Yes, it’s finally here! I’m sorry it took so long – thanks to whoever borrowed Elena’s camera to film this! There are credits in the video but I’d just like to say a huge thanks to everyone involved. So click the image above to watch our performance of Soran Bushi at Sheffield University 2009 (ビデオには日本語の訳が書いてあります。)
Alright, for those hoping for an exciting and dynamic post, look elsewhere. Today I’m talking about exams, oh yes. In this particular round of exams, I have 3 three hour long papers to sit;
I thought I’d break down each one, hopefully you guys might find it interesting, and potential future Sheffield students might think ‘Hey, I want to answer questions on the effect of the bureaucracy on Japanese politics, I should go to Sheffield!’
Contemporary Japanese Society is a mandatory module for Japanese studies students, and it’s not hugely popular with the students, because we took a very similar module (‘Understanding Japan’) last year. Still, it covers a wide range of topics so it’s a useful subject to study. Still, I have to admit I wouldn’t jump at choosing it. The exam was three essays, I answered one question on the toll on society the economic drive of the 1970’s and 1980’s took (looking at suicide, homelessness and 過労死 or death from overwork), one question on Japan’s homogeneity (not the first time I’ve answered that question!) and one question on how article 9 has changed Japan’s outlooks. It wasn’t too challenging an exam as it’s all stuff I studied last year. Hopefully I actually remembered some of it. (Probably not)
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After months of planning, many thousands of pounds being spent, a few mental breakdowns and a two hour incident involving 40 Aikido mats, Japan Day finally happened on May 10th at Sheffield University. As I was pretty involved in the day I didn’t take photos, but luckily we had photographer Adam Harley on hand to take some photos. Enjoy!
Sheffield University’s Japan Day was held on May 10th this year. Here’s the press release for the event.
This year, Sheffield University is putting on Japan Day 2009, a whole day dedicated to people learning about and enjoying Japanese dance, food, culture and so on. If you cast your mind back a year ago you may remember I was part of the Soran Bushi dance team (video here) that performed at the 2008 event.
Well I’m involved this year too, and one of my jobs was to produce some promotional posters for the event. Since this year is (apparently) 150 years of Japan & the UK being linked and working together, we decided to go for a ‘Japan meets England’ theme. So these photos are exactly that; see if you can spot where Japan comes in to each one! (Hint: If you can’t, seek medical attention).
I’ll post the posters when they have been done, so you can all fly over to the UK to join us! Click on any of the images for huge versions!
So as you can see (hopefully) we decided to get one of our exchange students to dress up in a Yukata to take some photos around the university. About half of them are ones of her standing and waving or smiling, and half of them are her doing ’studenty things’ like waiting at a bus stop.
Here’s one outside the Arts Tower, our biggest building!
I hope these photos are making you think ‘Wow, I really want to go to Sheffield Japan Day 2009!’ They should be. I’m going to be posting some promotional info all over the place, including this blog, in the near future, so please look out for that!
