English Newsletter by Komaba Students

https://www.komabatimes.com/

Content

Academic Life………… page 1
Komaba Campus…… page 4
Perspectives………… page 12
Exploring Japan……… page 19

32 Articles // April 2019 // Issue 8

ACADEMIC LIFE

Photo by Dhriti Mehta

Let’s not make a waste of Todai students and professors

By Sayumi Take

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The professor’s voicedrones on via the microphone. The boy sitting 4
seats away is obviously finishing up his homework for Chinese class. The index finger of thegirl in front of me is scrolling the Twitter feed on
her phone. Another classmate is lightly snoringaway. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
The professor must lecture for another hour before class is dismissed.
Such classroom scenes were the norm in about
half of the classes I signed up for in my first year
at the University of Tokyo (UT). A not-so-small
number of classes offered to April-entry students
are centered on lectures, and require close tozero participation. Students are graded solely on
how well they do on the end-of-term exams or
papers, and so there are usually a steady amountof people who receive credit without showing up
for class at all. In such lecture-based classes,
all we really do is sit there and take notes, eventhough we are in a classroom with other learners
and a professional of the field. According to theresults of an online questionnaire conducted by
UT in March 2018, to which roughly 15% of targeted students answered, 58.7% did NOT thinkthey acquired the ability to discuss and debatewith others. Also, 57.2% answered that they did
NOT think there were enough opportunities forstudents and professors to communicate.
For me, the 105 minutes of class was almost acompletely passive learning process. When I had
a question, I would go up to the professor afterclass, but other than that, I might as well havebeen at home, watching a video of the professor
talking. If I had had the guts to raise my handin class and speak up, a class discussion might
have started and paved a way to an interactive,
engaging class. But in a huge lecture hall of 100
students, or even in a classroom of 20 students,
the students (not all, but at least some) ready tolisten and take notes for 105 minutes, and theprofessor all set to speak non-stop for 105 minutes, I just couldn’t sum up the courage to do so.

Do you think you acquired the ability todebate with others?
No 15 %

Not really44 %Yes 10 %Do you think there are enoughopportunities for teachers and students
to communicate?
No 17 %

Yes, to someextent31%

Not really40 %Yes 14 %Yes, to someextent29%

The results of an online questionnaire conducted by UT in March 2018.
Created by author, based on data from the UT website (http://www.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/info/about/assessment/deguchi17.pdf)

In Japanese universities, it is still uncommon for
a part of students’ grades to be based on classparticipation. As far as I know, in UT such evaluation criterion is applied mainly in PEAK classes
and some seminars for April-entry students. It
seems that the criterion is yet to be recognized
as an important, legitimate one, and perhaps thisis why the majority of classes offered at UT are
lecture-based that allow uninterested students to
be inactive.
However, at the end of the year, the classes that
influenced me the most were the few seminarlike classes that I squeezed into my weekly
schedule. These classes valued the participation of each student, and were full of interactive discussions and student presentations. For
instance, in one PEAK philosophy class, every
session started with a group discussion on theassigned reading material, followed by a classdiscussion and follow-up lecture by the professor. In another English class, the professor assigned one student each week to research andpresent about the assigned text, and take ample
time for a Q&A session after the presentation.
These classes resulted in closer ties between
everyone in the classroom and a deep, multidimensional understanding of the class material. I had to sacrifice a lot of my time outside ofclass on a daily basis, but was rewarded withintensive, lively, eye-opening discussions that
required me to not only take part in the class but
also, in a way, partially take up the role of teachers and lead the class.
The origin of the word “university” comes fromthe latin word universitas, meaning community --a united community of professors and students.
Ideally, classes at universities should be a place
where the members of the academic community
communicate with each other, not just a pipeline
where the professor stands at one end and pourout knowledge for the students to receive on theother. Today, UT is still believed to be one of the
top universities in Japan, with intelligent students
and professors who are first-class scholars intheir academic field. If such students and professors came together to share their knowledge andthoughts on numerous themes, something unpredictable and wonderful, whether it be an eyeopening insight or a revolutionary idea that could
save the world, is bound to be born out of it.
Lecture-based classes are incapable of bringing
out the full potential in each member of UT, andwill kill such precious opportunities. Therefore, I
am confident that increasing the number of seminars and classes like the ones mentioned above
as an alternative to classes based on one-way
lectures, would lead to an overall energization of
UT’s academic activities.

The JEA Identity Crisis

By Lisa Buckland

International students undoubtedly always havetrouble identifying themselves within their university and I am no stranger to this problem. As astudent enrolled in the Japan in East Asia (JEA)
programme, I have had to explain my degree toalmost everyone I talk to, back home in the UK,
in Japan and even in my university to April-entry
students. What is “Japan in East Asia” and why
do we struggle with it?
The PEAK website describes it as a programmethat “aims to provide students with a wide rangeof social science and humanities courses to develop an advanced understanding of Japanese/East
Asian politics, economy, society and culture in a
global context”. I found I wasn’t alone in needing
to reread that multiple times. The PEAK website is
the primary source of information that prospective
students have when making their university degree
selections and there is surprisingly little information about what JEA actually is. The words “global”,“international” and “interdisciplinary” are floatedaround the website, but Mimi, a first year JEA student, says when she arrived she didn’t have “muchidea of what exactly [she] would be studying”.
Unlike other Todai students, PEAK students join

the university with a predetermined major, either
JEA or Environmental Science (ES). I wasn’t
alone in being confused in initially thinking wewere “JEA students” from our first year. In fact,
first year PEAK students are not “JEA” or “ES”
students but students of the College of Arts andSciences in the Junior Division.
There seems to be confusion over what thedegree is, so, what did people think they’d be
studying before arriving? Sarah, a JEA student,
thought she’d be studying International Relations“with a broader perspective, not narrowed down
to Japan”. It seems this emphasis on being“global” influenced many in my cohort and Mimi,
Sarah, Tom, Sally and Alice all call it “International
Relations” with a focus on East Asia. I’ve also
found it easier to rename my course when talking
to friends or family and we’re even encouraged
to do so in our Japanese class where our teacher
taught us to call it “kokusai kankei [ 国 際 関 係 ]”(International Relations). Sarah and Tom both say
they don’t even tell anyone they’re studying “JEA”
so they don’t have to explain it.
It’s no doubt easy to get stuck in this existential
rabbit hole of what our programme really is andhow we identify ourselves within it, particularly
when we’re in the midst of summer finals, a heatwave and almost a year into our degree. It also
seems non-US-background students who aren’t
accustomed to liberal arts degrees find this evenmore challenging, as the alternative would havebeen a university degree specialising from year
1. Professor Fusako Beuckmann, Head of the
PEAK Junior Division, acknowledges these difficulties and emphasises the University of Tokyo’s
unique liberal arts structure even within Japan.
In 1949 the first dean of the College of Arts andSciences, Tadao Yanaihara, emphasised the meritof this liberal arts system, arguing “by possessing
this strong foundation of knowledge, [students]
will be less prone to bias, and will be encouraged
to cultivate a boundless enthusiasm for the truth”.
Arguably the liberal arts foundation provides abroad basis of knowledge, preventing bias in acertain field and allowing for interdisciplinary approaches to both the junior division and futurestudies. Professor Shiho Maeshima, Director of
the JEA Senior Division, points out that defining
one’s degree in the junior division is not a problem unique to PEAK students but one shared bymost juniors in the College of Arts and Sciences.

PEAK Life: Expectations vs Reality

By Alexine Castillo Yap

No matter which corner of the globe you might
be from, you’re likely to have your own set of
expectations about what university life could, orshould be like. Maybe you expect lots of par-ties, or more opportunities to take a wider rangeof classes, or dramatically meet your soulmate
whilst they’re dining alone at the university cafeteria or whatever--the point is, you already have

A fairly accurate representation of how I look whilst trying to sign up for courses. Image taken from Pixabay.

a set of preconceived notions about what willtranspire in your university life.
But I’m here to tell you that whatever image you
have of university is most likely not going to be
the same as what you might expect, especiallywhen it comes to PEAK--and I’m certainly inthe same boat. There are even things you neverwould have thought would happen to you, but
definitely would (convenience store runs at 2:47
AM, for example). Here are three expectations
I had about university that the realities of PEAK
have debunked.

Expectation: I’ll be attending classes withhundreds of students in huge lecture halls.

Reality: One of my classes this semester only

has 5 students signed up to it, and in most of
my other classes we’re lucky to have 10.

If you’re like me, you’ve seen one too many
American movies or TV shows that happen to be
set in a university, where class sizes can be hugeand consist of dozens or maybe even a couple
hundred students--the first episode of How to
Get Away With Murder really made an impression
on me, for example. Plus, many of the Japanesefilms I’ve seen or books I’ve read have depicted
university life as composed of classes in lecturehalls. My parents, who went to university in thePhilippines, also had a similar experience, andmany of my friends studying all over the world
do, too. Thus, I thought that in my classes, I
would just be one insignificant student in a seaof dozens.

2

ACADFMIC LIFE
Perhaps the ambiguity and wide range ofcourses we take provide us with the task of defining our course for ourselves and shaping it toour own ends. This is emphasised through thescarcity of required courses for JEA junior division students. Although this can lead to a senseof aimlessness with no clear goal and often the
feeling that we are being introduced to a subject, enjoying it and then receiving no follow-up
courses, it also means we are able to explore aplethora of fields and change our preconceptions
on what we wanted to study.
If you would have asked me what I wanted to
study last year I would have told you “International Relations” and if you ask me now I’m notentirely sure. Perhaps this feeling of uncertainty
can be disconcerting but it’s also a part of thereshaping that the liberal arts programme strives
to do. Through taking so many different courses
we gain an insight, and an interest, into so manydifferent fields. Not being able to narrow down
our interests or degree, “defining” our knowledge
becomes even more challenging and rewarding.
We begin our university careers with a set of expectations and often with an idea of what we’re

But the truth is, PEAK is an extremely small programme with only about 30 students per year,
so the classes are basically distributed among
what little there is of us, plus a few local students
here and there. I did go to a high school whereclass sizes in certain subjects were quite small,so it wasn’t much of an adjustment for me personally; however, I didn’t expect that it would be
the same in university. Ultimately, though, I don’t
think it’s necessarily a bad thing, because in thisway the professor and students can develop better rapport.

Expectation: I can go to class in my pajamas without anyone judging me.

Reality: Sure, I can go to class in my pajamas, but not without receiving odd looks.

Having come from a high school where we were
expected to wear uniforms every day, university
is a breath of fresh air because I no longer haveto wear the extremely uncomfortable and tragically unfashionable blouse-skirt combination thatmy high school imposed on me. Compoundedalso with the fact that I’ve seen too many American movies and have friends who study abroad
telling me about their experiences, I also thoughtthat perhaps this would be the perfect time to
do what I’ve always wanted to do: come to classwithout having to change into anything too sophisticated, without really having to think about
how I look that day.
However, even though there isn’t a dress code inplace, I’ve found that the opposite has actually

The PEAK website page on JEA - most likely a prospective student’s first impression of the JEA programme.

truly interested in, what we think we’re goingto study, and sometimes even what we want to
do after our undergraduate degree. There’s nodenying that the degree has an ambiguous title,
maybe it does need to “come clean about thefact that it’s a humanities and social sciences
course in general” at least in the first two years,

as Alice argues. Our foundations are varied andperhaps not of great depth, particularly compared to undergraduate degrees that specialisethroughout, but maybe the importance of thedegree is that it unroots our preconceptions. It
allows us to reform our interests, and frame andshape the degree however we want.

happened to me: now more than ever I’ve become more conscious of my fashion choices andmakeup. I’m not that surprised, though; Tokyo
is one of the fashion capitals of the world, andmaybe walking around fashionable places like
Shibuya and Harajuku has finally managed to rub
off on me.

is. As much as I would love to take a course on
marketing or a digital design course, it just isn’t
possible within PEAK (at least, not yet). That
does force me to look for these activities outsideof school, though, which could probably be agood thing.

Expectation: I can sign up to whateverclasses I want, including art classes.

Reality: I haven’t seen a single art class inthe course catalogue.

I’m not the most academically-inclined person,and have always wanted to take more creativeclasses, like visual arts or creative writing. I
thought that university was going to be the perfect place to try these out, especially since we’rein a university that has a two-year liberal arts
programme. Whilst that may be true for otherplaces, it certainly isn’t the case here if you’re in
PEAK. Every semester, the university releases anextremely thick course catalogue in the form of
a book that contains all the courses on offer for
Junior Division (there’s also a catalogue for Senior Division), and precisely because of its thickness, no other document can demonstrate just
how narrow the selection of classes for PEAK isin comparison. Whilst the local students have an
incredibly wide choice of classes that number
the hundreds, PEAK classes are relegated to an
extremely thin section at the back of the book.
It’s a bit defeating to look at, but now that I thinkof it, it’s not all that surprising that we have anarrow selection considering how small PEAK

This isn’t the only issue I’ve faced when signingup for classes. It can also be frustrating to try
and sign up for language classes. I tried signingup for an intermediate-level French conversation class, and it was the only one offered at thatlevel in the Junior Division course catalogue. Unfortunately I was told by the PEAK Admin Officethat I couldn’t take it for credits because it was a
Senior Division course; thus, I have to wait until
the spring semester of my second year (whenstudents are allowed to begin taking Senior
Division classes) to take it, by which time I probably would have forgotten most of the French
I already know. Oh well, maybe it’s a sign that
I should be focusing on my Japanese instead.
That being said, do make sure to inspect thecourse catalogue very carefully before signing up
for classes.
To conclude, it’s probably best to approach
university life as a PEAK student with a bit ofthick skin especially if you have any starry-eyed,
idealised visions of what university life should
be like. It may turn out drastically different fromwhat you expect, or not at all--but either way, it
won’t be like anything you or your friends would
have experienced before.

3

KOMABA CAMPUS
Diversity without Inclusivity

By Yuki Takahashi

Interaction between international and domestic students at Komaba. Photo courtesy of The University of Tokyo, PEAK Admissions Office.

