Week 1: Tokyo Orientation and Trains 'Passing By' in the Metropolis
Monday, June 29: Orientation, Part I
9am: Meet at Flexstay Nakanobu Nakanobu Area and Sophia University Orientation and Shinjuku Tour We'll tour the Nakanobu area and cover the basics of local life like shopping, banks, and food, then go as a group to Sophia University for a campus tour and exploration of Yotsuya. Then we'll head to Shinjuku for an orientation to the area, culminating with a trip to the top of the Metropolitan Government Building Observatory, followed by a group lunch. Tuesday, June 30: Orientation, Part II 8am-11am, class at Sophia University library. JPN 345: Megacity Tokyo Course Orientation We'll cover the syllabus and reading and writing expectations, and take up our first readings in class. Reading:
Wednesday, July 1: Sophia Student Exchange and Welcome Dinner 9:30am meet at Gotanda Station Excursion: Google Japan office visit, tour, and Q&A hosted by W. David Marx, Head of Product Communications for the Asia Pacific region at Google Japan and founder/contributor at neojaponsime.com. After Google, we will head upstairs to the Mori Art Museum followed by a round at the 'Tokyo City View' 53rd floor observation deck. Lunch on your own. 3:15-4:45pm Joint class with Sophia University students. Prepare to give a self-introduction and brief anecdote about living in Tucson to the students in Prof Yuka Mizutani's group. 5:30pm~ Welcome dinner in Yotsuya Thursday, July 2: Trainspace, Gender, and Social Relationships 8:30am-11am, class at Sophia University library. 8:45am: Visit by Dr. Miki Sugimura, Vice President for Academic Exchange, and Professor in the Faculty of Human Sciences, Sophia University Reading response due (up to 1,000 words). Reading:
Supplementary:
Optional excursion: After class, we'll tackle the full-circle Yamanote Line loop (it takes about an hour). Friday, July 3 FREE Saturday, July 4: Shibuya-Harajuku Walking Tour (optional) 10:30am: meet at Gotanda Station. Optional excursion: Shibuya - Yoyogi Park - Meiji Shrine - Harajuku - Omotesando walking tour. Sunday, July 5 FREE |
Packed trains, the specialty of Tokyo No matter how long you wait you just can’t board It’s a life and death struggle just to get on And at last, when an empty one finally comes along The driver waves his hand and keeps on going Rats, a broken down wreck of a train. (Harada 155) |
Week 2: The Edges of the Metropolis
Monday, July 6: Men of Uncertainty and the Precariat
8:30am-11am, class at Sophia University library. Second reading response due (up to 1,000 words). Reading:
Tuesday, July 7: Kotobukicho and Yokohama Chinatown Excursion 10:00am: meet at Nishi-Oi Station. Excursion: Yokohama's Chinatown and Kotobukicho with Professor Tom Gill of Meiji Gakuin Daigaku. We'll visit the day laborer union, a homeless shelter, have lunch at a local NPO, play pachinko, bet on power boat races, and close with a stop at a tachinomi in Kotobukicho. Afterwards we'll break for dinner on our own in Yokohama's Chinatown. Wednesday, July 8 8:30am-11am, class at Sophia University library. First observational journal entry due (up to 1,000 words). I'd like everyone to write a brief reflection on their time in Tokyo thus far. You can write on your proposed topic for the final project, on another excursion you made independently, write about general thoughts on Tokyo life, or even about what it is like traveling with a group of fellow students. I only ask that you be reflective and considerate -- what's impressed you, what do you want to learn more about? Reading:
10am: visit by Ambassador Fujisaki Ichiro. Ambassador Fujisaki served as the Japanese ambassador to the United States from 2008-2012. Currently he is involved in a number of projects and appointments, one of which is Sophia University. Ambassador Fujisaki will have a Q&A with us on US-Japan-China relations, aspects of East Asian diplomacy, and any topics that pique your interest. Fun facts: a) Ambassador Fujisaki studied abroad in Seattle as a junior high school student, and b) he is the great great grandson of one of the founding fathers of modern Japan, Ito Hirobumi. Thursday, July 9: The 'Low City' and Edo History 9:30am: meet at Nakanobu Station (Asakusa line kaisatsu) Excursion: We'll ride to Asakusa and walk the area, visit the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku, then take the water bus (水上バス) back Hinode Pier. Friday, July 10 FREE Saturday, July 11 FREE Sunday, July 12 FREE |
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Week 3: Media, Consumption, and Ibasho
Monday, July 13: Japanese Network Television
8:30am-11am, class at Sophia University library. Second observational journal (assignment): Watch at least one hour of Japanese television and write a reaction piece analyzing it visually, thematically, and technically. You may compare different channels, or different types of programs, but see what you can do to assess the the programs beyond *simply* the content of what is being said -- what is being shown? What is being said implicitly? Your reaction piece should be limited to 1,000 words. Lunch on Sophia campus -- cafeteria. 1pm Excursion: Tokyo Broadcasting Company (TBS) television studios in Akasaka, hosted by Announcer Tomoko Kubota. Tuesday, July 14: Cafés and Commodified Emotion 8:30am-11am, class at Sophia University Library Third reading response due (up to 1,000 words). Reading:
Supplementary reading:
Wednesday, July 15: Drinking Culture in Japan 8:30am-11am, class at Sophia University library. Reading:
Supplementary reading/viewing:
