Japan’s Castles: Citadels of Modernity in War and Peace
Oleg Benesch and Ran Zwigenberg
An innovative examination of heritage politics in Japan, showing how castles have been used to re-invent and recapture competing versions of the pre-imperial past and project possibilities for Japan’s future. Oleg Benesch and Ran Zwigenberg argue that Japan’s modern transformations can be traced through its castles. They examine how castle preservation and reconstruction campaigns served as symbolic ways to assert particular views of the past and were crucial in the making of an idealized premodern history. Castles have been used to craft identities, to create and erase memories, and to symbolically join tradition and modernity. Until 1945, they served as physical and symbolic links between the modern military and the nation’s premodern martial heritage. After 1945, castles were cleansed of military elements and transformed into public cultural spaces that celebrated both modernity and the pre-imperial past. What were once signs of military power have become symbols of Japan’s idealized peaceful past.
There’s a lot of cool Japanese artists on Twitter and Instagram that occasionally get reported on in English-language media, but I found this one in my old bookmarks and couldn’t resist bringing it back.
An artist who goes by “Uni” has a spectacular online presence showcasing her work doing both kirigami (paper folding and cutting to create shapes) and kiri-e (cutting designs into paper). From her website she seems to focus on paper cranes, which showcase extremely delicate and intricate patterns. Whether symmetrical designs or cartoon characters (as seen on the right), they’re absolutely gorgeous, with impressive detail.
Uni also has a twitter, where you can see some more work. I’m especially blown away by the size of some of the works produced, which are little bites of art sometimes no bigger than a single yen! Be sure to check out her art, even if you spend hours scrolling back in time on the feed. Happy Friday!
It was actually yesterday, but it flew right by me! Though things have slowed down a bit as I go through some life and career changes, I’m still going to put in my best effort this year to provide more great Japan-related content for you all. Rest assured, new resources and guest writers are in the works! 😊🎂
Thanks for sticking with me and here’s to another year of Japan fun! And don’t forget, requests and guest pieces are always welcome. The best part of a community is working together to make great things happen. 🎉
Japanese Culture Through Videogames
Rachael Hutchinson
Examining a wide range of Japanese videogames, including arcade fighting games, PC-based strategy games and console JRPGs, this book assesses their cultural significance and shows how gameplay and context can be analyzed together to understand videogames as a dynamic mode of artistic expression.
Well-known titles such as Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Street Fighter and Katamari Damacy are evaluated in detail, showing how ideology and critique are conveyed through game narrative and character design as well as user interface, cabinet art, and peripherals. This book also considers how ‘Japan’ has been packaged for domestic and overseas consumers, and how Japanese designers have used the medium to express ideas about home and nation, nuclear energy, war and historical memory, social breakdown and bioethics. Placing each title in its historical context, Hutchinson ultimately shows that videogames are a relatively recent but significant site where cultural identity is played out in modern Japan.
Comparing Japanese videogames with their American counterparts, as well as other media forms, such as film, manga and anime, Japanese Culture Through Videogames will be useful to students and scholars of Japanese culture and society, as well as Game Studies, Media Studies and Japanese Studies more generally.
Position: 9mo postdoc, 2019-2020
Institution: Center for Asia Pacific Studies, University of San Francisco
Location: San Francisco, California
The University of San Francisco Center for Asia Pacific Studies is pleased to announce the call for applicants for a postdoctoral fellowship. The term of the appointment is for 9 months during the 2019-2020 academic year.
The fellowship is intended to promote the career of a recent PhD by providing an opportunity for the successful applicant to gain administrative, teaching, and research experience. The Postdoctoral Fellow will serve as the academic coordinator for the USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies’ new undergraduate student fellowship program 2 days a week during regular office hours and spend at least 1 additional day a week on campus pursuing his/her academic research.
Full Job Description:
The Fellow will be Required to:
*Serve as the academic coordinator for the Center for Asia Pacific Studies’ undergraduate student fellowship program.
*Pursue independent academic research on a topic in the field of East Asian Studies (border crossing and transnational topics are especially welcome).
*Be in residence for the duration of the 9-month appointment. (The fellow must begin the appointment between August 20 and September 30, 2019). Actively engage with the center’s faculty, students, and staff as fellow by attending Center for Asia Pacific Studies events (public programs and academic activities).
