This course has been an insightful and in-depth exploration for so many of the references and cultural symbols I was familiar with, but helped explain them with a greater context. It also introduced me to other facets of Japanese society and culture that I was unfamiliar with, or had misconceptions about. And ultimately, it provided me with another lens of observing and understanding cultures through their objects and rituals, both outside and at home. 

From the pop culture symbols I’ve seen, travels I’ve done to Japan and other small coursework I’ve taken about Japanese history, I was really glad to have learned so much more during Dr. Pitelka’s lectures. The resources that were presented, such as online visuals from the Met Museum and LACMA, will be great to share with students in class as a way to engage and explore objects like textiles, swords, armor and pottery. The course was also introduction to the BBC podcast series “A History of the World in 100 Objects”, which I will continue to peruse and include in my classes when appropriate. Many of my students are at an age where anime is very popular and they are curious about Japanese culture and symbology, so this course has provided me with some great multimedia materials I can share with them. 

I am also looking forward to sharing hands-on objects or showing them some of the rituals either through Youtube or locally in our neighborhoods or Japantown in San Francisco that they might be familiar with. There is a lot of cultural heritage around our region and connecting these local attractions or bringing in objects to class will be much more fruitful having taken part in these lectures. One of these rituals I learned about that would be a fun activity would be the incense smelling contests. This would be an interesting game, but also could incite some research into particular recipes that were used to make certain scents. From the readings, there are specific recipes that can be used in ratio and proportion lessons for math, where students could recreate the scents in different amounts or play with creating their own recipes.

It has been a great lecture to be a part of and it has encouraged me to learn more about some of these specific locations in Japan and hopefully visit them and experience them myself. This course has also influenced me to look at objects or rituals more closely and as ways to deepen understanding of other cultures. I’m looking forward to sharing some of them in my class with my students this upcoming year. It was a really enjoyable series and I’m thankful for all the work that was done to present it to us!

I have been studying the Japanese language since 2002, but have never really had a Japanese history course. I did take a Japanese art course during my time at Western Michigan University, and have since had the good fortune to visit Japan and see some of the objects we discussed from our textbooks. But this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to study Japanese history alongside its artwork, and I truly enjoyed the experience.

Personally, I have always loved art--and the Japanese culture has excellent examples all throughout its long history to enjoy. Dr. Pitelka’s lectures on the various objects he highlighted and the rituals they were connected with were fascinating. I had read about some of the items, and even seen some with my own eyes in Japan, but his lectures and readings provided even more detailed information about them. The sessions were conducted very well, and I enjoyed the opportunity to ask my own questions and hear comments and questions from my fellow “classmates.”

As for using the material presented in my own classroom, I would love to incorporate more information about Japanese history and/or art in my language and culture lessons. Unfortunately, with the limited time we have in the school year makes it difficult to fit lessons on history and art in just anywhere. To address this, I think I would like to develop a few “mini-lessons” that I could easily slip into my classes where they could fit. For example, sometimes we finish a unit with a few days to go before a break, or we have just two or three days of a typical school week before a school break (like Thanksgiving week for example). These would be great times to incorporate short lessons that engage students in aspects of the Japanese culture that are not focused on their language-learning. Students are very curious to learn about the culture of Japan, and I do want to encourage this curiosity; I think introducing aspects about Japanese art history is a great way to incorporate this kind of information.

Of the topics that Dr. Pitelka introduced, I think some of the most popular objects and rituals that my students would be interested in are: samurai swords and samurai culture; kimono and other clothing; Shinto- and Buddhist-connected objects/rituals; prehistoric Japan; music, performance and instruments. I would like to focus on these major topics and create a short series of lessons to introduce them to my students.

Thank you so much for providing this opportunity for us to engage with Dr. Pitelka and his wealth of knowledge about Japanese objects and rituals. It was a pleasure to participate and was very informative!

I am very happy that I enrolled in this class, which was right after Professor Dube's previous Class on China, and Asian Studies.  Dr. Pitelka's knowledge of Japan is immense, and I feel that I have learned so much from this course, and look forward to finding ways that I can pass along much of  the content to my students.  

There is so much cultural diversity between Japan and the West, but moreover, between Japan and other Asian countries.  It's interesting that Japan adopted many of their customs from China, and surrounding countries including Korea, and others, and yet they are unique in so many ways.  They are a melting pot of the Asian countries and influences surrounding it of course.  

Learning about the history, the Samurai warriors with their beautiful armor, and how they brought the heads back from wars to show their superiors...the tea ceremony and all of the nuances that abound, to the incense, the Geisha traditions and the foot-binding with the elite groups, the geography and capitals and how they moved with different emperors, to religion and it's roles with controversial shrines, to the National Living Treasures, the Kabuki Theater and the Noh Theater and their differences, to the blades and their interest in guns and falconry.  There is so much we learned about, and that I want to share with my students.  

Japan is a country steeped in beauty, grace, poetry, literature, tradition, and has created cohesiveness with their modern community festivals, but keep their traditions through the old practices, being mindful of their own dignity and how to preserve it.  

I also enjoyed the class discussions and how so many in the class had been to Japan, or lived there briefly and were able to share their experiences with us.  I enjoyed learning that Dr. Pitelka's father is a clay artist ( our own National Living Treasure) and he himself dabbles in the pottery-making as well.  How very lucky we all were.  

So, as I think before the new school year begins, how I will use this new information, please allow me to thank you all for your generous gifts of Japanese knowledge to me.  I was my pleasure to be in this class.