto. These are the current possibilities to be finalized in the first and second week of class:
Kyoto International Museum of Manga
Toy Film Museum
The Museum of Kyoto film theater
Toei Eigamura Kyoto Studio Park
Seimei Shrine
COURSE SCHEDULE
9/2 & 9/4
Week 1: Walking Through Kyoto
Readings: Michel de Certeau, “Walking in the City, from The Practice of Everyday Life
Screening: Hello World (anime film, dir. Itō Takehito, 2019)
UNIT 1: HEIAN HISTORIES
9/9 & 9/11
Week 2: Media Genji Bonanza
Reading: Asaki yume mishi manga; other reading TBD
Screening: The Tale of Genji (anime film, 1987); Genji Monogatari Sennenki (television anime,selected episodes, 2009)9/16 – NO CLASS

9/18
Week 3: Law & Order in Heian
Reading: Donald Richie, “The Production History of Rashomon” in Rashomon Effects
Screening: Rashōmon (live action film; dir. Kurosawa Akira, 1950)
Content warning for sexual violence
9/23 & 9/25
Week 4: Protecting the Ancient Capital
Reading:Laura Miller, "Extreme Makeover for a Heian-Era Wizard."
Mia Tillonen. "Constructing and Contesting the Shrine: Tourist Performances at SeimeiShrine, Kyoto.
Screening: Onmyōji (live action film, dir. Takira Yojirō, 2001)
9/30 & 10/2
Week 5: Video Game Cosmology
Reading:
Steve Kent, The Ultimate History of Video Games
Screening: Cosmology of Kyoto (video game, 1995)
10/7 & 10/9
Week 6: Images/Mirrors of the Capital
Reading:
Examples of rakuchu rakugai-zu
Tosa, Naoko, et al. "Interactive Rakuchu Rakugai-zu (views in and aroundKyoto)."Screening: Kyōsōgiga (original net anime, selected episodes, 2011)10/14 & 10/16: FALL BREAK
UNIT 2: KYOTO PRODUCTION AND VIEWING PRACTICES
10/21 & 10/23
Week 7: Kyoto Film Production
Readings: Diane Wei Lewis, “Kyoto – The ‘Hollywood of Japan’”
Screening: Bushido, Samurai Saga (live action film, dir. Imai Tadashi, 1963)
10/28 & 10/30
Week 8: Kyoto Animation
Reading: Dani Cavallaro, “Kyoto Animation in Context,” in Kyoto Animation: A Critical Studyand Filmography
Screening: Hibike Euphonium (television anime, selected episodes, 2015)
11/4 – NO CLASS

11/6
Week 9: Local Viewing
Readings: Jennifer Coates, “Alternative Viewership Practices in Kyoto, Japan”
Screening: The Museum of Kyoto theater trip
UNIT 3: MODERN KYOTO
11/11 & 11/13
Week 10: The Imagined Geisha
Reading: Anne Allison, "Memoirs of the Orient,” in Journal of Japanese Studies (2001): 381-398
Screening: A Geisha (live action film, dir. Mizoguchi Kenji)

11/18 & 11/20
Week 11: Kyoto Women on the Verge
Reading: Kelly Foreman, “Bad Girls Confined: Okuni, Geisha, and the Negotiation of Female
Performance Space” in Bad Girls of Japan
Screening: Flowers Have Fallen (live action film, dir. Ishida Tamizō, 1938)
11/25 & 11/27
Week 12: Folklore & Family
Reading: Selection of tanuki and other folklore stories
Screening: Uchōten Kazoku (television anime, selected episodes, 2013)12/2 & 12/4
Week 13: Time Loops
Reading: Marc Steinberg. "Condensing the media mix: Multiple possible worlds in The Tatami
Galaxy."Screening: The Tatami Galaxy (television anime, selected episodes, 2010)

Final papers due 12/11