“The University of Tokyo (UT) accepts international students from more diverse countries than
Princeton University, but UT fails to integratethem into the community of domestic students,”
writes Professor Jin Sato, who teaches at both
UT and Princeton University for a semester each,every year. In his book comparing UT and oneof the most prestigious schools in the U.S., henotes that UT falls much behind the U.S. top
schools in integrating international students.
This notion is true when I consider my own
campus life. For me, as an April-entry student,
the only ways to interact with international students, especially PEAK students, is to take PEAK
classes, join Lunch Time Discussions held at the
Komaba Writers’ Studio, or to participate in the
TGIF Lunch held every Thursday. However, making friends by taking PEAK classes is difficult,since it means that I have to join the establishedcommunity. I cannot help but feel that there are
two separated groups on campus: a group ofinternational students who have conversations inEnglish, and a group of domestic students, who
seemingly do not know how they should interact
with the other group.
“I interact with April-entry students only for a
few hours, maybe less than 8 hours, in a week,”
confesses a PEAK student. For her, classes
and clubs are the only opportunities to interact
with domestic students. She believes that thelanguage barrier is the main reason why she

4and most of the PEAK students cannot interact
with domestic students very well. Since she is
not able to speak Japanese so fluently, she is
only left with a choice to join clubs that does
not require much talking, such as sports clubs,
and it results in lack of deep and meaningfulconversation with domestic students. Anotherinternational student from South Korea who isvery fluent in Japanese, in contrast, told me that
he mainly spends time with domestic students inJapan and do not interact so much with his fellow international students. “I sometimes feel that
I am even treated as a domestic student,” hetalks.

another main factor behind the lack of communication.

So are language barriers the only reason for thelack of interaction between international anddomestic students? It does not seem true. I
have seen many scenes where an international
student who speaks Japanese is alienated froma conversation, maybe because of cultural differences. International students sometimes interrupt conversation when Japanese people will
not, or talk in a louder voice than Japanese do.

What can we do to improve the situation? As
Professor Yujin Yaguchi, the Director of the International Education Support Office, claims, interactions among students cannot be cultivatedby a top-down approach, but depend on what
students do voluntarily. I agree that it is true, but
I also believe that the university can do more. A
PEAK student points out, “The university should
acknowledge both groups equal and give thesame opportunities to both groups instead ofdrawing the line and keeping the groups separate.” Indeed, April-entry students have to takepermissions to take the PEAK courses, andcannot live in the International Lodge Komaba,
where most of the PEAK students live. “Puttinginternational and domestic students in one dormitory together might be one way to facilitate
interactions,” suggests Professor Sato, too. In
most of the universities in the U.S., international
students live together with the domestic students
in dormitories.

An increasing number of domestic students in
PEAK classes does not directly mean the increase of interaction between the two groups ofthe students. In the PEAK classes I have taken
so far, I found that domestic students tend togather with other domestic students, probably
because they do not know how to chat withinternational students. Cultural differences are

Of course, the U.S. is a country of immigrants,
and people there tend to be more used to different cultures than people in Japan. However, as
Professor Sato insists, it would take hundredsof years to make differences if we wait until theJapanese culture changes. In classes and daily
lives, the university can do more to help bothgroups to interact with each other.

The Reality of Being a Todai-joshi

By Yisac Park

Finally! After years of studying hard, you got into
your dream school, the University of Tokyo (UT).
Bouncing with excitement on your first day, you
see numerous posters and leaflets about club
activities, lectures and information about the university as well. You check some of them and findsomething weird. A few posters have phrases
such as “Club for men”, “Female students only”,“Recruiting managers”.
Some students might not care about this at allor may not even notice what is “weird” about it.
To be honest, this situation felt awkward and uncomfortable for me. I could not believe that thiswas and still is happening at the so-called “best”
school in Japan. As a Korean, I’m very interested
in feminist movements, which are very active in
Korea recently such as the #MeToo and corsetfree movement.
The #MeToo movement is an international movement to reveal the problems of sexual violence.
Women who were sexually harassed or assaulted have come forward to share their stories
through social media. The corset-free movement is a movement that helps women liberatethemselves from social oppression. Women havebeen forced to fulfill the standards of beauty
defined by society which can be uncomfortable
and sometimes threaten their health. Inspired bythese recent movements, I thought it necessary
to question these issues.
I want to start by sharing my experience as afemale student of UT (a.k.a. Todai-joshi). First,
advertisements which limit opportunity based on
gender can be easily found at UT. For example,
women cannot join the American football team asplayers. It is not explicitly said but it is tacitly understood by everyone. They must join as a “manager” or staff member to be part of the team. Staff
members are in charge of training, marketing,managing and assistance. Male students can also
be staff members, but in reality, most of them arefemale students. Why do female students have tobe the manager? Why is there no team for womenin the first place? To solve this, female students
can create a team themselves. Moreover, someclub activities have few or no clubs for female
students to join even though male students havea choice of more than 10 clubs of the same activity. In 2016, the Student Support Division of UT
posted a notice on the university website that UT
acknowledges the existence of gender discrimination and urges student organizations to comply
to the University Charter. However, there is nopunitive action by the University at this moment.

Restroom sign. Photo by Sam Howzit │Flickr. https://www.flickr.
com/photos/aloha75/14789540916/in/photostream/

Advertisement of the UT Sweetheart Pictorial Book. Photo taken by author

Next, there is a book called “UT Sweetheart
Pictorial Book” (Todai Bijo Zukan). It is a picturebook of UT female students which has been soldin UT festivals by a circle called “STEMS” since2014. A pictorial book or field guide is a bookthat illustrates plants, animals or objects. Female
students are being consumed as an object in thisbook. According to the website, this book tries
to change the current image of UT female students, which is negative. It is generally believedthat female students of UT are not “attractive”.
The idea is that by putting photos of “pretty”
and “cute” Todai-joshi, their image may improve
among the public. Instead of focusing on looks,
the image may be improved by portraying intelligent, capable and academically excellent women. Furthermore, there is no male student versionof this book.
Have you heard of the term “joshi-ryoku”? Itmeans “girl’s power” in Chinese characters, but
it is used for describing the feminine level, usually of women. Having a high “joshi-ryoku” means
being good at cooking, fashionable, capable ofdoing makeup, or able to take care of other people. It is believed that women who have a high“joshi-ryoku” are attractive and an ideal type of
woman. This term is often used among young
Japanese women. They praise each other byhaving a high “joshi-ryoku” and generally want toachieve that. It feels like the word itself is forcing
woman to have an idea that women should bepretty, and that femininity is the most important
thing for being a woman.
Approximately 20% of the student population
are female at UT. I remember when I went to
the information session for freshmen, one of theprofessors said that female students should be
careful about their speech and behavior since
there are less female students at UT. To this day,
I don’t understand what this means, and I am
not so sure I want to find out. If it implies thatwomen should not cause any problems, that is
ridiculous. It is time for us UT students to think
about these issues. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Wemust become the change we wish to see in theworld.”

5

Eating in University: Bonding through Dinner

By Taishi Nakamura

Eating something we all took part in together makes it morethan just a delicious dinner. Photo by Riku Negishi.

ner with a bunch of mates was so much more
exciting and valuable compared to just eating“Conbini” food, alone in my quiet room. As a
Japanese, our family placed a lot of emphasis on
eating together as a family – and to lose that aspect of life did make me feel lonely at times. But
these kinds of occasions truly help me overcome
such loneliness and prevents homesickness.

Before I came to Japan for university, my mum
used to cook for our family. The sudden transitionof needing to think of what to eat and preparing
it was simply a pain for me. There are various
choices when it comes to eating as a university
student in Japan: Cooking your own food, eating
at the cafeteria, using the convenience store andso on and so forth…. But how about, eating thefood that your friend cooks for you?
Yes, this actually is one of the ways in which a6fair percentage of my food intake happens now.
It’s sad to say, but I can’t cook at all. However,there is one friend who is a real cook – andloves to do it (whom I will call “chef” from now
onwards). One night we decided to have a gettogether of about 5 people in our year group. The
non-cooks helped with the dishes and transporting the food, while our chef cooked for us. When
we all ate together in the lounge of our dorm, I
felt a kind of nostalgic feeling – it was like eatingwith my family. I felt that eating homemade din-Now, up to this point it might sound merely likea normal get-together. However, we began doing
this regularly, up to the point where we decided
to make a fully functioning ticket system. We calculated the cost of an average meal to be about
300 yen, and made “one ticket” worth 1000 yen,for 3 meals. Every time we eat a meal from ourchef, we keep note until our ticket runs out, thenwe pay 1000 yen again to top up our tickets. I
really thought this system created a win-win situation as our chef can learn and be encouraged
to cook, and the rest of us can enjoy a nice,
hot homemade meal for only 300 yen. Variety
is another selling point to consider. Places likeconbini and the cafeteria might restrict you to
only eating certain dishes, but homemade cooking has virtually no limits – Bibimbap, Beef Stew,
Nimono, to even a chef’s original. You may notbelieve this, but I personally even found washingthe dishes entertaining. Talking about our future,or just complaining about the workload we have– all of these conversations help us relieve ourstress, deepen our friendship and gain a senseof belonging. So, it’s a pleasing experience fromthe preparation right through to the normallydreaded cleaning up.
So, I want to suggest to you this alternative cooperative - a highly enjoyable way of eating as auniversity student living in a dorm. At first living
in a dorm away from your family may be scaryand lonely. At time like this, keep in mind thisgreat way to bond with your friends, and something that truly makes you feel a sense of family
inside our small community of PEAK.

KOMABA CAMPUS
Vegan in Tokyo

By Maja Liechti‘What, you are vegan? Man, that must be toughhere in Japan!’ is a phrase I hear more often thannot. But what is veganism all about and why all
the fuss about eating plants? Is it impossible tostay vegan in Japan?
Veganism was coined in 1994 as ‘the practiceof abstaining from the use of animal products,
particularly in diet’ (Donald Watson). The major
reasons for people to go vegan are not only
ethical (the rejection of animals as a commodity
product), but also environmental. According to areport in 2006, the UN calculated that ‘the combined climate change emissions of animals bred
for their meat were about 18% of the global total– more than cars, planes and all other forms oftransport put together’ (UN, 2006). The report did
not just count the methane released by livestock
but also the use of energy and water for meatproduction and transportation.

joyous dinner with friends for a vegan is mainly
the fish stock dashi, which is used in a variety
of dishes. But don’t give up! It is possible toask for a dashi-free version depending on themeal and restaurant. Another possible solution
is to make exceptions for social eating if you’re
not too strict with your diet. Also, don’t be sad
if you don’t want to compromise on your diet.
Compared to my last stay in Japan in 2013, thenumber of vegan restaurants has increased quite
a bit, so if you feel like having a vegan burger try
out Ain Soph Shinjuku or Mr. Farmer. As for conventional restaurants, there are unfortunately not
many vegan options apart from salads. Therefore, I recommend having something before you
go out. Soba, udon noodles and (cucumber or

natto) sushi however, are usually vegan. When
you buy processed products, it is important toread labels. Some useful Kanji are: 卵 (egg) and乳 (milk).
In the end, people think being vegan in Japan isharder than it actually is. It is for sure possible
if done correctly. What counts is the mindset
and some preparation before coming to Japan.
Especially with the coming Olympics in 2020,
the options for people living on a plant-based
diet available in Tokyo will eventually increase. In
the end, whether you decide to go vegan or justwant to incorporate more plant-based meals into
your day, I hope that the tips shared in this article
can be useful to you.

While the availability of vegan products in Europe
and the US has been growing with the ‘vegantrend’ in the last decade, the idea of rejecting all
animal products is still fairly uncommon in Japan.
But is it impossible? I’d say no for now. Being
vegetarian for ten years and vegan for six years,
following a vegan diet has become second nature to me and I do not find myself struggling as
much as people would assume. However, I must
admit that it might seem far more difficult for either someone who is used to buying ready meals
or for vegans that are used to be surrounded byalternatives for their favorite foods. Despite thefact that Japan has a wide variety of soyand almond milks with flavors such as vanilla ice cream
and apple pie, prepared Vegan meals or meatalternatives are scarce. How can you survive asa vegan then? Well, I can assure you that you do
not have to eat just leaves.
The solution is simple: cook for yourself. By
cooking I do not mean spending hours in the
kitchen to create a five-star vegan menu using
fancy ingredients. Personally, I try to keep it simple, tasty and healthy. In Japan my diet consistsof approx. 50% vegetables, 25% fruits, and 25%
starch, protein, nuts and seeds. However, especially in Japan, vegetables and fruits seem tobe pretty expensive at first. As a student with alimited budget I had to find a way around it, andhere is what I do in order to not go bust:● I buy fruits and vegetables at an affordable
supermarket in Shimokitazawa (15m from thedorm in Komaba)● I check out stores in the evening for sales.
● I buy frozen fruits and vegetables, such as
blueberries, since they are comparatively
cheap while maintaining a high quality! You
can find them in most convenience stores.
Whenever I fancy vegan cookies or meat alternatives, I buy them in Mega Don Quijote , adepartment store with many import goods which
can be found in Shibuya. As for healthy snacks
I recommend going to ‘My Basket’ or ‘Lawson’,where they have nuts and dried soybeans.
However, the remaining difficulty peculiar to
Japan comes about with social eating, since eating out is a popular social activity while vegan
options are scarce. The major obstacle to a

The solution is simple; Just prepare your own meals. Photo by author.

7

Settling Down: A Guide When Moving into Komaba Lodge

By Kazuma Nakano

Lodge we also dispose of glass bottles, cans,and cardboard boxes separately.

3. Do purchase some furnishing

The rooms at the Komaba Lodge, or most Tokyo
apartments to be fair, are by no means large andspacious. To make the most out of your space, it
is wise to purchase a few shelves and cupboards
to store your belongings. Additionally, an extension pole will be handy for hanging your laundry,
and a rug will make the tiled floor easier for yourfeet.

4. Do Not rely completely on yourcredit card

Although credit cards are accepted at most large
supermarkets and shops, Japan is still a cashbased society. Do not fall into the trap of bringing
just your credit card, and be sure to exchange
more cash than you think you will need.

5. Do explore the neighborhood

Komaba Lodge B Dorm: The boys’ dorm. Photo by author.

Settling into a foreign country is no easy task.
Here are some tips of what and what not to dowhen you first arrive at Komaba International
Lodge as an international student.

a tad faster. I recommend purchasing a bicycle
secondhand, at Yoyogi Recycle Garden (7 minutes from Yoyogi Station). Having a bicycle may
be just what you need to get to class on time.