*Reside in the San Francisco Bay Area.
*Present his/her research at one public lecture/or brown bag lecture during the course of the fellowship.
Eligibility:
Candidates must have a PhD in the field of Asian Studies (social sciences and the humanities) at the time of the appointment. (A certified copy of the PhD certificate is required before the appointment start date.)
The fellow should be within 5 years of having received the Ph.D. by the beginning of the appointment.
Review of applications will begin July 15, 2019 and remain open until the position is filled.
Required Application Materials:
*Cover letter
*Curriculum vitae
*Writing sample
*5-10 page double-spaced description of proposed research and deliverable
outcomes for the year, including the contribution the research would make in the relevant field(s) and to the USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies.
*One or two writing samples (publications, drafts of journal articles or dissertation chapters)
*Letters of recommendation from two people, at least one of whom is based in the United States, who are knowledgeable about the applicant’s scholarly work.
All application materials must be submitted via e-mail to: centerasiapacific@usfca.edu
Subject Line: Postdoctoral Scholar Application
Contact for Questions:
Melissa S. Dale, PhD
Executive Director & Associate Professor
USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies
2130 Fulton St.
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080 USA
(415) 422-2590
Email: mdale3@usfca.edu
Since 1988, the USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies has offered events and programs that promote greater understanding of the peoples and cultures of the Asia Pacific region. Fostering and promoting innovative research and teaching designed to create conversation and dialogue, the center regularly organizes and hosts public programs, academic symposia, and conferences on topics important for our understanding of Asia both historically and today. Our programs attracted diverse audiences, consisting of faculty, students from USF and other leading universities in the San Francisco Bay Area, and members of the interested public. Please visit the Center’s website (https://www.usfca.edu/asia-pacific) for more information about the center and our work.
This position is located in the Collections Services Section of the Asian Division, Collection and Services Directorate.
This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position.
The position description number for this position is 349101.
The incumbent of this position will work a flexitime work schedule.
Responsibilities
Following extensive library rules, procedures, and operations, maintains the collections. Received training in shelving materials using multiple systems of classifications and local shelf arrangement. Based on this knowledge, systematically reads designated shelves to ensure that items are properly arranged. Arranges, sorts, and re-shelves materials returned to the stacks according to shelflist order. Continually shelfreads in assigned areas to ensure that each item is in proper shelflist order. Rearranges and shifts items under supervisory guidance and in accordance with available space.
Identifies and removes items suspected of containing errors in labeling and/or cataloging and forwards items for appropriate correction. Learns how to follow routine retention/discard procedures.
Following extensive library rules, procedures, and operations, retrieves materials in the collections. Applies judgement in retrieving materials. Receives call slips indicating call number, author, title, volume, etc., of materials requested by readers or staff. Draws upon knowledge of the LC classification system to understand its peculiarities especially in the areas covered by the Asian Division. Understand the meaning of different shelf markers, and be able to locate materials which may have special requirements such as being in a foreign language or format. Checks title, author, call number, etc. against call slip. Inserts call slip in the book and other routing slips as required, and dispatches the requested materials. When information is incomplete or inaccurate, seeks assistance and verifies the call number, edition and other indicia in order to locate the requested item.
Performs interlibrary loan functions by searching guides and shelves for material going out on loan. Examines condition of materials returned and re-shelves material appropriately.
Serves at the reference desk in reading room, accepting cal slips from readers. Reviews call slips for accuracy and completion. Learns to identify material housed in other custodial locations or off site facilities. Delivers materials or status reports to the requester’s desk in the Asian Reading Room.
Assists the library clientele in the use of library resources by locating materials; showing users how to find items in the public access catalog, periodical index, electronic storage files, and other finding aids. Learns to answer a wide range of ready reference questions. Uses knowledge of publication formats in foreign languages and of Romanization tables to perform duties involving several major Asian languages, such as serials check-in or locating requested material for loan to other libraries.
Following extensive library rules, procedures, and operations, processes library collections. Distinguishes the type of material, and separates and properly distributes all types of library collection items for processing. Completes appropriate forms for accessioning, recording, and statistical reports. Uses large bibliographic databases. Receives and sorts materials into bound and unbound categories. Checks in materials. Prepares materials for digital conversion or binding. Attaches call numbers.