3:15-4:45pm Joint class with Sophia University students. They will be presenting on their final projects, due next week. Please give them good feedback! 5pm Optional film screening: Walkout (2006) sponsored by the Center for Global Discovery, Sophia University. Thursday, July 16: Blue Bottle Coffee Visit and Walking Tour of Monzen-nakacho 8:30am. Meet at Nakanobu (inside Asakusa line kaisatsu). We have to depart on a train leaving before 8:45am, arrive at Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Station, then walk about 15 minutes to Blue Bottle. 9:45am~ We will visit the Kiyosumi cafe and roasting facility for Blue Bottle Coffee, a San Francisco-based coffee maker that recently moved to Tokyo. We'll be hosted by Andrew Curry, a photographer and barrista from Blue Bottle Coffee JP, who will speak to us about coffee life in Japan, the very successful transition to Tokyo for Blue Bottle, and his techniques for street photography (Andrew's photos are available HERE). The roastery tour will include visiting the production floor, an explanation and demonstration of cupping (coffee tasting), and a Q&A with Andrew. After the roastery tour, we'll do walking through a fabulous neighborhood nearby called Monzen-Nakacho. There are a couple very important Hachiman temples, lots of neat little shops, and old-school streetscapes to see. Here is a taste: Discovering Monzen-Nakacho, Tokyo Monzen Nakacho Guide We'll close with traditional Japanese sweets. Friday, July 17 FREE Saturday, July 18 FREE Sunday, July 19 FREE |
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Week 4: Modernity, Community, and Convenience
Monday, July 20: The Built Environment: Architecture and Humanity
9:30am-11am, class at Sophia University library. Assignment: Create a photo-essay and short write-up about an aspect of the built environment of Tokyo to share in class. You may choose any sort of building or structure, including public squares, train stations, govt buildings, etc. You should curate a selection of at least five and no more than ten photos that capture your vision of the structure, paired with a written piece of approximately 1,000 words on issues like why it interests you, its history, how it is used (or not used) by people, or whatever angle you'd like to take. Feel free to use this assignment to contribute to your final ethnographic project webpage, though you may also do a stand alone topic. Tuesday, July 21: The Ubiquitous Konbini, Shoutengai, and Park Life 9:30am. Meet at Gotanda Station. Excursion: Convenience store anthropology with Professor Gavin Whitelaw of ICU, lunch in Kichijoiji, a tour of Japan's major konbini chains, and then Q&A in the park. Gavin Whitelaw is faculty at International Christian University and an expert on Japanese convenience stores, or 'konbini.' He will give us a taste of the inner-workings of these hallmarks of life in Japan from the perspective of both social and technical issues of 24-hour convenience. After checking out the world of the konbini, we'll tour a few sights in Kichijoji, and then visit Inokashira Park. Reading:
Supplemental reading:
Wednesday, July 22: Danchi and the Growth of Post-WWII Tokyo 9:30am: Meet at Gotanda Station on the Asakusa Line platform. Excursion: Guest speaker, John Leisure (UCLA) is a doctoral candidate in History at UCLA working on the development of large-scale Japanese public housing in the post-WWII years. We'll meet him in Akabane, which is the last town in Tokyo proper before Saitama Prefecture and the site of a unique history of housing for Tokyo's growing workforce. We'll see how public housing has evolved over the 1960s, 1970s, and into recent decades. Lunch on your own. 3:15-4:45pm Joint class with Sophia University students. This time we will present our final projects, which are due next week. The Sophia students will offer their reactions and suggestions. 6:30pm (optional) Lecture on otaku culture and media by Patrick Galbraith (Duke U) at Sophia in Building 10, room 301. Thursday, July 23 9:30am: Meet at Gotanda Station. Reading: See supplementary materials on the FB page. Excursion to book lovers' paradise Jimbocho, and then an optional tour of Yasukuni Shrine and aspects of its environs (North Korean Residents' Association headquarters, Nippon Budokan, Kita no Maru Park, Imperial Palance, etc). Friday, July 24 FREE Saturday, July 24 FREE Optional excursion (on your own): Sumidagawa Hanabi Taikai Sunday, July 25 FREE |
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Week 5: Tokyo Futures and Project Presentations
Monday, July 27
Excursion:
Democratic excursion (student choice, to be determined by popular vote in Week 4).
Tuesday, July 28
8:30am-11am, class at Sophia University library.
Presentation of ethnographic research project websites, Part I.
Wednesday, July 29
8:30am-11am, class at Sophia University library.
Presentation of ethnographic research project websites, Part II.
Excursion and final group dinner:
Meet at Shin-Okubo Station (Yamanote Line) at 5pm. We'll walk the area then have dinner as a group.
Thursday, July 30: Final day of class!
9:30am-11am, class at Sophia University library.
Course wrap up and reflection. Course survey/evaluations.
Friday, July 31: check out of Flexstay Nakanobu
FREE
Excursion:
Democratic excursion (student choice, to be determined by popular vote in Week 4).
Tuesday, July 28
8:30am-11am, class at Sophia University library.
Presentation of ethnographic research project websites, Part I.
Wednesday, July 29
8:30am-11am, class at Sophia University library.
Presentation of ethnographic research project websites, Part II.
Excursion and final group dinner:
Meet at Shin-Okubo Station (Yamanote Line) at 5pm. We'll walk the area then have dinner as a group.
Thursday, July 30: Final day of class!
9:30am-11am, class at Sophia University library.
Course wrap up and reflection. Course survey/evaluations.
Friday, July 31: check out of Flexstay Nakanobu
FREE