Jafee Seminar, the Third Day

"Expanding the Public Sphere: The Village Enlightenment of
New England, 1770-1810" was the title for the third session by
David Jafee, Professor of Bard College, New York. The way he
presented the rural New England during the Enlightenment
period was quite interesting focusing not narrowly on just
intellectual activities but business as well as social activities
taking evidences from material cultural objects, such as cabinets,
pianos, and globes. Discussion afterward was stimulating having
specialists attended from the Japanese Association of Early
Americanists. His arguments were mostly persuasive but there's
one point I could not agree with -- his interpretation of a
church's role in a community. It is true that ministrial
authority declined in the late 18th century due to revivalistic
Evangelical movements and appearances of new venues for knowledge
such as libraries and inexpensive reading materials. Local churches,
however, changed to the direction of democratization as it's
seen in the rapid growth of Methodists and Baptists. So,
adjustments to Enlightenment came to both religious and
secular spheres.







ICU intellectuals:
Prof. Onishi and
Prof. Morimoto









Kenryu with his mentor










The Red Sox Nation (right)


The Rising Generation of the Early Americanists (below)

After a seminar

David Jaffee, Professor of Bard Graduate Center for Studies in
the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture (New York) gave a talk
at Komaba. The title of his talk was "Many Roads to the Factory:
How Provincial Craftsmen in the Antebellum Northern United
States Manufactured a New Industrial Society."
At Komaba Station on our way home with U. of Tokyo CPAS members.

Safety Measure for Passengers

Many subway stations now
provide platform doors for
passanger protection.

Can you tell which
station this photo's taken?
Yes, it's on the red line --.
I like when the train briefly
comes out from underground
at this station.

Serious Snowfall in Tokyo on Sunday Morning!

Finally we have a
real snowfall today.
Transportation systems
as well as roads here are
so vulnerable to snow
because we rarely have
it in winter these days of
serious global warming.

Here are some fresh photos.

Keyakizaka, Roppongi Hills around 5 P.M.

Louis Vuitton facade reflecting the lights on Keyakizaka Street.Tokyo Tower from Keyakizaka
Children playing on the computer pannel, an artwork from U. K.
Giant Spider and the Tower