Summer Snow

Saying Goodbye

2006-06-27T08:26:00.000+09:00

One of the hardest things about staying longer in Japan than the actual program is having to extend my goodbyes day by day. Akin to ripping off a band-aid slowly rather than all at once, the experience of seeing the group become smaller and smaller as time passes is rather sad and painful. Having my parents come to Japan during this process only makes matters worse as I want to ignore them to extend the scarce time left with my peers. It was certainly a mistake to overlap the times and not give myself a break to transition my mindset from that of a student/tourist to that of a family member/tour guide. The Minato-Ku show was a last minute thing as well, jutting into our last few days- a licorice jelly bean amongst peach, mango and pina-colada. I am very worried that my piece will not make the trip from venue to venue besides the fact that I made a box to pack it in. But all is done and moving out signals the end of this crazy, fun, very informational trip.

As in all major journeys, I think I learned the most about my own personality and how I relate to others. I am not an interesting person varbatim. (diction?) I think I like to just get attention and to accomplish that I either open myself to ridicule or try and do things to appear outstanding. This makes for very boring conversations thus I vow to loosen up my hold on opinions and feelings. I really need to be more confident that everything will be alright even when people don't agree. Another observation is that I generally I don't find myself very creative but through sheer determination arrive at a solution to problems in work and life. I guess this fits into my mindset that I hate research but will do it if need be. I hope to be more open to crazy ideas and go for them to see where they take me. Kind of like how I'm running the rest of my trip. I don't know where I'll be but wish me luck.

Endgame

2006-06-21T01:59:00.000+09:00

The end is near. Well, the end of the program that is. My projects are almost done. Tomorrow will be devoted to the poster (something I am definately not satisfied with), and then thursday will be for the flash site and FAKE concert. I still need to go to a store and buy a box for my Fusama as transportation becomes an issue.

The end of the program makes me realize that exploring Japan with other gaijin made the experience much more sheltered yet rich.

Project progress

2006-06-15T04:23:00.000+09:00

Today I worked on finishing my frame. It's mostly done and all I need to do is to print and mount the images. Maybe a coat of paint? It can be assembled from 6 pieces. I'm so proud! Also, I did some major updates to my personal picture page: Summer Snow. http://kiroin.com/summersnow It takes a lot of work to update it, but it has lots of the pics that I took, so if anyone sees a pic that they like, you can email me and I'll send you the big version.

I can tell the future?

2006-06-13T19:26:00.000+09:00

I spent last night working on the frame while watching the world cup Japan vs. Australia and USA vs. Czech Rep. (Japan lost 3-1, USA lost 3-0) I was getting tired and my craft become horrible, leaving an ugly, non-functional support to deal with this morning. I had to carefully dissasemble it to rebuild the part correctly. While cutting an particularly awkward joint, I thought to myself that the blade is going to slip and cut my finger. I dismissed the thought and promptly cut myself just as I predicted. I'm so proud of myself.

Today I also went to Shibuya to buy transparency paper and more glue, came back and continued to work on the frame for the fusama. My plan is to print on thursday and the physical piece done for friday. That way I can work on the flash project in class since I don't have flash on my computer.

Project Update

2006-06-09T14:27:00.000+09:00

I've been working on my project and progress has been slow. The images have been going well. I'm planning to have 8 images that have the basic image and a transparency to show the changes that I made. Construction however is tedious. I want to make sure that my craft is better and that the whole piece will not look cheap. That means taking time to double check my plans and measurements before and after each cut. I'm pretty sure my new design will work much better than the last, but there's always the chance that I forgot to think of something and that a piece won't quite fit.. or that it'll break apart.... The trick to it all will be making sure all the faces will be clean and flush.

Midway- expectations and reality

2006-06-06T13:35:00.000+09:00

I expected to use a lot more Japanese and meet many more people from the area. Also, I am a bit dissapointed to find that our schedule prevents us from hanging out with students outside our program. We've been tagged as antisocial by our dormmates. It's not that we are actively trying to avoid the other students, but we are usually just in class and out together in town or back at the dorm at work. We don't really hang out at the dorm.

Japan has gotten familiar and comfortable in the places we travel, but there are occaisions where I remember that I'm in a foreign country. I feel even more isolated after getting used to the society since I can't really communicate to others yet I am a 'part' of their world.

