The ASAA 2024 Conference in Perth was an enriching and memorable event. Held in the amazing green city of Perth, the conference brought together scholars, researchers, and practitioners from around the world to delve into various aspects of Asian studies. The event was hosted by Curtin University, whose facilities and hospitality provided an excellent backdrop for the academic gathering. The blend of modernity and natural beauty in Perth, along with its commitment to sustainability, added a refreshing element to the conference, and the city’s warm hospitality made everyone feel welcome.
Green Perth
Curtin University Campus
One of the highlights of the conference was the panel we participated in, titled “Resilience and Transformation: Perspectives on Societal Dynamics in Indonesia, Japan, and Taiwan.” This panel focused on how societies in these countries have adapted and transformed in response to various challenges. The discussions were insightful and provided a deep understanding of the resilience strategies employed by these nations. Our presentation focused on the reconstruction efforts in Ishinomaki, Japan, after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The research highlighted the crucial role of creativity and community engagement in the rebuilding process. In an ongoing research project, we research about local initiatives and creative practices that have significantly contributed to Ishinomaki’s resilience and transformation.
The presentation provided valuable lessons on how disaster-affected areas can leverage community strengths and innovative approaches to rebuild and thrive. After all presentations, the panelists discussed the dynamic interplay between social capital and societal resilience in the different countries and the ongoing challenges posed by modernization and the erosion of traditional norms. It was a wonderful experience to share my insights and engage in thoughtful discussions with fellow scholars. Reflecting on the panel discussion, we were struck by the depth and breadth of the topics covered. The insights into how Indonesia, Japan, and Taiwan are navigating societal changes and challenges were profound. It became clear that resilience is not just about recovering from adversity but also about transforming and evolving to meet new circumstances. The presentations and ensuing discussions underscored the importance of understanding local contexts and harnessing community strengths to address societal issues effectively.
Overall, the ASAA 2024 Conference in Perth was a remarkable event. It facilitated meaningful exchanges among scholars and practitioners, providing a platform to share knowledge and foster collaborations. The experience underscored the significance of resilience and adaptation in shaping the future of societies in Asia and beyond. The insights gained from this conference will undoubtedly enrich ongoing research and contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between social capital and societal resilience.
As we embark on the new academic year this April, we are excited to introduce a dynamic and enriching semester for our students. The focus will be on fostering innovative research, practical engagement, and critical thinking across all levels.
For 3rd Seminar Students: The theme for the new 3rd seminar students will be “Resilient Cities.” These students will explore how cities can adapt to and mitigate the impacts of disasters and climate change and especially exploreTokyo neighborhoods, including Jinbocho, to identify strategies for enhancing resilience through sustainable infrastructure, community cohesion, and adaptive urban design.
For 4th Year Students: The 4th year students will be focusing on finalizing and presenting their research theses. Their topics will cover:
Coffee Culture: Investigating the socio-cultural and economic impacts of coffee culture in urban areas.
Overtourism in Japan: Analyzing the effects of excessive tourism on local communities and proposing sustainable tourism practices.
Gentrification: Examining the causes and consequences of gentrification in various neighborhoods and suggesting strategies for equitable development.
Adaptation of Traditional Culinary Tokyo: Exploring how traditional culinary practices are maintained and adapted in the modern urban context.
Throughout the semester, these students will refine their research questions, conduct in-depth data collection and analysis, and prepare comprehensive presentations of their findings. They will also engage in peer review sessions and receive guidance from faculty to ensure the rigor and relevance of their work.
General Seminar Goals and Initiatives:
Urban Studies and Sustainability: This content will cover key concepts and contemporary issues in urban sustainability, including green infrastructure, sustainable transportation, and urban planning.
Critical Thinking and Research Methods: Students will be equipped with the skills necessary for conducting robust research, including qualitative and quantitative methodologies, data analysis, and critical thinking.
Cultural Studies and Urban Diversity: This part will explore the cultural dimensions of urban life, focusing on diversity, inclusivity, and the role of cultural practices in shaping urban spaces.
Fieldwork and Practical Engagement: Students will participate in field trips, exploratory walks, and hands-on projects to apply their theoretical knowledge to real-world urban settings. These activities will be designed to enhance their understanding of urban dynamics and foster practical problem-solving skills.
New Initiatives:
Collaborative Projects: Students will have the opportunity to work on interdisciplinary projects that address complex urban issues. These projects will encourage collaboration across different areas of study and promote innovative solutions.
Community Partnerships: We will establish partnerships with local communities and organizations to facilitate community-engaged research and service learning. This will allow students to contribute to local development initiatives and gain valuable practical experience.
This semester plan aims to provide a comprehensive and stimulating educational experience that prepares our students for future academic and professional success. We are committed to supporting their growth and ensuring they have the tools and opportunities to excel in their studies and beyond.
