Changing Impression

 If I visit traditional place in Japan with my friends who came from other countries and then they pointed to something Japanese and asked me "What's this?"  This will be tough question for me and I may not be able to provide clear answer sometime.
Visual Anthropology of Japan gave me oppotunities to rethink about Japan. When we see films about one aspect of Japan like Kokoyakyu, Tokyo popculture, etc. I felt lile reviewed what I knew but through listening to international students' opinion I learn another perspective from different points of view. I thought this experiences were also anthropological in a way. Sometimes I knew how different idea they have by experience same things while we have similar idea by same experience.
Now Japan, a small island country and western world rapidly get closer each other. When I walk outside I see many Japanese or people from oversea who are colored hair, using keitai, talking about friends, fashion or love. Except appearance they are like same. But actually there are differences so we have different thoughts or perspective.
I found interest of anthropology to find out subtle key to know culture that I don't know and get better understanding of the culture.
To be honest, Anthropology is mess for me because there are too many factors to be taken up and maybe it's changing as time goes by. I have taken African anthropology class before but it was quite different from Visual Anthropology of Japan even I felt like I didn't have any experience of anthropology.
I felt difficulties sometimes to understand what's going on in the class but I really appreciate this oppotunities to be able to be a member of this class and study with proffesor and classmates.
Thank you very much!

坂本竜馬

I want to touch on a historical person whose name is 坂本竜馬 (Sakamoto Ryoma) in this post.

Recently, 1 year-running histrical drama of NHK that featured Ryoma was finished.

Ryoma is a thinker and an activist of the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate during the end of this period. He was born in low class family and was a victim of bullying. However, through lots of  encounters with people affect his thoughts or mates' death he was becoming to think about the need for end Tokugawa shogunate and launch new system. Finally, Ryoma succeed in ending the shogunate by letting the 15th shogun return political power to the emperor.

So he is really popular because of his life that is like a drama.



Ryoma acted by 福山雅治(Fukuyama Masaharu)
http://stat001.ameba.jp/user_images/20100103/19/firstitpro/20/00/j/o0388033810363332421.jpg

real Ryoma
http://img02.ti-da.net/usr/wokinawa/sakamotoryoma.jpg

This year many things featuring Ryoma has been seen. For example, one of the dolls of Hirakata chrysanthemum festival was Ryoma. You can see the pictures in VAOJ's October 8, post.

Then, I noticed some differences through watching TV drama of Ryoma.

I had read book about his history so I've done some research about him and there was a quite big gap between what I learned and the drama.

It's natural because TVdrama is kind of entertainment but I still feel like unnatural.

His appearance, heroicness and many things were too grate. I would rather say he is failure.

Besides, launching his own company, his plans or dreams almost do not come true.

However, he seemed to be extremely rare type of people in that era in Japan so he deserve to going deep into the study of his life or thought.