Hey All!

This has been a pretty busy week, to say the least. Please find below a brief list of updates!

1) I registered my address at the local city office and set up my phone, bank account, and health insurance. I also started the process of applying for disability insurance and welfare.

2) I secured a hospital bed, raised toilet commode, and other assistive technologies that will make my life easier for the remainder of my stay in Japan.

3) I moved into my apartment with assistance from my dad and fiancee and began to buy the amenities necessary for daily life (soap, towels, etc.).

4) I attended an orientation session for my research grant hosted by the Japan Foundation and stayed for a lecture about the legal constraints on automated financial advisors in China, Japan, and the United States.

5) I had lunch with the director of Fulbright Japan and the president of the Fulbright Japan Alumni Association.

6) I traveled the route from my apartment to the University of Tokyo to make sure that I wouldn’t encounter any signifiant complications.

7) I cleared my research with the Penn IRB (Institutional Review Board), ensuring that my work does not violate any ethical standards.

8) I learned of my acceptance to the 2019 Association for Asian Studies Conference in Denver, CO, where I’ll present about the relationship between accessibility and violence in Japan over the last twenty years.

9) I saw that my podcast interview for “Have Disability, Will Travel” was posted. You can access it here.

10) I had a fair bit of fun this week as well. I visited a movie theater in Ikebukuro, did a bit of shopping in Odaiba, and spent some time at Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa.

All-in-all, it was an incredibly rewarding week.

 

Hey all!

First and foremost, I’d like to welcome you to my blog.

Before I start describing my first couple of days in Japan, I’d like to spend a bit of time outlining the format and function of this blog.

Suffice it to say that this blog has two primary purposes:

1. This blog is designed to keep friends and family up to date regarding my research and travel.

2. This blog is designed to serve as a personal archive for research materials I discover throughout my yearlong excursion.

My entries in this blog will often take the form of a bulleted list with media attachments for at-a-glance viewing. I’ve found that narrative blogs take a lot out of me and tend to discourage me from posting regularly. As such, I’m trying something new. While I may occasionally embellish on points of ill-clarity or particular importance, entries will be kept short. They will be made on a weekly basis for the sake of convenience.

With the preliminaries out of the way, allow me to begin:

1. I arrived in Japan on Friday afternoon after a relatively uneventful flight. After settling in at my hotel (Marriott Tokyo Station), I walked around a bit and grabbed a bite to eat before retiring. I’d been up for 27 hours.

2. I traveled to Odaiba on Saturday to visit my apartment and determine what kinds of accommodations I would need. The office was closed, but I was still able to get a feel for the area. Most importantly, I noticed that Odaiba is a hotspot for developments re: the Paralympics. The Nippon Foundation just opened up a new Para Arena nearby, and the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation is also within walking distance.

3. While I was walking around Odaiba, I happened to stumble into a one-day exhibit on the Paralympics hosted by Toyota and NHK. The event showcased Toyota’s ongoing efforts to create accessible vehicles and media coverage of the Paralympics, including an interesting AnixPara (Anime and Paralympics) crossover. Photos below:

Final Thoughts:

I’ve only been here a few days, but I’ve already encountered an outpouring of exciting developments re: accessibility in Japan. With constant news coverage of the Paralympics and the ongoing scandal re: employment statistics of PWD’s (Persons with Disabilities) in Japan, there’s plenty of stuff for me to think about. I’ll be moving into my apartment this week, with a caregiver flying over from the US to assist me for the first month. I’ll also be applying for national health insurance and disability insurance in addition to the usual settling-in process (i.e. getting a phone, bank account, etc.) and meeting with the Japan Foundation/Fulbright.

I’ll let you all know where things stand next week!