Japan: Experiencing, Learning, and Viewing Culture
For the culture part of the dialogue, our class has been to various trips, museums, and landmarks. During our stay in Kyoto, we visited various Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples. During a visit to a Buddhist Temple, we got the chance to practice a little bit of Zen Meditation and ate an all vegan Buddhist meal.
We also took a short trip to Hiroshima in which we viewed the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum. I’ve always known about the casualty that struck Hiroshima during World War II; however, its severity became real to me when I got to see and be in the location where it all happened. There is a growing number of people in the death registry that have been affected by the bombing. Some people are unable to be identified as they were incinerated by the bombing. Others have passed serval days, weeks, or months by more rapid effects of radiation. Additionally, more long term effects of radiation may show up as cancer. This experience has definitely been more eye opening than the times I have read about the event in textbooks and having learned about it through history classes.
On a lighter note, my favorite museum so far is the Miraikan Science Museum in Tokyo. It might be the little science nerd in me that made me like this museum. Also, the museum being highly interactive made it more enjoyable. Although the museum is geared more for children, I still had a great time learning new things, such as, what spatial information is. This museum is also where the Honda humanoid robot, ASIMO, is kept. It’s quite amazing what this robot can do: run, kick a ball, hop, sing, sign language, etc. There was also a Disney animation exhibit which showed the process of how Disney animated movies come to be. It even showed how animation techniques have changed over time.
I am thoroughly enjoying viewing, learning, and experiencing Japanese culture through the field trips, museum visits, and landmark observations.
