Session 9 - 11/16 (morning)

[Matthew Hurwitz]

I really enjoyed getting to explore the architecture of Japan, a part of history that I feel like is often overlooked. I remember taking an AP Art History class in High School and finding it really interesting the ways in which the architecture of a period reflects the political, social, economic, and artistic beliefs of the time. To this day, that class was one of the most enjoyable I've ever taken. Of course, it didn't strike me as odd at the time, but in our entire year long class, we only studied western architecture and art. Given that Asian art and architecture was ommitted, I thought it was interesting that Professor Bharne pointed that for most of us, our understanding of Japanese architecture encompasses only two styles, both of which are unique to different periods. Whereas in western architecture, we understand that styles change along with the people and countries that make them, when it comes to architecture in other countries, our view of their architecture, and thus their societies tends to be static and stuck on one style, one understanding of what Japanese culture is and what Japanese architecture looks like. 

This lecture also made me think about how I can incorporate architecture into my lessons more. I often use architecture in my Imperialism unit as a way of showing the ways in which buildings can be used to convey power, and to show how many of those symbols and styles are still present in former colonies long after the colonizer has left. But I've never looked at contemporary architecture or architecture from other countries in a non-Imperialism context. It made me want to do more research into architecture from different time periods and cultures, and to look at where in my curriculum I can incorporate them for next year.

[Matthew Hurwitz]

I was also really interested to hear about the lack of Japanese pushback on Trump compared with many of our European allies, who make no effort to hide their displeasure with him. I hadn't really thought about the reasons why Japan would avoid that kind of conflict, and find it interesting to learn about the ways in which the U.S. and Japan tiptoe around each other because of the way each relies on each other, where both countries can be agressive or cavalier when it comes to our interaction with other countries. Our presenter mentioned that "Geography is fate" and I thought that that aptly summed up a lot of what we have learned the last couple of weeks about geopolitical rivalries, occupations, cultural imperialism, wars, and alliances between different countries, including the alliance between the U.S. and Japan. It also sounded like a great guiding question for a unit: "Is fate determined by Geography?" I can imagine my students having a lot of heated discussions about that, and am totally making that one of my essential questions next year.

[Matthew Hurwitz]

I was also really interested in the construction materials that were used, and how something so basic says so much about the way societies approach things. The idea that buildings as temporary, and the idea of tearing down and rebuilding things every set number of years is shocking to many of us.When I visited Japan a few years, one of the things that I couldn't wrap my head around was how/why many of the historic shrines could be demolished and rebuilt. I just did not get why anybody would do that. We've been taught that buildings are built to "last" and that our most precious buildings are those historic buildings that have lasted for hundreds of years. So many things to think about after this lecture!

[Matthew Hurwitz]

I thought the currency discussion was interesting for the way it touched on the differences between legal and symbolic equality, and ACTUAL equality. It shows some of the tension in Japan that the government is making an effort to make women legally equal and to put them in more prominent positions on the money, and yet culturally there is still so far for women to go. It made me think about how that tensions manifests in the United States, where we have had a similar struggle between symbolic, cultural, and legal equality, albeit it in a different way than in Japan. Having just seen the movie Harriet, and knowing that she was scheduled to be on the $20, but will not be because of the current administration makes me think that we should include currency more regularly in our examination of primary source and period specific resources that we look at in history classes as a way of assessing cultural and political values of different time periods. 

[Kurt Hansen]

I really enjoyed the lecture on Japanese architecture. Tokyo is a vibrant place with many variations of architecture. I like how you can have an ultra modern building next to a drab 1970’s apartment complex and around the corner a paper and wooden family home. Japanese architecture, although varied, does have a standard vision, the simple, clean lines and  practicality of use. With the opening up of borders, there are always cultural exchanges. The borrowing of styles from China and Europe, with its intricate detail has its place, I guess, but the simplicity and detail of traditional Japanese architecture truly has an allure for me. I’m a big fan of simplicity. It was interesting to understand how the simplicity and Zen fit together to create spaces of calm and serenity. I have a window off my bedroom and I’ve always enjoyed the view. The view is of the plants in my yard with glimpses of flowers. What I didn’t realize was that I was borrowing the view of the mountains in the background. 

