by letran1 | Jan 28, 2018 | Energy, Pollution
What Once was Yanaka is now left to be forgotten. Tucked away in low, low plains of the Watarase River Basin. Hidden from the snow streaked mountains. Hours to arrive, hours to get back, time used to reflect on the lives that once lived and tended to this land and...
by Upjohn Margaret | Jan 28, 2018 | Energy, Pollution
There are two sides of the components of the global energy problem: consumption and generation. Our field trips in Japan have illustrated how we might tackle both sides of the issue. On January 11, 2018, our classes visited the Non-Electric Company. The founder...
by mateck1 | Jan 26, 2018 | Pollution
In the late 19th century, what started out as a prosperous copper mining business quickly began to cause great harm to the surrounding town of Ashio. Smog from the mines affected the health of the villagers and significantly thinned the surrounding forests. Runoff in...
by little1 | Jan 26, 2018 | Food, Pollution
I’ve had way too many quick meals with too many pieces of plastic, wood, metal and Styrofoam this trip. I cannot “leave only footprints,” as St. Olaf’s IOS office urges. My path through Japan is continuously lined with the waste items of everything I consume. We have...
by sorens4 | Jan 25, 2018 | ARI, Pollution, Tokyo
Truthfully, I was unsure of how I may process my semester-long experience in Shanghai during my time in Japan. At first, I thought it may be best to separate these two experiences in fear of producing a negative judgement through an unfair comparison. In part I still...
by Honda Sakura | Jan 11, 2018 | ARI, Farming, Food, Pollution
During the morning of January 10, we went to 帰農志塾 (kinoshijuku), another organic farm that trains Japanese people who want to become a future farmer. The conversation with the founder’s son and daughter gave me a clear understanding of organic farming. I...
