Settling in: November 2022
Victoria Bennett
Nearly three months into Tokyo life, and my go-to description for friends andfamily, has been ‘dazzling’.
By ‘dazzling’, I mean beautiful, confusing, overwhelming, complicated, funny,and vibrant - often all at once.
On the morning of our flight here, as we reached Japan, Fuji-san kindly popped
above the clouds to greet us (below). An emerging view of Tokyo then reminded me- through its sheer scale - of the huge task ahead of us on the scholarship. Fromabove, the city just kept going - much like the paperwork in the first month.

Views of Fuji and Tokyo from the sky

After the rush of finding an apartment and enrolling at Waseda University, thechallenge has been to find a healthy balance of study, life-admin, and exploration /fun. I won’t say this is easy! I have classes six days a week (the 9am Saturday
morning class is a killer) alongside daily homework and tests, but it has been
rewarding to notice myself pick up on new kanji and conversation points in recentweeks.

Finding an apartment
Another great thing has been having the choice to pick where we live in Tokyo.
I chose the neighbourhood of Koenji, described as an ‘iconoclastic’ area which‘found its free-spirited identity back in the 60s and 70s’ by Tokyo Weekender.
I enjoy its punky vibe, and walking home through the backstreets (below) picks meup after even the most intense day of language-learning.
Similarly, I appreciate the design-led tech and quirks of my Japanese apartment.
Its whirring convenience and simplicity feels like a realisation of Le Corbusier’s
idea that ‘a house is a machine for living in’: My shower/bathing room talks to me
while selecting the exact temperature of my bath-water, my stove reduces if it
thinks I might be overcooking something, and lights switch on to greet me as Iarrive. This responsiveness feels like a thoughtful choice in a city with so many
single-person spaces.
Snapshots of Koenji:

backstreet maneki-neko

a nearby laundretteMOGI Folk Art (design/homeware shop)

UFO Club (venue)

Research + activities
Now that my study schedule is becoming routine, I’d like to begin delving intosome of the design-history-related research I hoped to do in Japan. In fact, I haveplenty on my to-do list!
Coming from a design background, I hope to learn some traditional craft andmaking processes hands-on. I’m interested in Japan’s history of craft using natural
materials, and how these past methods can influence present and future design
thinking.
I recently attended a maki-e workshop to understand urushi (lacquer) better as amaterial, after seeing a fantastic exhibition at the Nezu Museum in October. Below
is my own maki-e creation! It’s a small lacquer plate, on which I drew a shibugaki
motif, painted it with urushi, and coloured it with fine metal powders - all under thehelpful guidance of my skilled sensei, Hanae-san.
Peppering Japan’s rural landscape each autumn, shibugaki is a type of persimmon
fruit with bitter astringency. It was used historically to create kakishibu - a natural
tannin/dye used within architecture and household objects. I chose this motif, as I
researched kakishibu during my Masters dissertation, and I’m keen to learn more.

Steps in maki-e: 1. Outline painting; 2. Filling in the design; 3. Colouring with metal powders

My finished plate, after setting and dusting

Shibugaki in Ryōan-ji Temple, Kyoto

Similarly, I’m excited for an upcoming incense-making workshop with a scentmaster, and an archive appointment for ‘Japanese leather paper’ research at theTokyo Paper Museum - both taking place in the new year.

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ <( Culture shock? ) ✧♡(◕‿◕✿)
Culture shock-wise, my pick would have to be the amount of single-use plastics!
From individually packaged bananas (if only bananas had some kind of intrinsic
natural wrapping?) to the disposable cutlery, bags, cups, that are the norm; mysustainability habits are taking a real hit while I look for alternatives.

Similarly, as someone who doesn’t eat meat, it felt almost like Japan was trying tostarve me during my first couple of weeks. Conbini-wise, 99% of things (really!)
have a bit of something-or-other in them. Luckily for any future veggie Daiwa
scholars reading this - enough apps, lists, and groups exist that you can find somegreat options. And I hear it’s getting easier year by year.
On the flipside, a positive culture shock has been the kindness shown by strangers.
As a resident, I’ve had numerous locals offer their help should I ever need it, andsome heart-warming encounters that I wouldn’t necessarily experience as atourist.

Seeing more of Japan
While most of my time is spent studying, there has been time for fun.
Arriving as a big and varied cohort means there are always suggestions andinvitations floating around - from museum trips to jazz kissaten, death-metal
speakeasies, or vegan izakayas. I’ve also been attending meet-ups forTokyo-based creatives, and have met some wonderful people through these, whomake fantastic Japan-related online content, and motivate my own photography.

Attending Tokyo-based creative meet-ups and workshops

During the autumn Waseda break I had a chance to visit Kyoto and Osaka with
Chris and Gareth. We were thrilled to meet our first mascot, Yumemaru-kun!
My highlights from the trip were visiting the Kyoto Museum of Craft, and staying inan early-Meiji era townhouse.

Osaka: Our Shinkansen; Osakajo (with Gareth for scale), and Osakajo mascot Yumemaru-kun

Kyoto: Autumnal gardens; Kinkaku-ji in the sunshine, shopping streets

Displays at the Kyoto Museum of Craft; katagami stencils and tools; shibori textile dyeing steps

My next big trip will be during the Waseda spring break in March. I’ll visit Nara,for the Omizutori festival held at Todaiji temple - as I would love to see the paper
garments worn by the monks in action. I would also like to visit places known for
their washi history - such as Echizen, Shiroishi, and Ise.
Transport, and getting around, has been so easy and enjoyable. I have anew-found love for trains - especially when they contain green velvet seats andwood-panelling.

Trainspotting: Fuji from the Shinkansen, Osaka’s green velvet tube seats, tram seats in Kyoto

This ground view of Fuji, taken on the Tokaido route, brings us full circle.
It reminds me of a quote from Christopher Dresser, which I’ll use to finish up. The
first European designer to visit Japan (in 1876), Dresser described his travels in thecountry - and particularly the sight of Fuji - in these simple words:

Below the cloud it has the colours of earth, but above,it is pure as heaven. The air is cool, the sea is calm,
and we go merrily on.