Looking Back and Looking Forward: Community and Justice in Crisis
The Pacific Rim Community Design 2023 Sendai took place from 16-18 September 2023. At Day 1 all participants visited Futaba, a town erased by 3.11, the Futaba Disaster Museum and listed to the major and how the town tries to recover. He showed us around the derelict city hall where the time stood still and displayed the time of the event: 14.46pm at 3.11. Afterwards we had the opportunity to see one of the local elementary schools and how also here time stop suddenly when the triple disaster hit. Parents were able to pick up belongings some 7 years later, but some never did as the memory must have been too sad.
From former 6500 residents just 100 returned (09.2023) or moved here (e.g. newcomer) since the lifting of the evacuation order on 30 August 2022. Many areas near the destroyed coastal areas are mainly planned for work/shopping but not living or residential purposes (even though around the new JR Futaba station (which is located along the Joban line) new low rise housing is constructed at the moment, offering affordable and subsidied houses and apartments for rent).
Also many (new) companies settle in the area, some are still under construction, attracting even more companies as 70 percent of the construction cost can be covered by public funds. Newcomer who plan to settle in the town can receive 200man/ 16.000 Euro, returnees cannot receive this, which leads to more inner conflicts and shows how complex the situation is. Thanks to all who organized this tour, it was a very inspiring to see the development, even though the town might never recover fully.
On day 2 we visited the Tomioka Archive museum, its impressive installations which featured items which were collected from private homes (70 percents of the items on display) including clocks, calendars but also a wrecked police car which reminds the visitor of the tragedy of the triple disaster which caused so many death, not just immediately but also many years later (the Futaba museum mentioend a number of a total of 2337 disaster related death in Fukushima by 31 March 2023). Minachan who is working as story teller for a local NGO eventually joined us on a bus tour around Tomioka showing us the former shotengai (central shopping street), schools, station buildings and even the fundament of her own house which is she now rebuilding in Tomioka.
After lunch we visited the Tomioka winery which started 2014/2015 to plant vines to better use the area and create something for future generations. Three school friends (who are now in their 50s) came together, used their own land and funds to start the procedure and continue to realize the project with the help of crowdfunding and many volunteers to finally to suceed to produce 500 bottles per year (as of 2022). Most of the bottles go to the crowdfunders, volunteers and all people involved but they have high hopes to be able to sell wine very soon to the general public. More about their initiave can be found here: https://tomioka-wine.com/
Our final stop brought us to Namie Cafe and the Ocafe, which is the initiave of a former residents and other women to tell the stories of 3.11 and their survivor.s Oka-san rebuilt and opens her house as cafe to all who want to know more about the disaster which especially hit Namie town but also many other local communities so hard. We listed to three kamishibai stories, narrated by three amazing women who work effortless to create a local network to which we should listen to and learn from so that such disaster will not happen again. If you are in the area, give them a call, surely they are welcoming you: https://ocafe-utuwa.mystrikingly.com/
On monday all participants came together at the Tohoku Universitie’s International Research Institute of Disaster Science – IRIDeS together to discuss their impressions, listen to different researchers and finally to poster presentations who featured many new ideas. Many thanks to all the organizers for all the efforts, energy and time as they took months to prepare this event, lets not just talk but realize how to create livable communities.
Ocafe is growing 1000 Sakuratrees to give to schools and other groups
Olivier and Jarrod from the Local Japan Podcast are hosting a regulary podcast to connect local Japan and its people to the world. Being recently invited to talk about lessons we can learn from rural Japan we talked about vernacular landscapes, sustainable shrinking and the passion to connect and communicate with people to share the wisdom of the rural Japanese landscape and how to protect it.
Its my honour to invite you to a u:japan lecture covering the following research:
Neighborhood Tokyo: Creative Urban Milieus as Places of Innovation and Polarization
Against the background of the new attractiveness of urban centers, creative people are gaining more and more importance as potential initiators for various urban development processes. On the one hand, the activation and participation of these creative people is important in order to integrate innovative potential into various development processes, on the other hand, creative people are showing increasing interest in the development of their city and are demanding their participation.
Iin Tokyo, creatives represent a relatively hidden but important part of the larger creative ecosystem, made up of many different influential stakeholders (e.g. state, city authorities, big companies and foreign investors), all of which actively contribute to its functioning. As such, creative actors occupy a unique meta-position between the two worlds of creativity, as they are both part of everyday neighborhood life and part of the larger economic system in which they (want) to thrive. Therefore, they also can also be described as ‘facilitators’, bridging the two dimensions of Tokyo’s creative ecosystem, as their hybrid, bi-directional role enables the important exchange between systematic/economic and neighborhood creativity.
