Arashiyama

I went to Arashiyama last year for kouyou and last weekend I went there again because I hadn't seen the bamboo forest yet. The weather has become slightly warmer, which is nice.

You can go on a scenic train ride through the mountains. I actually did this back in 2010, but I went on it again since one of my friends hadn't done it yet.

大福 / Daifuku

We had another cooking event at the seminar house. This time we made our own daifuku! I like mochi so I was looking forward to this.

It was very sticky so it was difficult to work with

These are mine! Yes I know they're ugly. One is filled with a strawberry, another has a strawberry and whipped cream, another has a piece of banana, and the other has anko (red bean paste) inside it.

After making daifuku, everyone was offered free ice cream

Midterm Exams

Midterms are coming up fast. In fact, mine start on Tuesday.
My schedule is unique this week because I only have three classes, as well as three exams. A lot of my classes were cancelled due to exam schedules. I'll have three classes on Monday, and that's it for the week. Then, I'll have a different Japanese midterm exam each day after that. Friday is a holiday, and next week is spring break. Therefore, I'll have a break from school from March 21 to March 30. My mom will come to Japan to visit during that time! I'm looking forward to it. I'm going to show her around Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. :)

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. Sorry for the lack of updates. It's not that I've lost interest in blogging. I still enjoy it a lot! The thing is, I haven't been doing the things I normally blog about. For example, I don't go sightseeing often anymore. Even though I've started making fewer posts here, I'm still quite busy! I'm having a lot of fun. I met a lot of new people in the seminar house this semester and I enjoy spending time with them. I love studying abroad. I'm worried this will end too soon. I know how time flies by. It's already time for midterms! They snuck up on me.
Anyway, that's the update for now.

ハーフ

I was fortunate to be able to go to a screening of the documentary film Hafu!
One of the professors, who teaches classes on visual anthropology, Japanese sign language, and globalization, arranged for a free screening of the film at the university this week. I'm glad to have had an opportunity to finally watch this film!
I posted some links last year having to do with Japan's hafu here.

"Hafu" is a Japanese word taken from the English word "half". It refers to those who are half- Japanese, meaning that one parent is Japanese and the other is not.

I thought Hafu was a great film, and I highly recommend it. I'm glad they showed various "hafu" who each had diverse experiences and identities. My impression is that in Japan, hafu are often thought to be bilingual half-white people, like the attractive hafu models and celebrities that are often seen in media. However, that image is limiting, and there are many other types of hafu who have different lives and experiences.

Anyway, here is the trailer

3.11

Today is the third anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that devastated an eastern part of Honshu.

In my Reading and Writing Japanese class this week, my teacher taught us about Japan's natural disaster warning system. We learned phrases and vocabulary having to do with emergencies and evacuation.

My teacher was teaching a level 1 Japanese class during the spring 2011 semester. She observed that the lower level Japanese students were confused and scared because they only knew basic Japanese at that point and couldn't understand anything on TV. She told us that out of her 12 level 1 students, fewer and fewer came to class in the days following the earthquake. In the end, she only had one student left. I heard that in the spring semester in 2011 there were also 300 to 400 exchange students at Kansai Gaidai, and due to the huge earthquake about two-thirds of them returned home. Many were forced by their parents or their home institutions to leave Japan following the disaster.

267,000 still evacuees three years on: Disaster-hit communities struggle to rebuild but progress slow-going

Survivors still overwhelmed by 3/11 losses

[Photos] Tohoku three years after the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami

Peace Osaka

I went to a peace museum in Osaka.

First, there was an exhibition about the air raids on Osaka in World War II

Most cities in Japan were bombed

map of Japan showing the cities that were attacked by U.S. air raids

The following pictures are from another exhibition room, which is about imperial Japan and the atrocities they committed in Asia.

China

Korea

The day of Japan's defeat is the day of Korea's liberation.

Southeast Asia

The curator did something interesting with this exhibit room, because a corner on Europe was included