Learns proper method of handling books, paper, photographs, CDs, microfilms and microfiches, or moving image materials in order to track and apply appropriate labels, barcode labels, security devices, bookplates, and/or property stamps across the Library. Learns to create updates and edits bibliographic records within the Integrated Library Systems.
Determines and performs basic rehousing of the Library’s collection materials. Follows the standard procedures to route materials for repair, housing, binding, or reformatting. Works in cooperation with supervisors and other specialists to ensure that collections are properly prepared for treatment, transport, and disposition. Performs preliminary routines needed to identify and refer materials ready for binding; this includes being able to sort materials in a variety of formats and languages.
Preservation of Library materials requires some physical exertion such as pushing and pulling materials ready for binding from one area to another.
The Japan Information & Culture Center (JICC), Embassy of Japan, is seeking a highly motivated, team-oriented individual for the position of Film Coordinator. The main responsibilities of this position include coordinating the film screening events at the JICC as well as working with other organizations for film festivals and other events. Please see below for a more detailed list of responsibilities.
The Embassy offers group health insurance coverage, paid vacation, and sick leave. Working hours are 9 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday with weeknight and/or weekend events several times a month (paid overtime). Salary is commensurate with experience. The minimum basic monthly salary for this position is $3,200.
Please note: Candidate must be a U.S. citizen or a U.S. green card holder. Screening will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Only successful candidates will be contacted. All candidates will be subject to background checks and security clearance.
Responsibilities:
Coordinate film screenings
Track and analyze event attendance and feedback
Assist other JICC staff in the organization and execution of cultural events
Respond to public inquiries about Japan
Support events, including receptions organized by the Embassy
Other responsibilities as needed
Required & Preferred Qualifications:
Fluent in English and advanced proficiency in Japanese.
Deep knowledge and appreciation of Japanese culture
Strong public speaking skills and experience delivering presentations
High level of professionalism and respect
Flexibility and resourcefulness
Superior interpersonal and communication skills
Highly organized and able to multi-task with varying deadlines
Computer skills including experience with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.)
Team-oriented self-starter
Bachelor’s Degree in related field
Application instructions:
Email your resume, cover letter, and a copy of your university transcript(s) (need not be official) in PDF format to: jicchr@ws.mofa.go.jp by July 12 (Friday).
Please note in the subject line of your e-mail “Film Coordinator”.
Please no phone calls. Due to the high volume of resumes we receive, we cannot guarantee consideration of your application if the submission instructions are not properly followed.
Today we are featuring a guest post by Elena Kirillova, currently a Master’s student in Japanese Language and Literature. She provides a detailed overview of the Middlebury Summer School of Japanese, including both the program’s contents and her personal experiences/challenges in a short-term, intensive academia program.
Content warning: The following article discusses mental health, including depression and eating disorders.
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Photo by Nicola Sap De Mitri
Middlebury Summer School of Japanese is an 8-week program that creates unparalleled language immersion by having students sign the Language Pledge® to speak Japanese and only Japanese for the duration of the program.
I went to Middlebury in the summer of 2013, right after I finished a year of studying abroad in Japan as a college junior. My study abroad program was great, but it wasn’t language-focused. The culture classes were in English, the students on the program spent a lot of time together speaking English, and there wasn’t much opportunity to make Japanese friends. Middlebury sounded like the place to be for someone who wanted to focus specifically on their language skills.
In this article, I will talk about the program overall, financial aid, my experience of the program, and some alternatives. My experience was mixed, which is one of the reasons I thought it would be valuable to share it. I think Middlebury is an amazing program: I am not aware of any other summer school in the United States that provides language immersion to the extent Middlebury does, and the challenge of the pledge attracts a very special group of students and teachers. That being said, I had a tough time, which stemmed from the combination of an overwhelming amount of coursework and my general inability to prioritize my well-being. I am not sure if I would do the program again, but if I did, I would certainly do it differently. While part of this article is going to be informative of the program in general, the other part will address the importance of one’s mental health in an academically challenging setting. During the program, I became depressed and my eating disorder was exacerbated. I hope my story can be helpful to someone.
