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© International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

Poetry Collection of Tokyo

50 Excellent Personal Projects

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50 Excellent Personal Projects

Poetry Collection of Tokyo

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

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A Table of Contents 

Introduction 

  Identification of Goal……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3 

  Description of the Chosen Areas of Interaction……………………………………………………………………………….3 

  Outline of How I Intend to Achieve the Goal…………………………………………………………………………………..4 

Description of the Process 

  Production Steps……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...4 

  Components of My Project……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5 

Analysis of Process and Product 

  Inspiration…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………7 

  Research…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8 

  Influences………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9 

  Findings/Decisions……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………9 

The Product, Process and Goal………………………………………………………………………………………………….……11 

Focus on Homo Faber and Environment……………………………………………………………………………………….11 

Conclusion 

Reflection of Impact of My Project…………………………………………………………………………………………………11 

New Perspectives to Consider……………………………………………………..……………………………………………………..11 

Bibliography…………………………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………….12 

Appendices 

  Survey about Tokyo…………………………..…………………………………………………………..…………………………………..15 

  Survey about My Poem Collection……………………………………………………………………………………………………..17 

  Diagram 1……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………21 

  Process Journal…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..22 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo of front page URL: http://flickr.com/photos/28481088@N00/1808267994/sizes/o/ 

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Introduction 

Identification of Goal 

For my Personal Project,  the goal  is  to see whether poetry will be able  to deepen people’s understanding 

about  a  certain  topic.  In  answering  this  query,  I  will  write  poems  about  Tokyo  and  make  it  into  one 

anthology along with some poems written by other poets. The forms which I will be using in my poems will 

be from a wide range of styles, and will be chosen as I work through the project. By reading and analyzing 

various poems written by professional poets, I aim to learn effective writing skills and techniques, and use 

them to communicate my impression and interpretation of the characteristics of Tokyo city.   

 

Later on,  I will  ask  foreign‐nationals who have never been  to  Japan whether  they have acquired a deeper 

understanding of Tokyo after  reading  the collection.  If  the majority of  the  readers believe  that  they have 

somewhat gained knowledge, then I would know that my collection was successful and my goal would be 

achieved, knowing poetry can in fact deepen people’s understanding.   

 

Description of the Chosen Areas of Interaction 

This project will interact with two Areas of Interaction: Homo Faber and Environment.   

Firstly, it interacts with Homo Faber for two reasons. The first reason is because as I acquire more knowledge 

about poetry throughout this project, sophisticated analytical skills will be needed to understand and study 

each poem I read, in order to learn new writing techniques and determine whether it is appropriate to put 

into my collection. After acquiring the writing techniques, vivid imagination and creativity will be used in 

order to portray my interpretation of Tokyo to the reader. Hence, because the same skills are encouraged by 

Homo Faber, my poetry collection interacts with it intensively. The second reason is because of the impacts 

this product can cause on the readers. Even though, this poetry collection is written to share my perspective 

of Tokyo, it can inspire some readers to gain interest in English literature as well as Japanese culture. This 

influence  is  also  an  aspect  of  Homo  Faber  since  I  am  causing  changes  to  the  stereotypical  impressions 

foreigners have on Tokyo, such as misunderstanding that kimonos are worn on a daily basis. 

 

Secondly,  this  project  interacts  with  Environment  since  the  purpose  of  my  poetry  collection  is  to  help 

foreigners develop awareness and receive firsthand account on an environment which in this case, is Tokyo. 

Even though my poetry collection is not about environmental issues such as pollution and global warming, 

it has as much significance as those topics since environment is the main theme in my anthology. Hence, I 

would have to investigate, plan, draft, create and evaluate everything accordingly so that I can portray my 

interpretation of one particular environment‐ Tokyo. Another reason for why my project interacts with this 

area is because researching and using different forms of poetry from various time periods and environment 

can allow me and the reader to know more about the language during those times.   

 

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Outline of How I Intend to Achieve the Goal 

I  intend  to  achieve  the  goal  which  is  to  find  out  whether  people  can  gain  understanding  from  poetic 

literature, by providing poems about Tokyo. In writing poetry, I must research about the forms of poems, 

understand each form, and select appropriate forms to write. After this, I will brainstorm some topics that I 

can discuss about after asking foreign teachers at K. International School Tokyo about amusing features of 

Tokyo. Then, I will choose how many poems I will write and assign one topic/theme for each one. I will write 

my poems, and later on, research other poets’ poems about Tokyo. Lastly, I will compile the two parts (my 

poems and other poets’ poems) and make it visually appealing so it would become an anthology. I will ask 

foreigners who are not in Japan to take a survey after reading the poems to see whether poetry (literature) 

can help people further their understanding about a city. If so, then my anthology should be considered as 

successful, and my goal would be achieved.   

Description of the Process 

Production Steps 

In creating the final product, there were two steps: a) writing my own poems and b) finding poems written 

by other poets.  I began by writing my own poems since  I assumed that  this process would be more time 

consuming  than  the other. The amount of effort,  creativity,  skills,  and  the extensive  research  required  to 

write my poems made this process extremely challenging. 

 

In writing my own poems,  there were several developmental stages. They were:  investigation, plan, draft, 

create  and  evaluate.  I  began my  investigation  by  researching  different  forms  of  poetry. Without  proper 

understanding  of  the  forms,  I  will  not  be  able  to  portray  what  I  want  to  so  I  spent  the  first  five  days 

investigating. After doing so, I tried to determine which form to use. Since it was unrealistic to try and write 

every  form  available,  I  decided  to  limit  the  number  of  forms  to  five.  Reading  Studying  Poetry  (See 

bibliography), I came to understand that there are eight common forms used in English literature: Sonnets, 

Haikus, Ballads, Cinquain poems, Heroic couplets, Limericks, Villanelles, and Odes. From further research, 

I  found out that some were similar to each other (See Process  Journal), which led me to cut down to five 

forms: Ballads, Cinquain poems, Haikus, