18 Articles // April 2016 // Issue 5

English Newsletter by Komaba Students

http://komabatimes.wordpress.com/
Content

Academic Life…………………… page 1
Student Life……………………… page 6
Perspectives…………………… page 11
Exploring Japan………………… page 15“The Beauty of Cherry Blossoms.” Photo by Rizca Hikmah Hijria.

ACADEMIC LIFE

Taking a PEAK course: Through the eyes of an April-entry student

By Kai Ohata

Some domestic students (April-entry students)
have found it beneficial and interesting to take
PEAK courses, although it is not always easy forthem to know beforehand what PEAK courses
or the students that take them are like. I entereda classroom of a PEAK course, named Komaba
Times, for the first time in April 2015 without any
prediction about what the future would hold. This
took some courage, but it has given me a lot ofopportunities to write in English.
Komaba Times features journalistic writing, andin class we discuss journalistic matters in a small
group, write articles like this one you are reading
now, give feedback on classmates’ articles. I
am sure we can learn a lot from trying to writein a totally different way from the one we do in
ALESA/ALESS, our academic writing class.
This is just one example of a variety of PEAK
courses on offer. Yoko Iwase, an April-entry 2nd
year student, is taking another one, Philosophy
East and West, in which she learns metaphysics,
epistemology, and ethics. She likes the courseand found that she loves expressing her
opinions in English and loves that the professor
is very enthusiastic; enough to make the wholeclass involved in the discussion. Just these two
examples of perspectives on PEAK show thegreat diversity of PEAK classes and its appeal
for some domestic students.
According to the administration office of theuniversity, however, only 34 domestic students
took PEAK junior division courses in the wintersemester of 2014. This number has fluctuatedbetween 30 and 50 in the last few years. The
number is surprisingly small, given that PEAK

courses are open to all students of the university,
which has about three thousand April-entry students each year. What is discouraging them fromtaking PEAK courses?
One of the reasons may lie in their lack of confidence in using English, as Yoko hinted. She
pointed out that we need some level of English
in order to truly learn an area of study. Lecturesdelivered in English are definitely something that
attracts domestic students who seek a chance
to practice their English skills, but, at the sametime, it is something that discourages those whoare not so confident in their language ability.
When you tell other students who do not participate in PEAK classes that you are taking a
PEAK class, their responses will be, ‘you havesome courage to do that!’ or ‘it is expected froma highly motivated student like you.’ This may be
because it seems unusual or even scary for an
April-entry student to take a PEAK course when
we can choose courses in Japanese. I have toadmit that taking a PEAK course is not a common option for domestic students.
All the same, I believe that PEAK courses are
too fruitful of an option for domestic students tomiss, even if it is just for the sake of seeing andmaking friends with students from literally all over
the world. That kind of experience has to be ofgreat value for many Todai students who tend tohave friends from similar backgrounds to them.
Yoko mentions, when asked if her image of PEAK
has changed after actually taking the course, that
she was surprised how the PEAK students’ backgrounds were so diverse. The exact same thought
struck me after taking my first class of Komaba
Times. What I have found about PEAK is thatthe diversity is always here waiting for us and weare welcome to it. Even though such pockets offoreign perspectives may be unique within Todai,
if we are curious to know more, and challenge
ourselves as domestic students, all we have to do
is to have a little courage and jump on in.

April-entry students enjoying a discussion with PEAK students. Photo by author.

“Spring time.” Photo by Joshua Angelo E. Bata.

How do you know if you’re an “ishiki-takai” person?

By Kai Ohata

Slang is something that we all are familiar with;not only is it easy to use but also it is sometimes
useful to analyse what sort of implication it hasfor the society that uses it. Among young Japanese people, there is a slang expression that is
now well-known. “Ishiki-takai ( 意 識 高 い ).” It interests me because of
how its meaning varies
from situation to situation.
The literal meaning of“ishiki-takai” is similar
to ‘highly motivated’ or‘highly conscious.’ The
first use of “ishiki-takai”
is to refer to these sortsof people. A master’s
student in Todai said, “I
would use ‘ishiki-takai’to refer to a person
who is job hunting likec r a z y o r a m a s t e r ’s
student who works ontheir research far morethan the average student.” In this second
use, the expression isused when the degree
to which someone does
something serious goes
too far.

“Ishiki-takai” style of studying? Photo by author.

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The expression can
a l s o b e u t t e re d t o wards someone who isshowing off; just doing
something considered
to be hard in order toappear highly motivated. One student considers a person to beishiki-takai when theytalk about serious top-

ics, such as their future or issues facing modern
society at a drinking party. This kind of “ishikitakai” can be replaced by the synonym word“ishiki-takai-kei (a “type” of ishiki-takai),” which
has a much stronger negative nuance.
So “ishiki-takai” can be used for describing
someone who is actually working hard and theirwork excels, or for ironically teasing someone
who tries to appear efficient and successfulby showing off that they are working hard,sometimes with an implication that they are notefficient in reality.
We might have to be careful not to abuse theexpression; if we label those whose zeal andambition we cannot comprehend as “ishiki-takai”
without differentiating them from the less ‘serious’
type (“ishiki-takai-kei”), it may amount to a sortof labeling, or even putting a stigma on them.
Complexity of the connotation of “ishiki-takai”
might lie here. Just working hard is not a badthing at all, and therefore the literal meaning of
the expression. Why the expression is used ina negative way can be explained by Japaneseculture, or rather a common human feeling of not
welcoming people who show off their efficiency
or hard work. If, however, we let this emotion get
the better of us and keep regarding those whoseem to be working hard as a show-off, it can
only be a kind of intolerance towards diligence.
As we see, the connotation of “ishiki-takai”
varies from negative to positive so it might be a
bit difficult to use it properly. However it is thiscomplexity of the expression that interests me
because it is something that sheds some lighton social context in which the phrase is used aswell as the subtle feelings of those who utter the
expression.

ACADEMIC LIFE
From above, abroad and beyond: A Todai-sei on UTokyo

By Sherry Zheng

For many juniors in Japanese
universities, the prospect of international exchange or full-time
study is overshadowed by thecoming-of-age dilemma, reaching their peak of employability
in Japan, or of whether or not
it is about time they joined theseason of job-hunting.
However, Todai graduate Yuta
Kaminishi, now a second year
Ph.D. student at the Universityof Washington in Seattle, Washington, took a very different
path to most Japanese college
graduates. With a passion forcinema, Yuta entered the Univ.
of Tokyo for his Master’s degree in Media Studies and after
graduating in 2012, came to
Seattle to pursue Cinema andMedia Studies.
The U.S. is a popular destination as the next step of theacademic ladder for many college students all over the world.
American colleges dominate theworld rankings, with four out offive of the world’s top universities located in the United States(according to the QS World University Rankings of 2015/16).
What do American collegespossess that have made themso competitive, and on such a
global scale? What compelled
Yuta to cross the Pacific Ocean
to the notoriously wet city of
Seattle to pursue his studies infilm?
Not only was it expected of
Yuta as a cinema major, but thedecision to study abroad was
also described as a “dream,” inspired by his Japanese seniors
and fellow graduates of Todai.
Studying at the university up until 2012, pre-PEAK/GPEAK, Yuta
knew little about the dramaticchanges which have recently
begun to diversify the Komaba
campus and the university as a whole. With agrowing number of internationalising initiatives
including the creation of not only PEAK/GPEAK,
but also the Global Education for Innovationand Leadership programme (GEfIL), Abroad in
Komaba (AIKOM) and University-wide Exchange
Program (U-STEP) exchange programmes, andthe Domestic/International Hands-On Summer
programmes, the University is clearly working
hard to promote greater international diversity on
campus.
Prior to the introduction of all these initiatives, theinspiration to study abroad came to Yuta from his
peers. Through an extracurricular ‘reading group,’“Todai graduate Yuta Kaminishi, now at the University of Washington, is part of a growing number of students venturing further,and away from the beaten path.” (Photo by author).