Project Progress

2006-05-30T00:59:00.000+09:00

By revisiting my block, I've noticed that it's not as quiet and abandoned that I thought it was. People were around this time, mostly waiting for others by reading or talking on their phones. There were skateboarders and a bunch of homeless. It's wierd. I still can't quite place my thesis for my project. I think that it will have to do with the wierd contradictions of the park.

I notice how people flow through the park yet some have to stay. Few actually enjoy it. Space is so scarce here within the city yet here is a bunch that can't be used because of the freeways overhead. It seems kinda sad. Like the homeless are also displaced. Most of the people around are rushing to get somewhere and pass the park, yet the homeless have time but no place to go. There's a sign that talks of preserving the natural world for future generations, but the park is all concrete.

Impressions of Kyoto

2006-05-30T00:15:00.000+09:00

Kyoto was a great change from the environment of Tokyo. In all actuallity, it seemed to feel much more like home than Tokyo. In Tokyo, it's the everyday rush of people and places that seems so foreign to me. However, the ryokan in Ohara, Kyoto was located up in the hills away from the main city. The narrow roads surrounded by lush vegetation reminds me of Big Basin, California. The environment, too, emits the aura of a camping retreat with ryokans as mountain villas and temples for summit decks. Life up there moved at a more natural pace and it felt more 'homey' than the masses within Tokyo. This was something I was used to, something to which I could relate and for a bit of time lose the feeling of being an outsider.

The actual city of Kyoto again remided me of home. The streets were busy to be sure, but the city layout was much more western. I understand that the whole city was laid out on a grid like american cities, but the actual buildings were much shorter than those in Tokyo. Tokyo has streets that are either much wider or much narrower than those of American cities, but Kyoto's streets were about the same width as those at home. As for the tmples, I guess its not too surprising to see so many school groups. I can imaging that school groups visit the temples just as I had to go on field trips to the California Missions.

Neighborhood Narratives

2006-05-22T10:22:00.000+09:00

My block is the park below three intersecting highways, next to a river, and over a metro station. I believe it is called Ichinohashi Junction and the train stop is Azabu-Juban.

The park is very connected but at the same time disconnected from the people that come across it. People on the highway will pass right by it without even a glimse. People on the metro would see it only if it were their stop by coming above ground. The land is used in such a way that shops cannot be erected and thus a park is created instead. It is such a busy hub of people yet rarely do any stay to enjoy it.

I think I will make a website to similate people's view of the park. As a businessperson, I would take quick shots of the park only focusing on the intended destination. A child might stay awhile and view the sculptures. The workers would stay even longer, looking at the different aspects of the park that ought to be fixed.

A Lateral View

2006-05-17T10:52:00.000+09:00

"A Lateral View" ofters some points of interest about Japan and Tokyo in Particular.

Blocks in Tokyo are very much mini towns, offering a range of shops and services stacked veritcally and then as a unit stamped across the city. Convinience stores would be the center of a block-town. They are indeed convenient- Household items, food, magazines, snacks, ATM, Postal, copy machine, cell phone charging, and utiliity bill paying services are offered. In addition to the AM/PM, 7 and Holdings, or SunKus convinience stores, there's the small restaurants- A range of types but the cheap ones come to mind when we troll for a meal. As a group, it's hard to find any one place to eat for although on can find cheap and delicious ramen shops several to a block, they are usually very small, barely holding 20 customers. It goes to show that such stores cater to individuals or groups of more intimate relations, two, maybe three friends. Restaurants are small because they are in relation to the block not the city.

"A Lateral View" explains in "Signs and Symbols" that English words don't posses implicit meanings and that Japanese Kanji do. The author cites two examples which are lumped together as a type of hard alcohol: OSake, and Whiskey. The author mentions that Osake is associated with "conviviality, warmth, solace and enjoyment" and that Whiskey has no associations. I beg to differ. I would add that Whiskey has associations of "gambling, drunkeness, and power". The two words have very different overtones and that is due to culture not language. The real differences between Japanese and English lie in the actual cultural overtones that accompany a word. English words certainly have meanings associated with them. To one who is illiterate, the visual shape of Kanji or an English word would be meaningless. Associations and cultural overtones can only be perceived when the word is comprehended. In, fact the same associations can be made through just hearing the word. Kanji is certainly a different way of writing words, but the final meaning and overtones do not change.