I’ll cover:
The pledge
Classes, workload, and credits
Activities
Room and board
Tuition and financial aid
Mental health under academic stress (my experience)
Mental health under academic stress (my strategies)
Should you go?
What if you had a year to do the same amount of studying?
Alternative intensive summer programs
Another alternative: independent lessons and study resources
Conclusion
The pledge
“In signing this Language Pledge®, I agree to use Japanese as my only language of communication while attending the Middlebury Language Schools. I understand that failure to comply with this Pledge may result in my expulsion.”
I can see why Middlebury is proud of the language pledge to the extent of having it trademarked. Getting conversational practice in Japanese is hard. My college classes were conducted entirely in Japanese, but each separate student still got very little speaking practice during class time. Middlebury has the answer: an environment in which you can practice every day all day long.
There are exceptions to the pledge. The school doesn’t prevent you from speaking to your loved ones and friends in your native language but advises that you keep such communication to a minimum. Speaking to medical professionals is also allowed, as one may expect.
Do people break the pledge? They did when I went. But what you’ll find is that there isn’t much opportunity to break it: you spend all of your weekday mornings in classes, teachers and students eat all their meals together, and outside of class there are clubs, trips, and school events. Plus, the homework. You will be immersed in the language, guaranteed.
The pledge is truly the crown jewel of the Language Schools. And you can’t not love the school’s catchy slogan:
Life doesn’t come with subtitles.
人生は字幕はない。
Classes, workload, and credits
Personally, I found the quality of instruction and class material to be top-notch but the amount of work, a year of coursework fit into 8 weeks, overwhelming.
Classes: 4 hours a day Monday-Friday
Homework: 20 hours a week are expected (to match the hours of classes)
8 weeks = 1 academic year of material
There were five levels of classes from beginner to advanced: shokyū初級 I, shokyū初級 II, chūkyū中級 I, chūkyū中級 II, and jōkyū上級. You can find the detailed descriptions of each on the school’s website. I was in 中級 II, upper-intermediate. We had twenty students in my class. Lower levels were about the same size. The smallest group was advanced level, with three students. For 中級 II, there was no textbook. Instead, class material was curated by the school and teachers, although I know the level below me used Tobira. By the time you completed 中級 II you were about at a level of passing JLPT N2 (note: the school doesn’t specificallyprepare students for JLPT exams).
In terms of academic credits, I was able to place out of the full year of senior Japanese classes at my college, JA421 and JA422:
Room and board
The location of the Japanese school alternates between two campuses, Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT and Mills College in Oakland, CA. They also just announced that Bennington College in VT will be another location. Make sure to double check where it is that particular summer. I was at the Mills campus, so I’ll comment on what was on the Mills campus.
Housing: single and double rooms
Meals: at the dining hall (teachers and students eat together)
Facilities: gym and 10-lane outdoor swimming pool
The dorms were pretty standard, with communal showers.
There was one dining hall, so what’s in rotation on the menu got boring at times. I recommend having pocket money for going out once in a while. In Oakland, you can get around by public transportation if you don’t have a car. I did that or caught rides with students who had a car. It was especially nice to get a ride to go to San Francisco.
I came with one luggage bag and bought my bed linen there. One thing to keep in mind is the climate. If you have been to San Francisco, you would know that summers are generally warm, but it can get quite cold in the evenings and on overcast days. I got plenty of use out of the scarf and hoodie that I brought with me. I also got a Zojirushi thermos while there (most teachers had one) and would fill it with tea at the dining hall before class. It will keep your drink hot for hours!
Activities
The school offers a praiseworthy variety of after-class activities:
Clubs (martial arts, karaoke, rakugo, tea ceremony and incense appreciation, calligraphy, soccer, choir, and volleyball)
Field Trips
Visiting Speakers (professional rakugo performers, professional kirie performer)
School Events (summer festival, talent show, rakugo night, and weekly films)
The clubs meet weekly. The wonderful thing about the clubs is that they are run by the language instructors. While teaching is their profession, a club is typically that particular teacher’s hobby. The clubs make for a laid-back break from the intensive schooling and offer a chance to make friends with students from other levels and build a friendship with one of the language teachers outside of class.