his seniors, who had gone before him to study
and work overseas, shared their experiences
and advice, and ultimately nurtured his desire
to see the world. The tight-knit relationshipbetween juniors and seniors, fellow peers, andwith professors outside of the classroom, is what
Yuta reminisces about now when thinking ofTodai. Yuta has realises now that the greatest
lessons from Todai were unknowingly found inthese informal relationships.
Now that UTokyo has invested plenty oftime, money and other resources into theseinternationalising efforts, how do Todai students
feel about breaking away from the norm of timely

job-hunting, graduation and work? With Todai
graduates paving the way for their juniors forthe road ahead, will the current cohorts venture
further?
“It is a big change,” Yuta acknowledges
upon hearing about the impressive list of new
introductions. Is this a good move for theuniversity? Of course, Yuta agrees. As a Todai
graduate, Yuta aspires to serve as an example,
showing another possibility beyond third-year
shuukatsu (job hunting) for students back home,“I want to continue to foster exchange andmutual understanding.”

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ACADEMIC LIFE
Spirit from the 9th Japanese-Chinese University Presidents’ Forum

By Tomoko Takahashi

mony led to colorful experiences. As someone
said, it is more about
the depth of experience
than its length.

Photo by SCIKyu, on October 29, 2015.

It all happened in three days. No one expectedthat we could be so close in such a short periodof time.
From October 28 to 30, 2015, the 9th JapaneseChinese University Presidents’ Forum was heldat Kyushu University, and I attended the Forumas a student delegate of the University of Tokyo.
This is the spirit I felt in the Forum.
There were 18 universities and 5 institutions
represented from Japan and 19 universities from
China. While all the University Presidents gathered during the two-day event to foster new alliances, our parallel Student Forum was to discuss
two topics this year; on the reasons universities
need to internationalize and on how students
can collaborate on the internationalization ofJapanese and Chinese universities. At first, theitinerary seemed too short to get to know people
well. In addition, I was pretty nervous at first. My
first trip to Fukuoka prefecture surrounded bypeople whom I was meeting for the first time,with no books or lectures to rely on but just myself. However, the moment I opened the hotelroom, I found my Chinese roommate, whom I felt
I had known for a very long time. We were talking
fast and as much as we can as if to compensate
for the short schedule. The accumulation of shorttalks from our room to the reception hall, or on
the bus to Ito campus, or even the coincidental
hello from sitting next to someone at the cere-

The student forum provided opportunities fordeep discussions. For
the first topic “Why douniversities need to beinternationalized,” ourStudent Forum concluded that there arethree actors within thisissue, namely students,
universities and the society. Each actor will gain benefit in the conveying of knowledge, capability building, expansionof job opportunities, the emergence of new ideas
and the broadening of views. One student raised
the point that while criticism is often found between Japan and China, we can transform it into
positive energy and convert them into new ideas.
I participated in a group discussion that addressed how students can collaborate for theinternationalization of Japanese and Chinese
universities. Within the three aspects; academics,social, and extracurricular activities, we took up
the aspect of social activities, and suggested theframework of ‘Give and Take,’ which meant thata win-win solution was necessary for real implementation. For social activities, we identified fivecategories; a) Diversifying and harmonizing societies while learning the local culture and gaining a
sense of belonging, b) Helping international communities in developing countries or devastatedareas while gaining a global mindset and multicultural understanding, c) Contributing to society
by utilizing our academic skills through volunteer
work or entrepreneurship while gaining practicalexperience or financial benefit, d) Creating a mutually beneficial platform for language and opinion
exchange, e) Building student organizations thatare in charge of the four activities above. In otheraspects, namely academics and extracurricular
activities, students came up with new ideas suchas creating social networking services, which

can be operated within the university. This wasa unique idea, since national restriction of social
networking services hinder connectivity for Chinese students. However, I should also note that
almost every Japanese student who participatedin this forum had a WeChat account, the Chineseversion of the LINE app, and many already had
Chinese speaking ability.
For weeks after the event, my smartphone kept
flashing green lights telling me that another WeChat message had arrived. The discussion in Kyushu was fruitful, but it did not have to end there.
It is the vital spirit I felt from all the participants inthis Forum that makes it all the more worthy.
One of my new Chinese friends who majors inlaw was asking me my class schedule and thestructure of Japanese contracts, and we were so
excited to learn the differences in our curricula
and the judiciary system. He was so keen about
getting to know Japan that he was raising manyquestions and listening to every single word withenthusiasm, which impressed me so much; thisis how you can really absorb a new culture without any prejudice.
It was not just the Chinese students that impressed me. The Japanese students each carried
unique thoughts on Japan-Sino relations and experiences regarding China. I also must thank the
SCIKyu (Student Committee for Internationalization of Kyushu University) members, who weregreat leaders in facilitating our discussions andplanning things.
Readers may be questioning the quantitative
outcome of this event, but I must say that thebest thing I learned here is that the vitality among
ourselves can lead to solid friendships. Whether
in the field of academics or business, our paths
may cross again, and most importantly, we are
already friends. With our ties, there are many
complicated issues we can address together.
I learned the true value of people gathering at
one place-of course we can have conversations
online, but it is face-to-face communication thatbrings about all the bonds. My best wishes tothe 10th Forum that will come up in 2017.

Faito. Photo by Wanyu (Helen) Chang.

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“Reflections.” Photo by Joshua Angelo E. Bata.

帰 (Return). Photo by Cai Yuan Sang.

“Sunset by the River.” Photo by Joshua Angelo E. Bata.

STUDENT LIFE

Global Interaction Lunch. By Trinh Xuan Truong.