1. Do get a bicycle

2. Do Not dispose everything in thesame bin

Although Japan has some of the most efficienttrain systems in the world, for those small errands that are a tad too far on foot, a bicycleis the perfect companion. The basket-wielding
Mamacharis are great when shopping, thougha road bike or cross bike will make your travels

Japan is very particular when it comes to sorting garbage. There are two standard groupings,
Moeru Gomi (combustible) and Moenai Gomi (noncombustible), on top of other classifications designated by the local ward. Here in the Komaba

It is important to venture out of the comfort ofyour room, and explore the surrounding neighborhood of Komaba. As well as the essentials
such as locating your nearest Konbini, Supermarket, or Post Office, you may find some quirky
shops or cafes that might become your new
favourite! There is also Komaba Park, located 5
minutes from the dorms, which offers a breath of
fresh air, surrounded by the green wilderness.

6. Do get to know your senpais

Last but not least, do make an effort to get toknow your senpais! Some of the best perks aboutliving in Komaba lodge is that your senpais will bereadily available to help you settle in. From subject selection, dining, and cool places to hang,
don’t be afraid to reach out to ask for assistance.

Keeping in contact with your family during an earthquake

By SoHee ParkThe Japanese archipelago is famously one of themost seismically active region. It is also home tosome of the most advanced technologies against
earthquake such as early warning systems on
mobile phones and quake-resistant construction. The Japanese government has continuously
developed and implemented ways to minimize
potential earthquake damage.
March 11, 2018 marked seven years after theGreat East Japan Earthquake and tsunami thatcaused the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. Fukushima and its neighboring regions are
yet to be recovered from the impact of disaster.
And much to our dismay, Japanese experts estimate that an earthquake as big as the 2011 disaster may strike again the northernmost region
within the next 30 years. Japan’s Earthquake Research Committee predicts a 70% chance of amagnitude 8 earthquake to hit Eastern Hokkaido.
In the midst of this heightened risk, it is highly

8

recommended that international students studying in Japan be prepared for a crisis. There aremany ways for you to get prepared, such as buying or making your personal “Go Bag” or checking in advance where the evacuation shelter
nearest to your residence is located. But above
all, it is crucial to confirm methods of showing
your safety in Japan with your families living inand out of Japan.
During the 2011 Earthquake, social media suchas Twitter and Facebook served as a lifeline forfamilies to keep in contact with the affected individuals. On the other hand, the commonly usedmessenger app such as KakaoTalk for Koreans
did not work, and LINE, an equivalent messenger
app in Japan, came into existence as part of thedisaster response.
First, let your families know the location and thephone number of the designated shelter near
your school or house. In any case you become

unreachable, your families will know where tofind or contact you. Visit the Tokyo Metropolitan
Government Disaster Prevention Website (http://
www.bousai.metro.tokyo.jp/foreign/english/index.html) and check the shelter nearest to yourresidence. The nearest evacuation shelter nearschool and the Komaba Lodge is the Komaba Elementary School, located right next to the lodge
building. The school or the housing office will
be giving instructions for evacuation but just foryour reference, make sure and check the placeon your way to or from school so that you canevacuate calmly in any case of a disaster.
Second, make use of the safety confirmation
services provided by communication businesses.
When a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake, tsunami, or volcanic eruption occurs, it
may become difficult to contact families due tothe sheer number of people using the communication network. In the event of such a situation,communication businesses including SoftBank,KOMABA CAMPUS
Drinking Culture in Japan: Info & Tips

By Taishi Nakamura

You may be aware that drinking plays quite alarge role in Japanese culture, even in how theJapanese society functions. According to writer
Kay Sakamoto, the drinking culture stems fromthe traditional lifetime employment and unique
working culture in Japan. Working with the same
coworkers and bosses for the rest of your life,
but not being able to talk “shigo”, or having
private talks with them – this paradox required
a situation in which you can form personal relationships with colleagues and bosses. This waswhen drinking party, or「 飲 み 会 」(Nomikai) cameto be the primary way to bond relationships
outside the strictly regulated workplace. As theexistence of the word “nominication” (combination of “nomu” meaning drinking, and “communication”) suggests, drinking was always at thecenter when conducting casual and private talks
between company members outside the office.
University is no different, and the drinking culture
might be quite prominent – but this depends on
how you choose to spend your university life. As
the Japanese say,「お 酒は飲んでも飲まれるな」- always drink responsibly and don’t get swallowed
up by alcohol. Although drinking may be an entertaining way to spend with responsible mates,
any incident being swallowed up by alcohol is
no light topic and might become a reality if you
do not act responsibly. In fact, acute intoxicationof alcohol has been a problem over the years,
especially in Japanese universities. According
to the Tokyo Fire Department, over 40% of thenumber of ambulance transport caused by acuteintoxication comprise of people in their twenties.
The legal drinking age in Japan is 20 years old,
so any drinking before then is prohibited. Therefore, as rule number one, do not drink before youreach this age. Like many others, I too have been

au, Y!mobile, NTT DoCoMo and NTT East provide disaster message board service. Here,
users of the respective mobile phone company
can post their safety status as text which can bechecked from mobile phones and computers.
Users can register their status on the board with
their phone number. The message will then be
sent to J-anpi, a portal site where families living
in and out of Japan can search for the status ofaffected individuals through their phone number.
Google Person Finder provides the same service
as J-anpi and both websites can be accessed indifferent languages. Access this website (http://
www.bousai.metro.tokyo.jp/foreign/english/bousai/2000010/index.html) to check disaster board
message provided by your communication provider and add it to your Favorites so that you canmake a use of it when necessary. Also make sure
to let your families know your Japanese phone
number so they can confirm your safety.

through the experienceof where alcohol wasavailable, and noticed
a few characteristics ofpotentially “dangerous”
situations:
Here are some tips on
how to avoid any serious,and potentially fatal mistakes with alcohol:● Choose your circles/
clubs carefully

Irresponsible behavior incircles is the primary situation in which over drinkDrinking culture of Japan may be a little different to your culture. Image by conan_mizuta | pixabay
ing occurs. Don’t justchoose your circle without doing any research– do not force others to drink under any circum/ without going to their Shinkan (Welcoming)
stances.
events. Similar to how circles of a similar genre● What to do if your friend gets alcohol(e.g. soccer) can differ massively in atmosphere,
poisoning
the expected amount of drinking involved also
vary according to circles.
According to the Public Relations Office of theGovernment of Japan, if you see any conditions● Know about responsible drinking
such as:beforehand□ Unconscious(doesn’t respond even if you shake them)
Remember small but important factors like not□ The whole body is cold
drinking all at once (which the Japanese call
□ Abnormal breathing patterns
as「イッキ飲 み」Ikkinomi), or not drinking with an□ High volume of vomiting (food or blood)
empty stomach, can potentially save lives. Most
□ Bubbles from mouth
incidents involving university students and alcohol occurs in the first two hours of the nomikai.
…call the ambulance by calling 119.

● Surround yourselves withresponsible people

This should be quite an obvious factor when it
comes to alcohol. Do not surround yourself withpeople that force you to drink. It is equally as important to make sure you are not the one forcing

Keep these factors in mind when coming to a
Japanese university. The unique drinking culture
and perception towards alcohol may shock you atfirst – but don’t be scared by this. As long as you
are responsible, it should not be a problem. I hope
you all have a safe and enjoyable university life.

useful during the disaster for you families to confirm your safety. Talk with your families ahead oftime and establish several means to contact eachother. Making a new Twitter or Facebook accountfor your parents can be one of the many ways foryou to keep in contact during emergency. And incase the internet service falls short due to traffic overload or infrastructure damage, designatea certain bulletin board at school or near yourhouse so when you become unreachable, yourparents will be able to check your safety by referring to the note you put on the board.

A view of the Google Person Finder website
where families of the affected individuals cansearch message posted in the Disaster Message Board through phone number.

A view of the Disaster Message Board website operated by NTT East and NTT West.
Individuals affected by disaster can post theirstatus on this message board.

And lastly, social networking systems can also be

9

3 Hidden Gems by Prominent Architects on Campus

By Yuki Takahashi

When deciding on an university, the atmosphereof the campus might be one of importance toyou. The two older campuses of the Universityof Tokyo - Hongo and Komaba - are basically a

mix of quaint gothic architecture and post-WWII
buildings. People tend to focus on old magnificent buildings, but among the new buildings on
the campus, there are actually many remarkable

ones designed by globally-known architects.
Here I introduce several of those amazing buildings and how to enjoy them.

1. Institute of Industrial Science

Located on the Komaba II Campus, the main building of the Instituteof Industrial Science is designed by famous architect Hiroshi Hara(’59). He is known for his masterpiece of post-modern architecture,
Umeda Sky Building, which was selected as one of the Top 20 Buildings around The World by British publishing company Dorling Kindersley.
In the Institute of Industrial Science, you will find a large void space
penetrating the cuboid and some curious objects sticking out of thewall. You may feel as if you were in a concrete jungle. This composition of the building is similar to another masterpiece of Hara’s works,
Kyoto Station.
In the building are a variety of laboratories. If you want to get to know
cutting-edge science research, I recommend you visiting there on
Open Campus Day held in June every year.
Institute of Industrial Science. Photos by author.

2. Fukutake Hall

Fukutake Hall is located on just the left side of Akamon Gate in
Hongo Campus. It was designed by Tadao Ando, a Pritzker winner
who designed the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts in the US and theShanghai Poly Grand Theatre in China. Ando is one of the most wellknown architects in the world today.
Fukutake Hall hosts UT Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies (III)and Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Studies (GSII) and has many
facilities for students of those schools. The design of the building isremarkable, as the concrete wall with two long slits constructed in
front of the hall, which is called the Thinking Wall, captures the viewand shows us the hall itself and the campus from a different angle.
There is also UT Café, which is open to anybody on the campus. You
may enjoy drinking coffee and chatting with your friends there.
Fukutake Hall

3. The Daiwa Ubiquitous Computing Research Building

Walking through Kasuga Gate into Hongo Campus, you will see aninteresting building with numerous small wooden panels. The Daiwa
Ubiquitous Computing Research Building, which is also a facility for
III and GSII, is designed by current UT professor Kengo Kuma (’79).

He won the competition for the New National Stadium and is a leading figure of the younger generation of Japanese architects. His
works are characterized by their use of wood as material. You may
have seen his architecture, since he designed many characteristic
works incorporating Japanese traditional style, such as the Nezu Museum and the new Kabukiza Theater.

The Daiwa Ubiquitous Computing Research Building

There are several other buildings designed by
outstanding Japanese architects on Hongo
Campus. The campuses of the University of

10

In this building, you can enjoy excellent wagashi (Japanese sweets).
Kuriyagashi Kurogi, a Japanese sweets restaurant run by a luxurious
Japanese cuisine restaurant Kurogi, tenants on the first floor. Collaborating with Sarutahiko Coffee in Ebisu, it provides a nice combination of coffee and traditional Japanese sweets. There is sometimes
a long line of people waiting to get in.
Tokyo itself can be called a museum of architecture, as it exhibits both historical and contemporary buildings. If you are interested in architec-

ture, a stroll around Komaba and Hongo will not
disappoint.

KOMABA CAMPUS
Got your summer plans ready?

By SoHee Park

Getting ready for summer is exciting. Booking aticket back home, arranging time to meet yourfriends and families and getting just a nice, longrest. After spending your time in the lecture halland the dorm for a year, it is time for you to startplanning for your summer to get the most outof it. If you are struggling to find something different and new, here are a few lists of summer
programs offered by UTokyo for you to look into.

Short-term Summer Study Abroad

The University of Tokyo has partnerships withmany universities around the world and offer
students the choice to study abroad during thesummer. The Short-term Summer Study Abroad
Program is jointly organized with partnering universities. In 2018, 9 programs were offered byuniversities in 9 different countries. Lists of programmes offered in 2018 can be found below.

The summer program universities are the same universities that are partnered for six month or a yearlong University-wide Student Exchange Program(USTEP). Therefore, for students who wish to gain
first-hand experience of the university they wish to
do a longer exchange, the summer study abroad
program offers the best opportunity. For those who
feel the burden of studying abroad already as an international student in UTokyo, a one to two months
long summer study abroad program can offer agreat chance to experience new culture and meet
students from other universities who has the sameacademic interest. More information can be foundon the Go Global website (https://www.u-tokyo.
ac.jp/adm/go-global/ja/program-list-short.html).

Hands-On Activities

Complete list of 2018 Short-Term Summer Study Abroad Programs. Photo by The University of Tokyo GO Global website.

The activities last in ranging length from a coupleof days to a few months. Students interested inseveral different activities can take the advantage of joining many different activities during thesummer and learn about new cultures and sets
of values. Activities held abroad are not limited to
Asia but also in Europe, North America and the
Middle East, providing students with the chance
to expand their horizon across the world. (A fulllist of activities offered abroad can viewed here:
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/stu01/h20_j.html)

students to have Chinese language skills nor
previous field experience, any UTokyo students
interested in gaining practical working experience

Hands-On Activities is a program that started
in 2012 and consists of various programs suchas volunteer work, international experience, oncampus lab experience, and nature-related activities. The program takes place both in and out
of Japan. Within Japan, programs offer students
to work in accordance with various departments
such as Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Agricultural and Life Sciences. (A full list of activities
offered in Japan can be viewed here: https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/stu01/h21_j.html)

in China should apply without hesitation. In 2018,
the program was held from June 17 to August 18.

Global Praxis

As this is not a credit-bearing course, there will
be no burden placed on the students of being
evaluated. Rather, students will be able to havethe chance to deeply consider what they would
sincerely like to learn by experiencing off-campus education through these hands-on activities.

Internship

The Learn, Live, and Intern in China (LLIC) programme was founded by The University of Hong
Kong (HKU) in 2008. Students attend a seminarseries offered in English at HKU for a week andparticipate in 8-week internships offered mainly
at Shanghai and some in Ningbo or Shenzhen.
(Detailed list of companies can be viewed here:
http://www.aal.hku.hk/summerinstitute/llic2018/llic-companies-list/.)Half of the participants are students from HKU
and the other half are students from top universities of the world. Past participants include
students from Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Cornell,
Pennsylvania, Yale, Cambridge and Oxford. It
is an exclusive programme with up to three undergraduate students given seats to participate
from the University of Tokyo. Tuition, housing andairfare from Hong Kong to your internship location will be covered by The Victor and William
Foundation. As LLIC companies do not require

Pamphlet for Hands-On Activities in the University of Tokyo official website.