I did choir and rakugo, traditional humorous storytelling. Rakugo was especially interesting because I had to get the pitch accent just right, something that’s not practiced as much in Japanese classrooms. Here is me telling a joke at the Rakugo Night:
There were two trips in my year, to see the Golden Gate Bridge and to Japantown in San Francisco.
Visiting speakers were outstanding. For Middlebury’s tough academic environment, diverting entertainers such as the rakugo and kirie performers made the perfect choice. Rakugo performers are Japanese traditional “sit-down” comedians. All of the performers were at the school for a week or two giving you plenty of chances to talk to them in person.
Here is a video the school took during my year that offers a sneak peek into some of the activities:
Tuition and financial aid
The tuition might be the highest compared to other summer language programs but – when you consider the financial aid the schools offers, that the tuition includes lodging, dining, and extracurricular activities (speakers, trips, clubs, and cultural events), and that, if you are in the US, it would be cheaper to reach than a program in Japan — it becomes comparable and possibly even cheaper, depending on the financial aid you receive.
Here is the break-down from 2019:
Tuition, Room, and Board: $12,640
Travel, Books, and Incidentals: vary depending on the student
Make sure to apply for financial aid as soon as you can. It is limited, and you can only apply for it once you’ve submitted your application to the program.
Most scholarships are for select groups such as veterans. Only one scholarship is open to everyone, Kathryn Davis Fellows for Peace award. The main element of the application is a 500-word essay that “should reflect your past experience and future aspirations to contribute to more peaceful relationships between people, institutions, or communities.” This scholarship is certainly worth applying for since it offers a full coverage (tuition, room, and board).
When I went in 2013, I was able to get the maximum need-based grant from Middlebury and additional funding from my university. Always check with your school for available scholarships! At the end, I had to pay for the domestic travel and about $1000 towards the tuition. I didn’t have a chance to look for outside funding, but I imagine there should be a number of other opportunities out there. I did apply for the Kathryn Davis scholarship but was not selected.
Lastly, attending a Middlebury summer language school comes with a nice perk, the guaranteed $5,000 affiliation scholarship to attend Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (former Monterey Institute of International Studies). MIIS is famous for its MA programs in translation, interpreting, and localization.
Mental health (my experience)
Looking back, the biggest mistake I made at the program was to care about grades more than about my well-being. I prioritized homework over spending time with friends, exercise, rest, etc. Although the following information is quite personal, I hope my story will be helpful to other students who also suffer from mental health issues, including those like myself who struggle with eating disorders. While at Middlebury, I pursued perfectionism at the cost of my own health. As it can happen with eating disorders or addiction, I didn’t recognize I had a problem when I joined the program. I had been engaging in binge eating, dieting, and over-exercising since I was a teenager, but all this time I thought I had it under control. Middlebury became my wake-up call – I was doing so poorly under the academic stress, I finally realized that I had to get help.
Now I can speak about it openly, but it used to be my deeply embarrassing secret. That also started to change at Middlebury, for which I am very grateful. At the program, I met someone who suffered from alcoholism and bulimia. That person became one of the first people I opened up to about my binge eating. Seeing a brilliant, kind, and inspiring individual who suffered from a similar affliction made me realize that I was not alone and that my eating disorder didn’t make me less of a person. It helped me let go of the shame as well as recognize that I needed help.
At Middlebury, I went to see a therapist for the first time in my life. It was a great relief to be able to talk to someone. I believe the summer therapists on Mills campus were volunteers of a sort. Mine was young and didn’t seem very experienced but was a good listener. He referred me to a therapist at my college at the end of the program, and in September another therapist at my school diagnosed me with an eating disorder. I like to think that my recovery began that summer. Realizing that there was no shame in feeling stressed, depressed, or having an eating disorder and that there was no shame in talking about it to someone was a big first step.
Today more and more people are talking openly about depression, trauma, anxiety, addiction, etc., and how it is connected to their experience of academic pressure. I hope my story can help to normalize these experiences, especially for those in intensive academic programs.
Mental health (my strategies)
Currently, I am in a graduate program and doing well. Since Middlebury, I’ve seen several therapists, participated in support groups (Overeaters Anonymous), and learned a lot about prioritizing my health, which required me to learn about what my body, mind, and spirit needed.
