During spring break, I went on a trip to Tokyo, Japan with 19 other students as part of the course “Mobile Game Design in Japan.” In the weeks before we left, we developed a mobile game to present to students at J.F. Oberlin University (JFOU) in Tokyo for playtesting and feedback. In addition to exchanging with the local students, we also had plans to visit numerous landmarks to immerse ourselves in the rich culture of Japan.
All photos in this series were taken by Ethan Nieroda.
On the first full day in Japan, we visited the Meiji Jingu Shrine. The shrine was built in 1920 to honor Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Pictured here is one of the enormous gates featured at the location.
On our second day in Tokyo, we visited Senso-ji Temple, where we saw many small street vendors and also received our fortunes on small slips of paper. Both tourists and locals got their fortunes at a small shelf near the back of the interior of the temple. To get a fortune, you would shake a metal container with numbered sticks inside it. When a stick drops, you grab a sheet of paper with your fortune from a nearby drawer matching the number on the stick. My fortune was very bad, so I made sure to immediately tie it to a post to neutralize its effect.
On Sunday, we made our way to Tokyo Skytree, the tallest building in Tokyo with a sweeping 360-degree view of the city at the very top. Here, we are a three-minute walk from the base of the tower where we experienced an awe-inspiring sunset over the city.
Monday was our day trip to Kamakura, a small town south of Tokyo. In Kamakura, a large metal statue of the Buddha greeted us. After seeing the statue, we explored the winding streets and ate a delicious meal at a small, homely family-run restaurant just a 10-minute walk away from the bus station. The Buddha statue in Kamakura is both popular with tourists and locals, as it is a famous place for worship for Buddhists.
On Tuesday, we visited JFOU for the first time. During our walk from the metro station, we were greeted by the view of a quaint shrine across the road. In Tokyo, small shrines are incredibly common, sprinkling bits of nature and serenity into the otherwise very modern and bustling city.
We got to experience seeing the hazy mountains and valleys around Mount Fuji on Wednesday. As we rode up in the cable car, we were slowly introduced to the grandeur of the place. Even though Mount Fuji itself was not visible due to cloud cover, the mood of the landscape was still very pleasing and atmospheric.
After visiting Mount Fuji, we explored the beautiful small town of Oshino. This village is known for its nature preservation and quiet residential streets. During our exploration, we came upon a number of small shrines, friendly shop owners and several elegant gardens.
At Oshino, there were many modern buildings, as well as older remnants of the town’s history. Despite being from very different time periods, all the structures in Oshino went together to make a very delightful little town.
We also visited Oshino Hakkai, a collection of picturesque ponds and thatched roof buildings. The buildings also doubled as museums that displayed the culture and history of Oshino. This place was my favorite part of the town, because it really transported me into Oshino’s past and rich history.
The group and I were enthralled by the view of the city from the top of JFOU’s Shinjuku campus. JFOU is based primarily in Machida, southwest of the Tokyo area. The Shinjuku campus provides students the opportunity to study closer to the city center, allowing students to more easily experience the more bustling regions of Tokyo.
On our last full day in Japan, we visited the real life scale statue of Unicorn Gundam at Diver City Tokyo Plaza. Nine times a day, this statue lights up red and transforms into “destroy mode” as the soundtrack from the anime Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn plays in the background. Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn has been incredibly popular in Japan for over 45 years since the first episodes of the original show aired in 1979.
Share this post
