We are moving into the third week at the Japan Center. Here’s a quick update on what’s happening.

Survival Japanese has ended. Whew! We hope you can order your Ramen with confidence at this point. The next level of Beginning Japanese will start on Wednesday while the other two Intermediate levels continue.

In the past two weeks there have been East Asian Studies workshops in Sumi-e (Japanese ink painting), Tai Chi and Martial Arts . For this week, there is a party and karaoke scheduled for Tuesday night with Ritsumeikan University students, and a Shiatsu workshop taught by Taka Kishi scheduled on Thursday for East Asian Studies. On Sunday there will be a field trip to Myoshinji Temple, a famous Zen temple in Kyoto, where we will be given a tour of the temple, and learn about their traditional Japanese art and garden design as well as about the temple’s historical background. In addition, there will be an opportunity to experience Zen meditation at one of the sub-temples, Shunko-in.

From the writing workshop linked to our East Asian Studies program, here is a paper with an interesting perspective on Martial Arts written by Jessica Smith:

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Martial Arts

Both in terms of technique and purpose, the eastern fighting method of martial arts differs greatly from that of predominant western styles of combat. By examining the way in which a martial arts master fights, and through a brief study into ki, an important concept in Japanese spirituality, I wish to highlight the differences between western and eastern mind, which leads to the visible differences in methodology.

In Japanese martial arts, the skills used in fighting are called Bujutsu (the skill of a warrior), whilst the collective way of life lead by a military man, such as the Samurai, would be referred to as Budo (or the way of the warrior).

Read more here Jessica Smith’s area studies paper,

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Picture of the Budo Center as uploaded by Meaghan, Latayvia, Michelle, Kelly on Flickr.
Sidenote: The Budo Center was not always used just for martial arts. During the US occupation of Japan after Second World War, the Budo Center was a dance hall for US soldiers.