Intercultural Design - Reflection in Japan Cultural Trip

06/02/2023 - 11/02/2023 / Week 5 
Tan Pei Yun / 0345386
Intercultural Design/
Bachelor of Design in Creative Media 


Instructions 


Memories ~

Alamak too many photo to post and I decided to keep it as an album.


Writing this study trip reflection just like diary, I wish I could list them all but my brain can't but here's some of my memorable places during the trip : 

//Sensuji Temple


My first visit to Sensuji temple was when I was very young, and I can remember that I was among a lot of people and it was summer, which caused my skin to be very painful and sunburnt :.)  so I don't have much love for this temple during that time. However, this time the experience was really different; I got to try omikuji (despite my bad luck) and try different street food near Sensuji temple. Melon bun ice cream and Taiyaki red bean pastry both are my champion in there. Daifuku will go to the second hahaha. 

Also, there is no doubt that Asakusa will be the place I will miss most, the every day convenience store food hunt, the accommodations we stay in, the daily trip to and from the Asakusa train station, and last but not least the weather. Asakusa's weather was definitely warmer than other parts of Tokyo, and we even created a quote to express it. "Asakusa very HOT" 


//Gotokuji temple





It was raining day when we are on our way to gotokuji temple, we were struck by the serenity of the surroundings around Setegaya, its like a "kampung" in Tokyo , over there is really peaceful and quiet, somehow it felt like there's only 6 of in there. It was rainy and the air is still cool and crips, we stopped by a potato shop smell and that was where we get to find a store that sell maneki neko biscuit which was useful for our data collection too. I felt like every group members loves Setegaya really much, most of us keep taking photograph in every street, flowers and plants in there and we also get to saw some sakura's friends flower ? I guess ? but it was still so beautiful. 


//TeamLab Planet 


Not going to lie, Team Lab in Odaiba is the MOST worth exhibition to visit ever, the ticket price worth every penny. I love the part where each different rooms filled with colours, lights, and sounds that all blend well together with the digital and physical elements,creates a space for us to lose ourself in the moment. Although at first was somehow quite scary (why suddenly got water ? why sodark ? why we need to craw? too many why at first) but we began to understand the purpose of this exhibition. I had lots of fun during this exhibition that I never experienced it in Malaysia before.

//Gashapon and arcade in Akihabara 


When we were stepped into Akihabara, it just felt so magical and unreal , what in the world there's a city that all about anime ?! Applause to Japan !! As I look out at the bustling streets of Akihabara, Tokyo, I can't help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer energy and vibrancy of this district.The streets are lined with neon signs, and bustling crowds, all blending together into a chaotic yet harmonious whole. Everthing in there its just so aesthetic. Every few steps there always a gasha machine waiting for us to look at them and it was so exciting we get to look at different kinds of gashapon machine.Well surprise haha we get to try the famous Japanese Photo-booth in the arcade store. The result was funny but at least we got to try to be kawaii japanese girl and boys.
To me, Akihabara its just so unique and special. It's a placewhere people can come to express themselves through their shared interests. It make me feel like akihabara becomes not just a physical place, but a symbol of the power of shared interests and community, a reminder that even in the midst of the chaos of the world, we can always find a space for reflection and connection.


Reflection 

Reflecting back on my recent cultural trip to Japan Tokyo has been such an amazing experience. I was able to experience a variety of my first time. First time travelling with the university and group mates. First time going to Disney sea with the best 2 travel buddys , first time living in a capsule hotels (LOVE IT SO MUCH) and first time drinking ice cold coffee on the really freezing cold weather. Even when we were back , we were also discuss about how we miss Japan about washroom was so clean and convenient.


Back to the main point , I feel super grateful when able to choose the topic about gashapon machine that I really enjoyed , glad that the team able to work well from the start till the end. During the trip,I have seen so many gashapon machines in my whole life I guess and even able to visit the largest gashapon machine in Japan has been a unique and exciting experience for me.I have been so impressed by the sheer volume of figurines that these machines have to offer. I would say Japanese are all so creative, and literally can find almost any character imaginable from popular movies, anime, and even video games. 


Besides , I also suggest to the team that we could do an additional task of editing 2 short vlogs that could be fun when we can watch back again and again after the trip. And as I edited the vlog videos of the trip and It brings back such a lot memories and I'm thankful for the opportunity to share this with others too. Of course, from this trip, I could feel our group bonds were started to become stronger too. This bond was further strengthened when we get to experience the omikuji and going to the largest gashapon store together and had made for a memorable experience together which was inside the short vlog. Our group dynamic was perfect, and it was clear.


Another most memorable part during the trip was definitely where I experienced and went to different places (shinjuku,harajuku,asakusa,shibuya) in Tokyo. The hustle and bustle of the cities of Tokyo was an incredible sight and I loved it. I was able to take in all of the sights of the place with my own eyes and I wish I could just take photograph with my own eyes to remember all the road and path I had went in Japan. The engaging atmosphere allowed me to learn even more and make me realised I will study and work harder just because I really want to explore this lovely country again.


Comments

  1. Your photography skills are ๐Ÿ’ฏ❤️‍๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ’ฏtravelling w you made the trip 100x better peigun!!๐Ÿฅฐ

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