I’m Off Again: Some thoughts from an international student on exchange

By Samuel Brustad

You’re drinking black coffee in a pretentious café
on a cobbled street, tabs for Skyscanner and
AirBnB open on your laptop. This is the situationof a twenty-something exchange student abroadin Europe. This is where I find myself, but not
somewhere I ever expected to be. Because I
am already an ‘exchange’ student, I have been
through these now familiar routines of adjustment
in Japan, which is where I have lived for 2 years.
That is until just a couple of months ago when I
decided to up and leave the place I had started
to call home to start again, again.
The PEAK programme is somewhat unique inthat it draws in people from around the world toa new and exciting environment and then sends
them back out again in the hopes of becoming‘global’ students of the 21st century. Thanks
to the University of Tokyo I have been able toattend four different universities in four different
continents over the last 2 years. I have nailed
the 5-point self-introduction and made a hugeamount of friends from all sorts of places. But
these very advantages, these new aspects of
my life that I have so loved, have also broughtwith them an incredible sense of isolation. In
the familiar unfamiliarity I have lost something, atangible home and a sense of security.
So is there value in doing it all again? As PEAK
students should we push ourselves to unsettle
our newly ordered worlds and head off again
to some far flung part of the world? Especiallywhen we more than most can already appreciate
how difficult that is. I say yes, for many of thesame reasons that saw us venture abroad in thefirst place. This whole experience is teaching me
a lot. In particular, coming to PEAK I have had
to come to a lot of unsettling conclusions about
myself and the world around me. I am muchless content being alone than I first thought, I

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h a v e f a r m o re w h i t eprivilege than I realised
and most people aroundthe world are really far
more similar than they
are different. But frommy time on exchange
h o w e v e r, I s e e n o w
that like it or not PEAK
w i l l a l s o i r re v o c a b l ychange me in ways that
I couldn’t possibly have
known until I took a stepaway from it. While I for
one still have no clue
what I want to do withmy life, I realise now thatJapan as much as New
Zealand has become apart of me.
It may be one of themore first-world problems, but identity issomething that shapes
us all. PEAK students
a re l u c k y i n t h a t w e
get to straddle the borders of so many divisive
issues, culture, religion, nationality; we get therare gift of perspective. We are the third culture
children that occupy the middle ground. But the
middle ground is a lonely place. So instead offighting for a home and a sense of normalcy, it
seems far more productive to get out there andmeet new people, make new memories and live
your own adventure. It’s so easy to get wrapped
up in our own confusing web of thoughts andidentity crises that we forget to truly utilise thegift we have been given. That is to use our fresh
perspectives to come to a better understandingof the world around us and then work out where

Off again.

we fit into that. That is what an exchange has
to offer PEAK students. Beyond the incredible
academic value, connections and travel opportunities, you get to continue the adventure that you
started right back when you made the decision
to matriculate into Tōdai. You get to keep pushing yourself and your understanding of the world
around you.
So I’m going to try to forget my self-indulgent
complaints and realise that what I have is theworld before my feet. I’ll keep sipping my coffee,
reopen Skyscanner, and start planning my next
adventure.

Equestrian: What horses teach us

By Kai Ohata

Even if you are completely unfamiliar withequestrianism, you do not need any kind of
background information to be amazed by thebeauty and the excellence of the sport; just one
glance at the horse and rider working together
will take your breath away. Their sophisticatedmovements in dressage, or brave jumps overhigh obstacles are something that shows not
only the great athletic ability of the horse andrider but also their mutual trust in one another.
To introduce some of the various disciplines of
equestrian sports, there are three well-known
ones that you can watch in the Olympics:
dressage, show jumping and eventing. In
dressage, the horse and rider perform somepredetermined patterns of movement. This is
like figure skating on horseback, and when
performed well, it is very visually appealing.
In show jumping, they sometimes jump over
160cm-high obstacles. Eventing is a complex
discipline combining elements of dressage,

jumping and cross-country. Some disciplines
take a lot of courage while others need sensitivity
to graceful movements, but what they all require
is something above physical capability: trust ineach other, confidence in ones ability.
I am charmed by this beautiful sport. When I
visited the equestrian club of the university as
a freshman, the first time I saw club members
jumping on horseback immediately I made mymind up to join the club. Since then, I havepracticed riding horses and have been taking
care of them almost every day. Every time I see
the horses I always feel like I am able to learn
from them.
If perhaps you were thinking riding a horse issomething similar to riding a motorcycle, you arecompletely wrong. When you ride a horse you do
not manipulate or operate them, nor even orderthem, for that matter. Indeed, like when driving
a motorcycle, we usually use our hands (that areconnected with metal mouthpieces through reins)and legs and some other parts of our body to letthem know what we want from them. But we callthese means an aid. This is symbolic because wethink we are helping, rather than ordering, horses
to move voluntarily and in synchronization withthe rider.
The horses are far stronger than humans, and ifthey want to go against us we have no way tostop them. The horse is not only strong but alsoa sensitive animal and this makes it much moredifficult for us to help them to move as we wish.
(It takes years of practice just to move horses
smoothly.) However it is the very same featuresthat make riding a horse a great pleasure as well
as attractive sport. Above all, what will strike you
about the horses is that they are kind and patientenough to let us know the pleasure and joy ofcooperating with them and of doing something
special that could not be done without
cooperation.

A beautiful jump at an equestrian event.
Image by Robert McGoldrick | Flickr.

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Tough and global?

By Yasuka Tateishi

Being “tough and global” – the slogan had
been launched by Former President Hamada
at the University of Tokyo and became popularamong students. Although most people still do
not consider it seriously, studying abroad is still
considered to be something prestigious.
Why are people so attracted by the adjective“international” or “global”? It is perhaps because
the experience of studying abroad may enable
one to improve one’s language skill. It might
be because you hardly have the opportunity ofgetting to know another culture or people fromanother culture in this ‘homogeneous’ country.
People expect that you will be able to cultivate
insight with a different point of view.
It was the case for me, too. Whenever I said
that I got a chance to be an exchange student
for a year at Sciences Po Paris, people praisedme and encouraged me to do my best, as if it

was the biggest success in my life. Indeed, I
myself felt very honored to be nominated as an
exchange student.

“Everything is fine even if I cannot get a good
grade because I am not a native speaker” - thisway of thinking made me lazy.

In August, I arrived to Paris filled with excitement.
I dreamed that I could be a super girl, improving
my English and French to a native speaker level,
studying hard with a lot of international students.
But life at Sciences Po was somewhat different
from that of Todai.

I had difficulty in communication as well. In
Sciences Po, around 1,500 students are welcomedfrom all over the world every year. My classmates
were mostly international students but the majority
were American students. I could not understandwhen they spoke too fast and especially when they
told jokes. Without the same cultural background,it was hard to find it funny. With French students,
the language barrier seemed even higher. Of
course I made a lot of friends after all, I was too
shy to make contact at first.

At Sciences Po, people put strong value on
students’ presentation –which is called exposé
in France. In a class, most of the time is devoted
to exposé, so the quality of the class depend
highly on it. I felt literally “exposed” when I did
it. The silence killed me. I did not know if my
explanation was understandable to everyone. I
rarely did presentations in Komaba. Language
was my excuse at Komaba because the majorityof my classmates were native English speakers.