The list below is an example of what I do to stay well during my everyday life and academic experiences. It has been trial and error to find what works for me so I know that someone else might need a completely different set of strategies. Hopefully this will provide some starting ideas. I wish I had known all that I know now when I was at Middlebury.
Limiting study hours. I decide how many hours I am willing to spend on each class and stick to those hours instead of doing work until it’s done or until it’s perfect. If I don’t finish a certain reading or don’t complete a paper to the level I hoped for, I’ve learned to be ok with that. My well-being is more important. On daily basis, I study and go to classes 9 am to 5 pm and don’t do any school-related activities after 5 pm. On the weekend, I take at least one full day of no work as well.
Therapy. I used to go to therapy and support groups, but currently am able to keep my mental health in check myself. If my boyfriend or I notice me slipping back into over-working myself, I restructure my schedule. Another thing that helps me stay in check is an app called Moodnotes, a journal with a CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy) element and mood tracking. The CBT part helps me restructure thinking and behaviors that don’t benefit me (it lets you identify thought traps such as catastrophizing, negative filtering, etc.) while the mood tracking lets me keep a watch on how I am doing.
Socializing. I make sure to meet a friend at least once a week and dedicate time to spend with my significant other.
Time alone. I am an introvert, so I have to have time when I am not studying or socializing to recover my energy. I maintain daily boundaries with my friends, partner, and roommates in order to create that alone space. It is one of the most vital elements of how I stay well.
Exercise. I go climbing or to group training (Tabata) at least once a week and make sure to do yoga a couple times a week as well. Tabata and climbing are social, which makes it more fun. Yoga especially feels great after all the sitting and constant thinking for school – it’s good to stretch and try to quiet my mind.
Nature. A neurologist and one of my favorite authors Oliver Sacks writes on the healing power of nature, “Even for people who are deeply disabled neurologically, nature can be more powerful than any medication.” He names nature and music as the two most effective non-pharmaceutical therapies people have access to. I try to remember that and make an effort to spend some time outside every week, whether it’s biking to school, hiking on the weekend, or going for a walk.
Eating well. Part of my eating disorder was that I grew up misinformed about food by the modern-age dieting culture. I have since learned that fat, carbs, and chocolate are not my enemies and instead try to listen to what my body needs and eat everything in moderation. I make sure to find time to cook or buy something healthy with occasional indulging.
Doing what I love. I am working on an MA in Japanese Literature and Language, and I love it. I am excited to go to class every day. Back in college I spent two years pursuing a Computer Science major, thinking programming a lucrative career, but luckily realized in time that it was making me unhappy. It makes a big difference to me to be doing something I am truly interested in.
It is said that people who quit academic programs are often those who isolate themselves and study without a break. At Middlebury, that was me. Don’t be me! Take care of yourself.
Should you go?
In short, Middlebury is an excellent program, but it is highly intensive and can be a stressful experience. Remember, it is a year of school material fit into 8 weeks. If you enjoy intensive learning Middlebury is a place for you. If you are deciding to do this intensive program for other reasons, I would recommend that you prepare some strategies for dealing with the stress of the coursework.
When I went, my motivation was that I wanted to be in a program with people who were as enthusiastic about the language as I was and that provided lots of opportunities to practice speaking. It was also something to do in the summer during my break that I could add to my resume, and it let me fulfill two semesters of fourth-year Japanese at college, which then allowed me to have a much lighter workload the last year of college. I thought I was killing two or three birds with one stone.
But, as I discussed in the above sections, the workload got the best of me. All of the great benefits of the program weren’t worth it to me because of that. But if you feel confident in your ability to handle the intensive learning environment and its challenges, you might find the stress of the coursework worth it. The reward is a breakthrough in your language ability, which Middlebury immersion guarantees.
What if you had a year to do the same amount of studying?
As you consider whether Middlebury is a good fit for you, I’d like to give you some perspective by looking at how much you would need to study if you had a whole year to do what’s covered at Middlebury in 8 weeks.
