Tokyo Station and Beyond!

It’s hard to believe that students are already over halfway through their Anime, Manga, & Gaming program here in Tokyo! In the past two days, these Global Navigators have explored Tokyo Station Character Street, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, and more! As students have explored new areas of the city, their confidence in their navigation skills have considerably improved (we all love Iidabashi station, which can be accessed from the first floor of the hostel building!)

On Wednesday morning, students enjoyed another Anime & Manga class and they passed a new big milestone - starting their final projects! By the end of the session, every student will give a presentation on a topic of their choice. They have to think about a topic that they are particularly interested in whether it is anime, manga, or gaming. They have to come up with an argument that they want to present, and they have the choice of writing an essay, creating artwork, designing a game, etc. Professor Galbraith provided feedback with individual consultation so students have a direction for their projects. We can't wait to see what they come up with!

After lunch, it was time for the students' third intensive Japanese class with instructor Ms. Atsuko. In class, students practiced writing their names in katakana, talking about their likes/dislikes, and counting their Japanese coins (yen). Some students have accumulated a few more coins than others.

Following Japanese class, students had the chance to explore Tokyo Station Character Street (with some drama on the way, check out the gallery slideshow to learn more)! Tokyo Station is already a huge destination for commuters using the trains in and around the city, but there is an entire shopping concourse under the station! One entire section is dedicated to merchandise stores for specific characters (think Pokemon, Hello Kitty, Kirby, etc). Students had a great time exploring Character Street and seeing what all the different shops had to offer. 

The next morning, students had another session of their Anime & Manga class. They had the chance to discuss Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli) and the topic of environmentalism in anime. The students watched slips from various Miyazaki movies, and discussed the themes and symbolism that they noticed.

After class, it was time to head to Shinjuku. For this excursion, students had an option of what adventure they would like to pick. One group did a tour around Shinjuku finding sites from the famous anime movie Kimi no Na wa (Your Name). They had the chance to recreate scenes from the movie using identical locations. 

The other group headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (TMG) and visited the South Observatory on the 45th floor. There, they got to see some amazing views of Tokyo and listen to live music from a communal piano exhibition. 

Later, both groups met up again in Ikebukuro, an area known for the Sunshine City shopping complex, the Sunshine 60 skyscraper, and tons of unique shops for anime and manga fans. Many students especially enjoyed visiting the Pokemon Center, Sanrio Cafe, and Animate (one of the world's biggest anime stores).

Students were certainly feeling tired (and their wallets were feeling a bit more empty) after the past couple of days of exploring. However, they are excited about what is coming up, especially this weekend! Stay tuned to see what our Navigators get up to next!