The terrorist attack in Paris was by far the mostshocking incident for me. I was safe at homeon the night of November 13th, but the fact thatthe shootings happened just 15 minutes awayfrom my apartment terrified me. The university

Walking from Komaba to Shibuya

By Makoto Hirata

Todai Komaba students cannot live without goingto Shibuya. “Shibuya is the center of Japanese
Kawaii !” “Let’s have a drinking party in Shibuya!”
A lot of the students like walking to Shibuya
rather than taking the train. The distance is not
too far to walk, and if we choose to get on the
Keio Inokashira line, we have to spend 124 yen.
This is critical for us.
Instead of using the trains, there are many routes
to walk to Shibuya. Many students in Komaba
have their own favorite route. However, mostpeople probably just walk through and miss theinteresting places. Here are some good places
along the way to enjoy a good walk to and from
Shibuya.
There are mainly two routes. One is from Komaba-Ura, through the gym (the blue route). The
other is from Komaba-Todaimae station (the redroute). If you start from the main entrance gateof Komaba campus with the Hachiko statue in
Shibuya as the goal, the blue route takes 17 min,and the red route takes 23 min. Many assume
the blue route is more convenient, and many use
this blue route. But still, I would recommend thered one, because this way has more interesting
spots. Along this way, there are a lot of restaurants and cafes, compared to the blue way (1).
1

1 The way to Shibuya from Komaba. From Google map.

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If you want to try fresh fish, go to Eika [ 英香 ] (2).
This restaurant offers fish dishes, and my recommendation is Maguro-Nakaochi Don[ まぐろ中 落ち
丼 , 860 yen] (3). This is a traditional style seafood
rice bowl.
2 Eika. Photo by author.
3 Maguro-Nakaochi Don. Photo by author.

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STUDENT LIFE
opened as usual from the next Monday, but I
encountered extraordinariness. Baggage check
was introduced in the university and even in the
supermarket. I saw soldiers with guns in thestreet. We had to evacuate from a library whena suspicious bag was found, which eventually
proved to be an abandoned bag by a carelessstudent. Some of my friends were forced toreturn to their home country by their parents. On
the surface, it was possible to conduct your lifeas usual, but all these small incidents made me
nervous. I could not concentrate on my studies
for several weeks.
I was different from what I had dreamed to be inParis. I did not know how difficult it was to “domy best” in a new environment. Mais c’est lavie (but it is the life). People cannot change sodramatically with a mere exposure to a foreignculture. I was too idealistic. I regretted being lazyand shy but that is what I used to be. But then4

I noticed that my life in Paris
was not as bad as I regretted.
I made wonderful friends fromdifferent places of the world,with whom I am confident I
will keep in touch. Although it
is not the same way as I communicate with my Japanese
friends, I found it very comfortable talking with them. I got agood mark on some of my presentation and essays, although
not the best. I was so pleased
when my friends said, “Hey,good job! It was such a niceexposé.” I got to know a lot of French culture,
which I would not have known as a tourist. I realized I do not regret my decision to study in Paris.
Can we become “tough and global” by studying
abroad? You will think it possible seeing photos

Friendship is the best thing I got in Paris. Photo credit: author.

with foreign faces posted on Facebook; it issymbolic of international experiences. But what
is important is that you need to find your own
way of becoming “tough and global.” It may
require extraordinary effort, but you might findyour own version of it.

5

7

6

8

4 The front door of Lisblanc. Photo by author.
5 Canelé (100yen). Photo by author.
6 Bramble jelly (350yen). Photo by author.
7 Vegetable curry (600 yen). Photo by author.
8 Curry House Lucy. Photo by author.

When you want a private study room, or want tospeak with your friends, you probably look for acafé. Komaba campus has some cafés, but they
are all always crowded. At such times, students
tend to flee away from campus. Lisblanc (4) isalong this way, and very near to the campus. It
has many kinds of cakes and coffees, and they

are relatively reasonable. For example, Canelé[ カヌレ , a brown baked cake] (5) is 100 yen, andBramble jelly [ 木苺のゼリー ] is 350 yen (6). They offer 200yen drinks with these sweets.
If you get tired of the food on campus, visit Curry
House Lucy (7) (8). This restaurant has a very

good atmosphere, and you canrelax. If you cannot eat a lot, you can choose themini-size (and save 50 yen).
There are a lot of appealing restaurants besidewhat I mention here. When you walk down from
Komaba to Shibuya, look carefully around theway. You might find a hidden treasure.

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STUDENT LIFE
Students and professors say “Be more global”

By Makoto Hirata

Recently, more and more students on the
Todai Komaba Campus want to participate ininternational activities. The number of students
who want to enter the faculty of International
Relations is also increasing. Responding tosuch voices, this university offers a lot of thesecourses, such as variety of foreign languages or
PEAK courses (these classes are conducted in
English, but Japanese students are allowed totake them.). However, there are many activities inwhich students manage independently from theuniversity.
On June 28, 2015, a Todai chorus club held aparty for the Oxford University chorus club at the
Hongo Campus. It took nearly a year to makearrangements after the Oxford club first e-mailed
the Todai’s chorus club. Approximately 40 Todai
students and 10 Oxford students gathered forthis party. It was held entirely in English. There

were some Japanese members who had difficultywith the language, but using body gesture or
drawing pictures, they managed to interact with
their British peers.
Another case in point. One of the Todai students
organizes 2-week overseas trips for highschool students and encourages international
interaction among the youth. Not only does hesend Japanese students overseas, but he also
brings American students to Japan and tries
to promote mutual understanding. In order tocarry out these activities, he solicits donations
from many big companies of Japan. He has notdisclosed the cost of running such a program,but it is surprising that one university student has
initiated such a great international program.
I have given two examples of internationalization
lead by students, but the university, too, offers

1

excellent opportunities to be international,
besides classes. For instance, on July 9, 2015,
the University and the Supreme Court of Japan
coordinated to invite the Chief Justice of theUnited States, the Honorable John G. Roberts,
Jr. and all of the students at the University wereallowed to listen to the lecture freely. Probably
there are few universities that can offer such amarvelous chance to students.
There are a lot of attempts to make opportunities
to interact with the international community, notonly by the university but also by the students.
The importance of inter nationalization isemphasized, and this university also joins thismovement. If you are at Todai, why not jump into
these activities or create such chances? If you
are outside Japan, Todai students will definitely
welcome you and they will want to interact with
you.

2

3

1 2 “Hugs for Nepal.” Photo by Koji Matsumoto.

10

3 “Close encounters.” Photo by Joshua Angelo E. Bata. ICKO Photo Contest 2014 Grand Prize winner.

PERSPECTIVES“Old Clock Tower and Modern Building in Komaba Research Campus.” Photo by Liew Chun Fui.