This lecture aims to illuminate and better understand the role of existing creative urban milieus in the urban development of Tokyo. Various neighborhoods of Tokyo are introduced and ‘walked through’ (Bakurochō, Hikifune, Kyōjima, Ichigaya, Kiyosumi Shirakawa, Kōenji, Kuramae) to capture how milieu-bound creativity as a collective network resource has and is affecting Tokyo’s urban development, especially during and after the Covid -19 Pandemic.
After some eventful weeks, a new semester is starting in April and we will be back in the classroom from next week F2F. I am not sure what will come out of this as the pandemic has still not ended, but several new courses and research projects have been set up and organized so students will hopefully learn a diversity of skills this academic year. Just a short but not complete list:
Course Area Studies Eastern Europe (with special attention given to Ukraine)
Course Environment and Culture
Course Urban Studies Seminar
Research Project: Urban Ethnographies and Narratives of Asian Cities
Research Project: Qualitative Methodology and Interviews with different Community Leader
All courses and results will be featured here over the next month:
On 27th October 2021 I was honoured to give a talk as part of the opening of the Tokyo Design Studio, run this semester by Prof. Anthusa Loeffler at the Faculty of Architecture and Social Science, HTWK Leipzig, Germany.
Talking about megacity Tokyo, students were supposed to get an idea about the current problems taking place in Tokyo, including rising environmental issues more and more local neighbourhoods are facing. Even in a global city like Tokyo many small houses and units are empty, falling apart (and becoming a rising obstacle and danger in case of disasters), so what to do with this unrecognized resources?
Studio Gross followed with a very interesting talk about the reality and real issues people in such neighbourhoods are facing and how to tackle such problems. After this introduction it is now up to the students to come up with interesting and innovative ideas, how to improve this situation, so lets stay tuned about the solutions they will develop.
When Tokugawa Ieyasu took control of the provinces around Tokyo Bay in 1590 as part of an exchange of territory, he decided to make the insignificant Edo his headquarters. Edo was now the political center of Japan, Kyoto remained the formal capital of the country as the seat of the Tenno. The large-scale castle, surrounded by the “Inner Trench” (Uchibori) with its branch trenches and more than 20 gates, was supplemented by the “Outer Trench” (Sotobori) with 10 gates. The city expanded significantly before the Outer Rift and occupied an area that is now enclosed by the Yamanote Line, to which the areas beyond the Sumida were added. Yamate / Yama-no-tem, “Mountain side” (山 手 / 山 の 手) refers to the hills in the west and north of the city.
In this area, the urban structure is determined by the fact that roads were laid along the heights or along the valleys and that these were connected by hillside paths (sakamichi). Many sakamichi had (nick) names, which are remembered today with inscribed wooden pillars. The plain towards the sea (including the areas extracted from the sea) formed the “lower town” (下町, shitamachi).
After the shogunate was dissolved in 1868, the new government renamed the city Tokyo (“eastern capital”) and moved the seat of the young emperor in 1869 from Kyoto to Tokyo, turning the city in a global metropolis with a very dynamic culture influenced by Eastern tradition and western modernity. The city was badly damaged by the Kantō earthquake (1923) and almost completely destroyed in the Second World War . As such, the city was rebuilt twice and the city structure was changed by new streets, but if you look carefully you can still see the old Edo under today’s Tokyo.
In a talk, scheduled for 29 May 2021 we will highlight how Edo became Tokyo, how the city changed under the new Meiji government and which traces of Edo Tokyo can be found until today. More details follow soon.
Recently I was kindly invited by Prof. Prajakta Khare, Meijigakuin University to give a guest lecture about the recent urban development in more and less developed countries, including Japan, India and Costa Rica. To engage actively with the topic, the students were asked to identify current issues caused by the urbanization processes taking place in different countries around the world and to discuss urgent issues, challenges and solutions these countries might be able to utilized. Thanks to everybody for a very engaging talk which helps to inspire new ideas for ongoing research, including:
Recently, Dr. Heide Imai was invited to Soongsil University, Seoul by Prof. Jung In Kim (Department of Architecture) to give a lecture about the Olympic Games taking in 2020 in Tokyo, talking about rapid urban change, social stratification and other issues, especially related to the destruction of old structures like the Tsukiji Fish Market which was replaced with a new generic structure, located in Toyosu. Visiting among many other rapidly changing places as Gangnam, Euljiro and Hongdae, the Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul, the researcher was able to compare both places which underwent almost identical transformation processes.
As both cities, Tokyo and Seoul, face similar challenges as an aging society, shrinking birthrate, hidden poverty and changing social values, it is important to focus on the human perspective and how people experience those cities to create spaces which are open for all. Accordingly, Dr. Imai discussed with the students new ideas and concepts for public spaces, housing and equal work spaces which they will integrate in their final design and thesis projects. In May 2019 Prof. Jung In Kim and students from Soongsil University will visit Hosei University to discuss their projects with GIS Students, planning to exchange new ideas and compare urban life in both cities.
Working with Prof. Jung In Kim’s tudents at different design projects
