Whisk Up that History

Today we had an impressive line-up of guest speakers. First was Dr. Lauren Bell, a politics professor at Randolph-Macon College, who gave a lecture on comparative government. We learned about the US’s influence on Japan’s government, and many students who are interested in political science were very engaged in her lecture. The best part of the presentation was watching a video of a brawl in Japan’s parliament. 

In the afternoon we enjoyed a tea ceremony performed by Hanako-sensei. After giving a lecture on the history and art form, she demonstrated part of the ceremony for us. We were served matcha and ohigashi (colorful sugar sweets). The bitter matcha paired well with the sugary ohigashi. We had to take our shoes off to sit on the tatami mats. We also attempted to sit in seiza (kneeling position). Key word: attempted. With satisfied palates and numb legs, we concluded the meditative tea ceremony. It was very elegant, and a completely new experience for everyone at the Academy. 
Finally, we had a history lesson from Nick-senpai, who talked about the Meiji Period/Restoration, which was highly influential in shaping modern Japan. He talked about Japan’s rapid industrialization and covered the positive and negative effects that came about during this period.