Out of all, probably the most accessible ways ofgaining an interesting overseas experience would
be the Global Praxis program. It is a course thatstarted with an aim to encourage students tocultivate a global perspective as a global citizen.
Activities include collaborative work with local
students, research in Japan with students fromoverseas, and etc. For 2018 S semester, courses
were offered in Germany, France, Italy, Korea,
Finland and Japan (Kashiwa and Yamanashi).
The biggest merit of this program is that it isa credit-bearing course in which students areguaranteed to obtain credits after completing thecourse requirements during the break. As it offers
credits, some courses require students to attend

lectures before going abroad. Students however,should be aware that the Global Praxis course
may begin before the end of the academic year.
It is therefore recommended to plan ahead oftime to consult with your academic advisor tofulfill your credit requirements and minimize theimpact of missing lectures.

Couldn’t Find Your Match?

Bookmark the Global Komaba website (http://
www.globalkomaba.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/) andcheck often to gain information on any new programs offered by the school. Plan ahead of timeand get ready to make the most out of your summer experience!

11

PERSPECTIVES
Tongue-tied and Culture-shocked

By Alexine Castillo Yap

I’m in a bit of a language rut. I’m forgetting bits
and pieces of languages I already know, including my mother tongue, Tagalog. At best, it’s
only caused a few embarrassing hiccups whilst
Facetiming with my best friend from back home;
at worst, it has led to more than just a few latenight identity crises1.
This would have been a bit easier to take had I
been doing well in my Japanese classes--I could
then at least tell myself, ‘hey, at least you’re doing okay with this’--but I, unfortunately, haveseemingly accomplished the opposite, despite
my best efforts. The results of a recent progresstest have not been very promising, and throughout the semester I’ve progressively found mybed more and more inviting compared to going
to class. Furthermore, being told that I am noteligible to gain credit for an intermediate-level
French class that actually suited my French language ability has not helped at all in quelling mylanguage-related frustration.
It looks as if I’m regressing, and for some odd
reason--perhaps in a misguided attempt to reset
my brain, or as an exercise in escapism--I’veeven begun, rather counterproductively, trying
to learn another language (please don’t ask me
why I picked up Teach Yourself Colloquial Arabicfrom Book Off the other day). It’s also come tothe point where I’ve already considered giving
myself a serious intervention by booking an appointment with a Berlitz language school outside
the university (which, I’ve discovered, is not only
a time-suck, but also wildly unaffordable).

The author’s attempt of reminding herself how to say ‘help’ in various languages. Photo by author.

Is there something wrong with me? I’ve tried
chalking it up to a host of different explanations,
all with varying degrees of ridiculousness, startingfrom ‘Maybe I just need more sleep’ to ‘Maybe mybrain is, at the ripe old age of nineteen, alreadygetting too old’ through to ‘I’ve been cursed by a

Being A ‘Pure Japanese’

By Yuki Takahashi

The last summer of high school, when I was supposed to study and prepare for college admission, I read Mizumura Minae’s Private Novel fromleft to right, taking a precious three hours of thecritical period. I somehow could not stop readingit, possibly because by reading that book, I could
vicariously experience how a person who uses
more than one language thinks and feels. The
novel, which was about the life of the author who
moved to New York City from Japan when she
was 12, was written in two languages, Japaneseand English. She was at the opposite extreme
from me, who had spent his whole life in Japan.
People like me, whose nationality as Japaneseis straightforward and who have never lived
abroad, are called Pure Japanese, or Junjapa ( 純ジ ャ パ ). Unlike people who have moved aroundthe world since their childhood or who were bornto parents marrying internationally, I’ve never en-

12

countered an identity crisis about which country I
belong to. I have no reason to be skeptical about
my identity as a Japanese, because I cannot use
other languages as fluently as Japanese, and I
am comfortable with Japanese culture the most.
Having a solid national and cultural identity may
seem an advantage to those who do not havea clear identity and feel lost, but I always havebeen jealous of people with multicultural background. In the current globalizing world, living ina monolingual and homogeneous environment isa huge drawback.
No one opposes the idea that being able tospeak several different languages enhances
one’s opportunities. Recently, the demand for
multilingual people in the job market is increasing. But it is not just that. The most crucial pointis that people living a multicultural and multilingual life can think deeper and be more creative.

“Students should relativize their own values andperspectives through their college life,” states
the President of the University of Tokyo, Gonokami Makoto. I personally believe that relativizing
one’s thoughts is an essential step to becomea person who thinks in the true meaning. If aperson never has doubts about his own values,
he never develops his opinion on his own; hejust internalizes social values and obeys it. At
this point, people with multicultural backgroundare advantageous, because they are forcibly exposed to more than one cultural value and must
ponder how to deal with them.
Indeed, the most capable and intellect people I
have met so far were mostly returnees, who had
spent several years abroad and came back toJapan. Those people are more aware of social
issues than people who have spent their whole
life in Japan, maybe because their values de-wrathful language deity (or kami, in Japanese) as
divine retribution for all those times I said hajimemashite without a yoroshiku onegaishimasu’.
It’s been said2 that the most important part ofsolving a problem is to accept and admit thatyou have a problem, and, quite importantly, toidentify and study the root of said problem. I’ve
been stashing the language problem away at theback burner of my mind for some time now without confronting it, causing it to fester. Though
yes, more sleep would definitely help, and no, I’ve
not been subjected to the curse of a language
kami, I also need to see the language problem
as, arguably, part and parcel of the wider cultureshock problem that it is situated in, and thatwhich I’ve been mentally avoiding for months
and months now.
Canadian anthropologist Dr. Kalervo Oberg isoften credited for being the first to describe
culture-shock as the ‘occupational disease’ 3that it is for people who have moved to a different country. He formulated a theoretical model, aseries of 4 stages, that may describe one’s experience when living abroad:
1. The Honeymoon Phase: also known as thetourist phase, one might experience initial
excitement, euphoria and high motivation tolearn new things, and would engage in activities that only superficially engage with theculture.
2. Culture-shock phase: a period marked bycrisis, one might feel frustration and irritation
as the novelty of the new environment starts
wearing off; coupled with homesickness andisolation, one might blow minor problems outof proportion and even develop prejudicial
attitudes and stereotypical ideas about theculture.

3. Adjustment phase: marked by increased familiarity and comfort with the new culture andenvironment, this phase does have periodic
highs and lows, but is also characterised byrecovery: a return of one’s sense of humourand of ‘deeper’ learning and engagement withthe culture.
4. Adaptation phase: the new country is no longer as ‘foreign’ or ‘novel’ as before, as it feels
like another home, and one begins to havethe ability to be both appreciative and criticalof multiple aspects of the culture, whilst being
able to live and work to one’s full potential
As you can imagine, I tick all the boxes withregards to the ‘culture-shock’ phase. I’m theposter child of someone going through cultureshock--and it’s taken me months to accept this.

cated than just a smooth transition from A to Z.
That ‘gradual adjustment’ phase, in particular,
is a tumultuous one, punctuated with highs andlows--something like experiencing mini-cultureshock crises every now and then.
So the fact of the matter is: it is, and will be aroller-coaster ride, but it’s also completely fineand a normal part of the process--for everybody,
including people who think themselves ‘used to’
the culture-shock experience. The one thing I doknow, though, is that just like my past experienceliving abroad, things can and will get better, if given time and effort. I’ll just have to hit the books
a bit more and make that language school plan
work out somehow (and maybe put Teach Yourself Colloquial Arabic on hold). And of course-I should learn to seek help when I need it, that
there’s nothing shameful or burdensome about it.

Full disclosure: I’m not exactly a newbie to thewhole ‘moving to a completely different country’schtick. I’ve been through this exact same cycleof ups and downs before, having lived abroad in
Vietnam during my teenage years, even though I
wasn’t fully aware that there was an entire theoretical model describing the experience. I want to
say that I’m a culture-shock veteran--but really,
I’m not. It is most probably precisely due to myassumption that if ‘I’ve already been through it,then I shouldn’t be finding this so hard’ mentality
that’s made it so difficult for me to accept that I
am going through culture-shock here in Japan.
But the fact is that I am in a new country, which
would logically demand its own, unique adjustment process.

I also need to remind myself that everyone will
have a different ‘culture-shock curve’ from eachother--so whilst it may seem like one personis ‘better-adjusted’ than the next, it’s probably
just because they have different highs and lowsat different points of time, with different issues,
whether it be language barriers or homesickness
or something else entirely. Bottomline is: admit
you have a problem, and do what works for you
in order to fix it.

And though the four aforementioned theoreticalstages seem clear-cut and ordered in a somewhat linear, progressive manner towards the
coveted fourth stage, Oberg and many others do
acknowledge that in reality, it’s far more compli-

1

Hopefully, in acknowledging my issues andthereby finding solutions and help for them, I’ll
be going through an ‘up’ phase sometime soon,and hopefully without the need to battle a vengeful language kami.
A PEAK student specialty, it seems.
By essentially every philosopher we’ve read forFirst Year Seminar.
3
Oberg (1960) Cultural Shock: Adjustment to
New Cultural Environments.
2

The cover of Mizumura Minae’s Private Novel from left to right. Photo by author.

veloped in other countries often in conflict withthose of Japan. To tackle social issues, they takeactions even when they are in high school. They
are social, motivated and seem good at finding
their own interest, in contrast to my old friends
from high school who appeared struggling to findwhat they wanted to do after graduation.
Mizumura could not write masterpieces ofJapanese contemporary literature unless she
had been to the US and longed for Japanese
literature to confirm her identity. Absorbed in adifferent culture, she could realize the beauty ofJapanese novels, which most of ordinary Japanese people today do not appreciate.
In the era of immense transition, people who canthink outside of the frame of the established social value will lead the society. Society will naturally need people who went through multicultural

life. For ‘Pure Japanese,’ who happened
to be born in a peaceful country where they
can avoid interactingwith people with a different background, it
will be more and moredifficult to become aleader of society. As
one ‘Pure Japanese’
myself, I sometimes
want to complain
about this disparity ofopportunity, but all I
can do is to put myself
in a challenging environment where I facevariance of value on
my own.

13

Let’s Talk about Politics:
Is Initiating Political Conversations a ‘no-go’ in Japan?

By Maja Liechti

Different experiences show that it is not within
the range of a newspaper article to make generalized conclusions about the willingness ofJapanese citizens to talk about politics. In fact, it
would require a whole set of academic sociological research. However, this article shall reflect myexperiences as a foreigner from a country where
politics is discussed on a almost daily basis.
Being someone with a strong interest in politics,
who likes to initiate conversations about politics
and to ask questions, I have come across awkward situations with Japanese nationals whentrying to initiate a conversation about politics.
For example, one time when I was strollingaround Shibuya, I was asked by a stranger what
interest regarding Japan made me come here.
Considering his surprised reaction to my answer,
followed by apathy and disinterest, I assume that
he must have expected an answer like ‘culture’or ‘anime’. And you can guess what my answer
was: ‘Politics’.
In fact, this has not been the first time thatbringing up politics has brought my Japaneseconversation partner in distress. When I guided
a Japanese tourist (around my age) around in
Switzerland, I received a similar reaction when I
inquired about what he tohught of some of the
LDP’s policies.
Learning more about Japanese culture, I eventually realized that asking these kind of questions
might seem insensitive or sometimes even disrespectful to make the other ‘reveal’ one’s own
political position (if it is not apathy). However,this was a new perspective to learn, since in
Switzerland, discussing politics is part of matureand intellectual conversations as well as casualconversations, aimed at sharing information andviews. Difference in views are accepted and do
only in extreme cases affect the relationship between individuals.
In Japan however, talking about politics seems tonecessarily include one’s personal affiliation witha party. In an interview I conducted I was toldthat politics is discussed when it affects the daily
life. However, it is only discussed about withpeople one either knows well or who have similar
political positions to oneself. If one knows thatthe other person has other values, one does nottalk, as for example Yoshiko* says ‘I am afraidof conflict because I may make the other person
angry or offend him/her’.
In fact, most of my friends I met before coming to
the University of Tokyo seemed reluctant aboutengaging in political conversations, dodging
questions and changing topics. Maybe because
they did not know me as well or because just in
general, they were not interested in politics that
did not affect them? At the University of Tokyo
however, I have encountered people with strong
opinions about certain policies of the government, mainly regarding Article 9 and nuclear policies. Hence, the appetite for such conversation
might vary depending on the setting and context.
When I asked my circle friends including students
from other Universities, I was told that ‘politics
is not being talked about in daily conversations,since it might lead to conflict or offend the otherperson, or even harm one’s relationship with theperson’. The only place where politics is discussed is mainly in a classroom setting or within
the family. But where does that come from?
The close tie between private life and one’s politi-

Discussing politics withyour friends while attending the Universityof Tokyo May Festival?
Probably not. Photo byauthor.

cal stance might come from the traditional kouenkai system. Kouenkai are local support groups
affiliated with a respective politician. In the past,
politicians who wanted to be elected into the national parliament fostered group activities within
their own constituent support group to gain popularity and assure that they are being voted for.
As a result, a close group affiliation and personal
relation to a party, the rest of the supporter groupmembers and the respective politician was build.
As a result, there is a personal and emotional
affiliation with a certain party or politician. Therefore, coming out as a member of the rival’s supporter group member might turn out to be harmful for the relationship between these individual –since there is a direct emotional association withthe other’s political position. Or at least, that used
to be the case. Now the kouenkai system is notexistent as such any more after electoral reforms
in the 90s. However, the practices and group affiliation might have prevailed .
In conclusion it can therefore be said that it is
not the lack of free speech or its suppression
in Japan which makes individuals reluctant todiscuss politics. Rather, taking politics as a personal matter might be a legacy of the kouenkai
system. The ‘anxiety’ about conflicting opinions
might also be part of the will for harmony maintenance. It would be otherwise too unfortunate if apersonal relationship is affected due to different
political views.

