Day eight- Yokosuka and Yokohama

Our last day in Tokyo was spent to the south at Yokosuka Navy base. For someone of my political leanings, this was not the easiest day, but in retrospect I learned alot, even if it was uncomfortable. The military people we met were very nice on a personal level, even if our ideas about larger issues such as military spending, Iraq, and percieved threats are at odds. We had a tour of the base with a Commander, and heard from two Admirals about the role of Yokosuka in Asia, and how they percieve China and North Korea from a Navy perspective, as well as defense agreements between Japan and the U.S.
































After lunch, which was very American, we heard from the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. The Ambassador is an old friend of Mr. Bush, so his political perspectives were a bit interesting. My favorite moment was when he commented on the perception that the U.S. wants everyone to be like us. He stated that he did not think everyone should be like us, but rather that the U.S. only wants for all people to select their own leaders through democracy. A facinating comment considering the U.S. involvement in instating puppet leaders all over the world, and also considering our recent military activities abroad. I also enjoyed his statement, "democracies do not go to war with each other because people have the chance to choose their own government." So, why is it then that considering our historic status as a democracy that the U.S. has such a large military? And what's today's statistic on how many U.S. citizens approve of the current war? I am sorry to report that I was not selected in the question and answer period, and that the Ambassador only accepted a few questions. Facinating perspective on the world, though.
















After our political talk we spent the rest of the afternoon touring the U.S. ship the Blue Ridge, and then a Japanese Naval ship located across the harbor. The sailors on the ship were very hospitable and interested in discussing what life is like at sea.
































On the Japanese ship.




































We left Yokosuka in the late afternoon and headed over to Yokohama, the Chinatown area of Tokyo for dinner and some free time.

Tokyo- day seven

August 1st was a great day of sightseeing and museum hopping. The day started out at the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which chronicles the history of Tokyo, formerly called Edo. It was a fantastic museum with many wonderful interactive exhibitits, models, and information.




















One of my favorite sections addressed the print culture of Edo, including a life-size model of a print shop, seen below.





















Me with the interactive water carrier, how strong I am....
















Full size model of a kabuki theatre.





















The Meiji area of the museum.




















JASCers at the museum.
















Alissa on the awesome escalator. It was flat in the middle and in a big red tube in the middle of the museum.
















Me and Marie with our best sumo faces.
















Waiting for the train with the Edo-Tokyo Museum behind me.















Crossing the Sumida River.
















We had lunch at the Asahi Beer headquarters.




















After lunch we had a free afternoon for sightseeing. I started at Asakusa Temple.















JASCers at the temple.

































The fountain where you can clense before entering the temple, and the insense, which I was told makes one smarter. I made sure to sniff as much as I could. I also got my fortune, which was good! Horray!




































After the temple we headed to Yasukuni Shrine, which memorializes Japan's war dead. It is controversial with Chinese and Koreans, and because Koizumi, the last prime minister of Japan worshipped there.




































Interesting political material for sale near the shrine.
















The shrine itself.

















While to me the shrine was not offensive, the museum that was located next to it had some pretty nationalist materials inside. I was facinated to see which labels were translated into English, and which were only in Japanese. It was also interesting to see the difference in how the wars of the 19th century were depicted and how WWII was depicted.















After having discussions at the thought-provoking museum, we headed to Akihabara, the electronics area of Tokyo.
















We visited both electronics shops and otaku shops (geek shops) to do some shopping. The following picture is an otaku shop, filled with toys.





















After a very long day, we had a quick dinner before heading home.

Tokyo- day six

July 31, day six, was a pretty typical JASC day. There was history, there were diplomats, there was academic discussion, there was fun, and there was very little sleep. The day started with free time, which I used to visit the Meiji Shrine, where Emperor Meiji and his consort Princess Shoken are enshrined. Although the treasure house was closed, the shrine was still a huge treat for me, and to top it off I was able to see some Shinto ritual performed.















Not only was the shrine fantastic for its history, but it was also a treat to be in a forested area in the middle of densely populated Tokyo. The spacious grounds were relaxing and quiet, but for the cicadas.



































































Shinto ritual. The music was amazing!
































































































































A funny sign on the walk home.

















The Olympic Center, my home in Tokyo.





















In the afternoon we participated in the Asian Foundation Forum along with students from South Korea and China. The topics were varied and interesting, and the highlight was a visit from a princess of the Japanese Imperial family. Imperial.




































Princess!
















Eri and I at the reception.















The garden at the Asian Foundation.
















After the reception a big group of JASCers headed over to Roppongi for a little fun.



































Good times!
































SunYong and I having a different kind of fun after a long day of serious academic discussions.