 

[Kurt Hansen]

I’ve spent time in Tokyo and one of my favorite things is looking. There is so much to see. We’ve talked about the simplicity of much of Japanese architecture, but sometimes the most exciting things are the lights. Once you’ve seen the neon lights of Shibuya or Shinjuku, it's hard to forget. I couldn’t find anything. No idea of addresses and so many neon signs, I had no idea where to look. When You’re not looking for a specific place, the neon is spectacular. The signs rise up the side of every building and reach out into the street. There are so many signs vying for attention that it almost nullifies the effect. It's just another way that Japan is a magical place to visit. The contrast of sights from the simplest street vendor to the electric neon creates amazing sights that are difficult to duplicate. 

 

[Andrew Frank]

One of the greatest misconceptions I discovered I possessed, upon reading the selection from Zen Spaces and Neon Places, is that I disassociated the beauty of Japanese architecture from Eastern spiritual traditions. Growing up Roman Catholic and attending parochial school my whole life, I learned from a young age about the mentality behind the creation of Catholic cathedrals (i.e. the high ceilings meant to "humble" churchgoers and encourage a feeling of "awe" in believers). I had absolutely no idea that a building like the Ise Jingu existed, and - through the rebuilding process every 20 years - a long spiritual tradition is continued in China that is directly connected to the architecture itself. I, like the uninformed Westerner I am, also was shocked to learn that this shrine is not just one building, but a total of 60 structures connected by a pilgrimage path! I know it may seem obvious and apparent, but reading this selection revealed to me just how much spiritual tradition is rooted in the building itself and even the idea of the "twenty year cycle." (I think it's fascinating that the twenty year cycle "commemorates this rhythm" of the day/night, sun/moon, seasons, and harvest season as well.) I think a stellar lesson would be to present the Ise Shrine to students and have them attempt to "decipher" the deeper meanings of the building from their limited Western perspective. By then having students use cooperative learning (or even a "Jigsaw activity") to discover the history of these spiritual traditions, students may discover first-hand how history, culture, spirituality, and ideology all combine in the creation of Japanese architecture.

[Robert Docter]

This session was very fascinating and a much differest taste versus the other seminar sessions. Architecture goes beyond the art, but reveals the values, traditions, family and social structure, and resources of a particular society (just to name a few of a long list of examples). Zen Spaces... provides so much information beyond the architecture and dives deep into the historical progression of Japan. It also reveals the urban planning in Japan, especially the modern age. A few highlights of this book and Bharne's presention caught my eye personal interest and relating it back to my life. Charles and Henry Greene's Gamble House has always fascinated me as I grew up near Pasadena, but seeing how its styles and influences from the Greenes admiration of Japanese syles and designs is an early example of Japanese culture, style, and influence have made it west. From Gamble to Frank Lloyd Wright, LA's most famous houses derive from the Japanese influences - influece that makes its way to movies, television, and photography of LA. 

[Robert Docter]

The Anpo Toso movement, occuring in 1960, stoodout to me due to its year and the tensions with the postwar alliance with the US (after WWII). The pictures in the lesson reminded me of the famous student-led protests in the late 1960s in the United States. I found it interesting to see similar sights, way before the US's student-led protests. I did my own dive into the Anpo protests, finding farmers, students, women, and intellectuals alike clashing over a variety of tensions, including the topic of the US. I found similar scenes of protests to the US such as protestors met with water cannons from police. The photos looked a lot more recent than 1960. 

