Due August 7: Reading Reflection

Reading: Japan in Historical Context

• Embracing Defeat, John Dower (Introduction, pp. 19-30)\
• Precarious Japan, Anne Allison (Chapter 2: From Lifelong to Liquid Japan)
•  Lecture: Japanese National Identity in Historical Context
• Note: This is a narrated PowerPoint lecture (~25 minutes long).
• Download the file.
• Open it in Microsoft PowerPoint.
• "Play" the slideshow from the beginning. You should hear the audio, and the slides should advance on their own.
• If you have any issues with this, email Kristi as soon as possible)

Assignment

Due August 7: Write a short reflection (300-500 words approx) on the prompt below:

Thinking about the readings and lecture, what do you find to be the most interesting aspects of Japanese national narratives through history? (You can pick one aspect or address several.) Can you draw any parallels or contrasts between shifts in Japanese national identity and developments in the US or other countries?

August 6, Sunday starting at 6 p.m.- Seattle Greenlake "From Hiroshima to Hope"

Greenlake, Seattle- August 6 starting at 6 p.m. (Lantern Ceremony at 8:30 p.m.) 

This year on August 6th, as  every year since 1984, ….

we will gather at Green Lake in Seattle for our annual lantern 

floating ceremony honoring victims of the atomic bombings of 

Hiroshima and Nagasaki and all victims of war.

From Hiroshima to Hope has been created by local peace, 
faith and community organizations every year since 1984, 
The Seattle event is the oldest and largest anywhere outside 
Japan. More than a thousand attendees participated again 
last year. The 2017 From Hiroshima to Hope Planning 
Committee welcomes all those who wish to come and 
experience the feeling of community, the music and the 

sight of a thousand lanterns drifting on the lake. It offers 
the hope that we can resolve international conflicts 
without violence, and learn the habit and technique 
of living in peace with all our neighbors on this earth.


For more information visit:
www.FromHiroshimatohope.org

To volunteer contact: fhthvolunteers@gmail.com

Daily Diary Schedule, Summer 2017

Japan Daily Diary Schedule, Summer 2017

You will take turns posting a blog with visuals narrating two day’s activities on the main blog for the class. You decide on the length of your post and the method of presenting.  Think of your Daily Diary assignment as a reflective  travel-log that, collectively, will tell the story of the program.

You may use a VLOG style (video diary), a combination of writing and photos with music, or whatever fits your style and prospective. We are suggesting a minimum text posting of 350 words; however, if you choose to narrate your two days via video and audio, the 350-word minimum would not necessarily apply. If you do narrate your two days using video and audio, you will need to do a short write up post introducing/providing context to your Vlog post.

Be descriptive in your posts and remember to tie in your reflections of Tokyo (and Kyoto and Hiroshima) with the program’s themes and what you are learning on the ground.  Your task is to report on the happenings of the program in a way that showcases Japan, the program activities and the learning and insights being gained. Please carefully review and edit before posting.

Each blog post is due by the end of the NEXT day assigned, i.e. if your assigned days are Aug 28-29, you would post no later than the end of the day Aug 30 (by midnight).  

We have given each of you permission to post to the program blog (we have used your uw email): http://uwhonorsjapan2017.blogspot.com/

Daily Diary Schedule

Aug  26-27 first days: Allison Takahashi Aug 28-29: Zoe Escalona

Aug 30-31:  Laura Gumz

Sept 1-2: Tobi Du

Sept  3-4: Alvin Luc

Sept 5-6: Mara Kage and Tianwei Zhu

Sept 7-8: Angela Sun

Sept  9 -10: Yu-Won Youn

Sept 11-12: Jacob Burke

Sept 13-14: Rhyan Cockrell Sept  15-16 End of Program: Ann Evans

Current Events: Week of June 25

The Associated Press. "Cheese, Please: Japan, EU Said near Agreement on Trade Pact:

The Asahi Shimbun." The Asahi Shimbun. N.p., 01 July 2017. Web.

Japan and the European Union (EU) are finalizing a trade agreement to reduce barriers between the two large economies. After President Trump’s withdrawal from Obama’s Pacific Rim trade agreement, Japan has continued to seek trade ties with other countries. One contentious point of the negotiations with the EU is Japan’s tradition of protecting domestic agricultural interests, with dairy products being debated over in this case. Both Japan and the United States have sought to protect their national economic interests by their international positions, with Trump citing an “America First” policy to trade deals and Japan insisting that they will “resolutely protect [their] interests”. This is compatible with both nations’ identities as powerful countries capable and willing to pursue national interests. However, the United States’ position in global affairs has noticeably decreased with Trump’s presidency, which contrasts with Japan’s trade negotiations with the EU. Thus, this trade agreement has also brought up questions about the United States' leadership in international issues like trade.

Shimbun, The Yomiuri. "Govt in Step with U.S. Sanctions." The Japan News. N.p., 01 July

2017. Web.

The Japanese government agreed to cooperate with the United States on a pressing matter of national security for both nations: the sanctioning of North Korea, a rogue state with nuclear capabilities. Working with the US, Japan is seeking to pressure North Korea and China (a long-time supporter of North Korea) by implementing financial and trade sanctions. Given North Korea and Japan’s tumultuous history, in which Japanese citizens were abducted by North Korean agents, these actions are in line with the national narrative of continued contention between the two countries. In addition, Japan has long been active in concert with the United States on North Korean issues, especially in the Six Party Talks. With both the US and Japan as world leaders economically and militarily, cooperation to combat the North Korean threat shows both countries’ influence in the international arena.