Quarter-life crises

By Yen Hyoung Cho“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“I want to be a violinist”“I want to be an artist”“I want to be a game designer”“I want to be a lawyer”“I want to be a person who can protect the world”“I want to be someone who can change the world”
When I was really young, I remember my mind
was bubbling with dreams. A naïve, indecisivegirl who thought nothing in the world was
impossible for her, and earnestly believed she
could become anything she wanted to be.
I’m sure you’ve all had that, too. We would
constantly be inspired by books, movies, music,
games and the environment around us; being
fed with dreams of what we could become in the
future. We would all wish to grow older fasterand become our well-thought-out-selves of the
future— I know I did. But, all happy times mustcome to an end, and now that I have grown up,
I have inevitably begun to bear the burdens ofwhat it means to be an adult.
It is not an easy decision to make so simply
based on what we wanted to become at a young
age. Having become a responsible age, we now
have millions of other factors to consider into ourlives: family, income, housing, tax, parents, andmore. Our wings of dreams have been snippedfrom us so that we can live up to the realistic
standards of the world. This has changed how
some students view higher level of education
and why they want to attain it.
Students thoughtlessly enter university or college
not as a means of broadening their knowledge
in the field of interest, but rather for the name of
the university printed on our resumes for futurereference. They don’t have the heart to gamble
their well-built lives on what their heart tells themto do, so they generally go with what is expectedof them from those around. According to U.SNews, Worlds Report and The Princeton Review,
out of the top 10 reasons as to why students

choose to go to college, the top two reasonscorrespond to:1.This college has a very good academic reputation
2.This college’s graduates get good jobs
We have become an age where we have realizedthat it is no longer a question of “What do we‘want’ to be when we grow up?” but rather “Whatwe are ‘allowed’ to be when we grow up?” It isa harsh reality many students my age face intoday’s age of colorless gray. Of course, there
are those who end up realizing that the path theychose is the one for them, but not everyone is as
fortunate.
There will be those who come face
to face with a tall wall of self-doubt
and uncertainty about their future.
The question of “Is this truly what I
want to do?” is not an uncommon
one asked by many young people
today. Quarter-life crises; a period oflife usually ranging from late teens toearly thirties, in which a person begins
to feel doubt about their own life
brought on by the stress of becoming
an adult, is a common feeling felt by
young adults today. I too, have alsocome across this barrier countless oftimes during my journey to adulthood.
Even till this day I have doubts about
what I really want to be when I growup because I don’t know what the
future holds. It is a crushing feelingwhere everything you have done until
this moment seems useless. You
keep telling yourself you wasted yourtime because at the end of all thehardship you have endured, you are
now unsure if you are ready to pursue
this career you have chosen. Selfdoubt will always be the one thing
constantly that pulls you back down
to your knees.

For any of you facing similar problems, ifanything, I would love to say ‘follow your heart’—a cheesy unrealistic line, but life really isn’t that
simple. We are all afraid of failure and regrets thatpossibly await us in the future. For some of us,
we don’t even know what we want to do in the
future. So, instead I’ll tell you this— “If you arefacing a quarter-life crises, it’s never too late totake the unpredictable turn.” Whatever you aredoing in life, and whatever point you are at life,
try taking a plunge into the unknown for once.
Bilbo Baggins, a character in the famous book
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien, once said “I’m goingon an adventure!” Try leaving the hobbit hole. You
never know what possibilities may lie ahead.

It is more than just a battle with time. It is a battle with realistic expectations
and self-doubt given to us by the world. Drawing by Yuki Iida.

11

How should Japan answer the Syrian refugees knocking on its door?

By Amaël Cognacq

Poster of the Japan for UNHCR. “What if, tomorrow, you are chased away from home?”

Since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in2011, and especially since the expansion of theIslamic State’s so-called caliphate those past
two years over the Syrian territory, Syrians havebeen desperately fleeing their country. To date,these refugees represent a diaspora of about
4.3 million people registered with the UN HighCommissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Most ofthem escaped in large numbers to neighboring
nations such as Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan,and some went further, notably to Europe. The
dangers and difficulties they face embarking on
this journey only underlines their desperation.
This huge flow of people wishing to resume
a normal life in another country was met withmore or less warm welcome. Many countries
such as Germany asserted their determination towelcome refugees, but this unprecedented flow
also caused many concerns within Europe. How
many refugees can Europe welcome? Should
Europe act together with binding quotas, orshould each country act according to its own
convictions? The concern moreover did not justaffect the Middle East, North Africa and Europe,
but soon was echoed all around the world. Brazil
already welcomed 3,000 Syrians and is readyfor more, while Venezuela has allocated 20,000
refugee visas, and Australia was scheduled to12welcome roughly 26,000 refugees by the end of
2015. Meanwhile in Japan, despite the numberof refugee visa applications reaching 5,000
last year, only 11 applications were successful.
Contrary to many countries preparing towelcome more refugees, Japan and its rigid
refugee policy remain deaf to the pleas of asylum
seekers.
Is Japan then just ignoring the refugee crisis
occurring in the world? No. It is so far helping inanother important way: financially. The country
is indeed contributing to the international efforts,
ranking 8th in the world for financial aid. The
question is: should that be considered sufficient?
Why is Japan reluctant to welcome refugees?
While distance may play a role, it cannot
be considered as the main reason; indeed,
governments from every continent are accepting
refugees from Syria. There may be the fear
also that the refugees will not feel welcomed inJapan, that the cultural shock will be too big forthe refugees. It would inevitably be true for a
few refugees, but can that be made a legitimate
excuse for not answering the 5,000 people
seeking asylum? Another reason may be that thecrisis in Syria could not be considered justifiable
for accepting refugees: do countries have any

obligations toward citizens of another country far
away albeit facing a civil war? There is also thefear that welcoming many people may endanger
Japan’s stability; a fear that is often refuted bymigration specialists as the refugees welcomedin Japan would remain a very low percentage ofthe population.
In the meantime, we can mention the reasons
why Japan may want to consider opening its
arms to refugees. Playing a bigger role along withother nations to solve the refugee crisis would
confirm the determination manifested by Japan
to be a hub in globalization. As the country
suffers from an aging population, bringing young
and often strongly motivated people could boost
the economy. Japan could present itself as an
example of a morally involved, global-mindedcountry in the East-Asian region, leading othernations by example.
Many more reasons could be mentioned
concerning the fears Japan may have as wellas the positive reasons for welcoming morerefugees. This article do not aim to convince its
readers that Japan has to do so, but rather tocreate awareness about the topic and trigger
personal reflection.

PERSPECTIVES
More than just connections: People you meet while studying abroad

By Chae Yeon Kim

Having been enrolled in the Programs in English
at Komaba (PEAK) for the past two years or so,
being an “international” student or a “foreigner”
in a country is nothing new to me. However,throughout my experience studying abroad, theword “foreigner” has been brought upon me in aslightly different light.
Despite being a foreigner to Japan, studying at
the University of Tokyo—my home university—
has been a rather comforting experience
enlivened with a sense of belonging. However,being a foreigner to China as a short-term
exchange student at Peking University seems tohave emphasized my “foreign-ness” to my new
surroundings.
I would say I have rediscovered the limits towhich I can adapt, immersed in the beautiful
yet chaotic city called Beijing: unable tocommunicate with the local people, experiencing
newsworthy high levels of pollution, but still
enjoying the distinct culture and traditions ofmodern day China. I would only describe mypast semester’s worth of experience in Beijing as
rewarding.
The most enriching experience during study
abroad, however, I would have to say, is having
the opportunity to meet people and forming
relationships. Out of all the amazing perks
Beijing has to offer, the best it has introduced me
to is the group of people who share the same
curiosity and passion for the city. I have a feelingthat this holds for any study abroad student out
there.
You have chosen the school or city in which you
spend a portion of your university career for areason, and it is most likely that international
students on exchange with you share this similar
passion. You may not be there for the same
exact reason, but serendipity has brought you
together in that relatively small part of the world.
I would say it is a fate of sorts.

