The Japan Society's new web site, "Journey Through Japan", (http://www.japansociety.org/journey), designed for educators and students in grades K to 12, is a boon for curious minds of all ages. It offers a vast learning experience unlike any other. Filled with lesson plans, maps and time-lines, it also has personable stories illustrating a day in the lives of individuals in Japan.
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| "Journey Through Japan" website. |
Visually appealing and easy on the eyes, the homepage is designed in light tones of blue and white. At the centre is a white box divided into four inviting quadrants. "Places & Spaces", as the name insinuates, lets visitors find information on castles, museums, neighbourhoods, temples, shrines and theatres in Japan. "Daily Life" answers questions like, "What do you do during a visit to a Buddhist temple?" "Culture & Society" provides the opportunity to learn more about Japan's familiar sports, beliefs and festivals, such as the famous "Gion Festival". "People" is more like a Who's Who in Japan and briefly introduces artists, athletes, public figures and famous personalities.
On the right side of the homepage are four tabs: Journey by City, Journey Through Time, Photo Gallery and Snapshot Tours. Visitors learn about Japanese cities such as Kyoto, Tokyo, Uji and Himeji by clicking their way through the map or on any one of the cities listed in "Journey by City", which features an interactive map of Japan and a list of cities. "Journey Through Time" displays a neat pictorial time-line, allowing users to learn about the country's rich and vivid history in each slice of the past. The time-line starts at 30,000 BCE and runs through the Classical (710-1185) to Medieval (1185-1568), then to Early Modern (1568-1868) periods and catches up with the Modern period. "Photo Gallery" shows images and stills, while "Snapshot Tours" contains both stills and short video clips, enticing people to visit Japan.
Although the above-mentioned sections might give the impression that the web site is intended exclusively for casual visitors or tourists interested in learning only the basic facts about Japan, the "In-Depth Inquiry" and the "Classroom Resources" sections prove quite the contrary. They cater to more serious audiences, such as educators, teachers and scholars who would like to acquire an in-depth knowledge about Japan. "In-Depth Inquiry" contains literary pieces from scholars and experts on Japan, giving a glimpse into the history and culture behind the veneer of this great nation. Examples of educational pieces in this section are "Japanese Religion and Culture, 710-1185" by Martin C. Collcutt, "From Gay to Gei: The Onnagata and the Creation of Kabuki's Female Characters" by Samuel L. Leiter, and "Imperial Japan (1894-1945)" by Jonathan Lipman. These and other articles cover a significant breadth of Japanese history, society and culture, and can be searched through different time periods that follow the order of the pictorial time-line in the "Journey Through Time"; it is advisable to view this first to get a feel for the periods before searching for articles.
The "Classroom Resources" section provides a wealth of information for educators: "lesson plans", "bibliographies", "literary works", "magazine/newspapers articles" and "maps" are just a few of the many resources listed. An example of a lesson plan can be found in the essay "Growing Up in Japan", which provides suggestions to educators on stories, books and films to show to their students, as well as teaching assignments to supplement them. All in all, the "Journey through Japan" web site is a feast for visitors eager to learn and share their knowledge of Japanese society with peers and pupils.
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