The second week of June coincided with the period for exam preparations for students, and I could not hold any workshops during this time, which allowed me time to dive deeper into other aspects of my LiA goals - understanding and engaging in the tenets of Japanese culture a bit more, and facilitating cultural exchange with the locals.  For a fully immersive experience into more modern elements of Japanese life, I headed back to Tokyo, where old shrines and grandiose gardens intersect with the ultramodern and extremely urbanized landscape. 

More Trains!

Public transit, especially the subway, is a weird niche that I always obsess over. Every time I rode the 東京地下鉄 (Tokyo Subway), which is the Mecca for the like-minded, I felt like I was kowtowing to a pinnacle of efficient public transportation system. Its more than a dozen lines and hundred-plus stops criss-cross the megacity akin to colorful and all-reaching tentacles, and as soon as I had set foot in the Asakusa line back in week one, I made it my goal to ride all of Tokyo’s subway lines. Now that I was back, this dream became a daily goal, coasting on the multi-colored lines of this complex network and adoring the megacity’s unique urban landscape, where every building and road, park or a waterway, seemed to be in perfect harmony. 

Cultural Immersion

Reading about vast Japanese history, from the Nara and Heian periods to the Meiji restoration and the post WWII reconstructions, I always said that my affection for Japan has always come from its rich past and the subtle connection it still has with this modern nation. This led me to some of the most important temples and shrines in Tokyo, along with the Yushukan Museum that explores the history of war throughout Japanese history.

Expressive arts and of course food - stood as last bastions of culture I deeply wanted to explore, and Tokyo was absolutely the best place to fully immerse in either of these, with the magnificent Kabuki performances and sweet, starchy and comforting Yōkan from Asakusa still fresh in my memory. 

Back to Otsuchi

It was with complete delight and overwhelming saturation that I embarked on the Shinkansen back towards Otsuchi, where I would spend the rest of the week planning my next workshops - emotions were still running high, as my first session, despite its technical challenges, was a success. I wanted to turn this positive start into momentum by having a quite impactful and interesting continuation, hoping to get the students into the workshop mindset. But Week three of my LiA had different plans…