#MeToo Movement in Japan

By SoHee ParkOn October 2017, when American actress Alyssa
Milano used the hashtag #MeToo to show support for her friend who had been sexually harassed, the social movement on gender went

viral. Spreading from the entertainment scene
to politics and national to a global scale, the#MeToo movement is gaining greater support
from more countries worldwide and from more
women. In the wake of the worldwide exposé,female journalists and reporters in Japan also
spoke out and broke the silence.
When Shukan Shincho, a Japanese weekly news
magazine, reported that Japan’s Administrative
Vice Finance Minister Fukuda Junichi had allegedly sexually harassed female reporters, the#MeToo movement gained attention in Japan.
Fukuda denied the allegation, claiming, “I don’t
recognise that I made sexually harassing remarksthat would make female reporters feel offended.”
The government officials also belittled the scandal and responded to the matter as a trivial matter. Senior ministry official Koji Yano questioned
whether the incident actually took place on thefirst place, making a remark that denounced and14caused a secondary pain to the victim who hadtaken the courage to speak up.
The Japanese public also showed a mixed
response. While there were supporters, many
people were apathetic and even critical of thewomen who stood up for a topic considered too
taboo to be discussed in public. Astrayed from a
stereotypical victim who remains silent, the victims suffer from an unexpected backlash.
Although the #MeToo movement is gradually
spreading in Japan, it is lagging behind othernations. To explain the speed in which the movement grows in Japan, the Japan Times call it“the quiet movement” blaming the Japanese
government on not taking any actions in the national scale that can draw people’s attention fora change. A second-year female UTokyo student
mentioned that she had seen Fukuda’s case on
the news but was unaware of the #MeToo move-PERSPECTIVES
Discussing Hate Speech

By Yisac Park

“Koreans go home!”
A Korean BJ (Internet streamer) called “BJ Minseong” travelling Japan was live-streaming on
YouTube while waiting for the train at Osakaon October 2017. Suddenly a man passing bystarted insulting him. At first, the BJ tried to ignore him, but the Japanese man continued. This
was not the only time he experienced unpleasantexperiences. When he visited one of the Izakaya(casual Japanese pub), just by entering thestore, the owner kicked him out saying “Fxxking
Korean go out!” Likewise, in 2016 at Osaka, aJapanese man attacked a Korean family without
any reason, hurting a 13-year-old boy. As a Korean myself, sometimes I fear being a Korean inJapan.
These are examples of hate speech. Hate speech
is public speech that expresses hateor encourages violence towards a
person or group based on something such as race, religion, sex, or
sexual orientation according to theCambridge Dictionary. Hate speech
is not just the speech itself; nonverbal depictions, photos, video, andsymbols are also included. In Japan,
one of the target groups is Japan’s
Korean minority population (Zainichi
Koreans), or Korean residents. Before coming to Japan, I had neverheard about hate speech.
Many Koreans visit Japan every
year. Particularly, Osaka is popularamong Koreans. However, whenplanning to visit Japan, recently lotsof people stop and wonder, “Is it
safe to visit Japan?”, “What if a hatecrime happens to us?” Every day
the question arises more and more.
How has it come to this?

“Stop! Hate Speech” poster. Image from The Ministry of Justice website.

ment. As such, the movement does not even
get a lot of coverage from the Japanese press,
stopping people from learning what is actually
happening.
Feeling helpless with no support from the government and the public, the victims of sexual
harassment and assault decide to remain silent.
Such circumstances aggravate the “quiet movement” to persist. According to Global Journalist,
Nobuko Kobayashi, a partner in the Tokyo officeof consulting firm A.T. Kearney, explains thisphenomenon of concealment to be part of the“[Japanese] culture of shame” in which people
do not come out to make accusations thatmakes the victim herself and her family to feelashamed of breaking the social harmony with ataboo topic. Japanese people place great importance on maintaining social harmony. Therefore,
for the Japanese society, to see a victim of sexual harassment and assault being vocal of such

In 2006, Ichiba Zushi, a Japanesesushi chain restaurant in Osaka,
served inedible amounts of wasabi
in food to foreigners according to
The Korea Times. This “Wasabi terrorism” continued for two years.
Furthermore, a Japanese ticket ven-taboo topic is considered an act that causessocial chaos and be looked down on.
Ironically enough, the Japanese media portrays
a different manner in which the topic of sex isconsumed in Japan. The size of the porn industry and the frequency of encountering TV showswith provocative topics and scenes indicate howmuch sex-related topics are normally consumed
in Japan. Therefore, the duality in the way how
sex is considered taboo but prevalent in the
public space adds question to the way how
an exposé of an sexual abuse is treated in the“[Japanese] culture of shame.”
To explain the slow progression of the #MeToomovement in Japan, Makoto Watanabe, an associate professor of communications and media
at Hokkaido Bunkyo University, points to the
male-centeredness of the Japanese society in
her interview with media company Deutsche

dor wrote “Kim chon” on Korean customer’s bus
ticket. “Chon” stands for “chosenjin”, which is ahighly offensive way to call Koreans.
“The Act on the Promotion of Efforts to Eliminate Unfair Discriminatory Speech and Behavior
against Persons Originating from Outside Japan”
or Anti-Hate Speech Law was enacted by the
National Diet and put into effect on Friday, June
3, 2016 according to The Ministry of Justice.
This act states unfair discriminatory speech andbehavior should be eliminated. According to thislaw, the act of hate speech is “to be eliminate”
and “will not be tolerated”. Nonetheless, the act
has no power to criminally penalize such behavior. This leads us to believe that hate speech is
not completely forbidden by law. In addition, themeasures to eliminate hate speech are describedas “responding adequately” or “giving necessary advice”, rather than “prohibited”. Overall, it
concentrates more on prevention such as awareness-raising activities than punishment.
A group known as “Association of Citizens
against the Special Privileges of the Zainichi”(Zaitoku-kai for short) is responsible for most of
the hate crimes of this nature. Zaitoku-kai believethat Koreans have “privileges” or “merits” simply
by being part of Japanese society. However,Kenichiro Ito (2014) described that this is nottrue. As for the economic support by government, it does not exist. Furthermore, he notedthat Zaitoku-kai desire disorder and are likely
to think themselves as a “chosen minority” whoknow “the truth”, that is the “Korean privilege”.
In a globalized era, any kind of discrimination
cannot be tolerated. Ultimately, for a better
future, it is important to build peace. Albert Einstein once said, “Peace cannot be kept by force;it can only be achieved by understanding.”

Welle. She argues the need for a change in maledominated politics and media that creates anenvironment for women to feel suppressed andhelpless. One second-year male student in UTokyo also agreed with Prof. Watanabe, describing
Japan as a “slow society” that does not change
quickly as a conservative nation that values tradition.
For women who have been continuously suppressed, the #MeToo movement is revolutionary
in its aspect. In early May, 300 people gathered
to protest against sexual harassment and thesocial atmosphere that force silence. The movement that burst opened with the accumulation of
oppression and discrimination is likely to continue. Japan is finally entering the moment and the
movement will hopefully provide Japan the opportunity to improve the deeply entrenched suppression of women. As Frederick Douglass says,“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”

15

Homelessness in Japan

By Maja Liechti

Tourists who visit Tokyo for the first time might
not be aware of the meaning of the cardboard
boxes and used-up luggage trolleys they might
encounter in the corners of Tokyo. In fact, thesecardboard boxes are not just a pile of garbage,
but serve as shelter from the cold for those who
cannot afford a roof over their head: the homeless. Hence, don’t be surprised when you see
the inside of the box moving or hear someone
coughing behind a used-up trolley. What broughtthese people onto the street? I investigated byconducting some research and joining the volunteer group Tokyo Spring Patrol on one of theirvolunteering rounds. However, let’s look at thefacts first.
A survey conducted by the Ministry of Health,
Labor and Welfare counted 25,296 homeless inJapan in 2003, of which 95% were elderly men
with the average age of 57 years. Even though

the number of homeless has fallen to 13,124 in2010 and even further to 7,508 in 2014, some of
the issues causing the problem still prevail. According to the newspaper Japan Today, the numbers can be explained as the burst of the bubble
economy in the early 90s, which caused many
male workers to lose their jobs and and end up
on the street. Sulejman Brick, the main organizer of the volunteer group for homeless Tokyo
Spring Patrol, says that there are also cases ofpeople who eventually got dismissed from work
because they were unable to continue working
after a major illness. ‘Many of the people here
are left by the government and survive throughthe collection and selling of recyclable cans andvoluntary food distributions by people like us or
our Japanese counterpart Soup no Kai’.
Sadly, when I joined Tokyo Spring Patrol I had theimpression that no one apart from the volunteers

really cares about the homeless. We left for ourpatrol at night and went to Ueno Park, and thenumber of people having to sleep on the groundor benches was shocking, as usually there is no
trace of their presence during the daytime. So
what do locals think of their homeless? According
to a patrol member, most people ‘don’t want tohave a connection to them, don’t know they exist,
or are just occupied with their own lives’. However, I could not find out whether that statement
really reflects the sentiment of the general public.
In this context it might be important to point out
some of the structural reasons for homelessness as well as to recognize the government’s
attempts to improve the situation. First, insurances are usually provided through the worker’s
company to the core worker and his or her family. In addition, citizens get access to a national
health insurance. However, for the reception of

Why is it difficult for some people to say no?

By Hiroshi Hashiguchi
One time in high school, a friend
asked for my help with his assignment and I was unable todecline his request even though
I was busy and wanted to.
In Japan, most do not refuse
someone’s invitations, offers or
favors and often turn to say yes,
being unable to say no.
It is extremely difficult to say noto the requests from friends orsenior students because you
feel pressured considering therelationship.
A number of the people I know
expressed that they have undergone such experiences. One
student said, “I was not able toturn down a dinner invite eventhough I wanted to.” She said, “I
didn’t want to be considered asa cold person.” Another student
said, “When I was asked to takeon the role of a class committee
by a classmate, I was not able
to say no because the classmate was a close friend.” Hesaid, “I was being considerate.”

When you want to say no. Photo by author.

Even when people think they’re disliked by others, they can sometimes hesitant to say no. Thiscan make them feel uncomfortable and anxious
because their doing it is against their will. Let mecall this is a “psychological problem.”
What can be done to solve this “psychologicalproblem” then?
Here are a few tips that can help you overcome
this. First, you should try to change the way you
think. Do not think that you would be disliked by

16

one action which is to say no. If a friend refuses
your request, would you no longer consider him
or her as a friend? Of course, not. The same applies with you.
Let’s think of more concrete ways to help you
say “no.”1) Start practice by refusing with tiny matter. For
example, you can refuse a grocery bag when
you buy things at a supermarket.
2) When someone asks you to do something,
you might be able to say “I cannot answer

right now” and then later you can refuse him
or her by email.
3) Learn how you can politely decline someone’s
request. You can learn to say no politely. For
example, instead of just saying “No, I cannot”,
you can say “I am sorry but I cannot because
I have another plan already. But maybe next
time.”
Keep in mind that you can find ways to decline
requests and this can relieve your stress orpressure that you might feel from being in thedilemma of being unable to say no.

PERSPECTIVES
both insurances, a job and a permanent address
are necessary. Due to Japan’s rigid ‘long-term
employment system’, it becomes very hard ornearly impossible to find long-term employment
after one has been dismissed for the first time,and hence to receive financial support by thegovernment. But what about part-time jobs? Aslong as one has an address, small part-time jobs
can be found. However, with the meager income
from a temporary job, no one can afford anapartment for long. In addition, wife and children
often leave the “male breadwinner” behind when
he is no longer able to provide financial security. Ashamed to ask for help amongst relatives,
eventually, the unemployed lose not only theiraddress, insurances and job opportunities, but
are completely left to themselves. For women,
the situation is even harder if they end up on thestreet. Fortunately, the number of female homeless is relatively low, as women in Japan are of-ten economically supported by their husbands,
or seek help within the family if they are in need.
Finally, the recent decrease in the number ofhomeless might come from the government’s
implementation of a ‘’self-reliance law’’ in 2005,
under which national and local governments
share costs to construct shelters for the homeless, so that they can find a permanent address
and re-enter the labor market. However, although
the law succeeded in reducing the number ofrough sleepers, Japan can still not claim that it
has solved its ‘’homeless issue’’.
Has this article sparked your interest in volunteering for homeless in Tokyo? If so, then you
can either join one of the mentioned volunteeringgroups or gather and distribute donations yourself, as even just sharing your sweet bread could
improve someone’s day for the better.

Tokyo has plenty of people in need. Photo by author.

Physically Close but Psychologically Distant: Japan and Korea

By Yeonsoo Song

There is a famous phrase in Korea: “If you makea mistake in a foreign country, say Sumimasen
and pretend as if you are Japanese”. Also, whenever there are international competitions such as
the Olympics or the World Cup, Koreans say, “We
don’t care about our rankings and scores as longas they are higher than Japan’s”. These jokes aremeant to be funny, but when we think of them,
they connote the antagonism Koreans feel towards Japan.
Meanwhile, Japanese’ antagonism towards
Korea is often sensed as well. In October 2016,a sushi restaurant in Osaka was accused ofdeliberately putting more wasabi when Koreansordered sushi. Koreans claimed that these restaurants wanted to give them pain and that theylaughed at Koreans sufferings after they hadtaken a bite of sushi. This incident, known as the‘Wasabi Terror’, triggered boycotts on travelingto Japan among Koreans. In March 2018, neara park located in Tennoji, Osaka, a Korean man
was injured by a Japanese man who attacked
him with a knife. The police said there is a highpossibility that it was a hate crime against Koreans. Furthermore, it is known that there is a
‘Kenkan’ [ 嫌韓 ](anti-Korean sentiment) section in
Japanese bookstores, and some of the bestseller
books are those that criticize Korea.
Though these two countries are geographicallyclose, have hosted the 2002 World Cup together,have been actively trading with each other andhave vast interaction of tourism, hatred towards
each other can be found frequently. Korea andJapan share a tragic history, which is 35 years
of Japanese colonial rule in Korea from 1910 to1945. Based on this, it is not really a surprise
why the two countries often show animosity
towards each other. More than 75 years havepassed since the colonization has ended, but anti-Korean and anti-Japanese sentiments strongly

remain in both countries up to this day.
There still are unresolved conflicts from various
fields between Japan and Korea that add up to
the antagonism. For example, ‘Liancourt Rocks
dispute’ is a territorial dispute in which both Korea and Japan are claiming sovereignty over theisland ‘Dokdo/Takeshima’. This dispute started in
1905, and continues till this day. In Korea, thereis even a song called ‘Dokdo is Korean territory’and is taught to children in elementary school.
Starting from a young age, Koreans are naturally
enforced upon with the idea that Japan covets
our territory. Additionally, the Japan-South Korea Comfort Women Deal has not met a proper
negotiation. In 2015, the Japanese governmenttransferred 1 billion yen to the Korean government, demanding for the removal of the comfort
women statue in Seoul. Though Korea accepted
the money, they are asking for a sincere apology and adequate
reparation. Japanargues that at the
moment Korea
accepted money,
the deal had
been done. These
conflicts seem tomake reconciliation
between the twocountries nearly
impossible.
However, it is not
only hatred thatexists between
Japan and Korea.
Recently, more andmore Japanese arevisiting and haveinterests in Korean
culture due to the

influence of K-pop and Korean food. As a Korean student in a Japanese university, I encounter many Japanese students who approach tome and profess their interest in Korean culture.
Some of them ask me to teach them Korean,
and to take them to authentic Korean restaurants
in Japan. Many Koreans love Japanese culture
as well, especially food and anime. According to
the Korean Educational Development Institute,
60.3% of high school students choose Japaneseas their second foreign language. Among 317
high schools in Seoul, 85.5% of them (or 271
schools) provide Japanese courses. According
to statistics released by Korea Tourism Organization, Japan has been ranked as the most visitedcountry for straight 33 years, from 1984 to 2017.
Surveys show that Koreans do not genuinely
hate Japanese people and society; it is the history of colonization and Japanese government
they feel uncomfortable with.