After all, it is those people with which you
experience being a “foreigner.” It meant banding
together to explain directions in broken Chinese
to an angry taxi driver, or trying together that
Chinese soup that makes your tongue feel numb.
It seems that because of this reason—because
you are together experiencing this “foreignness”—you end up forming a kind of fellowshipwith these people.
Also, knowing that you must return to yourrespective countries afterwards, and therefore
knowing your time together is short, seems to
make the experiences you share all the more
special.
Academics is no doubt very important for adriven university student. However, if you areplanning on studying abroad any time soon,
remember that the most important lessons willbe learned from outside the classroom, fromprobably the most diverse and fascinating groupof people you will ever meet in your lifetime.

Ordinary everyday streets of Beijing become special and memorable locations for bonding amongst foreign students. Photo by author.

13

PERSPECTIVES
Whiplash of grief beyond borders: The lasting emotion in the hearts of people

By Yen Hyoung Cho

Families, teachers and fellow students gather
by the dock to commemorate the unexpectednightmare that happened a year ago, allrepeating words of sorrow, grief and regret— “I’msorry”. Sorry they could not save them, protect
them and sorry they are the ones who survived.
A year has passed since the Sewol ferry incident,
an event no one was prepared for and shook the
Korean media. But the whiplash of the grief has
yet to die down, leaving many unable to move on
with their everyday lives.
On the morning of 16th April 2014 the South
Korean Ferry, Sewol, capsized while carrying
476 passengers. Of the 304 passengers on theboat only 172 managed to escape, leaving theremaining passengers in the cold ocean; of whichwere mostly secondary school students from
Danwon High school of Ansan. Even with fishingboats, Republic of Korea (ROK) navy ships andcoastguards on the scene, the rescue mission
did not go as planned. Many of the passengers
were told to remain inside the cabins of the ship,leaving them trapped in the capsized boat, while
the captain and 14 crew members jumped off

Grief - an emotion that holds the world together. Image by author.

14

from their sinking deathtrap and into the safetyof the rescuers. Because of the cold waters ofearly spring and the strong currents, attempts tofree the trapped passengers were not easy, only
managing to recover lifeless bodies back to theirawaiting families. On April 17 2015, as part ofcommemorations for the victims of Sewol, 4,475
people participated in the commemoration titled‘The Saddest Challenge in the World’ for the
Guinness world book record.
Seasons have flown by since that day, but theboat still lies in the ocean unmoved— with only
the government’s announcements of planning
to raise the Sewol ferry. The crowd and candle
flames at the Gwanghua-Mun plaza once filledwith angry protestors have died down to simmer,with people occasionally visiting the place topray for the loss of the victims and their families.
Even after months of effort made by coastal
guards, 9 bodies have yet to be returned totheir families; relatives pray for their lost family
members to be returned to them so they can
rest in peace. For the survivors and the relativesof the victims, time seems to have stopped

for them as they have yet to recover from thehorrors of that day. Many of them have yet toaccept the tragedy, unable to move on with theirlives. Surviving students remain traumatized;
some carrying the burdens and dreams of theirdeceased friends, some unable to return to theirschool and choosing to transfer to a different
area. The empty seats of the classrooms remindteachers of how they lost many of their students
that morning to one fluke accident that shouldhave not happened. Many of them visit the dock
periodically to mourn for their friends and family
members, in hopes that they will sleep in peace.
Although, the spark of the accident has dieddown in the country, to these people it isstill a reoccurring nightmare that brings new
misfortune to their everyday lives. On May 8,
2015, officially known as ‘Parent’s day’ in Korea,
the father of one of the student victim was foundto have hung himself. According to his family,
May 8 was not just parent’s day but also his
deceased daughter’s birthday— the bonding
day for parent and child have reminded him of
his treasure he could no longer protect. This
extreme way of evading grief
is not an uncommon route ofescape for many. Over 55%
of the people involved in theincident (mainly relatives of theincident’s victims) have urges to
end their own life; accompanied
by other problems such as
anxiety, despair and lethargy.
This whiplash of losing a loved
one so unexpected will remainin their hearts for years to come,and possibly to their graves.
The aftershock of losing a
loved one is not confoundwithin national borders. Not
all, but those who have felt it,
understand how fragile andprecious their mundane life
can be; and how it can go fromhappiness to utter chaos ina matter of seconds. Recall
the Tohoku Earthquake, thetragedy no one foresaw andchanged the lives of thousands.
Over 15,000 deaths reported,leaving many people familyless, homeless and the nationin tears. Consider the recent
aviation accidents, or theearthquakes that shook Nepal
into rubbles. The pain of such a
tragedy can be understood bythose who have gone throughsuch themselves regardless ofnationality, ethnicity or religion—
it is a downward spiral no one
wishes upon anyone. It is anemotion that is understoodglobally throughout the world,and perhaps is the only emotionthat can truly allow people
to understand one anotherregardless of their difference.

EXPLORING JAPAN“Inspiring Beginning – Spring in Komaba.” Photo by Lin Pei-Hsi

Tokyo: A city for the lost?

By Eve Bentley

In the past year and a half I have been living inTokyo, I have met individuals from all over theworld, each with a wealth of experience anda multitude of stories of travel and adventure.
I bump into them in coffee shops, waiting inqueues for trains and most often through friendsof friends who are travelling together.
Yet, one of the strangest things that seem to bindall of these individuals together is their beingin Japan out of some form of existential crisis.
That is, the most common reasoning behind theirmove to Japan, even for just a temporary stay,being a combination of, ‘I don’t know what to dowith my life’ and ‘but it’s Japan so I thought why
not.’This has made me reflect over my time hereso far, and question what is it about Tokyo,
and Japan in general, that seems to attract
these perhaps ‘lost’ individuals? Some of thesepeople have finished university degrees, somehave never gone, some have dropped out andsome have given up a job simply to move here
to Japan. Of course, travel itself is oft written
about as the experience that opens your mind
and allows you to question everything you’ve
ever known and believed. You become friends
with people you never imagined meeting; you
discover new places together and get lost
among the people and lights. This however
doesn’t explain the nature of Japan as being thedestination of choice for those perhaps lost in
the world and themselves.
It’s often difficult to reconcile the changes that
occur within our lives especially because, as the

subjects of change, we
perhaps can’t observe
them objectively. However, in my brief time living
here so far, it seems thatfor many of the people I
meet, the beauty that liesin Japan is that it offers
no expectations of them.
You can experience a
purity of freedom in theobvious ways such as
not being able to understand the language or
intrinsic cultural characteristics, but more thanthis, it is the whirlwindof being able to reinvent
yourself. As a foreigner
in the homogeneity ofJapan, no matter where
you are from, you can fulfill a personal niche that
may have remained undiscovered due to previous
demands in your life from your initial home country’s culture, or traditions and familial pressure.
It seems that Japan is an ideal ground for thoseindividuals lost, and recently there has beenmuch discussion around the notion of Japan
being that kind of ‘dream bubble’ you live in so
comfortably you almost develop a world separate to that of the rest…. As many foreigners will
never truly become ‘Japanese,’ they live in someways free of traditional expectation and find it
difficult to leave at the end of their journey here.
This holiday season, as someone travelling home

