Final Post

Letter to Self:

Whoa, it’s been a whole, what, 8 months since you were in GLS 277 preparing to go to China and Japan?! Well, hopefully, you stuck to your goals while you were over there.

For starters, you’re having trouble putting yourself outside of your comfort zone. You keep telling yourself that, one day, you’ll get out of your shell, but that hasn’t really happened yet. Don’t worry though, I’m sure that being in a big group prompted you to make friends and get out and see the world. That’s another goal you have, right? To get out there and just experience the world and the people who live on it. You want to learn and understand the cultures that seem so far away and have a chance to explore and just, well, be. To have a sense of how you fit in the world.

Don’t forget, you’re also doing this to better understand the world system and how countries interact. If you want to be a diplomat, or at least work in an embassy, you need to know first-hand how the world works, especially how the U.S. relates to China and Japan since that’s the direction you took with your studies. Hopefully, you read and watched the news while you were there to get that perspective. Oh, and, hopefully, you did alright with your language studies. It’s important now more than ever to be able to speak another language, especially considering your future line of work. If you didn’t do so hot, don’t sweat it; at least you did your very best and had fun doing it. And that’s another goal; having fun. There are so many amazing people all over the world and being able to experience the world with them is so beautiful.

So, hopefully, you were able to see just how beautiful the world can be, learn about how you fit, understand how the world works, got a better grasp on East Asian language, and were able to have fun with your new friends!

Blog: One thing I'd like to do/see

One of the places that I have always wanted to visit is the Tōdai-ji temple in Nara. Regarding its history, it is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples. Its Great Buddha Hall houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese as Daibutsu. Under the Ritsuryō system of government in the Nara Period, Buddhism was heavily regulated by the state through the Sōgō. During this time, Tōdai-ji served as the central administrative temple for the provincial temples for the six Buddhist schools in Japan at the time: the Hossō, Kegon, Jōjitsu, Sanron, Ritsu and Kusha. Letters dating from this time also show that all six Buddhist schools had offices at Tōdai-ji, complete with administrators, shrines and their own library.

The original complex also contained two 100-meter pagodas, which were among the tallest structures at the time of their completion. They were located on either side of the complex, one on the western and one on the eastern side. The pagodas themselves were surrounded by a walled courtyard with four gates. However, these gates were destroyed by an earthquake. One of the sōrin finials survived and is standing at the spot where one of the pagodas used to stand.

The Shōsōin was its storehouse, and now contains many artifacts from the Tenpyo period of Japanese history.

Various buildings of the Tōdai-ji have been incorporated within the overall aesthetic intention of the gardens' design. Adjacent villas are today considered part of Tōdai-ji. Some of these structures are now open to the public.

Over the centuries, the buildings and gardens have evolved together as to become an integral part of an organic and living temple community.

The Tōdai-ji Culture Center opened its doors on October 10, 2011 and comprises of a museum to exhibit the many sculptures and other treasures enshrined in the various temple halls, along with a library and research center, storage facility, and auditorium.

The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism. Today, the temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", together with seven other sites including temples, shrines and places in the city of Nara. Deer, regarded as messengers of the gods in the Shinto religion, roam freely around the grounds of the temple and the public has the opportunity to hand feed them. Another point of intrigue about the deer is that, over the years, they have learned to bow for food and after they have been fed.

Since Nara is a destination for our course, visiting some of the sites on the grounds of the complex should be accessible. I am very excited to see the site first-hand and have the chance to explore the museums and cultural centers. The historical and cultural significance of Tōdai-ji has always fascinated me and the chance to learn more about it means the world to me. This is an excursion I do not want to miss.