A Japanese book that criticizes Korean society. Photos by author.

A Japanese book that criticizes the characteristics of the two Koreas and Koreans.

17

PERSPECTIVESThe Olympics: Closer Than You Think

By Yeonsoo SongKomaba Track and Field Stadium. Photo courtesy of Komaba Museum.

Yahiko Mishima, Photoprovided by Wikimedia
Commons.

There are around 200 countries in the world,but only five nations have the bragging rights topresent themselves as hosts of the world’s biggest four sporting competitions: the Summer
Olympics, the Winter Olympics, the FIFA World
Cup and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships.
Those five countries are France, Germany, Italy,
South Korea and Japan. Japan has the honor tohost the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics once
again, followed by the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Most Todai-sei will be unaware of the fact that
The University of Tokyo (UT) has quite a close relationship with the Olympics. Before cheering on
Olympians and getting into the Olympics spirit, it
is definitely worthwhile to know how our school
was associated to the Olympics in the past, andto predict UT’s future involvements in the upcoming Olympics.
To begin with, the first Japanese Olympian wasa student at the Tokyo Imperial University, whichis the current UT. His name was Yahiko Mishima
and he participated in the 1912 Stockholm

18

Summer Olympics as a track and field athlete.
Though he majored in law at Tokyo Imperial
University, his interests laid in sports such as
baseball, judo, sumo, and was an active sports
person in college. Mishima did not win any medals in the Olympics, but the fact that UT had produced the first Japanese Olympian ever is quite
meaningful. Starting off with Mishima, UT sent
Olympians to the 1936 Berlin Olympics and 1960
Rome Olympics from the University Rowing Cluband Football Club.
During the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics, UT
generously lent its university athletic facilities forpractices and venues for games. The Kemigawa
Athletic and Sports Grounds, which are located in
Chiba City, feature sports facilities such as soccer,
rugby, hockey and cross-country. The grounds
served as the cross-country venue for the modern
pentathlon. The Komaba Track and Field Stadium,
located in the Komaba Campus, is well known
for continuously hosting many sports events
such as the Japan Championships in Athletics,
and has functioned as the practice facility for the1964 Tokyo Olympics. Through these methods,
the University of Tokyo has been one of the major
pioneers of the nation’s sports development andhas been nurturing its ties with the Olympics.

In May 2016, UT established The University ofTokyo Sports Science Initiative (UTSSI), a research program dedicated to promoting sports
and health sciences in order to foster a healthierJapanese society. One of UTSSI’s main and urgent goals is supporting the trainings of athletes
during the 2020 Olympics, with special focus on
Paralympians. UTSSI will work in cooperation
with the Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC).
Another connection for UT is that Masanori
Aoyagi, the chairman of the Culture and Education Commission in the upcoming Olympics is a
UT Emeritus Professor. Based on these facts, it
is expected that UT will once again demonstrateactive participation in the Summer Olympics.
UT President, Makoto Gonokami, emphasized
the significance of sports during his address at
the 2018 Seoul National University matriculation
ceremony. Upon congratulating the success of2018 PyeongChang Olympics, he commented,“During the PyeongChang Olympic Games,
people from all over the world watched athletes’
performances and shared their excitement in realtime … Sport, like scholarship, has the power
to bring people together across all divisions andboundaries.”

EXPLORING JAPAN
Genderless Subculture in Japan

By Taishi Nakamura

You may all be aware of the two main aspects ofbeauty standards: the fact that it changes withtime, and that it varies across different cultures.
After living in New Zealand then suddenly becoming connected to Japanese culture, I havenoticed the uniquely distinct beauty standards ofJapan. One of the aspects which highlighted thiscontrast was Japan’s current and famous ‘Genderless’ phenomenon, which I will explore here.
First of all, what is “Genderless”? The“Genderless-kei”( ジェンダーレス系 ) is a type of subculture in Japan which refers to males or females(although mainly males), who cross genderboundaries. For example, men wearing makeup,incorporating feminine fashion and aiming for apale, slim and petite body; a genderless personin this case would neither be gay nor transgender. They may be attracted to women, or may
not feel any affection towards women at all.
These “Genderless Boys” have been a hugely
growing trend in Japan, mainly among social
networking services such as Twitter and YouTube, and among the fashion industry in Japan.
They have also started to
be featured in numerous
television programs.

blurring. These gender-blurring practices arealso famous on the streets of Japan, such as the
cross-dressing clubs in Japan. This is said to
be mainly frequented by middle-aged, straightsalary-men, which may have links with the stresssociety Japan has – the businessmen have theopportunity to release their stress by crossing
gender boundaries and becoming “feminine”.
The current genderless trend may be connectedto these culturally unique phenomena.
Also, throughout history, Japan has had practices illustrating the existence and norm ofgender-blurring and plural sexualities - people
had the history of not necessarily living under
the fixed cultural conventions of ‘masculine’ and‘feminine’. As illustrated by Robertson, this phenomenon was seen in Japan through the “moga”
girls (short for “Modern Girl” モ ダ ン ガ ー ル ), whowere “westernized modern girls”. These people
went against the traditional Japanese culturalconventions of women wearing Kimonos andtransformed themselves into wearing Westernstyle clothing. They went against the traditional

gender norms and conservative Japanese standards set rigidly by society, and bravely dressed
across these boundaries.
Just as all of these examples face, despite thefame, the Genderless culture have received
backlash from society. In a blog by Toman (とまん ),another famous genderless-kei, he revealed that
he has people say that he is “disgusting” and“girly”. In response, Toman responded that he is“doing what [I] wants to do” and that he “haven’t
once considered himself as a genderless-kei”.
The fact that these genderless boys unconsciously do and aim for what is considered “genderless” by society, and that it is so widespreadand famous among society, comes to illustrate
the difference in beauty standards. Could you
imagine the same trend happening in your countries anytime soon?
Overall, highlighting this current Genderless phenomenon makes it possible to observe the links
between history and today, and the changes inJapanese aesthetic conventions.

For example Kondo Yohdi( こんどうようぢ ) is a popular
genderless kei danshi(genderless type boy),having more than 280,000
followers on Twitter, releasing songs, and having
his own fashion brand‘Ding’. These “Genderless Danshi” are especially
popular on the streets of
Harajuku, where all thecurrent and popular trends
concentrate.
But these Genderlessphenomena were morethan just a simple trend;
they highlight a deeper
aspect of Japan. Firstly,
they show connections
with the current cultural
practices in the Japaneseentertainment industry.
For example, according
to Jennifer Robertson,
Japanese studies scholar,
one example would be
the Onnagata (the femalecast), which is used in the
traditional Kabuki play,where the man dresses
and acts like a woman.
The opposite is also practiced in the Takarazuka
play, where the females
play men’s roles as the
Otokoyaku (male castingparts). Both are known tohave a very large audiencebase, which comes toshow there were certainly
the practice of gender-

Beauty standards and definition of gender in Japan is quite unique compared to western standards… Are there similar trends in your country?
Image by こんどうようぢ | Twitter @yohdiworld https://twitter.com/yohdiworld19

Hafu what?

By Lisa Buckland

foreign. Although many hafu’s are no stranger
to this sense of dissimilarity with their other nationality too, it seems this is amplified in Japan.
Georgia, another hafu Todai student, says that
although she’s called ‘broni’ (foreigner) in Ghana,she feels less of a distance, socially, in Ghanathan with fully Japanese people in Japan. She
says, ‘they don’t really make anyone feel foreign’,whilst in Japan there seems to be a clear ‘gap
between foreigners and native Japanese people’.
She believes that hafu’s are treated in the same
way as other foreigners and in Japan no distinction is drawn between the two groups.
Ella, a hafu UCL student, says that she ‘feels likemuch more of a foreigner and I feel very British’in Japan, more so than feeling Japanese in the
UK. She thinks this is because of her lack of language skills and cultural knowledge comparedto fully Japanese people raised in Japan. Thissense of distinction between natives and hafu
seems to be a bidirectional relationship, of feeling not entirely Japanese. But the existence ofsuch a word in Japan and the ethnic homogeneity of Japan enhances this sense of otherness; inEngland there exists no such concept of being
half English, although words such as mixed-raceor mixed-heritage do exist. The foreign-born
population of Japan is just over 2m compared toover 7m in the UK, which has a population justover half of Japan’s 127m.
The legal aspect of being hafu in Japan also
adds to this sense of ‘otherness’; the 1984
amendment to the Japanese Nationality Act
denies the right to dual citizenship beyond theage of 22. Today 1 in 30 Japanese born havemixed parents and increasing internationalisationmeans that this ban of dual nationality is increasingly obsolete. Many other countries, such as
Canada, Thailand and Australia, allow dual nationality, accepting that belonging to two nations
and cultures does not compromise one’s loyalty
to those countries.

In Japan the word ‘ ハ ー フ ’ (hafu) is loaded withconnotations; no doubt a Japanese person
would have a certain image in their minds. It issuch a strong word that it seems to form a senseof one’s identity as a hafu in Japan. As a child I
didn’t understand the label and thought it meanthalf, as in half a pint of milk, half. Growing up
half-Japanese, half-British in the UK I’ve often
felt this notion of ‘otherness’, particularly where I
grew up in a predominantly white neighbourhoodand school. Therefore, I have never encounteredlabels in regards to my race and ethnicity suchas the notion of hafu. The very existence of theword is a foreign concept that I have now encountered many times since moving to Tokyo.
Hafu is a label which emerged in the 1970s andis used to describe those of mixed Japanese
ethnicity. Derived from the English word ‘half’ itindicates a sense of foreignness. An earlier term

20

referring to half Japanese people was ainoko ( 間の子 ) meaning a child born of a biracial relation-

ship. In the 1940s, the term developed into a derogatory word associated with the negative treatment of hafu in Japan. The word konketsuji ( 混血児 ) followed it in the late 1950s, meaning “childof mixed blood”. This word soon, too, became
associated with discrimination and illegitimacy
and gave rise to a new word, hafu. A central
theme to all these labels is emphasis on impurity
and seems to emphasise a sense of otherness
and dissimilarity.
This begs the question, why are hafu not simply
Japanese?
Hafu often experience a sense of differentiationin Japan; Alice, a hafu Todai student, talks about
how her American side seems to dominate others perceptions of her, who consider her to be

Someone once told me I was a ‘lucky hafu’ as I
apparently look more foreign. This is something
I had never considered before and it seems that
there exists a racial hierarchy within the hafu
community. The documentary “Hafu” (2013)highlights the varying levels of treatment of hafu
with different ethnicities. Hafu with a Korean
or black parent tend to have the toughest timein Japan, whilst western looking hafu are often
idealised. Growing up, Alice said that she often
felt ‘lucky’ to be a hafu, that her ethnicity was an
asset in Japan, being considered attractive and‘exotic’. She also points out that all the ‘celebrated hafu’s’ she grew up with had a Caucasian/Western mix, and that the term hafu seems toneglect other ethnicities in the image of hafu.
Although there are aspects of discrimination, the

ハーフ experience in Japan seems to be more oneof differentiation and a sense of otherness, bothinflicted by the Japanese, but also created byhafu themselves. With increasing globalisationand immigration in Japan, it will be interesting tosee how attitudes towards hafu’s changes andhow the meaning of the term itself develops.

EXPLORING JAPANThe Nooks and Crannies of Tokyo

By Kazuma Nakano

Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Harajuku. If you are living in, or even just visiting, Tokyo, I’msure these places ring a bell. However, what’s lesser known are the hidden gems andneighborhoods, which are equally fascinating to explore. Here are my recommendations of the top 5 best kept secrets in Tokyo.

The slope of Kagurazaka. Photo by Author.

2. Kagurazaka

Red Torii Gates at Nezu Shrine. Photo by Author.

1. Yanesen (Yanaka/Nezu/Sendagi)

Kagurazaka is located East of Shinjuku, andis famous for its French influences. During theEdo period, this area was a prominent entertainment district, with numerous restaurants andGeisha houses, some of which can still be foundtoday. In addition, a number of French schools
and speciality stores are scattered across the
district, with French melodies playing along themain street. This creates a unique fusion, foundnowhere else in Tokyo. Find yourself strolling thestreets with a Taiyaki in one hand and a Chocolate croissant on the other.
Access: Iidabashi Station (2 min)

Referred to as Yanesen by the locals, this area
encompasses the three neighborhoods of
Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi. Located northwestof Ueno - and very close to Hongo Campus - itis known for its old fashioned specialty stores,
with many buildings having survived the Great
Kanto Earthquake and the WWII Fire Bombings.

I recommend visiting Yanaka Ginza,a shopping arcade with some greatMont blancs cakes, and Nezu Shrine,
an oasis of green with traditional torii
gates.
Access: Nishi Nippori Station (3 min),Nezu Station (1 min)

Second-hand book store.
Photo by Nick-D | Wikimedia

A yokocho (side alley) of Koenji.
Photor by Aleister Kelman | Flickr.

A banner reading Oku-Shibu on the main shopping street.
Photo by author.

