2/21/17 Beato: People
1.
-Westerners rarely came to Japan, so the photos that Beato peddled were clearly for a targeted audience, attempting to give them a basic understanding of the Japanese people. This allowed the 'gaze' of the viewer to be altered to fit whatever he wanted them to see.
-Some if not most of the photos are shamelessly staged, and the staging is poorly hidden. Staging photos of the people of Japan allowed Beato to give off whatever ideas he wanted, regardless of if they were accurate. This forced the gaze of the westerners viewing the photos to adapt to whatever scene he would portray, creating a false gaze upon the culture of Japan.
-The Unreturned gaze, the last gaze brought up in the reading, is from the gaze of whomever is inside the photograph. In many of these photos, since they are staged, the unreturned gaze is not allowed to be seen. Actors are not allowed a gaze, while natural photo subjects have to let their eyes wander and show curiosity toward the Photographer.
2.

This image, titled "Fencers" does a good job of staging the art of Kendo for Beato. While Kendo is very very different than Fencing, there are some similarities in Sabre fencing. As a fencer myself, Kendo has always been interesting. The caption of this photo gives the vibe that Westerners believe their refined Fencing is much more advanced than Kendo, even though Kendo has actually been around for thousands of years. All cultures have a history of swordplay, but the art of Kendo is definitely the least changed from its original form. The gaze of the subjects are toward each other, crating a very intense scene. The photo is cropped to force the gaze of the viewer to be on the swordsman, but it goes beyond this when you take into account the caption creating a sense of inferiority. Although it is unclear if this photo is staged, Beato created the idea that this sport is brutal and savage, furthering the myth of Japanese inferiority.

This image portrays a staged scene with a single woman tuning her shamisen. She is surrounded by classic Japanese curios, like the teapot and the flowered lamp on the floor. Without an understanding of the Japanese culture, the Viewers gaze shifts to the caption. This caption applauds the high level of work that music-making requires, but then shifts right around and calls the tune of the shamisen shrill and harsh. The girl's gaze is toward the neck of her shamisen, but it almost appears as if shes looking beyond it, giving off a longing vibe.

2/28/17 Globetrotters: People
1.
 -The prints collected from the Japanese during the time of the Globetrotters show attempts at portraying the modernization of Japan. This is contrary to the portrayal of the Japanese by the globetrotters, who repeatedly showed the Japanese as a 'behind' people.
-The females shown in the albums of the Globetrotters are overwhelmingly supposed to look like 'girls' rather than women. This might be due to the immaturity of culture that the westerners saw, but it might also be a power move; imposing the idea that their western women were more advanced and mature than the Japanese women.
-The scenes that the Globetrotters attempted to set up for their photo albums created inaccurate and fake ideas of Japan. Because they could create whatever scene they wanted with props and costumes, there needed to be no real accuracy so what came out of this was very false.
2.

This photo does a good job of showing the myth of agricultural life that the Westerners believed every Japanese person had to endure. While there is agriculture back in America, there are no rice paddies so this would be a new scene for people see. Because of this, this photo makes them very curious and interested in such a new and exciting pastime!! The actual farmers are curious about the photographer, pausing their work to look up and see the Globetrotter.

These photos are quite amusing, showing what appears to be the same two Japanese people doing 3 separate handicrafts in the same room. there is very little attempt to hide the fact that all 3 are in the same place, shown by the repeating backdrop on the right side. The Shamisen being made are just strewn in a pile, because clearly that's what an actual Shamisen maker would do. These photos perpetuate the myth of the primitive Japanese working with their hands, and its almost shameful that these actors would participate in this photo shoot.

2/23/17 Globetrotters: Places
1.
-One major takeaway i got from the reading is how different experiences were for the visitors and the native people of Japan. the Globetrotters had previously traveled to places like India, or Asia, or the Americas, so they were prepared for being a tourist. This is unlike the Native Japanese who had never before been equipped to deal with heavy tourism.
-Following Beato's major success in photography, many similar businesses opened up in hopes that they could retain the success that Beato had. These photograph stores consisted of photos of places that the tourists may have visited, or wanted to visit but never got to. They would bring them home and brag to their peers about all the places the visited(or didn't).
2.