Shibuya Crossing at Night. Photo Richard Schneider | Flickr.

for the first time since moving here, I myself am
filled with a certain amount of anxiety considering the challenges I have faced living here, andthe inevitable change as a consequence. Yet, I
think from all of the various friends I have made,it seems it is the hardest for those Japanese whohave lived or studied overseas to return back toJapan, and adjust back to their lives here, manysaying that don’t know what to call ‘home’ any
longer.
At the end of the day, I think our ideas of ‘home’change as we travel, and our selves can nolonger be defined clearly, and for me, this is oneof the most perfect serendipities of life.

15

Shibuya passes same-sex partnership act

By Makoto Hirata

At the Rainbow Pride Parade in Shibuya, April 26, 2015. Photo by Sam Brustad.

In 2015, a controversial act was passed inTokyo’s Shibuya Ward. It is called the “Samesex partnership agreement.” In Japan, LGBT
people cannot get married with a person of thesame sex. Shibuya Ward, however, decided
to allow them to do this, however only in a
symbolic sense. They can get a certificate which
recognizes their relations, and Shibuya asks all
public offices and private corporations in theward to treat them the same as an heterosexual
couple.
It seems that some LGBT people are encouragedby this act. One of my friends, who is gay,
responded anonymously, “Finally Japan isstarting to protect our rights. In other countries,
such as France, government are recognizing oursituation gradually. Japan is finally get involved inthis movement.”“Japan should make more of an effort for LGBT
people. This act is a great first step, but notenough,” he continued. “In interactions withordinary people, they still discriminate against
us. If we didn’t suffer discrimination, I wouldn’t
need to respond to you anonymously.” For LGBT

16

communities, it seems that this act is only the
first step for ordinary people to change theirminds.

as a shorthand for “both people.” We will haveto wait and see if the Constitution prohibits samesex marriage.

In fact, there is a wave of recognition of LGBT
rights around the world. France has passed a law
called “le Pax.” This is a marriage-like contract.
Compared with a traditional marriage, this union
can be cancelled more easily, and all people inFrance utilize this as a kind of ‘pre-marriage.’This law is designed for both straight and samesex couples. A number of same-sex couples
have made use of this contract and live together
in France. In addition, Holland, the U.S., andsome other nations have started to sign in laws
which gives same-sex couples lawful stature.

Of all of the resistance, arguably the strongest
resistance may come from “the people’s
conscious”. The LGBT issue is a recent thing formany Japanese people. Most of LGBTs in Japan
kept it a secret that they were LGBT and thesociety did not recognize their existence.

However, even this first step has some resistancein Japan. For example, some researchers of theJapanese Constitution say this act may conflictwith an article in the Constitution. This article is asfollow; “ 婚姻は、両性の合意に基づいての成立し ” [Marriage is formed only by the agreement of both
sexes]. The term “both sex” is the problem. Someargue “both sexes” implies “male and female,”whereas others argue that it can be interpreted

Recently there has been a wave of people
coming out in other countries. For many
Japanese, LGBT people are not still familiar.
Some people tend to make a fool of them, or
to avert from them. In public, there are trials
to abolish such prejudice, but I feel ordinary
people’s internal feelings have not changed yet.
This is especially true of older generations. Someof them think this act will destroy the traditional
way of marriage or family and this should be
stopped.
For LGBT people, this act is only the first step.
A much more difficult problem lies ahead. The
conscious of ordinary people.

EXPLORING JAPANJunishi: The unknown aspect of the Japanese zodiac

By Yoshihiro Nakamura

Do you know about Junishi? In Japan, for a longtime we have had Junishi, which is a zodiac
calendar imported from China. The cycle of thiscalendar is completed every twelve years andeach year is assigned a symbolic animal: rat,
bull, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep,monkey, rooster, dog and boar. The sequence of
zodiac animals always remains consistent. For
example, 2015 is the year of the sheep, so 2016
will be the year of the monkey. This is a very
traditional way to denote different years, and inpresent-day Japan we still make use of it in order to refer to years.
Everyone, not only Japanese people, has his or
her own animal from Junishi. By this I mean, you
can find your animal by looking up the animalcorresponding to the year of your birth. In mycase, I was born in 1995 and my zodiac animal
is the boar. President Barack Obama was born in
1961, which means his zodiac animal is the bull.
Therefore, in Japan, asking someone what animal year they were born is a indirect way to ask
their age.

Hinoeuma year. “Uma” of “Hinoeuma” means
horse in Japanese, Hinoeuma is one in 5 yearsof the horse. According to legend, it is said thatwomen who were born in the Hinoeuma year
have a hot temper so that she can take years off
her husband’s life. Therefore, there is a tendency
to avoid giving birth to babies in this year. In thelast Hinoeuma year of 1966, the birth rate in Japan decreased dramatically from 2.14 to 1.58.
In your country, is zodiac used? If so, what kindsof animals are used as the twelve animal signs?
Are there any superstitions? Junishi has various
theories and stories in each country. In the modern age of rationality, it is interesting that zodiac
signs still have cultural value.

Zodiac chartYear
1972 / 1984 / 1996 / 2008
1973 / 1985 / 1997 / 2009
1974 / 1986 / 1998 / 20101975 / 1987 / 1999 / 2011
1976 / 1988 / 2000 / 2012
1977 / 1989 / 2001 / 20131978 / 1990 / 2002 / 2014
1979 / 1991 / 2003 / 2015
1980 / 1992 / 2004 / 2016
1981 / 1993 / 2005 / 20171982 / 1994 / 2006 / 20181983 / 1995 / 2007 / 2019

Junishi(Japanese)

子
丑
寅
卯
辰
巳
午
未
申
酉
戌
亥

Junishi(English)
rat
bull
tiger
rabbitdragon
snake
horse
sheep
monkeyroosterdog
boar

Junishi. Image by m-louis | Flickr.
(The author made some changes.)

