Daily Diary: The Voices of Japanese Migrants

The fifth day of our adventure in Japan was an emotional rollercoaster to say the least, but one that I am immensely grateful for. 

We began our day with a class discussion regarding the politics surrounding immigration in both the US and Japan, and what the opening of Japan's borders to migrants would entail. We delved into the ways in which strong stigmas and social norms dictating what it means to be "Japanese" prevent mixed-race people and migrants from fully integrating into Japanese society, and how policy changes could ease this ongoing struggle in the future. We also took time to step back and evaluate our own perspectives on immigration, which have formed mostly around the horrors occurring at America's own borders as we speak.

After class we headed out to the Japanese Overseas Migration Museum in Yokohama, where we were able to take a tour of the various exhibits after a quick lunch in the cafeteria. The museum is dedicated to the migration of Japanese people throughout history, with the most focus placed on emigration from Japan during the 20th century. The museum is divided into two sections: history and life/people. I thought this distinction was interesting, and reflected the museum's desire to convey what the lived experience of Japanese migrants was like.

The museum has a great wealth of fascinating artifacts and replicas, from the first passport ever issued by the Japanese government to a complete recreation of a Japanese-run general store in America. Throughout the tour, a common theme I noticed was the amount of pride that is taken in the hard work of Japanese migrants, even to the point of romanticization in some cases. The absolutely horrid conditions that were endured by those who left Japan to work on plantations and in factories were often downplayed in the exhibits. Whether this is due to social expectations of perseverance in Japan or willful erasure in order to avoid political controversy I cannot say, but walking through the museum I was filled with immense sadness as I imagined the hardships these people must have faced.

There was one section of the museum in particular that hit very close to home for me. It briefly touched on the experiences of Japanese plantation workers in Hawaii who moved there for work after it was colonized by the US. My mother is half Hawaiian, and I am very close to that side of my family. Many stories about America's seizure of Hawaii and the aftermath have been passed down to me, and as I looked at the replicas of sugarcane and listened to the holehole bushi (Japanese plantation worker's song), I couldn't help but think of my family members who were forced into the same situation. I left the museum feeling very sad, but also grateful to have found this piece of myself in a place so far from home.

After the museum, a smaller group of us decided to go to the Cup Noodles Museum, and we had a great time learning about the creation and history of instant noodles, taking pictures, and making our own custom Cup Noodles. Afterwards we decided to head to nearby Yokohama Chinatown for dinner. We ended up finding an amazing dim sum spot, where we filled up on rice, duck, and chicken dishes. Before leaving to return home to NYC, we picked up boba at a nearby cafe (my first time having it in Japan!). 

Although the earlier hours of the day were saddening, in the end I was glad to have that time to reflect and feel connected to the Japanese migrants. They suffered great challenges and grueling work for their families, just as my grandparents and great-grandparents suffered for my mother and I. As much as I found a piece of myself in Japan that day, I also believe I left a bit of myself in that museum as well. This will not be a day I soon forget, and I am honored to be able to carry the voices of these people within me from now on.

- Carlie

Click here for a video recap of the day!

Daily Diary: Asakusa Adventures

Click for a video recap of our day (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

We started our day with a lecture from professor Paul Watt, a comparative religion scholar. He told us of the primary religion in Japan, Shinto, and its features. Along with that, we got to see some of the pictures he took on his own travels. Our destination for the day is the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Asakusa, literally “low city”, is a place reminiscent of an older Tokyo. With Sensoji as its main attraction, Asakusa boasts large numbers of tourists and Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world. The street leading up to Sensoji Temple is lined with souvenir shops, restaurants, and sweets vendors.
It was vibrant and lively, and I felt as though I had stepped into a portal to another time. Young women with colorful yukata swarm the gates to take pictures with their friends, and our group of wide-eyed wanderers took a moment at the front torii to take in the sights, and to wait for a photo op with the iconic red gate. Our patience paid off, and we finally got our group picture.

