Looking at the City Around Us, Part I: Statues (2)

1) Maako sent four photographs of statues she found in Tachikawa.

This is for the 40th anniversary of the Rotary Club in Tachikawa:

 This statue's title is "Woman with Crossed Legs." It stands in front of the Isetan Department Store.

This statue is about "family."

And this statue is for the Lion's Club. Its title is "Bonds."

















2) Aika took a photograph of this statue of a popular character. I'm sure you are familiar with him! It's in Soshigayaokura:

 

3) Yuki O. took photographs of these two statues of the Akiyama brothers, who were famous for their acts during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905):

 

   

4)  Kana found this statue near Omorikaigan Station:

 

Looking at the City Around Us: Part I: Statues!

Last week we all brought in photographs of statues we had seen in the city.

Here are some from the class.

1)

Yuuri brought in this photograph, from Shimajirô Hiroba in Tama City.

Yuuri wrote: "That stature is combination of two famous characters. A left side is Hello-Kitty, who is one of the most famous Japanese character.

A right side is Shimajiro, who appears in correspondence education program offer by Benesse corporation. 

But You may have a question why these two characters standing side by side. The reason is simple. Please look at attached map.

This place is a midpoint of two facilities. One is Sanrio-Puroland in the east side of statue. This is an amusement park which is managed by Hello-Kitty’s mother company.

Another is office of Benesse corporation, in the southwest side of statue. "

I think that it is also interesting that the yellow dots of the tactile sidewalk to guide blind people leads to the statues and makes a square around the statues.

This makes me wonder about an important question: How would a blind person experience these statues? How would a blind person experience Tokyo?

2) Yuki S. sent me this photo of a statue:

I hope that he can tell us more about it in class!

3)

Mizuki sent me photographs of these three statues from the Waseda University campus (he told me very carefully that he does not like Waseda, though!). Although the names of the "sensei" are clearly marked on the above two statues, I can't find the name for the one below. It looks like there is baseball gear depicted there, however. What do you think?

Welcome!

Class description:

We live and study in one of the largest ones in the world. But what do we really know about the past and current dynamics in Tokyo or other cities? In this class, we will think about urban spaces and how people relate to them.

We will consider three cities in particular: Tokyo, New York City, and Bilbao. In the spring, we will focus on efforts to preserve urban histories as cities rapidly change. We will have a chance to engage with local historians, discuss key issues facing Tokyo, and discuss theories about urban renewal and gentrification. In the fall, we will think more about the future of these three cities, which will include Tokyo’s efforts to welcome the 2020 Olympics.

This class will change the way you see the city around you and its past, and also help you ask the most pressing questions about how inhabitants can and should relate to their cities as they face 21^st century challenges, including overcrowding, environmental issues, and tourism.

Most simply... let's get curious about the spaces we move through each day!