[Dennis O'Connell]

Session Nine was another one filled with interesting information!  These are some of my musings as I took notes:

When Fukuzawa Yukichi visited the United States, not only was he impressed with American technology and industriousness, he was also deeply affected by his search for George Washington's children.  No matter who he asked in the United States, no one knew what had happened to George Washington's children.  This showed that family ties are not what makes someone successful in the USA.  Instead, a person's abilities and hard work are what determines success.  This is a concept I would love for my third grade students to grasp.  A big piece of the Great American Experiment is the idea of working hard and chasing one's ideas.  

During the presentation, various Japanese currency notes were displayed.  We were given background information about the persons so honored by the Japanese people.  It occurred to me that a wonderful classroom activitiy I would like to try in my own classroom would be one in which we talk about each of the individuals depicted on US currency.  What traits did these people possess that made us honor them in this fashion?  I could then introduce the currencies of several Asian countries (specifically China, Japan, North Korea and South Korea) and give background information about the people on those currencies.  We could compare and contrast the qualities and traits valued in each of the countries with those valued in the United States.  

It was pointed out during the session that Japan may be the only major country which has just as strong a relationship with a Trump-led USA as it did with an Obama-led USA.  This speaks to the flexibility Japan has in dealing with the world's remaining super power.  Japan felt a bit "left in the dark" during the Nixon administration and its dealings with China.  Similar concerns may be felt with Trump's dealings with North Korea.  Japan does not want to be left on the sidelines of these kind of regional discussions.  Japan is a strong democracy.  The United States needs this kind of partner in this region of the world.  

[Katherine Oh]

One thing I have noticed more in the US is the influence of Japanese modern architecture and design. I have seen the influence of the minimlaism that is showed in Japanese design flow into US spaces, especially restaurants and cafes. Even here in Southern California, there has been a boom of asthetically pleasing spaces in shops, restaurants, and cafes that mimick and follow trends seen in Japan. I wonder if the presenter also recognizes the varying levels of influence of Japanese architecture from the past 100 years vs. in the last few years. I agree with Haena that the Japanese trend is to have thoughful, yet meaningful use of every space and I believe part of the reason is because there is such a lack of space in Japan for the amount of people who live there. 

[Katherine Oh]

Dennis, I can see how showing photographs to our students would be a perfect way to start conversations about what they notice in ELD. This is a great opportunity to see if students notice something we didn't notice before and how they can build on each other's ideas. I also think if posted pictures around the wook and ask students to do a gallery walk around the classroom and take notes of the similarities and differences can be engaging as well. I appreciate hearing your ideas because as a fellow 3rd grade teachers, I can take these ideas and apply them into my classroom to bring these topics and conversations to my students. 

[Katherine Oh]

I just wanted to do a quick response because I was recently thinking about how people can be added as faces of the country based on their power or influence. I was recently watching the Crown and one of the episodes is how Queen Elizabeth was put on the National Stamp twice during her reign and how much she had aged and changed during her rule. In our conversations about East Asian Countries, we did not have alot of conversations about ruling powers who have been at a place of such strong influence as the Queen of Elizabeth. If these countries had a ruling Queen or King in power, would their currencies only reflect them? Or other members of their country?

[Katherine Oh]

I also have been to Japan and I realized that there is so much to see, but I also noticed that we didn't have to look up too high to see their architecture. Since Japan is such a small country, in comparison to China or even the US, I was always facinated how small their homes and buildings were in comparison to the previously mentioned countries. Even going into restaurants, bars, and stores, you notice how cramped spaces could be. My favorite is going into minivans that look like mini verisons of the ones we have in the US. Garages are smaller, lanes are tighter, and parking spots are compact. If you ever get a chance to see inside a Japanese kitchen, there also have different structures of kitchens because of the lack of space and even stoves are space efficient and purposeful. I realized that Japanese architects and designers have to be very strategic and intentional with their space and that it has lead them to what kind of influence they have in modern day.

[Angela Chong]

I accidentally posted for this morning session on the afternoon forum. 

Please see the afternoon session for my architecture posts. 

 

Thank you. 

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