Japan Day 2 & 3

Okay, Day 2 was our first full day in Japan and we were busy! We started the day going around Akasaka and went first to the Diet Building. No, the Diet Building has nothing to do with food. The Diet is their main government building that houses their Representatives and Senators. The Japanese government is very similar to the British government. The Japanese do not have a king, but they do have an emperor. Both really don't have a lot of governmental power, but they are still considered important. The Japanese also have a Prime Minister and 2 Houses of legislators. While we couldn't take pictures inside the Diet, I can say that the building is very impressive with lots of marble and inticate designs. Oh yeah, it is super clean much like the rest of Japan.

We then went to Asakusa where there is a famous Buddhist Temple and Shinto Shrine. Shinto is the religion that is originally from Japan. It is based on hero worship and some nature worship. On the otherhand, Buddhism is from the Chinese and generally believes in a deity called Buddha.

After our sightseeing trip, our group watched a Kyogen performance. Kyogen is an old style of Japanese theater that have the actors talk in a very sing-song type of voice and dance in very controlled movements.

Day 3 was very informative. We spent the day mostly in lectures and workshops about Japan's economy and in a discussion by some of the top legislators for Japan. We also went to catch a baseball game with the Seibu Lions vs. The Hanshin Tigers. The Japanese are big fans of American Baseball and go all out at their games.