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 Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:58 pm
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:26 pm
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Destructive-Kiwi Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 9:28 am
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:22 pm
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Destructive-Kiwi Asian Studies? What's that like?
Surprisingly harder than one might think. In order to get a degree in it, you need to study a language, go on a few trips, do a lot of history and culture-based work, basically write a few books, etc. At least, that's what it's like at the college I'm going to start at on Aug. 31.
Majoring in German and Japanese, for some reason I really want to learn Chinese as well. Tried one year of French in H.S., barely remember anything, but I can still read your siggy easily. Maybe I'll come back to it, who knows.
~Mae |
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:10 pm
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To D-Kiwi: For my program, it's actually really Japan studies, since that's the focus I have chosen, and a country focus is required. I further have to pick something more to zero in on too, mostly for the thesis and all, i.e. that book-length paper... I will probably do something boring and tedious sounding like... oh... the perseverance of the influence of the Atomic Bombings on Japan in mainstream culture, and the associated global peace movements that have developed from the A-bomb experience. o,0 Whew. I lived in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so i have a good background for it.
Anyway! Asian Studies is kind of broad really, it's sort of a mix between history and anthropology, with poli-sci in there as well. There are also a TON of countries that they consider as part of the Asian Studies field, too. Basically, If you start in the Middle East , and go all the way east across the rest of the continent, include every South East Asian island nation and over to Japan, you have the general area. And even Russia and Australia are in there too... >,< So, you can see why Asian Studies programs tend to make you focus on one particular country, or at most, just a couple of countries, hehe.
It's a great field. I'm very happy to be going more in-depth with it. My undergrad minor was in Asian Studies, and that was only because my University didn't offer a major in it. o,0
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Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 2:28 pm
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Destructive-Kiwi Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 3:49 pm
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Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 4:09 pm
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Destructive-Kiwi Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 4:33 pm
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Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 5:51 pm
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Depends on what kind of experience you want on your visit. If you go, you need to get outside of Tokyo. Tokyo is great, but its a very different place than the rest of Japan.
Hiroshima is a great place to go, less packed and easy to get around than most of the usual big cities. Hiroshima also has Miyajima only an easy train ride away, and that place is just one of the most incredible sites in the world. It's a sacred island shrine, and its where that famous gate in the water is.
However if you just want to stick with what is mainstream and more in line with what you might expect of Japan, Tokyo is great, and of course, if you really are any kind of Otaku, well... need I say more than Akihabara? Or, if you have loads of money to blow, Shinjuku for your shopping fix. I spent all my money in Akihabara though...
Kyoto is great if you want to focus on more of "traditional" Japan. There are a million amazing shrines in that city, and my favorite one in all of Japan is Fushimi Inari Jinja there. That's a must see. I just went to shrines all day and still didn't see every one on my list by far. Nara is really close to Kyoto, and well worth seeing...
But... picking places to go... you should consider the time of year and such too. March is good, cause then the cherry blossoms are doing their thing...
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Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 6:12 pm
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Sephirob Depends on what kind of experience you want on your visit. If you go, you need to get outside of Tokyo. Tokyo is great, but its a very different place than the rest of Japan. Hiroshima is a great place to go, less packed and easy to get around than most of the usual big cities. Hiroshima also has Miyajima only an easy train ride away, and that place is just one of the most incredible sites in the world. It's a sacred island shrine, and its where that famous gate in the water is. However if you just want to stick with what is mainstream and more in line with what you might expect of Japan, Tokyo is great, and of course, if you really are any kind of Otaku, well... need I say more than Akihabara? Or, if you have loads of money to blow, Shinjuku for your shopping fix. I spent all my money in Akihabara though... Kyoto is great if you want to focus on more of "traditional" Japan. There are a million amazing shrines in that city, and my favorite one in all of Japan is Fushimi Inari Jinja there. That's a must see. I just went to shrines all day and still didn't see every one on my list by far. Nara is really close to Kyoto, and well worth seeing... But... picking places to go... you should consider the time of year and such too. March is good, cause then the cherry blossoms are doing their thing...
You can't forget about Osaka, merchant capital of Japan! KUI-DO-RE (sp?)!!!
That reminds me...anybody else like Mansai?
~Mae |
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Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 7:06 pm
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Thats the thing about Osaka. It's forgettable. *grins* The best thing I saw in Osaka was the huuuuuuge aquarium they have there, the Kaiyukan, complete with a freaking whale shark. I love aquariums, and that was indeed the best I have ever been in, but that was about the only highlight for my time there. Hiroshima, Nara, Kyoto, those were the places you can easily get the most for your money in terms of tons of great places within striking distance.
Course everyone I know who went to Kansai Gaidai university hung out in Osaka haha, but all went to Kyoto on the weekends. That is probably the best thing about Osaka, it's a good place to stay in if you're going to Kyoto or Nara, because its way cheaper than either of the other two cities.
Oh ok, Osaka's other good and notable feature (besides Universal Studios: Japan, and the reproduction Osaka castle, the original was bombed in the war): People there do speak hilarious Japanese. My Japanese friends and I tried not to talk to too many local people, cause we just kept chuckling at the responses and felt really rude >,< Course we speak with Nagasaki accents and mannerisms so I'm sure they thought we were weird and funny too...
((yadda yadda... I'm going on a lot today... *sigh* bored and waiting for the WoW beta servers to come back up...))
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Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 11:33 pm
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Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 9:29 am
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No drinking, age? Hhmmm.. Just makes Holland sound more fun.
Sephirob, your awesome! I'll actually have look this stuff up, I'm more of a historical person, so I think I would wanna check out Kyoto... Even though I'll be one, I don't like tourists, they've ruined everything. Such as.. Hawaii, it's a beautiful place but I hate it, it's so overpacked with tourists who want to have the real 'luau' experience and such, it just kills it..
Sound Of A Girl Hatching, I wish ya luck on the teaching or designer store! Also, no shame in liking history, I seem to be on that same boat too. >.<
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Destructive-Kiwi Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 3:20 pm
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I want to go to Hawaii someday! =D Was the food there great? I have heard some really great things about Luau cooking and hawaii eats...
And if it's history you're into D-Kiwi, I highly recommend going to Kyushu. Not only will you find waaaay less tourists, a bus ride from Fukuoka (which is the largest city on Kyushu, and a really huge place with everything you could want shopping-wise and beyond) are the oldest ruins in Japan. There are also a bunch of really great museums in Fukuoka itself.
Kyushu is really awesome. It's the place a whole bunch of really important, but little known history happened. The Mongols came ashore near Fukuoka, and you can see a bunch of sites on the coast that have to do with that. You should also go out to Nagasaki, it's my favorite city in Japan, actually. It's such a fascinating place, and has a ridiculous amount of history! Since 1550 it was the only open port in Japan, so everyone who came to trade, like the Portugese, the Dutch, and also the Chinese traders, all went through Nagasaki. It's home to Mitsubishi's shipyard, the largest dry dock in Japan. It was the wealthiest city in Japan until the Meiji restoration. It has the third 'greatest' festival in Japan, Kunchi. It's also the Christian center of Japan, and used to have the largest cathedral in Asia. It also was, of course, hit with the second Atomic bomb. o,0 and more, I'm just doing the highlights haha.
So for history, go to Kyushu !
I lived in Nagasaki for 11 months so it's a special place to me. wink
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