Tokyo

Since the Meiji era to our Modern era, Nihonga was changed and Tenmyouya Hisashi created Neo-Nihonga to break out of this rut that Japanese painters have been stuck in and now wants to shake everything up for this new age. Wanting Neo-Hihonga to break free of that structure that Hihonga was given over 120 years ago and create something new and fresh. Tenmyouya Hisashi went as far as to create a whole new style called “BASARA” “which is extravagant as well as extraordinary which embodies a…

The Elephant Vanishes can be seen as a manifestation of modernization and homogenization of Japanese culture through the influence of westernization. Murakami is particularly interested in the way that the characters react towards the changing society. Throughout the collection, he writes about the consequence of westernization by exploring the seriousness of Japan as a vanishing culture. This idea is most profound in the beginning and the end story of the collection The Wind-up Bird and…

The turnover from the Tokugawa period to the Meiji is historically seen as a Japan entering a new age of modernization and industrialization to reach western levels of civilization. Tokugawa as a traditional, old fashioned age while Meiji metaphorically as opening itself up to new ideas and western ways of thinking. The Meiji era was a time where Japan opened itself up to western influence. This romanticized way of viewing Meiji as a triumphant time of growing industry and capitalism is, however…

In 1943, the city of Tokyo merged with the "Metropolitan Prefecture" of Tokyo. Since then, the Tokyo metropolitan government served as both the prefecture government for Tokyo, as well as administering the Special wards of Tokyo, for what had previously been Tokyo City. World War II wrought widespread destruction of most of the city due to the persistent Allied air raids on Japan and the use of incendiary bombs. The bombing of Tokyo in 1944 and 1945 is estimated to have killed between 75,000 and…

During the decades of Japanese colonial rule, Korean self image underwent significant changes. Due to the rapid modernization brought about by the Japanese takeover, Korean culture became significantly more nationalistic. Nationalism refers to the process of desiring a nation’s well-being and autonomy as though it were your personal interest. The Korean self-image of scholars and politicians during the time of colonial rule was one which desired power, autonomy, and held a fierce sense of…

Desiree listened as Razio explained where he was from and what he did for a living. She could only imagine what it was like to grow up in Japan. She had never traveled out of the united states before. But she had read a bit about the country, it had become one of the Many places she wanted to visit. The old temples, the gardens, the history, "I've read about Japan before, I've always wanted to visit. Well I've always wanted to visit a lot of places. I've always let my mind do the traveling with…

Gender Roles Throughout the Meiji Era, gender roles were redefined following the Western standards, many roles were outlined in the Imperial Constitution and other legal documents. Women faced harder segregation compared to the Tokugawa Era. In the Imperial Constitution it defined the definition of a “family”. It segregated women, men, and children into roles in the traditional family, with the father as the head of the household. The Imperial Constitution allowed polygamy, which is where a…

In Japan today, the Ako incident of 1703 represents the heart and soul of Japanese society; based on the teaching of Confucius, it embodies the honor, loyalty, and spirit of the Samurai, qualities that are forever imprinted on Japanese culture. During its great and rather turbulent history, the 47 Ronin Incident or Ako Incident is one of the most beloved in Japanese history. The Chingura, as it is called in Japanese, is a tale of kinship, honor, and “crooked government officials.” (Ronin…

Americans, for they began in 1986 to try and preserve part of Little Tokyo through community action. It was the Little Tokyo Community Development Advisory Committee that campaigned and established Little Tokyo’s historical district on East First Street. Some of the oldest Japanese American businesses in the country are on First Street, and so the rich culture plays a big role in establishing a sense of community in Little Tokyo. (“The Paradox of Dispersal”, Dean S. Toji and Karen Umemoto)…

In Tokyo, many people commute to work through public transportation whether it is on the subway or on the bus. In 2013, about 23 billion people were recorded using the railway compared to 6 billion on motor vehicles. This is a major difference that shows how many people in Japan use public railways as transport. It shows how the public transportation is working well because people are willing to use it. However, many people may not drive in Japan, but that should not mean that it is a bad choice…