A new semester

Somehow, the busyness at the start of the new semester always takes me by surprise. There are syllabi to plan, readings to get organized, appointments and field trips to set, and people to catch up with. Having been overseas for a year, I think that it really took me by surprise this year. Plus, it's only been about three weeks that I've been back in the U.S., so I'm still trying to settle in to life and do things like find certain pairs of shoes or find the time to go purchase a new work bag (ah, the things that were tossed in the great luggage purge). After a week back, everything is starting to settle into a routine- I know the quirks of all the projectors in my classrooms, I've got that copy machine code down, and I'm even starting to learn some of my students names. It's hard to believe that summer is just about done, but I'm very much looking forward to my favorite season and all the joys of autumn.

発表 Research Talk

 

Well, folks, it is done. I completed a one hour talk on my research (in Japanese). It was hard, it was painful, but it is now over. I can't express what a huge relief it is to have this in the past! For weeks I've been writing and editing my text, about 12,000 characters total (I think about 30 pages if it were double-spaced English), which took me about an hour and ten minutes to read. I presented my work at the kenkyukai (research group) at the research institute, and received some really great and helpful feedback. For me, this was one of the most challenging tasks of my academic career thus far- I'm comfortable with speaking about my research in English, conducting research in Japanese, and speaking casually in Japanese, but having to present at a professional forum requires a different type of language, one which I don't often have to use. In any case, I had editing help from a few wonderful people, and in the end, it is finished! As is the standard for the monthly research forums, we all raised a glass for a congratulatory kampai when all was said and done. This beer tasted so fantastic. I'm sure it will take a few days to work all the stress out of my system, and as I always do, I keep thinking about the mistakes (why do we do this to ourselves?!?), but for now, a huge amount of pressure is off of my shoulders. Here's to a summer of feeling accomplished!

 

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.....

A day in green

 

Waiting for the train. Green boots, green jacket, lime green umbrella.

 

Wednesday here was one of those days of heavy rains that happens only when living close to the ocean. Hard, driving, downpour rain for hours on end. I love rainy days, as they are the perfect excuse to stay in with a good book, or drink a warm beverage, and I always get the best sleep during a rainstorm. Throughout the day green was a reoccurring theme, appropriate for these early summer days.

 

 

The floor at Uguisudani Station- nightengales, which the station is named after.

  

 

The view from my office window, particularly verdant on a rainy day.

  

 

Green tea and green tea coated chocolates for an afternoon snack.

  

 

The green stripe of the Yamanotesen on my way home. 

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. 

生活 Life

 

 As of late, most of my days have had a view similar to that pictured above. Coffee, books, computer. Of course there is exercise, and mealtime, and general evening and weekend relaxation tossed in, but the monotony of January and February weekdays is always a bit of a comfort to me. It is a time to work, and relish a simple (mostly) indoor routine, a time to drink warm beverages, and to slow down a bit. No holiday stress, no summer buzz, just life. Life with sweaters and blankets. I also think that this simplicity allows for room to take particular joy in the little things. Things like focusing on my yoga practice, or taking it easy with a movie night. 

Today four little things really made my day better. 

First off, the primrose plant that is gracing my desk. Most of today was grey and rainy here in Tokyo, and the bright pink flowers that came as a thoughtful gift from little man and my mom really helped me to get through a rather mundane day at my desk.

 

 

Second, some upbeat music courtesy of Gramatik (and YouTube). The chill yet energized tone was a perfect match for a day of research.

Third, getting out for an afternoon of coffee shop reading. A cookie and matcha frappucino also boosted my afternoon mood.

 

 

Last, but not least, it snowed! As it didn't change from rain to snow until the late afternoon, it didn't accumulate very much, and I'm sure it'll melt early in the morning, but it was so uplifting to see some real winter weather. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the different reactions of the passers by while I sat in the coffee shop window, especially the people who had the same expression of wonder and joy that I had from seeing the puffy white flakes falling on the Tokyo landscape.

 

Instagrammed Tuesday

 

 Walking to the train station around the north side of the National Museum, Edo gate in the foreground, Skytree in the background. 

This view always lifts my spirits after a long day of work.

It's a crazy week around here, mostly sitting at my computer, staring at databases, staring at books, staring at the typed page, and above all staring at the images that make up the core of the chapter I'm working on. But life is never without small pleasures, and I believe the key is to focus on those moments, so here you go- the visual traces of three small joys of my Tuesday. 

 

 

One of the retro model streetcars! These are my favorite. 

 

 

Kasutera on a stick, dipped in chocolate. This little 100 Y ($1) food stand snack made my afternoon so much happier.

 

Poinsettia

 

Most of my Sunday was spent at my desk, sorting through materials, reading, and writing. I did take a short afternoon break to run some errands, and picked up a small poinsettia at the local flower shop on my way home, adding some cheer and some life to my living room.

 

National Diet Library, Again もう一度、国会図書館

 

 Ah, yes. Another day of searching through the Diet Library. Another marathon of sitting and clicking. Another stack of photocopied materials to sift through, translate, and cite. After a few visits these past few months, I'm getting used to the system, and faster at collecting materials. Today I sifted through over 3,000 newspaper headlines, which seems unreal when I type it. I am definitely rewarding myself with some t.v. and a beer this evening.

Polka-dot Day

I seemed to have a theme going today...

Tokyo University 東京大学

 

Today I spent the afternoon at Todai, or Tokyo University.  I met up with a scholar who is a friend of a friend, and she was so kind as to introduce me to a variety of resources on campus that relate to my research, which intersects with hers. The campus is quite lovely, especially on a beautiful early autumn day. Above is the famed Akamon, or Red Gate, which dates to 1827 when the land that the university sits on was part of the estate of a feudal lord.

The building that houses the Historiographical Institute, where I was able to view primary source documents related to my project.

 

 

Campus scenery.

 

 

Yasuda Auditorium, built in the 1920s with the intention of representing the of the university, and being grand enough to receive imperial visits.

 

 

Even the metro stop is green and academic in feel.

Sunday 日曜日

 

Today was a very rainy and cool Sunday. For me, this is the best kind of day to sit at a coffee shop and do some reading, which is precisely how I spent my day. 

Friday 金曜日

Some photos from my Friday. Above- it was a fantastically beautiful sunny day here in Tokyo, so I paused on the bridge near Uguisudani Station to marvel at the view of the Sky Tree and the rush of the JR lines below.

Tea time at work. Each day at 3 p.m. the part time researchers and some of the full time senior scholars at the institute pause for tea. As the many visitors to the institute bring edible omiyage (souvenirs), from their respective parts of Japan, there are always interesting snacks. Today's was an apple sweet from Nagano, it was a light cake filled with sweet white bean paste that had a subtle apple flavor.

 

Fashion on the Yamanote-sen on my way out to dinner and drinks with a friend.