Heading in, we went all the way down main street to the temple and partook in the purification rituals. We crowded around the basin, passed the dipper to each person, and carefully cleansed ourselves of earthly troubles. Dipper in the right hand, water to the left hand, dipper in the left hand, water to the right hand, then water in the left hand so that we could take a swig and clean our mouths, and finally, positioning the dipper upright so that the handles are clean. It’s a process, but we all manage to make out alive. Walking into the temple, we prayed at the front altar and then proceeded to get our fortunes. The gods smiled down on me, as my fortune read “good luck” and that a senior will soon assist me in my life… as long as I repent. Hm. Interesting that, but I will do my best as the omikuji dictates. To me, Sensoji is a blend of Buddhism, East Asian architecture, and some of Japan’s own unique customs. It was clear why professor Watt describes modern religion in Japan as a heterogeneous mix. Though Japanese people are fairly secular in 2019, it is still apparent that landmarks like Sensoji still plays an important part in the cultural and economic landscape. After seeing a few more sights in the temple, our group splinters as the program is technically finished for the day. I continued to wander down the side street, looking for iconic sweets and the soba that Kristi recommends trying. A couple happy coincidences later, I got to meet up with some more folks from the program, and we eat dinner together at a small soba restaurant near the main gates. As we leave for the day, we get a chance to take a rather unobstructed picture at the front gate, thanks to the fact that Sensoji seems to close down around five in the evening. Picture perfect ending to a fantastic day.

Daily Diary: Making Friends at Waseda University!

Waking up early, we gathered at the front gate of NYC to head to Waseda University. Today we planned to meet the students of Waseda and got the opportunity to discuss our research with them. One of the most prestigious universities in Japan, Waseda University was founded in 1882 and has 50,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate studies.

We arrived on the main Waseda campus and received a short presentation about the school before dividing into groups based on our research topics. Over 30 students from a variety of studies volunteered to meet us. The Waseda students kindly introduced themselves, many of them have also participated in study abroad programs and spoke english very well. This was a great opportunity to discuss our topics and get recommendations about where else to continue our research.

After our discussions, we joined the Waseda students for lunch in the local cafeteria where they helped us find our way, order food, and find a place to eat. We spoke freely with the Waseda Students, getting to know the students better and share contact information. At the end of our meal, everyone split into small groups with a mix of Waseda and UW students to tour the campus. We continued to get to know the Waseda students better as we toured the campus. We explored Japanese gardens, modern libraries, and a nearby shrine. At the shrine, the students showed us how to properly wash our hands in the basin before entering the building and praying.

In the late afternoon, we gathered back together to prepare for our evening lectures. We had to say goodbye to the Waseda Students, but we’re sure that many of us made lasting friendships. We left to meet the guest lecturer David Lehney, a professor in the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies at Waseda University. He spoke enthusiastically about the topics in his latest book, Empire of Hope: The sentimental Politics of Japanese Decline. The lecture was very lively and was a great end to our day at Waseda University.

Thank you for everyone at Waseda University ♥ 

- Post by Margaret Connor

Observing & Understanding Dynamics of Identity (Culture, Community, Place)

Day 2 in Japan! I could tell the general boost in moral as our group adjusted to the jet lag. Today was a busy day and we met at the NYC to prepare for the rest of the day. 

Our first trip of the day was to the Edo Tokyo Museum. After traveling though Shinjuku and Akihabara, we finally arrived at the Ryogoku station. This station is famous for the Edo Tokyo Museum and the Ryōgoku Kokugikan, a massive sports hall that hosted sumo events. As we tapped out like pros with our Suica Cards, we saw all the sumo themed decorations that lined the walls of the station.

Here are some pictures we took of and with the decorations in the station.

The Edo Tokyo Museum had many fun and interactive elements. Everything from the massive bridge, the life size buildings, to the attention to detail made the museum special.

Finally, our last adventure of the day was the Mapping the City assignment. For this assignment we were assigned a different a major station on the Yamanote line with a buddy. However, once we got to the station, we were left to our own devices to take in a part of the city that we probably wouldn’t have visited otherwise.

