The day began with a very stimulating and technical lecture by Dr. Tanaka about the major lessons learned from the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The group learned about the country's reaction, research and newly implemented policies used today. After the lecture the group had the opportunity to view a traditional Japanese home once owned by a famous poet, which he donated to the university after the earthquake. Then, Dr. Tanaka treated everyone to lunch in the faculty lunchroom.
After lunch we moved on to the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI). This space was dedicated to the 1995 earthquake and water disasters. The DRI used images, movies, artifacts, simulations and experiments to educate people about natural disasters. During our visit we had two personal tour guides who stealthy accompanied us throughout the entire building. We had two tour guides for six of us - it was magical. Another magical aspect was the Forest room where we watched a movie about the benefits and disasters caused by water. How it helps to ensure the life a platypus, but can shut down an entire metropolitan area as it did in Kobe in 2009.
Some individuals chose to escape to the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art to view the Reiko Exhibit. The people were floored by the European influence on modern Japanese art. What was most shocking was the lack of availability of these works of art to those outside of Japan. One would not be able to see how Rodin influenced Yanagihara Yoshitatsu. Some of our favorite pieces were "Nude" by Koide Narashige and "Chorus" by Koiso Ryohei. Check out these modern art loving dudes.
Study Tour