Here are the number of hours you would complete at a summer at Middlebury:
classes = 4 hours/weekday (160 hours total)
homework = 4 hours/weekday (160 hours total)
conversational practice with peers and teachers outside of class ≈ 3 hours/weekday (120 hours total)
If, instead, you studied for a year, to complete the above hours you would need:
classes: 36 mins/weekday
homework: 36 mins/weekday
conversational practice: 30 mins/weekday
If you had a whole year, you would need to practice speaking and study a total of 8.5 hours a week. At Middlebury, it would be a total of 55 hours a week. As you weigh the advantages and disadvantages of attending Middlebury, thinking about the amount of work and the timeframe in which it is completed may help you gauge whether you are the type of learner who would benefit from intensive learning or the type who might get more out of other options.
Alternative intensive summer programs
I imagine there are many intensive summer programs out there, but here are a couple that I have heard about. The program details are those as of 2019.
IUC (Inter-University Center) in Yokohama: founded in 1961 by Stanford University and operated by a consortium of universities. This is an intensive program with short-term and long-term options.
Eligibility: professionals and scholars that are advanced learners of Japanese
Duration: 7 weeks or 10 months
Formal instruction: 20 hours/week
Tuition: $5,000 (covers instruction and textbooks only)
KSJS (Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies) in Kyoto: founded in 1989 by a consortium of universities and managed by Columbia University since 2006 (previously Stanford University). They have a summer program in Classical Japanese as well but below are the details of the Modern Japanese program.
Eligibility: undergraduate and graduate students who have completed at least a year of college-level Japanese or more
Duration: 8 weeks
Formal instruction: 15 hours/week
Tuition: $5, 354 (covers instruction and textbooks only)
Critical Language Scholarship Program (location vary): a competitive U.S. Department of State’s program, administered by the American Council on International Education.
Eligibility: undergraduate and graduate students of intermediate level or higher
Duration: 8 weeks
Formal instruction: 20 hours/week
Tuition: $0 (everything is covered by the scholarship, including lodging, food, and transportation to/from Japan)
Another alternative: independent lessons and study resources
I’ve discovered all of the resources below after Middlebury. To master a language, you don’t necessarily have to go to Japan or to Middlebury, you can design your own study plan. The benefit is that it can be cheaper, you can work with one-on-one lessons tailored to your ability and needs, and you can pick the study materials. Also, if you decided that intensive learning is not for you, this might be. The con is that you might have to do the work of designing your own schedule and maintaining it. Immersion at Middlebury leads to great improvement in one’s speaking ability, so since this section offers an alternative to Middlebury, I’ve picked resources aimed at improving one’s speaking ability as opposed to reading and writing.
Lessons
Auditing: a lot of colleges allow the local residents to attend classes as an auditor for free or for a reduced rate.
One-on-one lessons:
Wasabi: I took classes with Wasabi (an online company) a few years back when they were just starting. They are currently offering 2 lessons a week for $126/month ($16/lesson) and additional lessons for $18/lesson. Lessons are 50 minute long. If you take lessons on all weekdays of the year, it would be about $4320. You would be receiving one-on-one instruction, and it is still about a third the price of Middlebury! Of course, this is largely because the dining and lodging is not included. For comparison, the tuition of the summer program at IUC in Yokohama is $5,000, where students cover their own housing, living, and transportation.
Italki: on italki.com you can find an affordable online teacher.
JapanesePod101: very well done Japanese podcast lessons. For $4 a month you can get access to all of their lessons and lesson notes. I love listening to them when I’m cooking.
Terrace House on Netflix: a Japanese reality TV show featuring 3 women and 3 men living together and dating, with an entertaining commentary by Japanese celebrities.
NHK: has a wealth of Japanese news, documentaries, and TV. The series on Japanese history called 10 min. ボクス is great for an intermediate student of Japanese. Their targeted audience are Japanese middle and high school students.
Pronunciation
Shadowing: listening to Japanese speech and repeating it. It can be songs, recordings from Read Real Japanese book series, recordings from your textbooks, etc. You can do it while driving, walking, or in the shower. Watch this step-by-step video on shadowing by Koichi from Tofugu.
HiNative: on HiNative you can record yourself and ask native speakers for feedback. You can also post general questions about the language.
Conclusion
There are many different ways to study a language, and so a big part of the process is figuring out what kind of learning fits your needs, skills, and goals. Finances, personal life, or academic work are also all big factors. I can’t tell you whether an intensive summer at Middlebury is for you, but I hope my description of various elements of the program will help you make an informed choice.
