Wednesday, January 27, 2010

I got back from Japan two nights ago. It was a great trip, taking me to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. 

I'd been to Sapporo, Osaka and Kyoto once before, in 2007, but I'd never been to Tokyo. As was the case back then, this trip was made in connection with the Slavic Research Center at the University of Hokkaido.  The folks at the SRC have made an incredible contribution to the study of Islam in Russia, and in addition to running their own symposia over the years they've also formed partnerships with other universities in Japan to hold a number of joint conferences and workshops. 

The workshop I participated in last week was held at the University of Osaka and was called  "Comparative Research on Major Regional Powers in Eurasia—Islamic Institutions and Imperial Reach." It was great to see a lot of old friends from Sapporo, Osaka, Kobe, and elsewhere, as well as make some new ones. 

Earlier in the week I'd also had the opportunity to meet up with a couple of scholars from the University of Tokyo, which was also very enjoyable. Just as Sapporo (where Hokkaido University is located) is the center of Russian studies in Japan, Tokyo is the center of Middle Eastern studies, so I was able to make some good contacts in both of my fields of specialization.  

Anyway, here are some of the photos that I took during my trip:  

Somewhere in Tokyo

Downtown Tokyo, near Ginza

Taken from Hama-Rikyu Teien on the Sumida River

Also taken from Hama Rikyu-Teien, a park in southern Tokyo not far from the river and Tokyo Bay

Ginza skycrapers from the garden of the imperial palace. You can't really see the palace, but the gardens are nice. 

From Ikebukuro station, about a quarter-mile from my hotel

An Ikebukuro street at night

A street behind Shinjuku Station in Shinjuku

Rare daylight shot of Kabuki-cho

Near Shinjuku Station

"Mama-say, mama-sa Asakusa, mama-say, mama-sa Asakusa!"

Okay, that's all for now! Before too much time passes I'll try to put up photos from Osaka and Kyoto.