In addition, until the Edo period (1603-1867),
Junishi had been widely used to show
direction and time. The rat is the northand the rabbit, horse and rooster indicate the east, the south and thewest respectively. We also divided 360 degrees into 12 parts
and we named them basedon Junishi. Time is divided
by splitting 24 hours into
12 parts and each two
hours were also named
using Junishi.
Junishi is not used
only in Japan. It
is used also incountries such as
China, Korea, Tibet,
Thailand, Vietnam,
Russia, and Mongolia. However, the
12 animal signs
are a little different
among the countries. In Thailand,
Vietnam and Tibet,
they replace the rabbit and the boar withthe cat and the pig
respectively. In addition, they use the water
buffalo and the goat asa substitute for the bulland the sheep in Vietnam. In
Mongolia, the leopard serves
as the tiger. Actually, it is natural
to be different by region, because
the twelve animal signs were appropriated after the zodiac was created in
China.
In Japan, there are some superstitions related toJunishi. “Hinoeuma” is one of them. Hinoeuma
is the name of a special zodiac year whichcomes once every 60 years. 1966 was the last17

The interesting history of Tempura

By Yoshihiro Nakamura

Tempura. Image by OiMax | Flickr.

What kind of food do you associate with Japan?
Sushi? Ramen? I would like to write about one
particularly delicious type of Japanese food:Tempura.

Tempura is a well-known fried food made fromfish and/or vegetables such as prawn, whitefish,and pumpkin. In order to make Tempura, first
we have to make the batter which is composedof wheat flour, eggs and water. We then dip the
ingredient into this batter and fry them. You caneat it with salt or Tempura sauce which is madeup of soup base, sweet sake and soy sauce.

“Obon” : A holiday peculiar to JapanBy Yoshihiro Nakamura

Obon is a holiday meant for mourning the deceased. In Japan, it is said that the spirits of thedeceased come back to this world during theObon season. Held from the 13rd to the 16th ofAugust, almost all people in Japan take somedays off, despite the fact that Obon is not an official holiday. During this period, people often return to their hometown to visit the graves of theirancestors. As such, it is a very important holiday.

al event held during Obon. In this event, crewlessboats with many lanterns called “Shoro-bune”
are carried to the river; these boats symbolize thecarrying of the spirits of thedeceased. You may imagine
this to be a very beautiful
or solemn view, in fact, it isbeautiful but not that solemn. This event is a sceneof liveliness with firecrackers
accompanying animatedchatter and festivities. Somemight even consider “Shoronagashi” to be too loud andshowy to appropriately welcome the dead.

However, in Nagasaki prefecture, which is located in the far west of Japan, a few unique customs can be observed. First, there is an event
named “Shoro-nagashi” in Nagasaki, a tradition-

Perhaps the most surprising thing is that the peopleof Nagasaki celebrate Obon
with fireworks, even though

There are many kinds of holidays in the world.
Christmas, Easter, Halloween and New Year’s
Day to name a few. However, many people outside of Japan are unaware that there is also aholiday in the middle of August. The holiday iscalled “Obon”( お盆 ).

18

this holiday is in remembrance of the deceased.
They play with friends or relatives, lighting up
hand-held fireworks. Moreover, they play with

EXPLORING JAPAN1

Tempura has a relatively long history in Japan,
but surprisingly, tempura was not born in Japan.
Tempura was introduced into Japan in the middleof the 16th century from Portugal. Tempura did
not spread to ordinary people in Japan for sometime because it was made with a lot of oil, which
made it prohibitively expensive at that time.
However, in the Edo period (1603-1867), tempura got less expensive and became much more
popular among the common people. Tempura
was so popular that it was even mentioned insome books and essays. At first, people regarded tempura as just a snack and it was often soldin stands. It was not until the Meiji period (18681912) that tempura restaurants began to appear,and gradually tempura has been considered as a
typical Japanese dish.
There is an interesting anecdote that shows just
how much tempura meant to Edo-era Japanesepeople. The Edo period was created and managed by the Tokugawa family. Ieyasu, the first
Tokugawa shogun (i.e. samurai general), wasvery careful about his health in his old age, yet
he still loved tempura very much. Even though hepaid the closest attention to his health, he wasso engrossed in tempura that one day he ate
too much of it, which eventually led to his death.
Even if the authenticity of this story is questionable, it is fair to say that it implies tempura wasconsidered a common dish in the Edo period.

2

Tempura is just a food, but have you everthought about the history of Japanese food itself? I recommend you consider learning more
about the history of these sorts of day to day
food. Maybe it will change your viewpoint on thissort of food and it will lead to a positive change
in your eating life.

them around the graves. In general, it is fair tosay that such a custom is out of the ordinary, inJapan.
I was born in Nagasaki and visit the area almost
every Obon season. Some (or perhaps most)people say that Nagasaki’s customs are imprudent. They also feel that it is too noisy to mournthe deceased. Personally, I’m not sure but I think
it seems a little imprudent, as well. However, I
also feel that this cheerful mourning does not really pose as a problem; it could even be seen as
important. Of course these kind of ceremonies
should be held so as not to insult the deceased,
but this does not necessarily mean that it cannot
be cheerful. Their way to express their respect
for the deceased may be a little unique, but what
is important is just to respectfully remember thedeceased. I do not think this means we have to
be too gloomy. I guess we should learn to accept
and tolerate such rare customs.

1 割れ空 (Fragmented sky). Photo by Cai Yuan Sang.

2 輝き (Glow). Photo by Liao Tze-Hsuan.

19

“On mountain’s top,” Trinh Xuan Truong. ICKO Photo Contest 2015 Grand Prize winner.

Contributors ( As of March 2016 )Editor’s NoteKomaba Times is an English-language newsletter written by students
at the University of Tokyo. Our goal is to create a place for students tovoice their opinions to the university community as well as to the wider
world. This year we were delighted to have many former Komaba Times
writers reprise their role and contribute a piece. We are also excited
to showcase the winning photographs from the International Center
Komaba Office Photo Contest.

Amaël Cognacq

HSS*III (PEAK), 2nd year student

Makoto Hirata

HSSI, 2nd year student

Yoshihiro Nakamura
NSI, 2nd year student

Kai Ohata

HSSI, 2nd year student

Eve Bentley

HSSIII (PEAK), 2nd year student

Komaba Times has also started to cooperate with Todai Shimbun, whichis the official student newspaper at the University. Some of the stories
from Komaba Times are now being reposted on Todai Shimbun for theirdigital content. We are delighted that these alliances are being formed
and hope that this nurtures our journalistic community. We believe student journalism will increasingly gain relevance as the voting age has
been lowered to 18.

Yasuka Tateishi

International Relations, 3rd year student

Tomoko Takahashi

Faculty of Law, 4th year student

Sam Brustad

Japan in East Asia (PEAK), 3rd year student

Chae Yeon Christy Kim

Japan in East Asia (PEAK), 3rd year student

Sherry Zheng

Japan in East Asia (PEAK), 3rd year student

We hope to hear from readers as well as students who would like tojoin our endeavor.

Yen Hyoung Cho

Environmental Science (PEAK), 4th year student* HSS: Humanities and Social Sciences, NS: Natural Sciences

Issue 5 Publication date : April 2016

Editor/Supervisor Yuko Itatsu

Assistant Editor Asuka YamamotoSupported by Globalization Office, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo
Contact : Komaba Times, PEAK Program, College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
Email : komabatimes@gmail.com
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Newsletter Original Design : Genus Design

Additional Design and Typesetting : Harajuku Shunka

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