Kabuki _ Tsubosaka Reigenki _the Story of Osato and Sawaichi

Do you remember a married couple, "Osato and Sawaichi"?

I hope you say Yes! 

Kamakura（鎌倉）

We will go to Kamakura on Saturday, May 16.  I heard that there would be fourty-five CAs (Campus Assistans) to assist you to go around the Kamakura area. You will go with a small group, it means that you can choose places to visit.

I hope that you had sometime to research about Kamakura (maybe not), but for people (maybe many of you!) who have no idea where you will go and what you will do on Saturday, I would like to give you some links for the last minutes information before Saturday -  tomorrow.

Most of Japanese know "Kamakura" as a capital of "Kamakura period" (1185-1333).  Before the Kamakura period, the centre of the Japanese politics was mainly "Western " part of Japan (Kyoto).  The "Heian period" (794-1185) - just before the Kamakura period -  was ruled by Emperor but after Kamakura, the military government ruled the Japanese politics.

At the beginning, please click the following links provided by the Kamakura city tourist association.
http://en.kamakura-info.jp (English)
http://www.kamakura-info.jp/about/(Japanese)

There are rather too much information on this website, but I advice you to spend at least one hour to research about Kamakura before 9am tomorrow (this is your meeting time).

Then you might think that you need to see the Great Buddha (Kamakura no Daibutsu).  - this is the most famous sight seeing spot in Kamakura. Click the following link to learn about it.
http://www.kotoku-in.jp

AKASAKA NINJA

We will go to Ninja Restaurant on Wednesday, June 3. (Remember that you will have a term end examination in the morning!)  This one is very different from "Ninja Turtles."

Roppongi Hills （六本木ヒルズ）

Do you like STAR WARS or NARUTO?
Please check to see what is happening at Roppongi Hills.

I personally think that Roppongi Hills is representing Tokyo today.
There are many things to see and do at Roppongi Hills even if you are not interested in any of these exhibitions.  You can easily spend a couple of hours without problems.  The customer service at Roppongi Hills is awesome.  You will hear the honorific, humble and extra-modest forms everywhere!!  

We can go there before going to Ninja Restaurant (Akasaka mistake station) on Wednesday, June 3.
BUT, I can not afford to buy tickets for these special exhibition (I think that it costs  ￥2000 per person).   ごめんなさいね。

Tokyo's Sumida Ward to purchase early 19th century Hokusai work | The Japan Times

Tokyo's Sumida Ward to purchase early 19th century Hokusai work | The Japan Times

Explore Tokyo #1 (on Friday, May 8)

Here is a tentative plan for our very first expedition in Tokyo!

8:30am Meet outside of the dormitory

(20 min. walk)
9:00am Mukogaokayuen station

(10 min. walk from Daimon station - Oedo Line)
10:00am Zojoji temple

(20 min walk from Zojoji)
11:30am Hinode-sanbashi (Cruise on the Sumida-river to Asakusa. )

You will see 13 bridges on the way to Asakusa!

If you are interested in the transportation network during the Edo period, please click below.

Edo's transportation network

'Special Exhibition: The Great Battle of Sekigahara' | The Japan Times

This exhibition happens to be on at my favourite museum - Edo-Tokyo Museum.
Anyone who are interested in going there, please let me know!

'Special Exhibition: The Great Battle of Sekigahara' | The Japan Times

Edo-Tokyo Museum (江戸東京博物館）

If you are interested in the Japanese History, particularly Edo-period.  You will enjoy visiting this museum. 

https://www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp/en/p-exhibition/

Zojoji（増上寺）

On Friday, May 8, we will be visiting Zojoji (増上寺）.
Please read the following information from their website.

Zojoji was founded in 1393 as an orthodox and fundamental nembutsu seminary for Jodo shu in the Kanto (east Japan) region.

Zojoji was relocated to the present site in 1598 after Ieyasu Tokugawa, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, entered Edo (present-day Tokyo) in 1590 to establish his provincial government. After the start of the Edo Period when the Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan, Zojoji became the family temple of the Tokugawa family and an unparalleled grand cathedral was built. Zojoji also served as an administrative center to govern the religious studies and activities of Jodo shu. In those days, its precincts covered an area of 826,000 square meters which also contained 48 smaller attached temples and about 150 grammar schools. Moreover, as many as 3,000 priests and novices always resided here as students.

Nevertheless, as the Tokugawa shogunate came to an end and the Meiji Era started, an anti-Buddhist movement got under way. The cathedral, temples and the mausoleum of the Tokugawa family were burned down by air raids during World War II. Thus, Zojoji was profoundly affected by political and social circumstances. Today, however, its cathedral and other structures have been rebuilt, and Zojoji continues to serve as the main temple of Jodo shu and the central nembutsu seminary for priests and novices. Furthermore, it has endeared itself to the general public as both a grand Buddhist temple typical of the metropolis Tokyo and a hub of religious and cultural activities.

See more details: 

http://www.zojoji.or.jp/en/index.html

Words you may see in Tokyo - Tokaido (東海道）ex. Tokaido shinkansen, Tokaido line

The Shogun enforced the, “Sankin-kotai”（参覲交代）, a policy that had the daimyo（大名） spend every alternate year in Edo（江戸）.    As a result the large number of daimyo that needed to either, come to Edo or, return to their home provinces encouraged road building, the creation of inns and other factilities along the route which ultimately resulted boosted economic activity.  

Here is a image of "Sankin-kotai". 

There were five such roads ("Go-kaido"＝五街道) and Tokaido is one of them. There were fifty-three government-sanctioned post stations, "Shukuba"（宿場） along the Tōkaido for travelers to rest in. These stations consisted of porter stations and horse stables, as well as lodging, food and other places a traveler may visit. The original Tōkaido was made up of 53 stations between the termination points of Edo and Kyoto. 

If you take a train (or Shinkansen) from Tokyo to Osaka/Kyoto, you will likely to take "Tokaido shinkansen". Since the route is similar to Tokaido in Edo period, this name is used for this train route.  

History of Japan - Enter to Edo period

JAPAN - Memoirs of Secret Empire / PBS

I found an interesting link which many of you may be interested in reading materials and watching videos to know about the Edo period (1603-1868).  The Edo period, and also called the Tokugawa period, dates from 1603, when Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated his principal rivals in the battle of Skigatara , to 1868, the year of the Meiji Restoration.  The name "Edo" changed to "Tokyo (東京＝east capital) after the Meiji Restoration.

First of all, please spend sometime to click links to get some brief ideas about Edo period.
Japan - Memoirs of Secret Empire / PBS : http://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/index.html

Please watch the following series before going to Japan.  Since we will be staying in Kanagawa(神奈川）, which is next to Tokyo (about 20 minutes away from Shinjuku), you can explore Tokyo almost every day after class.  I am hoping that these extra information will give you something new about Tokyo.

Episode One: The Way of Samurai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmJwBV_iJRQ

Episode Two: The Will of Shogun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmJwBV_iJRQ

Episode Three: The Return of Barbarians

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPFKIIBTOts