国立国会図書館 National Diet Library

 

One of the entryways.

This week I've been spending some quality time at one of my favorite Tokyo haunts- the Diet Library. I know many researchers are not excited about the library- photocopies are expensive and the process of obtaining them is bureaucratic (to say the least), many of the digitized collections are only available on site, and the rules of using the library are rather strict. Having said that, I always feel really productive when I spend time at NDL. The collections are extensive, and there is a certain excitement in seeing all the varieties of research being done- I love looking around and seeing people searching through biochemical journals, wartime magazines, publications on educational pedagogy, and any number of other topics that one could think of. I'm also fascinated to see reporters and politicians on the streets surrounding the Diet building as I leave in the evening. As my research year in Tokyo winds down, this is definitely one spot I will miss.

 

 

The main building.

 

 

Across from the Diet building.

 

 

Reporters gathered outside political party headquarters.

 

 

The subway back home.

 

A day in the (research) life

 

 Changing trains at Shinjuku.

It's been a crazy few weeks around here. I finished another chapter draft (!), have been attending a string of lectures, am working on an upcoming research presentation, and have had a busy social calendar. Today was one of those days that makes research work more enjoyable- I got out and went to see some art. I headed out to the Fuchu City Museum for the morning to see the exhibition Modern Art of Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, and Changchun. The lovely museum is located out in the far-flung Musashino area of Tokyo- I had to take three trains and a bus to get there- but it was worth the trip. The exhibition featured works from the Bunten, a government-sponsored art exhibition which lasted from the early to mid twentieth century, and the later exhibitions in the Japanese colonies. Many of the works were lovely examples of modern painting; I especially enjoyed the architectural paintings and the images of women, as these seemingly expressed the most about the colonial era.

 

 

Entering the museum.

  

 

Museum lobby.

  

 

In the galleries.

  

 

The catalogue and flyer for the show.

  

After viewing the exhibition, I stopped for a quick lunch of seven vegetable soup and rice at Soup Stock Tokyo, a chain restaurant that is frequently found in train stations. It was perfect on this first day of rainy season.

 

Soupy.

  

 

Keio-sen back to central Tokyo.

After getting closer to home, I made a quick early afternoon stop for a latte, tiramisu, and some dissertation related reading.

  

 

Chocolate, coffee, and natural light make everything better.

  

Then it was back to the screen to work on my coming presentation for the remainder of the afternoon. 

 

 I should calculate how many hours a week I look at this screen.....

Dissertation days

 

 Well, here I am, procrastinating on my very quickly approaching writing deadline by posting a blog entry. Perhaps it is not procrastination so much as taking a break. Yeah, a break..... 

The last many days (and by that I mean weeks) have been spent in a push of research and writing, trying to pull together a draft of what has become a very large and complicated chapter of my dissertation. If we're Facebook friends, you know that I have dealt with this stress with cookies, jogging, and wine. I really do believe that the combination of exercise, sugar, and booze can cure almost any problem in life. No shame here, people. Perhaps not surprisingly for an art historian, I like to aestheticize my stress as well. Instagram is so great for that. Everything looks better through a nice filter, doesn't it? Pile of books almost falling over? Give it a nice composition and put a filter on it. Day after day of reading articles? Add a filter and a cute pencil, now it's romantic. Sitting at my computer typing for endless hours until I have carpal tunnel? Boom, filter it, add some nail polish, and suddenly it looks so hip. My other means for dealing with stress is music. In times like these I tend to revert to my personal classics of classical during long working stretches, jam bands during breaks and periods of relaxation, and upbeat EDM for short stretch/mini-exercise breaks. Ok, time for another cookie....

 

Research 研究

 

The moat of the Imperial Palace.

 Today was a beautiful spring day here in Tokyo, one which I spent the majority of indoors, in the basement of the archives of the Imperial Household Agency (Kunaicho). The archives are located at the Imperial Palace, so the walk from the subway along the large moat is lovely. The entrance to the Agency is through one of the north gates, verdant and reminiscent of the Palace's history.

 

 

The approach to the gate.

The process of using the archive began over a month ago, when I started searching the online database. After that, I had to make a desk appointment, and then fill out request forms for the materials I desired to see, sending the final hand-written request via post. With my appointment time set, I checked in upon arrival. All visitors to the Imperial Palace receive a check-in tag, in order to track how many guests are wandering the gardens or touring the museum, but as an archive user I received a special badge. This green badge allowed me to enter the Kunaicho building, which otherwise had a large sign labeling it as off limits (check the sign below!).

 

 

OOOOH, official.

 

 

Special green badge only!

Despite what might seem like tricky rules, the archive was actually quite usable. I was granted use of a small locker, and given special archive slippers (!), as well as pencils, as my mechanical pencils were deemed forbidden. As with most archives, I had to remove my rings and watch. I opted for no nail polish as well, knowing that this is sometimes a problem. I was pleased to have the opportunity to share my day with a fellow researcher pal, who made lunch all the better. At the end of the day, the lovely weather and blooming azaleas made for a nice finish to a productive day of research. I'll be back for more tomorrow. 