Lastly, I want to share this humorous video, titled Midoruberii no purejji “chotto muzukashii desu” (trans. “Middlebury pledge ‘it’s a bit difficult’”). It is in Japanese and was created by the newspaper club during my summer. In the video, students and teachers answer questions about the pledge. I love the advice one of the teachers gives at the end: “Relax your shoulders a little, we want you to have fun doing everything in Japanese.” I think this is a great message for Middlebury students, but also for anyone in a rigorous academic program. During my time at Middlebury, I studied too much and didn’t take care of myself enough. Middlebury Summer School of Japanese is an intensive program and can get stressful for some students. If it does for you, don’t forget to practice self-care, ask for help if needed, and take the time to enjoy your experiences along the way.
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Elena Kirillova is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Japanese Literature and Language at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (graduating in 2020). She graduated from Colby College in 2014 with a BA in East Asian Studies. She thinks Hiroshi Kawasaki’s poem Tanpopo (lit. “Dandelion”) is the cutest.
One Doctoral Research Fellowship (SKO 1017) in Okinawan Studies is available at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo.
The PhD candidate will take part in the ERC-funded project “Whales of Power: Aquatic Mammals, Devotional Practices, and Environmental Change in Maritime East Asia”, led by Aike P. Rots. Whales of Power is concerned with the comparative study of human-cetacean relations in maritime East Asia, as expressed in popular worship practices and beliefs in different parts of the region. We will examine several of these traditions through a combination of historical and ethnographic research. Marine mammals and associated worship practices will serve as a prism through which we approach human responses to socio-economic and environmental change in Asian coastal communities. The project has three important theoretical objectives: 1) apply recent theoretical developments associated with “environmental humanities” to the comparative study of popular religion; 2) reconsider the role of local worship traditions in the Asian Secular Age, examining the new meanings attributed to ritual practices; and 3) establish a new comparative paradigm in Asian studies.
The PhD candidate will work on marine mammals, sacralisation, and environmental activism in Okinawa. S/he will examine claims that the dugong has traditionally been seen as a sacred animal, associated with creation myths and the Ryukyu royal institution. In addition, s/he will analyse the current significance of the dugong as a critically endangered species which has come to symbolise the preservation of Henoko Bay, an area with high biodiversity, where a large new military base is currently under construction. Through interviews and participant observation within activist communities in Okinawa, the PhD candidate will explore the different meanings attributed to the dugong today, and explore internal debates about the significance of Okinawan “heritage” and of “sacred” animals and places in contemporary struggles for environmental protection and self-determination.
Applicants are invited to apply with a project proposal in which they elaborate on how they will approach this case study theoretically and methodologically. The case study should be placed within the overall framework of the Whales of Power project, and the candidate should show familiarity with the main project’s contents and objectives. For more information about Whales of Power, and the different work packages, see the project website. If you have any questions, please contact the project leader, Aike Rots: a.p.rots@ikos.uio.no.
Faith and Reason in Continental and Japanese Philosophy: Reading Tanabe Hajime and William Desmond
By: Takeshi Morisato
This book brings together the work of two significant figures in contemporary philosophy. By considering the work of Tanabe Hajime, the Japanese philosopher of the Kyoto School, and William Desmond, the contemporary Irish philosopher, Takeshi Morisato offers a clear presentation of contemporary comparative solutions to the problems of the philosophy of religion. Importantly, this is the first book-length English-language study of Tanabe Hajime’s philosophy of religion that consults the original Japanese texts.
Considering the examples of Christianity and Buddhism, Faith and Reason in Continental and Japanese Philosophy focuses on finding the solution to the problem of philosophy of religion through comparative examinations of Tanabe’s metanoetics and Desmond’s metaxology. It aims to conclude that these contemporary thinkers – while they draw their inspiration from the different religious traditions of Christianity and Mahayana Buddhism – successfully reconfigure the relation of faith and reason.
Faith and Reason in Continental and Japanese Philosophy marks an important intervention into comparative philosophy by bringing into dialogue these thinkers, both major figures within their respective traditions yet rarely discussed in tandem.
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Japan’s Castles: Citadels of Modernity in War and Peace
Japanese Culture Through Videogames
Deadline: July 12
Faith and Reason in Continental and Japanese Philosophy: 
What can I do with a B.A. in Japanese Studies? 