August 8, 2008

Japan Experience! 2008 - Day 12 - Tokyo College of Animators, Akihabara, & Kendo


Everyone got to test their swordsmanship with the Seiritsu Kendo Club.


On Thursday there was only 4 days left in the program, but that didn't mean the schedule was winding down. Instead, it was packed with another Japanese language lesson, a visit to the Tokyo College of Animators, a shopping trip to Electric Town Akihabara, and lastly a workout with the Seiritsu Kendo Club.


The Tokyo College of Animators has trained animators for over 25 years and it offers courses in nearly all aspects of animation including character design, voice actor training, and background/setting illustration. The College focuses on traditional hand-drawn animation in manga style, so the students can graduate to work in 'manga anime' Japanese studios. Like the tour of the Tokyo Design Academy, it was a great opportunity to see how future animators are taught and the students even got to watch a voice-recording session. Though in Japanese, visit their website for more examples of their work.


By chance, in the voice-recording studio one of the female Japanese college students our JE students bumped into was a Seiritsu graduate from two years ago AND a former Seiritsu Kendo Club member! Small world, especially since the JE students had a Seiritsu club kendo lesson later in the day!


Having piqued their interest in animation, we headed to Akihabara and its Electric Town, famous for selling all kinds of electronic, computer, and anime goods.


After exploring Akihabara, the students returned to the school for their third martial art's lesson of the trip. This time it was an intro to kendo with Sasaki Sensei. Kendo is Japanese fencing and the students were treated to a demo followed by a short lesson on the various kendo attacks. The students were then able to have a go attacking and smacking Seiritsu Kendo Club students who had all the protective armour on. A very special thanks to the Seiritsu Kendo Club for essentially standing in place and being targets for the students!


Tokyo College of Animators



The main College campus in central Tokyo.



Group pictures with some future animators (front row). Also note in the background the recording booth where some students were doing voice recordings. The girl in the multi-colored shirt in the front row is Ai, the former Seiritsu student.



Soul-Eater is a very popular animation created by graduates of the College.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Eater_(manga)


Akihabara

Meet Rilak-kuma (Relax Bear). People in costumes are very typical of Akihabara and add to the overall atmosphere.



Everyone in front of Akihabara Station... with extra bags.


Seiritsu Kendo Club Practice

Sasaki Sensei explaining some finer points of holding the shinai (bamboo sword).



Before they got to strike a real opponent, the students practiced their form.



Seiritsu Kendo students demonstrating various attacks.



Karen with an overhead smash! Kendo practitioners wear wooden armour called a bogu to protect themselves.



The sword's a blur as Claudia aims for her partner's head.



Victor lands a strike squarely on his opponents "men" (face).



Sasaki Sensei helps Xenia on the left while France keeps practicing on the right.



Nicholas holding a training sword which is 4 shinai taped to the end of one more shinai. It apparently weighs about 3kg (6lbs), but its length makes it feel like much more.



Seiritsu Kendo Club and Japan Experience! after a great lesson.


-Lawrence

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about Seiritsu

Seiritsu Gakuen is a private co-educational high school created in 1925 and it is located in Tokyo, Japan.

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