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Final Thoughts

Looking back on the field research, I am glad that we researched about the Matusmae Castle and Karaoke in Japan. It surprised me that many students in Hakodate or students who grew up in Hokkaido do not know about the history or the historical significance of the castle. It was shocking to see the loss of history transmission from one generation to the next generation, especially when Japan is known as the country that continues to flourish its culture and history in the present days. From the cultural perspective, I captured many differences between Canadian and Japanese. For instance, the way people perceive Karaoke in Japan is much different compared to how we perceive in Canada. Many rules and etiquette are mandatory to follow, such as songs selection is crucial especially you are singing with your senpai because choosing the popular or famous dongs from your senpai’s generation is expected. Overall, in this two-week program, I felt it was definitely more than being a
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Our Final Group Thoughts On Karaoke Castle

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Overall, our group is happy that we picked castles and karaoke because they are a part of Japanese culture. Learning about Goryokaku and Matsumae has been a wonderful experience, because even today, these places are still important in Japan. We learned that first hand as our group got to witness and even be a part of the Goryokaku Festival and parade on Sunday May 20 th . Even though the battle for Hakodate ended in 1869, Japanese people are still remembering and teaching the next generation about the history of this province, and we are very glad to know a little more about the history of this beautiful country now. Going to Matsumae was an incredible experience where we were able to understand a little more how people lived in the Edo Period. As we said in the start of our project, our group has never been to a castle before, and it was a very surreal experience to be able to witness such a beautiful piece of history in Japan. We did not know that the Ainu people init
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Personal Reflection

When I first found out this group study was going to be in Sapporo and Hakodate I didn’t know what to expect. Part of me felt like I was going to be missing out on the “true” Japanese experience because I wasn’t going to Tokyo, but I tried to keep an open mind. What I found this trip is that I was stupid for thinking that in the first place. The people I’ve met and the moments we shared were so special. Nothing else could ever compare to the time we spent here together.   I also think that the activities we did here are things I never would have experienced in my life if I hadn’t come on this trip. Visiting historical sites such as Goryokaku Park and Matsumae Castle, doing the kimono walk, and singing karaoke with my group for our research project was fun, but this trip was so much more than that. It’s about the friendships we made that I know will last long beyond this trip is over. Hakodate is a hidden gem. It’s the city that bonded us all together, and it’s a place I will never fo
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Reflections

My experience in Japan has been very unique because Kodama sensei brought us to her home town. We stayed in Fururu, the place where Kodama   Sensei went to elementary school, for 5 nights. There was a communal shower and bath where we got to experience some true Japanese culture and bond like Japanese girls do. This was the most unique experience which brought all of us closer than I ever expected us to be. Another activity that also created a strong bond was going for karaoke which my group chose as one of the topics for our project.   At our stay in Hakodate we did karaoke 3 times, tram car karaoke, room karaoke and karaoke at round 1. After the 3 rd time we went for karaoke I felt almost as if there was an unspoken feeling of a bond, as if I could trust these girls more than before because of feeling so comfortable and open around them. The duration of time spend with everyone on this group study in Hakodate has truly made us bond like Japanese do and because of this bond I didn’
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History of Goryokaku Fort

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This all started in 1853 when Matthew Perry arrived and demanded that Japan open it's doors to trade with the rest of the world. A year later, in 1854, the Tokugawa shogunate concluded the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States of America and Empire of Japan and Hakodate and Ezo were designated as open ports. When the ports were opened, they created the magistrate's office to govern Ezo and the Hakodate port. Once the port was opened, sailors and men from overseas came to Hakodate almost every day to buy and sell goods. The Hakodate Magistrate promoted industrial development while trying to increase the defensive capabilities of the area. A man named Takeda Ayasaburo, a researcher of Dutch studies, expanded the plan for the new fort, which he modeled after European citadel towns. Goryokaku fort is shaped like a five-pointed star. This allowed for a greater numbers of gun emplacements on its walls than a traditional Japanese fo
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