The University of Tokyo
Global Japan Studies Summer Program
2016 (Report)
AN INQUIRY INTO JAPAN’S POSTWAR
Aug. 24-Sep. 2, 2016

Program Organizer:
The Global Japan Studies (GJS) NetworkProgram Host Institution:
Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, the University of Tokyo
Global Japan Studies at the University of Tokyo is an interdisciplinary andmultilingual network of research and education on Japan. It seeks to bring
together Japanese studies overseas and studies of Japan within Japan. Thissummer program is a short-term education project in pursuit of this goal.

Introduction to the Global Japan Studies Summer Program (2016)
Japan’s postwar period is most often described in terms of four decades of high economic
growth followed subsequently by the recent recession dubbed “the lost two decades”(1990-present). Japan’s postwar, however, points to a far more complicated and ongoingprocess of social, cultural, and political changes, which this program set out to explore.
Participants were immersed in a ten-day intensive program of interdisciplinary academic
lectures (in humanities, social sciences, and engineering) as well as carefully planned
fieldtrips in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Through a well-designed combination of onand off-campus study, the program challenged participants to both critically analyze andactually experience specifically identified sociological and technological issues, such assustainable urban planning and social stratification. These issues are key forunderstanding not only Japan’s postwar itself but also the larger world to which Japan isclosely connected and of which Japan is intrinsically a part.

Program requirements:
participants were required to conduct group research projects and give presentations on
the final day of the program. Project topics were decided in consultation with program
faculty members. Participants also were asked to complete a program evaluation.
While the program lecture and fieldtrip did not count toward course credits, participantsreceived a University of Tokyo summer program certificate upon successfully completingthe program.

Day 1: Ice BreakerProgram Schedule 2016
9:00-10:20

10:40-13:00 (10:40-12:10 Lecture; 12:1013:00: Lunch and Discussion)

13:30-17:30 (field trip, time may varyslightly everyday)

Evenin Lodgeg

8/23 (Tue) Arrival at Tokyo, check-in at Hotel Graphy Nezu
8/24
Guidance, Campus tour(Wed)/ Main Conference Room (MCR), IASA
/ Atten: Profs. Nakajima, Zhong, Nii, TA (Ms. Handa Yuri)

Grouping and group orientation,
program group photo taking/ Atten: Profs. Sonoda, Zhong, Nii, TAFree
activity

8/25 (Thu) Japanese/Center forJapanese
Language
Education (CJLE)
8/26 (Fri) Japanese/ CJLE

Lecture (1)Prof. Kobayashi Yasuo“<body> as Thought – A Perspective
toward Postwar Japanese Culture”/Lunch & discussion / MCR
Lecture (2)Prof. Yoshimi Shunya“Visualizing Postwar Tokyo”/Lunch & discussion/ MCR

8/27 (Sat) Japanese/ CJLE

Fieldtrip (1)
FreeTokyo Metro Ginza Line: Sensoji Temple activity– Ginza – Shibuya/ Attn: Prof. Zhong, TA
Fieldtrip (2)Tokyo Shitamachi Walk
/ Attn: Profs. Zhong, Nii

Freeactivity

Lecture (3)Prof. Murayama Akito“Urban Diversity and Transformations ofTokyo”/ Lunch & discussion / MCR
8/28 (Sun) Free activity (optional trip to the Edo-Tokyo Museum)
8/29
Japanese
Lecture (4)(Mon)/ CJLE
Prof. Uno Shigeki“Democracy and Conservative Politics inPostwar Japan”/Lunch & discussion / MCR
8/30 (Tue) Japanese
Lecture (5)/ CJLE
Prof. Honda Yuki
“Poverty in Japan” /Lunch & discus/ MCR

Fieldtrip (3)FreeToshima City Office, Minami-Ikebukuro activity
Park, Tokyo Metro. Gov. Observation
Tower/Attn: Prof Murayama, Zhong, TA
HotelGraphy Nezu
Fieldtrip (4)Group
Yasukuni Shrine, ParliamentaryworkMuseum (Kensei kinenkan)/ Attn: Prof. Zhong, TA

8/31 (Wed) Japanese/ CJLE

Free activity

9/1 (Thu) Japanese/ CJLE

9/2 (Fri)

Group work

Fieldtrip (5)Trip to Sanya area, led by NPO Moyai/ Attn: Mr. Oonishi, Prof. Zhong, TA