This photo is particularly interesting because it is one that was sold as a photograph to tourists. Strangely, there is a man standing on the hands who appears to be Japanese, and this might give tourists a laugh. I don't know much about Buddhist customs, but i would believe that it would be very disrespectful to stand on the statue of Buddha, especially one as famous as this. Perhaps the Japanese man has no ties to Buddhism and the tourists he was guiding thought it would be amusing for him to partake in this act. It appears as a very "natural native" photo to someone who would buy it.

2/16/17 Beato: Places
1.
-Beato is primarily a photography for the money, and what he captures shows this. The scenes he portrays are very touristy and appeal to the people who have never seen Japan and want a quintessential "Japan" photo. These photos are also more popular when the public is showing interest in Japan, so his sales correlate with foreign relations. Without the mass interest in Japan, his photos would have been a bust.
-As one of the only real photographers in Japan at the time of this cultural upheaval, Beato is actually one of the first people in the world to capture these historical events on camera. While this is not significant to the cultural change in Japan, it certainly paved the road for many more foreigners to do the same.
-Since Japan was changing at such a rapid rate, it is quite interesting to see Beato capture these photos right before the world was able to capture everything on camera. While some of the areas he captured are untouched by modern influence, you can also see how significant the changes have become in areas like Yokohama, with all the ships in the bay.
2.

This photo is taken of the Harbor at Nagasaki, and as Beato describes it, it is truly one of the most beautiful ports in the world. From what we can see in the photo, it is mostly untouched by cultural influence, except for the European factory on the opposite side of the bay. Unlike in Yokohama, you don't see massive ships at bay, nor very many English/dutch style homes. In Beato's caption he says of the factory that it was restrictive for workers to not be allowed to learn Japanese and that there was a teacher always present, but this is amusing coming from one a Westerner who is about to force their own culture on Japan.

This photo portrays the moat that surrounds the royal home of the Emperor, and is the former home of the Shoguns. To me, the house on the left seems pretty small for the residence of the emperor, and this is probably because the Emperor has been out of power for many hundreds of years at this point. The moats are an interesting touch, and mostly seem to be for intimidation, because those walls don't look more than 10 feet high. With such a meager presence, i think the size and stature of these buildings do a good job of signifying the current standing of the Emperor.

2/13/17
1. -The interaction of Americans and Japanese in the growing commerce districts created very American-dominated lifestyles. The introduction of many western concepts came directly from these sprouting cow towns. Jobs were created and the influx of business benefited the Foreigners more than the locals
    -The massive influence of American culture forced the Japanese to abandon their historical pact of seclusion, and with this rapid split, created a gap that was filled with violence. There were those of the Japanese that originally resisted the influence, but the feudal system of Japan needed to take advantage of the growth, so resistance to the Americans was futile.
    -Unlike previous Ukiyo-e of the era, the ones representing the actual town of Yokohama were quite more simplistic than others. Also, the styles of scene being captured by the Japanese artists and the Westerners were very different. The westerners attempted to take scenes from the most quintessential "Japan" areas, like the large Buddha, or Cherry Blossoms.
2. -Do you think that if the Bakufu and the ShiShi were successful in repelling the foreign influence on Japan, it still would have spread eventually throughout time? For example, might the Western styles of dress and music have been imported to Japan without the force of the trade treaties?
    -Why do you think that the technology of Photography was not embraced immediately by Japanese artists? Due to the influence of Ukiyo-e's detail and yearn for accuracy, why was the Photograph not taken into rotation like it was in Western culture?
3.

I think this image does a very good job at showing, or imagining, the entire scope of how massive Western influence was. While still done through classic Ukiyo-e style, it emphasized the magnitude of the Western influence. All the vehicles have thick 3D designs, with a deep red chosen for the train cars and the background of the ships. The sky and the smoke from the train are in the artistic style of Ukiyo-e, but the Men and Women are a strange clash due to their attire. All of the flags flying on the ships does a good job of representing the rapid foreign influx of peoples and their cultures.

