With a new leader, Emperor Meiji, Japan’s cultural elements began to fade. In order to represent the decline of cultural crafts, I folded cranes, wrote an essay and created a set of instructions on how to fold paper cranes. I encourage everyone to participate in activities of their culture, and to participate in activities of other cultures as well. The traditions will only live on if we help them survive.

I looked at how westerners misconceived the Geisha as a prostitute. I investigated how westerners were misconceived when they thought the geisha was a prostitute. I discussed why they would have thought that and what they truly are. I researched how to act like a Geisha. It covers iki and kawaii; Japanese Aesthetics, and the rules of a geisha.

My overall theme was the life of Geishas; focusing on maikos or geishas in training. I created an instructional guide on how to properly do your make-up like a geisha, wrote an essay about the choice to become a geisha and created an art piece of a head split in two with conflicting designs on each side showing the depth and personality of maikos.

My overall theme was the adaptation of ikebana alongside the rapid and multitudinous shifts in Japan’s government. The wilting of the flowers represents the neglect of tradition and the change in priority that took place during the Meiji Restoration.

I investigated about fans in relation to dance as perfection and warfare and the samurai as discipline in Japanese Culture.

I resolved to do my project on how the power of the West spread so quickly through a nation that had been closed to the public for so many years. One of the best ways to research this I discovered, was through clothing as it is one of the most transitional and culturally valuable items that humans possess.

I decided to combine two seemingly opposite ideas: Origami and Samurais. The Katana, which was a very brutally dangerous weapon responsible for taking the lives of many and the paper crane which was made from delicate, fragile paper and used as a representation of peace.

My overall theme was sushi. I made a how-to guide on eating sushi traditionally, an essay on the globalization of sushi, and an art piece also depicting globalization of sushi. What I heavily researched on was the effects of globalization on the industry. These include new ideas and stereotypes of Japanese culture, the spread of Japanese culture, but the main focus was on overfishing and sustainability.

My project that I did for the cultural project is Daruma. The Daruma is known for the Japanese good luck- fortune doll. For my English project, I did a how to for using a Daruma. For global studies, I wrote a short essay about the Daruma- the significance of it in Japanese culture. And for art, I did a huge Daruma papier mache model.

For all three of my works I kept the theme of the Tsuba. A Tsuba is a hand guard on a Katana or other Japanese sword. They were intricately carved and have a long history so they were perfect for the project.

My project looks at the transformation of the Kimono in modern times as well as a traditional dyeing technique.

The purpose behind my project is to bring a different insight about geishas. They are the major traditional Japanese beauty inspiration for women and a fantasy for men, geishas have been considered the heart of the Japanese culture for centuries.

I focused on the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which involves mending broken ceramics with gold lacquer. This ties into the larger idea of restoration, especially that of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the destruction of the Atomic Bomb.

For my project, I wanted to do something related to the samurai. It all started with my artwork and then I based everything off of it. I did a puzzle of a painting of a samurai with some pieces missing, an essay about how the Meiji restoration marked the end of the samurai and a “How to” guide on how to wear samurai armor.