Lecture (6)Fieldtrip (6) /(2:30 – 6:00 PM)
Prof. Tanaka Akihiko
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Diet,“Japan’s Postwar Foreign Policy”
Liberal Democratic Party headquarters/ Lunch & discussion / MCR/ Attn: Profs Tanaka, Zhong, TAGroup presentation (9:00-12:00)/ MCR
Lunch & farewell party (13:00-16:00)/ MCR/ Attn: Profs. Zhong, Nii, TA,/ Attn: Profs. Sonoda, Zhong, Nii, TAFreeactivityFree
activity

Day 4: Visiting the Minami-Ikebukuro Park and talking with Mr. Hiraga Tatsuya, the park designer

Program Lecturers 2016
Yuki HONDA (Professor of Sociology of Education, the Graduate School of Education,the University of Tokyo)
Yasuo KOBAYASHI (Professor of Philosophy, Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo;
Professor Emeritus, the University of Tokyo)
Akito MURAYAMA (Associate Professor of Urban Planning, Department of Urban
Engineering, School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo)
Akihiko TANAKA (Professor of International Politics, the Institute for Advanced Studies
on Asia (IASA), the University of Tokyo)
Shigeki UNO (Professor of Political Thought, the Institute of Social Science, theUniversity of Tokyo)
Shunya YOSHIMI (Professor of Sociology, Cultural Studies, and Media Studies, theGraduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, the University of Tokyo; VicePresident of the University of Tokyo)

Total Number of Participants: 16 (University of Tokyo students: 7)
Place of Origin: Leiden University, Peking University, Shanghai Jiaotong University,
University of Hong Kong, University of Melbourne, University of Southampton,
University of Tokyo

Final-day Group Presentation Topics:-Poverty and Social Awareness: Japan, Singapore, Shanghai, Melbourne-Shibuya: (Re)development and (Re)imagining-Unapologetic Narratives about WWII in Postwar Japan as Embodied by Yasukuni Shrine-Tokyo Transportation Histography

Day 7:
discussion withNPO Moyai onpoverty in Japan

Participants’ Feedback:-The program schedule was quite intense. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed every field trip andlecture, so I am strongly against reducing the number of lectures/field trips; in fact, I would evensuggest increasing the amount of activities. …The content of the lectures were wonderful in that they
were both broad enough to be understood by those who did not necessarily have much knowledge ofJapan, but at the same time filled with the professors’ personal insight, which was valuable and new for
those who have already studied Japan in depth.

-The breadth of the program was very impressive. The program was an eye-opener for me, since itwould have never occurred to myself to look at Tokyo and our society from perspectives such as
poverty or urban development.
-I enjoyed the fact that it was tightly packed and the whole day was spent learning. The Japaneselessons were made fun, lectures were informative, and fieldtrips were full of information and weremade hugely enjoyable.
-I was very impressed by the content of the lectures, as well as the field trips. …I felt enlightened bymany of the lectures and the insights given by all of the professors, and the field trips also left a verystrong impression on me. …I hope to apply what I learned in this program to my academic career, as I
dive deeper into understanding the complexity of Japanese society.
-The logistical support was extremely thorough and allowed for the program to run very smoothly. I
did not have any problems or inconveniences during this program.
-The schedule was well organized and the itinerary was carefully planned. The program itself was a bit
intense but at the same time it was challenging. I thought the field trips was just right as it reallyenhanced the learning experience. The content of the program including lectures and field trips wereall very interesting and are important issues in the current world we live today. …I learned a lot moreboth academically & intellectually from this program, even more than I did in my University.
-The field trips, although most tiring, I think were the highlight of the program. …It was a way to see
Tokyo in a completely new light. More than simply visiting locations, though, the best trips were ones
that included people involved in the building/community/purposes of that location – for example, thearchitect who built the Minami Ikebukuro Park, …Moyai and Sanyukai members who showed us Sanyaand the situation of poverty in Japan. I found these to be most memorable.

Day 9:
Visiting theNational Diet

Day 10:Programparticipants
and facultyat thefarewellparty

Thank all the summer program participants of 2016! It is YOU
who made the program a success.
Latest information of the 2017 Summer Program isavailable at gjs.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp
We look forward to your participation in 2017!
Program Committee Advisers: Profs. SONODA Shigeto, NAKAJIMA Takahiro
Secretariat: Prof. NII Yoko, Prof. ZHONG YijiangContact: Prof. NII Yoko (person in charge)
gjs@ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Tel: (81)3-5841-5891, Fax: (81)3-5841-5898