3. Jimbocho

4. Koenji

5. Oku-Shibu

Jimbocho can be found within walking distancefrom a number of prominent Japanese universities such as Meiji University, Hosei University
and Chuo University. Know as Tokyo’s bookworm, Jimbocho has one of the world’s largest
collection of used and cheap books, most inJapanese but some in foreign languages. Rareand unusual books, magazines, and manuscripts
can be snatched for as little as 100 yen. Even if
you aren’t novel hunting, the retro bookstores area sight of its own, and there are many cheap dining options catered towards university students many offer special discounts so don’t forget youruniversity ID!
Access: Jimbocho station (1 min)Koenji is a great place to visit at night if you arelooking for a traditional Japanese izakaya experience. Located 10 minutes west from Shinjuku, it
avoids the hustle and bustles of tourist hotspots
and allows for a more local experience of Japanese nightlife. You will find drinks and dishes tobe reasonably priced - a beer could go for as low
as 100 yen. This is a fraction of the price of similar establishments in the well-known Golden Gai
or Omoide Yokocho districts of Shinjuku. During
the day, Koenji is also known for it hippy fashion
scene and cheap thrift stores. Go grab yourself abargain!
Access: Koenji Station (1 min)The last place, Oku-Shibu, is located a pleasant 10
minutes walk from Komaba Campus. Oku Shibu( 奥 渋 ), meaning ‘Inner Shibuya’, was once overshadowed by the Hachiko Statue and Neon Lightsof downtown Shibuya, but has recently gathered
tremendous attention for its quirky cafes andtrendy boutiques with a bohemian vibe. Shibuya
Publishing Booksellers is a personal favourite numerous English texts can be found and the store
also publishes its original content. The Flat Whites,
which actually taste like those from New Zealand(my home), petite handcrafted burgers, and Kakigori (shaved ice) are also not to be missed.
Access: Shibuya Station (15 min), Yoyogi Koen/
Yoyogi Hachiman Station (5 min)21

NFAJ: Traveling through Time with Movies

By Yisac Park

Have you ever seen a black-and-white movie?
Do you think that black-and-white movies are oldand non-accessible? If you are interested in classic movies or the history of film, you may havewondered about where to look. The National Film
Archive of Japan might be the perfect place.

The National Film Archive of Japan (NFAJ) is
the one and only public institution dedicated tocinema in Japan, located in Kyobashi, Tokyo. It
functions as a promoter of film culture via thepreservation, research and distribution of movies. The NFAJ started in 1952 as the Film Library,

as a part of the National Museum of Modern
Art. In 1970, it changed its name to the NationalFilm Center. Recently, it became independent
from the National Museum of Modern Art and isestablished as one of Japan’s six national museums of art.

The NFAJ holds a variety of exhibitions and film releases. Movies
are grouped into themes, with each theme being shown for a certain period, ranging from 2 weeks to 6 months. Two to three movies
are shown per day in two dedicated theatres. Examples of current
themes include “Inaugurating NFAJ: Meiji Period in Films” (2018.4.24– 9.2), “EU Film Days 2018” (2018.5.26 – 6.21).
Since the schedule is irregular it is best to check the film scheduleat the homepage. Furthermore, you can watch films at a cheaper
price when compared to commercial theatres.
Price*
Visitor

¥520

¥310

¥100

Adult

High school
University
College students
Seniors over 64

Elementary
Junior high school
students*Fees differ for special programs
Exhibitions are held at the 7th Floor Gallery. The permanent exhibition, “Nihon Eiga: The History of Japanese Film” guides visitors
through the history of Japanese Films from the 1910s to the 1960s.
Talk events that analyze and explain certain films are also scheduled throughout the year.
The NFAJ also provides a lot of different activities. The library houses books and articles related to film. You can also get copies of thematerials in collection. Educational activities such as lectures andsymposiums, Film class, Kodomo Eiga-kan (Kid’s Cinema), WorldDay for Audiovisual Heritage entices repeated visits. For the further
information, visit the NFAJ homepage.
NFAJ, a view from the outside. Photos by author.
Koni Camera from the permanent exhibition.

At the permanent exhibition, various short films
are being shown along with the descriptions ofhistory. In one part of the exhibition, the brief history of films was introduced by an old projector.
Here you can get a taste of how movie watching
was back then. The most noticeable part was thenoisy projector, which sounded like a construction
site or machine gun fire. While it is hard to listen
to the narrator, the atmosphere of old films canbe experienced firsthand. Since Japanese animations are famous worldwide and I was curious
about the advent and its history, my favorite partwas the animation section. To make one shortanimation, which is about 5-minutes length, morethan 10 thousand drawings are required. Evensmall changes must be repainted and redrawn.
At the special exhibition “Kurosawa Travels
around the World: The Masterworks in Posters
from the Collection of Toshifumi Makita”, numerous posters of Kurosawa’s movies are displayed.
I heard a lot about Kurosawa’s movies but had
never actually watched them before. The posters
mesmerized me with their vivid colors and varieties. The exhibition convinced me to watch hisfilms.
University of Tokyo students can enter for free
due to the National Museum of Art Campus
Members system.

22

EXPLORING JAPANManpaku 2018: A Foodie’s Paradise

By Lisa Buckland

A fun (and filling) way to spend a day in Tokyo. Photos by author.

The no.1 ranked dish - raw fatty beef rice bowl ( 牛とろ丼 ).

The food leader board - be sure to try some of the most popular dishes

The tender beef cutlet ( 牛かつ ).

Summer’s arrived and everyone knows what thismeans in Japan: omatsuri ( お祭り ) season! Where
better to be than Tokyo? Tokyo is known formaking a omatsuri for everything. From German
Christmas markets to Japanese beer festivals to
Aloha Festivals, Tokyo has it all. As a self-professed foodie I regularly scour TimeOut for new
food festivals and restaurants in Tokyo, which led
me to the Manpaku ( まんパク ) food festival.
The 8th annual Manpaku festival was held from
17 May to 4 June in Showa Kinen Park ( 国 営 昭
和 記 念 公 園 ) in Tachikawa, Tokyo. Although it’s alittle further out than Yoyogi Park food festivals
for example, a 1 hour train ride from Komaba, it’s
definitely worth the trip and a nice get away fromthe hustle and bustle of the city.
Unlike many other food festivals it doesn’t spe-cialise in one food type or cuisine and with 10
different sections, such as for meat and desserts,
there’s something for everyone. The best foodfestival hack I have is to go in groups; I went withthree friends so we could try different foods andeven then we weren’t able to try everything we
wanted to!
Food hack no.2: Do your research. Although all
the food is most likely to be amazing, it’s good toknow what to look out for and try some recommended dishes. Before going, I looked up themenu on the official website and the beef cutlet ( 牛か つ ) instantly caught my eye. Additionally, upon
arrival I spotted a ranking board of the most popular dishes at the festival so you can seek out thebest dishes. We made sure to eat the no.1 ranked
dish, the raw fatty beef rice bowl ( 牛とろ丼 ) and thetender, sashimi-like texture was definitely worth it.

If you’re a thrifty university student I’d also advise visiting during the week - most food festivals which charge entry give concessions forweekdays. My friends and I visited on a Friday
on a university holiday and saved ￥300 (entryis ￥800 on weekends and ￥500 on weekdays).
Also, you’ll beat the crowds of the weekend.
Even though it was a Friday it was alreadyquite packed. However, Manpaku caters for thecrowds with waiting times listed in front of every
stall, like an amusement park for food lovers,
telling you how long you can expect to wait foryour food. Additionally, the site is designed toseat 6,000 with most seating underneath tents,
shielding you from the intense summer sun.
The festival is held annually at Showa Kinen Parkand I’ll definitely be visiting Manpaku 2019.

23

Shikoku: Japan’s Forgotten Island

By Kazuma Nakano

Shikoku is Japan’s fourth largest island but is often left out of one’s typical itinerary when visiting Japan. Each of the four prefectures, Tokushima, Ehime, Kochi and Kagawa, has much to offer, allowing
one to explore a different side to Japan: a rural atmosphere where life is a little slower and warmer.
With my grandfather residing in Tokushima, I have had a chance to visit Shikoku on a number of occasions. Here are some of my top recommended spots.

most scenic cycling roads, with many power
spots such as the blue waters, and the multiple
temples and shrines on each of the six islands.
Although I personally missed out on this activity
due to bad weather, I’ll definitely be back to giveit a go. Besides cycling, the Dogo onsen, locatedin Matsuyama City, is another attraction: it is one
of Japan’s most oldest onsen (public bathhouseand hotsprings) with ties to historic figures suchas renowned author Natsume Soseki.

Kochi

Kochi is the southernmost prefecture in Shikoku.
The city played an important role during the Meiji
Restoration, with Sakamoto Ryoma becoming
the prefecture’s hero. You can check out his statue at Katsurahama Beach, a scenic sand beachwith other attractions such as an aquarium andthe Sakamoto Ryoma Museum. During your visit
to Kochi, indulge in the many seafood dishes thiscoastal prefecture has to offer: Katsuo-no-tataki(lightly seared bonito) is not to be missed!

KagawaThe Kazurabashi of Tokushima, with the river flowing beneath it. Photo by author.

Tokushima

Shikoku can be a little difficult to access, admittedly. Tokushima, however, is the perfect gateway
city, located only a 2.5 hour drive on the expressway bus from Osaka. This region is famous for
its beautiful natural features: particularly Uzushio
and Kazurabashi. The Naruto Uzushio is a remarkable phenomena, where colliding currents
have created a whirlpool in the straits between
Awaji island and Shikoku. The Iya Kazurabashi, ahistoric rope-bound bridge on top of a large valley, was built by the fleeing Heike Clan during the12th century so it could be cut off when needed.
Tokushima is also famous for its sudachi (crossbetween Japanese lime and lemon) and Awaodori (a cultural dance festival which attracts
over 1.3 million visitors every year). This is heldin mid August every year, so if you’re a dancer, I
suggest you visit during the summer!

Ehime

Ehime, the prefecture of oranges, is located in
the north-western section of Shikoku. One activity I particularly recommend is cycling the Shimanami Kaido, a 70km track starting in ImabariCity (Ehime) and spanning 6 islands along theSeto Inland sea to reach Onomichi City (Hiroshima). This route has been named of the world’s

Kagawa is Japan’s smallest prefecture. It has
some of the best Udon noodles in Japan. Sanuki
Udon, noodles with square shape and flat edge
in dashi (fish broth), has been a speciality in thearea since the Edo period, with each shop offering a slightly different richness of dashi. Besides
Udon, Kagawa is also famous for its hone-tsukidori (seasoned chicken thigh cooked on thebone). Historical spots, such as Ritsurin Garden (adamiyo garden created in 1745) and Kotohira-gu
Shrine (one of Japan’s most famous shrine, withan astonishing 1,368 step staircase to reach thetop), should also not to be missed.
Here was my little introduction to each of the four
prefectures. Why not for your next trip, avoid thetypical tourist destinations, and travel around thebeautiful island of Shikoku?

Delving into the Tokyo Underground @ Shimokitazawa’s Basement Bar

By Alexine Castillo Yap

If you had asked me to describe Tokyo before
I started living here, I might have replied by reproducing what a cursory trawl through Google
Images might spit back: images of dazzling neonlights, hectic pedestrian crossings, and charming (yet annoyingly fleeting) cherry blossoms inthe spring. To the casual tourist and observer,that’s all that seems necessary to know about
the Japanese capital. However, anyone who has
lived in Tokyo long enough knows that much of
the city also involves the subterranean—of theunderground spaces that, despite their tendencyof staying out of sight, make up an importantcomponent to such a huge, multi-layered, bustling city.
Should Godzilla ever come to Tokyo, you canrest assured that Tokyo’s indie music scene
would survive relatively unscathed; much of it

24

takes place in the oft-painted-as-enigmatic worldof the Tokyo underground. As a semi-regular (Isay this since I am, as of writing this piece, still
bitterly shackled to compulsory 8:30am classes)
patron of 2500-yen indie rock concerts in smoky,
dingy basement-level live venues, this is a reassuring thought, and one which I keep in mind
every time I descend a staircase into a chaotic
underground rock concert.
Shimokitazawa’s Basement Bar, located a little
ways off the more animated heart of the famous
hip youth town, is fast becoming one of myfavourite haunts in the city. Well-known for thequality indie rock acts it regularly hosts, both local and international, going there is somethingthat any Tokyoite should experience at least
once. There’s something sublime about the intimacy of a bar venue when it comes to live music;

no wonder the other famous basement venue
for indie rock music, UNIT in Daikanyama, also
operates under a similar underground-music-bar
format.
Recently, I attended an indie rock event at Basement Bar with a spectacular line-up featuring fivedifferent bands, including my favourite local indierock band, an all-girl group called TAWINGS (who,mind you, can play some really slick post-punk/surf punk). I may have only gone to the event
specifically for them, but in the process, I discovered four other bands that I’m now also beginning to play on repeat, including the headliner
act, Peach Kelli Pop, another all-girl group, thistime hailing from California.
Whether you’re at the front row within spitting
distance of the lead singer, or further away at

EXPLORING JAPAN
Reaching for the Peak is a Climb, but Well Worth It

By Sayumi Take

If you start climbing around 10AM, you will probably reach the top just around noon, and havethe luxury of eating lunch with a beautiful viewof Mt. Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, andthe area beyond. Mt. Fuji itself is a tourist attraction, and many foreigners challenge themselvesto climb the 3776 meters - but I personally thinkadmiring Mt. Fuji from elsewhere is even better.
It allows you to really appreciate its beauty. It’s
not a high mountain compared to other famous
mountains around the world, but it’s located in
the middle of a flat field, emphasizing its heightand geometrically stunning shape. Eating yourrice balls with the Mt. Fuji in sight, the breeze
licking the exhaustion off your body, envelopedin pure happiness of succeeding at reaching thepeak, is a rare treat. At the top of Mt. Kintoki, youfeel free from your daily troubles. Realizing thatthe place you spend every day in and feel overwhelmed in is just a tiny section of the world, cansometimes make all the difference in the world.

Mt. Fuji from the peak of Mt. Kintoki. Photo by author.

Attending a university 15 minutes away fromthe congested city of Shibuya can be exciting
and fun day and night --- but nightmarish in themorning. Wading through the endless, rushingtide of expressionless commuters at Shibuya
station for a transit, one cannot help but feeltiny and at loss for the warmth of even a smile.
On such occasions, I encourage you to takea refreshing trip to the mountains, Japanesestyle. Roughly 60 to 70% of Japan is covered in
mountains, and there are several mountains near
Tokyo that you can enjoy on a Sunday. Let me
introduce you to one of them, Mt. Kintoki.
Mt. Kintoki is a 1,200 meter-high mountain between Kanagawa and Shizuoka prefecture, andis said to be named after a famous Japanesefolktale character, Kintaro. From Tokyo station
to the base of the mountain is a 2-hour train rideand then a 30-minute bus ride. Once you getthere, check your shoelaces, secure your cap,and off you go.
The path is steep and rocky, and there aren’t
many handrails or ropes you can hold onto forsupport. You may be gasping for breath in a matter of minutes, starting to wonder if you will everbe able to reach the top. But put those thoughts
aside, and simply breathe in the green that’s allaround you. You can take all the time you want--- no train to jump onto, no class to run to.
The presence of other climbers is also a sourceof energy. Exchanging greetings with other climbers is a culture in Japanese mountains, and whenpeople climbing opposite ways meet, they makesmall talk --- “Thank you for letting us through,”“The peak isn’t far away, so good luck!” “Be
careful, the path is rather slippery down there.”
Even though the climbers are strangers, at thesecrossroads there is a special emotion that ties
them all, as people aiming for the same goal.

