Part III: The Classroom as a Site of Renewal. In the previous parts I stressed a desire for more conversation: between area studies and the disciplines, between Japanese and non-Japanese scholars of Japan, between academics and the wider public. Crucially, we also need to listen to our students. In…

PART II: Japan as Method. What I found exciting as a German studying Japanese history was the change of perspective it entailed. For good reason, schooling in German history and public debates centered on National Socialism, the Second World War and the Holocaust. The purpose of national history after 1945…

This three-part blog series is a slightly revised version of an essay I wrote for the 30th anniversary essay contest of the Toshiba Foundation. PART I: The Global Entanglements of Japanese Culture. Fifteen years onwards, I cannot say for sure what first piqued my interest in Japanese studies. I know…

Just like everyone else, the team at Tokyo College has been affected by the corona crisis and the increasingly drastic measures put into place to prevent a further spread of the pandemic. Our public lectures had…