 

 

Research.

 

 

More fun with research.

 

 

A scenic end to a productive day. 

発表 Research Talk

 

I don't think I will ever tire of taking photos of the Toden Arakawasen.

Hello people of the interwebs! Sorry for the radio silence these past weeks, many things have been happening around here. Our house had a bout of the flu, Joe is here visiting from the States, and yesterday I gave a research presentation at the Waseda Modern History Workshop (click here for the abstract). It was great to have the chance to discuss my work in a public setting; so often as scholars we are are alone in our research. Having feedback from a friendly audience gave me some ideas for how to edit and proceed, and refreshed my thoughts on one of my chapters. We finally have spring-like weather here in Tokyo, and we're on the verge of hanami season (flower viewing picnics). Many more posts in the near future!

Kyoto 京都

So excited to ride the Shinkansen!!!

 Over the winter holidays, we took a trip to Kyoto. The primary purpose of the trip was so I could view an exhibition of objects from the collection of the imperial family, but we also took advantage of the opportunity to visit friends and tour around the city, which is always a favorite destination.

 Tokyo-Kyoto train tickets.

 Mt. Fuji as seen from the Shinkansen.

 Treasures of the Imperial Collections at the National Museum of Modern Art Kyoto. Research in action!

 The impressive gate of the Heian Shrine as seen from the National Museum of Modern Art.

 The Heian Shrine, busy during New Years season.

 Random garden along the Philosophers Path.

 Walking the Philosopher's Path. The hiking and nature component of our trip was definitely a highlight for little man.

After viewing the exhibition I needed to see in the morning, we set off walking, hitting up the Heian Shrine and the Philosopher's Path, and then onto a quick late lunch before visiting Ginkakuji in the late afternoon. Ginkakuji was built in the late 15th century (1482) as a shogunal villa, and was later converted to a temple.

 Ginkakuji.

The 15th century Ginkakuji.

Gardens at Ginkakuji.

Little dude dropping in a coin and "making a wish" at a small Shinto shrine at Ginkakuji.

We walked up the hilly path on the temple grounds, looking out over the temple and the city beyond.

Leaving the temple grounds.

A cool bonsai flower arrangement near the exit. 

After Ginkakuji, we walked down the shopping street that is at the gate to the temple and spotted a place for ice cream.

Did we get ice cream? My expression tells all.

Temperatures in the 40s? No problem. I will eat my matcha (green tea) ice cream with gloves. Bonus- it won't melt.

After a long day of travel and walking, little dude passed out on the bus after Ginkakuji and ice cream. We took the opportunity to hop off the bus at the 1,200 year old Yasaka Shrine and do some walking near Gion.

Joe and Yasaka Shrine.

Girly girls out for a New Years shrine visit. 

Kenninji

After walking through Gion, we ended up at Kenninji, a Zen temple dating to 1202.

At the end of the night, back near Kyoto Station, looking up at Kyoto Tower before heading to our hotel.

On our second day in Kyoto, we headed out towards the Arashiyama area, where our first destination was the bamboo forest.

Bamboo!

We made our way to Nonomiya Shrine, which is in the midst of the bamboo.

Nonomiya Shrine- so many foxes!

A magical little village we found beside the walking path.

So much bamboo!

 

The forest was quite large, and the bamboo impressively tall.

 

We found our way back to the river after walking through the forest. It was chilly, but not unpleasant to be outdoors.

The famous Togetsukyo (moon crossing) Bridge of Arashiyama.

Lunch!

Our after-lunch destination was the Monkey Park! Here, one can walk up a steep mountain path and visit the wild macaques that live on the hillisde.

Who is the observed and who is the observer?

After the monkey park we spent the afternoon visiting with friends who live in Kyoto, and enjoying a slow paced dinner of okonomiyaki. The best kind of finish to a great day of travel.

Day three started at Sanjusangendo, where we saw the 1,000 eight-hundred-year-old life-sized Kannon sculptures of the temple.

No photos inside, but the outside is still beautiful!

Our second destination of the day was Kyoto Tower. This was a spot we had passed by but never visited in our many trips to Kyoto, but as little man wanted to go, we went. It was actually pretty cool.

Going up?

The view of the city from the top.

Our final stop of the day was Fushimi Inari Shrine, which we visited with another friend and her mom and baby.

Group photo!

The gates of Fushimi Inari, one of my favorite Kyoto area sites.

At the end of the day, little dude was asleep in his stroller, and we had some time before our evening Shinkansen back to Tokyo. We took a stroll around Kyoto Station, viewing the pagoda of Toji Temple in the evening light.

Shinkansen back to Tokyo!