The final and most exciting stage of the journeyawaits you at the bottom of the mountain - treating your tired muscles to a long, soothing dip in
the onsen, or hot spring. Mt. Kintoki is locatednear Hakone, a place popular for its many hot
springs. Some onsen facilities allows you to takea bath for several hundred yen. Undoubtedly,
you will be going back to Tokyo charged withenergy and feeling ready to take on the busy city
life again.
Comparing mountain climbing to life has become a cliché nowadays, but every time I climb
a mountain, I always realize the truthfulness ofthe comparison. Whenever you feel down or facea problem you can’t seem to get over, climb amountain and remind yourself that the joy is in
the climb itself.
“Life’s a climb, but the view’s great.”

Peach Kelli Pop at Shimokitazawa Basement Bar, 1 May 2018. Photo by author.

the back sipping a few drinks, there is certainly
a sense of proximity between the artist and theaudience which a larger, above-ground venue
could not quite capture. It being undergroundfurther adds to a certain secretive ‘let’s keep thisbetween us’ appeal around which indie rock is
so often centred. Though slightly intimidating
at first, especially if you’re going alone, it’s also
a great place to meet like-minded (like-eared?)people who have an affinity for fuzzy, distorted
electric guitars (and, of course, the pretentious
indie rock appeal of saying ‘I bet you’ve neverheard of this band before!’).
To use an oft-quoted expression (or, let’s face
it, a straight-up Transformers reference), there
is more than meets the eye in the city that is
too often assumed to be completely destroyed
whenever Godzilla wreaks havoc on land, and it

certainly pays to dig deeper. I’ll be the first to admitthat it’s scary, going underground. The subway still
intimidates me, and there’s
something about underground spaces that caninspire a creeping sense ofclaustrophobia (Exhibit A:
the B2 floor of the University of Tokyo’s Komaba Library). But if you’ve lived inTokyo long enough, you’llknow how important thesespaces are, and especiallyas a fan of indie rock music, which is so intrinsicallyconnected to the subterranean.

25

Must Visit Places for Marvel Fans in Japan: Marvel Pop-Up Stores

By Yeonsoo Song

Marvel Pop-up Store at Shibuya 109. All photos by author.

The Spiderman statue from the Harajuku Pop-up store.

Marvel Pop-up Store in Shinjuku.

The fastest film in history to reach a worldwide
gross of $1 billion, first superhero film to grossover $2 billion worldwide, and highest-grossing
film of 2018. All of these fancy phrases describe
Marvel Studios’ film, Avengers: Infinity War.
Based on the Marvel Comics, Avengers: Infinity War is a movie with a team of superheroes
geared up to fight against the villain, Thanos,
who wants to wipe out half of the universe. It
has been 10 years since the Marvel Cinematics
Universe released its first movie Iron Man (2008).
After its huge success in Iron Man, the Marvel
fandom has grown exponentially in the past 10
years. Nowadays, any film from Marvel Studios
guarantee box-office success. The success inthe ticket sales led to the birth of Marvel merchandise, which has become incredibly popular.

that there were many female customers as muchas male customers, which proves that the ‘superhero’ genre is no longer a guy thing anymore.
Most of the customers were men and women in
their 20s, and there were a few children, imitating
the trademark poses of some superheroes, andtheir parents watching them with a pleased smile.
Products in Shibuya’s pop-up store included daily
necessities such as tumblers, wallets, and pencil
cases to albums, pillows, and stickers.

selling were towels and pillows, and were quite
expensive compared to the previous two stores.

Starting in April of 2018, Marvel pop-up stores
opened for several months in Tokyo. As a huge
Marvel fan, I could not resist but visit every
single one of these Marvel Pop-up stores, where
all products – starting from bags, t-shirts, notebooks, pencil cases, tumblers, wallets, etc – had
Marvel logos in them.
The first store I visited was in Shibuya 109, a
shopping mall located in Shibuya. I could feel the
popularity of Marvel in Japan, as the store washeavily crowded by Marvel fans. On the monitor in the corner of the store was the trailer for
Avengers: Infinity War. What surprised me was

The next pop-up store was at Toy Sapiens, Harajuku. Though it was quite a walk from the Harajuku station, the store was full of Marvel fans.
Unlike the store in Shibuya, this store was mainly
for taking photographs and looking around thestore rather than buying products. As soon as
I entered the store, a statue of the ‘Hulkbuster’character greeted me. Along with the Hulkbuster,
all of the main characters in the film had theirown statues with their trademark poses. I could
see people’s eyes glittering, lining up to take aphoto with their favorite characters. The adorable
sizes of figures, dolls, and masks of the mostpopular characters were more than enough to
grab the attention of Marvel fans.
My last destination was a small pop-up store ina department store in Shinjuku. Unlike the otherpop-up stores, this store did not have much people, probably because of its size and it being in
a department store. Most of the items they were

I had a chance to interview two people who visited
the stores with me. First, Danhui Yang is a PEAK
ES student who calls herself a huge Marvel fan.
Her reason of visiting was first because she loves
Marvel movies so much and second, it was Infinity
War season. She loved how there were variety of
products in different stores and the fact that the
products are renewed each week, encouraging her
to visit every weekend. She also said that many of
the fans could make theories about the upcoming
Marvel movies based on the design of the figures.
Minji Kim, another PEAK ES student has said
that it hasn’t been so long since she fell in lovewith Marvel, and that she doesn’t know a lot
about it yet. At first, she was hesitant to visit
these stores because she thought it would require a lot of knowledge about Marvel. However,she claimed that even the lesser fans had things
to buy and take a look in the pop-up stores andwas very satisfied with her visit.
As a huge Marvel fan, there are no other words
to describe this experience in the pop-up stores
besides the word, ‘Marvelous’. Meanwhile, Marvel Studios will be releasing new films this year
from Marvel Cinematic Universe. Captain Marvel
for this March, Avengers: Endgame this April,and Spider-Man: Far from Home this July.

The Botanical Garden of UTokyo

By Hiroshi Hashiguchi
Koishikawa Botanical Garden is one ofthe oldest gardens inJapan. It originated in
Koishikawa Medicinal
Herb Garden, which
was established in
1684 by the Tokugawa
Shogunate.This garden was where themodern scientificbotany in Japan wasborn after the Meiji
revolution.

26

Many universities have their own botanical gardens and Koishikawa botanicalgarden belongs to UTokyo. It is in Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, the same ward
where Hongo campus is located.
“I like this garden because it has plentyof trees and flowers and I can experience
the nature at the center of Tokyo. The
size is quite large and I like it, too,” says
a student. It is a beautiful Japanese garden with an area of about 160,000㎡ andwhere 4,000 trees and flowers are grown.
Photos by Author.

EXPLORING JAPANA Free Ticket to the Heian Period

By Sayumi Take

Today, Japan is internationally famous for its
anime and manga culture, but its classic literature is also a hidden treasure. Especially during
the Heian Period, which lasted roughly from the
9th to 13th century, many distinguished classical literature were born. Here is a list of recommended Japanese classics of which the Englishtranslated versions can be found in the library at
the University of Tokyo. Flip through the pages
and enjoy the free time travel as the poems andstories come back to life. Don’t forget to hashtag
your favorite!

●One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each

# 百人一首 #Ogura-hyakunin-isshu #tanka#LightRead

Hyakunin isshu can roughly be translated into “onehundred people, one poem each”. The poems alltake the form of tanka, a style that consists of 5lines and 31 syllables. During the Heian Period,tanka was the main tool of communication between people, and people would express all kindsof emotions in tanka, from love and excitement
to loneliness, anger and even sarcasm. Creatingtanka was also a common pastime for aristocrats;
they would have a poetry jam, or gatherings where
they competed over who could come up with thebest tanka. Because so many tanka were goingaround, renowned kajin (tanka poets), as well asemperors and political figures wanting to gain the
support of the people compiled the best into atanka collections. Ogura Hyakunin isshu is one ofsuch collections, and probably the most famous,compiled by Fujiwara Teika, a distinguished kajinfrom the Kamakura Period (12-13th Century).
Tanka is a style of poems with numerous rules,
such as having to follow the 5-7-5-7-7 tempo
and needing to include at least one seasonalterm. Teika’s selection of 100 tanka created during the 7th to 13th centuries are simply outstanding in that they convey so much meaning evenwhile they are being bound by the rules, and one
cannot help but wonder how witty the ancient
poets were. Moreover, the emotions woven in the
31 syllables are so vivid and strong that it seeps
out from the words and into the readers’ hearts.

It is not an exaggeration to say that every
Japanese has read the 100 tanka in the Ogura
Hyakunin isshu at one time or another. Memorizing the 100 tanka is common summer
vacation homework for children in Japan.
The 100 tanka are also used in a game of
karuta, or Japanese card game, and Ogura
Hyakunin isshu karuta tournaments areheld throughout the year, with the final
game being played during the New Yearholidays. Go on Youtube and be prepared to be surprised at how the karuta
plays out!
(One hundred poets, one poem each: a translation of the Ogura Hyakunin
Isshu / Peter McMillan. Available at
Hongo, Komaba, Kashiwa)●Tale of Genji# 源氏物語 #Genji-Monogatari #romance#OldestInTheWorld #LongButWorthIt
The Tale of Genji is said to be the oldest novel inthe world. There are many things unknown about
it, such as who the author is or when exactly
it was written, but one solid fact is that it is asuperb story. It is a romance novel about Hikaru
Genji, a beautiful godlike figure but with playboy
qualities, and his emotional conflicts as he meets
many women from all different backgrounds.
There are more than 200 characters that comeup in the novel, but the author succeeds insketching every single one of them in his/her
own light with such reality that readers come under the illusion that they know and have met thecharacters somehow. As it is impossible to keep
track of who’s who, a character map will come inhandy while reading.
(The tale of Genji / Murasaki Shikibu ; translated
by Dennis Washburn, available at Hongo. Or The
tale of Genji / Murasaki Shikibu ; translated fromthe Japanese by Edward G. Seidensticker, available at Hongo and Komaba. Note: Many translations have been published, with Washburn’s being
published most recently in 2015. Seidensticker’s
is said to be relatively simple and easy to read.)

If you go to the botanical garden in April, plentyof cherry blossom trees make a perfect spot for“Ohanami”, which is a Japanese style spring
picnic under the cherry blossoms. You will absolutely enjoy it while talking, eating and drinking.
If you go there in fall, you will definitely see theamazing autumn foliage such as those fromJapanese maple trees.
Koishikawa Botanical Garden is located in
Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, about 15 minutes’ walk from
Myogadani station. To get to Myogadani station,
take the train at Komaba-todaimae station, go to

Just a few of my especially favorite Hyakunin isshu cards (usedin karuta) Photo by author.

●Tales of Times Now Past

# 今昔物語 #Konjyaku-Monogatari #folktales#ShortButThoughtful
The largest collection of Japanese folktales, Talesof Times Now Past contains over 1000 short stories, many of which reflect Buddhist attitudes towards life. The title comes from the opening phraseof every story, which is similar to “Once upon atime….” Various characters appear in the story,
from aristocrats, samurai, farmers and priests,
to animals and monsters. Famous authors in themodern period have also been influenced by thetales, one of them being Ryunosuke Akutagawa(1892-1927), a graduate of the University of Tokyo.
The stories are short and light, but the messages they convey can often be intriguing. For
example, one story tells of a man who is forced
to choose between saving his wife’s life or his
son’s life. What did the man do? The story ends
with the man making a decision, but the reasons
given for his decision is surprising and shocking.
Borrow the book and find out!
(Tales of times now past : sixty-two stories from amedieval Japanese collection / Marian Ury, available at Komaba)

Shibuya and change to the Ginza Line towards
Akasaka-mitsuke. Change trains to Marunouchi
Line at Akasaka-mitsuke Station and the train willtake you to Myogadani station. UTokyo students
can enter for free while others are required to pay
an admission fee of 400 yen.
You can enjoy the garden in different seasonsand this place is worthy of visiting more thanonce! Invite your friends or classmates and havefun! Don’t forget to check the website for moredetails before going there.
http://www.bg.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/koishikawa/eng/

27

List of contributors ( As of April 2019 )Lisa Akiko Buckland

HSSIII (PEAK), 2nd year student

Hiroshi Hashiguchi

Law Faculty, 3rd year student

Maja Liechti

HSSIII (PEAK), 2nd year student

Taishi Nakamura

HSSIII (PEAK), 2nd year student

Kazuma Nakano

Yuki Takahashi

HSSIII (PEAK), 2nd year student

Faculty of Engineering, 3rd year student

So Hee Park

Sayumi TakeHSSIII (PEAK), 2nd year student

Yisac Park

Faculty of Education, 3rd year student

Yeon Soo SongHSSIII (PEAK), 2nd year student

Department of Interdisciplinary Sciences, 3rd year student

Alexine Castillo Yap

HSSIII (PEAK), 2nd year student*HSS: Humanities and Social Sciences,
NS: Natural Sciences

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 to voice their opinions to the university community as well as to the wider world.
Over the years, scores of students have lent their voices to reveal the dilemmas and observations of being a student in ourcommunity. We hope students will continue sharing their insights for the betterment of our community.
We look forward to hearing from readers and students who’d like to join our endeavor.

Issue 8 Publication date : April 2019

Editor/Supervisor Yuko Itatsu
Assistant Editors Xinran Liu, Dhriti Mehta, Taiga Tase, Lexa Brieck, Angeli Rambukpota, RongXuan Tan
Supported by Globalization Office and PEAK Program, 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 : thekomabatimes@gmail.com
Website : https://www.komabatimes.com/ Facebook : “Komaba Times” Twitter : @KomabaTimes
Newsletter Original Design : Genus Design

Additional Design and Typesetting : Harajuku Shunka

All rights reserved.