ANPO: Art x War & Exploring Shibuya!

Today was a good and much needed slow-paced day, we started off with a group discussion to introduce the topic of the day and later moved to a viewing of a documentary. From the documentary, we were able to better understand not only Japanese but also the Okinawan sentiments towards the U.S. occupation and ANPO treaty. I really enjoyed the film, although, it did bring tears to my eyes, because of the narratives and visuals that captured just how real these events were and the impact they had on peoples lives that continues today. Additionally, I thought it was interesting and unique that many of the narratives and sentiments of individuals were represented through the arts in the form of paintings, photographs, and videos that made the moments lived seem more real for those that were not there.

Again, as today was a more laid-back day we didn’t have an excursion but that provided the group an opportunity to meet with instructors, catch up on sleep, work individually and of course explore. I, being the indecisive person I am, did all of these things. After class, I headed back to my dorm enjoyed a two-and-a-half-hour nap, headed to my meeting with Kristi then decided to take to the streets of Shibuya. I was accompanied by my ArTsY FaRtSy research group and an honorary member and together we explored Shibuya 109.

First stop was the Picturesque Pink Wall!

Then, we wandered up and down the escalator the seemingly never-ending shops of mostly clothes women would wear (not that man can’t wear it because ultimately gendered clothing is a social construction).

Next, we decide to call the edgiest version of ourselves for the most rebellious picture in some of the coolest sunglasses in Tokyo.

Finally, our night ended with a beautiful view of the area from the elevator in the building we had a delicious Indian curry dinner.

Here are some other photos I really liked that documented our adventure through the streets of Tokyo. I would like to end by saying that today was a day of reflection not just on my daily activities but the opportunities to have fun and enjoy myself with my friends. This was not something that many of the young adults that retold their stories in the film today were able to do because of the bigger problems they were dealing with and government actions they were trying to prevent.