Study abroad program focuses on Japanese writer
Maiko Michishita
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: News
In 1890, an Irish journalist arrived as a Yokohama poet in Japan. His name is Lafcadio Hearn, and he later gained Japanese citizenship. He was very fascinated by Japan, and later wrote a book called "Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan."
This summer, more than 100 years after Lafcadio's arrival, seven UA students left the U.S. to discover new, "unfamiliar" factors of Japan.
A four-week study abroad program, Unfamiliar Japan, started this summer and was conducted by Tatsuya Fukushima, an associate professor of Japanese. In addition to learning different aspects of Japan, students enjoyed studying abroad in Japan itself.
The program's priority was to see diversity in Japan today as well as a difference from what Japan used to be many years ago, Fukushima said.
After a long flight and a one-night stay in Tokyo, students headed to Shimane, as a traditional side of Japan. Students visited many places such as shrines, temples and museums in Shimane.
Joseph Snow, a junior physics major, said students visited many historical places in Shimane, including a Matsue castle, whose image remained in his mind as a beautiful image of Japan.
Sceneries, landscapes and architectures were pretty at most of the places, he said.
Unlike Tokyo, which is highly commercialized and overwhelmed by tourism, students were able to see the great depth of history and lifestyle in Shimane, Fukushima said.
"Shimane is a hard land of Shintoism," Fukushima said, "so students would get a better sense of Japanese religious system."
Hiroki Fujimoto, an exchange student from Shimane University, was a leader of the Shimane students and helped host the program while UA students were there.
Shimane is more isolated than any other places in Japan, Fujimoto said. Even Japanese people are not familiar with Shimane, he said.
In addition, students learned traditional Japanese craftwork, such as a process of making paper and ceramic pottery work. They watched a demonstration of paper-making and then tried it themselves. It was "very interesting," Snow said.
This summer, more than 100 years after Lafcadio's arrival, seven UA students left the U.S. to discover new, "unfamiliar" factors of Japan.
A four-week study abroad program, Unfamiliar Japan, started this summer and was conducted by Tatsuya Fukushima, an associate professor of Japanese. In addition to learning different aspects of Japan, students enjoyed studying abroad in Japan itself.
The program's priority was to see diversity in Japan today as well as a difference from what Japan used to be many years ago, Fukushima said.
After a long flight and a one-night stay in Tokyo, students headed to Shimane, as a traditional side of Japan. Students visited many places such as shrines, temples and museums in Shimane.
Joseph Snow, a junior physics major, said students visited many historical places in Shimane, including a Matsue castle, whose image remained in his mind as a beautiful image of Japan.
Sceneries, landscapes and architectures were pretty at most of the places, he said.
Unlike Tokyo, which is highly commercialized and overwhelmed by tourism, students were able to see the great depth of history and lifestyle in Shimane, Fukushima said.
"Shimane is a hard land of Shintoism," Fukushima said, "so students would get a better sense of Japanese religious system."
Hiroki Fujimoto, an exchange student from Shimane University, was a leader of the Shimane students and helped host the program while UA students were there.
Shimane is more isolated than any other places in Japan, Fujimoto said. Even Japanese people are not familiar with Shimane, he said.
In addition, students learned traditional Japanese craftwork, such as a process of making paper and ceramic pottery work. They watched a demonstration of paper-making and then tried it themselves. It was "very interesting," Snow said.
Be the first to comment on this story