Here are some of the pictures I took while in Yaesu. My assigned station was the famous Tokyo Station.

At the end the assignment, I met up with my peers at the Ikebukuro station and got conveyor belt sushi. This was a great end cap to a busy day.  

Post by Mayah Bosley

Our first full day here in Japan was jam packed with rain and exploration. One of our means of

exploration, a Suica card, was given to us during our very first class here at the NYC facility

and we quickly put them to use as we made our way to Japan’s National Diet Building for a tour. 

While the large gates all around it seemed a bit foreboding, the Diet building felt almost cozy in

some areas. Despite only being about 80 years old, it felt much older. It was worn, but well kept

in a way that felt comforting. Being able to walk around inside allowed us to take in all the little

details that were included to make the building feel like it represented all of Japan and its people.

As an example, the artwork on the inside of the central tower depicted the four seasons

throughout Japan. There are also four symbols carved into the wood of the press balcony

depicting the four social classes from Japan’s feudal age: Warriors, Artisans, Farmers and

Merchants.

One beautiful part of the Diet building was the row of trees that represent every prefecture in

Japan. Each tree was unique and, in this way, every person in Japan is to feel like they are also

a part of this process of shaping the country. 

The rest of our day had us exploring our nearby neighborhood and the extremely complex and

sophisticated railway system. We were able to experience both a Tokyo Metro line and a JR
line. Our day ended with a wonderful dinner of okonomiyaki, during which many of us tried
our hand at flipping the okonomiyaki.

Day one has concluded and we have now come to realize that this is only the beginning of
a month long journey through culture, identity and trying new things.

Daily Diary: UW Honors Converges on Tokyo!

Today we have typical late June rain in Tokyo, and the streets are full of umbrellas, with the clear vinyl type most often seen on the streets. Rainy season is a normal experience for Seattleites, so there is no suffering with the rain. Perhaps Tokyo rain brings a bit of homeyness for our students as they make the trek from the airport to their Tokyo home base, the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center, which we call “NYC” for short.

NYC is very popular for its convenient and inexpensive high-quality lodging. The individual rooms are cozy, with a small refrigerator, a small safe, a small TV, a perfectly sized single bed, a small tea cup and hot water kettle, and, a bonus private bathroom with a deep tub, Japanese style (and Japanese luxury toilet!). Also, each room has a window with the green Yoyogi Park as backdrop. We had to make the reservations to secure these accommodations about a year and a half in advance, so we're very happy that everything worked out!

Kristi, Miki, and Julie were happy to greet each other again in Japan. Two years ago, during the late summer of 2017, they piloted the first University of Washington Honors Japan Program. It takes good team work to create and produce such a multilayered interdisciplinary program, and, our diverse skills, experiences, and personalities, combined with a focus on facilitating meaningful learning for students, is a winning combination. We have a lot of laughs together too!

Together with the students, we will spend the next four weeks exploring the complex topic of national identity as we consider Japan’s historical, political, and cultural narratives. Students’ research topics range from cuisine, design, films of Kurosawa, work culture, race and ethnicity, gender, reproductive rights, work culture, environmental management, and economics. We look forward to the process of learning together, doing the creative work of exploring a new culture, keeping aware and humble, and learning how to push ourselves to reflect on both the differences and similarities of the East and the West during this dynamic and unpredictable period in history.

A few intrepid students arrived earlier in the week, but most landed in Japan today. They all trickled into NYC over the course of the day to begin checking in at 3 pm. By 8 pm, the final group had completed their long journey from Narita Airport to receive their keys and a few quick announcements from Miki:

Tomorrow we meet downstairs at 10 am sharp (a few minutes early, per Japanese custom) to start the program with a special tour of the National Diet (国会, Kokkai).

“First Day Japan Haiku” 

Prep to the Green Line
More caffeine, rain on wet streets

We are all here now

- Julie and Kristi