This print is titled "Picture of Western Traders at Yokohama Transporting Merchandise." While it is a lengthy title, the print itself is also quite lengthy. 5 different pieces complete the print, and its coloring is very different from the traditional Japanese print style. I picked this print mostly due to its massive size and unique coloring, but also its detail. There are many separate stories happening in each frame of the print, and this might be why someone would have bought it. Every time i look deeper into the photo, there is something new that I see.

This print is titled "Picture of a Mercantile Establishment in Yokohama." The topic of the photo is just that, a merchant's establishment in japan. Though there are many Foreign themes, like the American flag in the top corner, it is a fundamentally Japanese establishment. I chose it for that reason; you can see the roofing is of a Japanese style, as is the furniture around the room. The owner of the establishment, or even a visitor, might have purchased this print to remember what it looked like during the peak of commerce. Japanese entertainers are scattered around the rooms while the foreign businessmen speak with each other.

The Ukiyo-e that i chose is called Edo Meisho: Asakusa Kinryuzan. This print is by Utagawa Hiroshige, and it translates to "Famous places of Edo: Asakusa Kannon temple." Utagawa Hiroshige is regarded as one of the masters of Ukiyo-e, but never was financially stable. He was always underpaid for his series, and did not demand a fair salary. Most of his prints feature landscapes and flora/fauna, but he was regularly commissioned to make prints of cityscapes, like this one. This genre of print contains people doing what they do every say, and shows the natural beauty of the location. This particular painting shows people scattering around in the market due to the rain shower. Most of the people are facing to the right or the left, so they might be all running for warmer, dryer areas. There are chickens around the marketplace, something typical of old style markets, but these are non-cooped chickens, and might have gotten loose. Another interesting piece is that all the shopkeepers look identical, possibly because Hiroshige wanted them to not stand out, because they aren't the topic of the painting. Their robes are the same color as the steps to the temples, this might have been to save colors, or for the above reason, to not stand out. The blue of the steps is a very interesting choice because the rest of the colors are beige or greyscale. This color choice makes the Temple entrances pop, and forces the viewer to look down at them, instead of at the very empty expanse of the sky, which takes up half the painting. This print is very artistically interesting, and Hiroshige is clearly a master at his work.

This is an Ukiyo-e by Suzuki Harunobu created in 1769 during the Edo Period called  Akakusa Seiran. It shows us two women sitting on a raised platform, one of them is brandishing swords. i don't know much about culture in the 1700s but it appears strange that a women would be wearing swords, maybe this is why she has a hood raised over her face. there are leaves on the floor, so we can guess that this is was created during Autumn. We also see what appears to be a teapot on the floor, the women are probably sharing tea in the morning. The sword bearing woman also seems to be holding chopsticks, so the two women might be sharing a  meal. the one on the left has something like a stirring stick(?) so the pot on her right might be a mixing bowl.

Self-Introduction: Isaac Abrams
1. Your name (and name you prefer to be called, if different):
Isaac Abrams
2. Your hometown:Guilford, Connecticut
3. Your major(s) and minor(s):Psychology Major, Econ Minor
4. Class of: 2019
5. Why are you taking this class?  What do you hope to get out of it?I have always been interested in Japanese culture, and this is the most direct translation to that topic. I hope to get a better understanding of what has made Japanese culture what it is today.
6. What aspects of Japanese culture are of interest to you?I am both interested in the zen culture and the food culture of japan, due to how unique they are.
7. What, if any, direct experience of Japan or its culture have you had?

I have had no direct experience, but my interest has allowed me to pay attention to the culture of Japan from a distance. 

This is a bonsai garden in Japan, and it appeals to me because i have always been interested in the garden culture in Japan. I have (unsuccessfully) tried to maintain a bonsai tree, and the elegance of this garden is quite breathtaking.

This photo was taken during the 2016-2017 Fashion Week in Tokyo, and it is very interesting. you can see the historical influence in the right photo with the flower patterned silk, but it has been adapted to fit the modern sheikh in fashion.

This is a very gorgeous photo i took from my Uncle's Sailboat. in the background you can see the silhouette of the city across from NYC (not sure what its called), which gives it more elegance.  also the beam of light through the rain is also quite pretty.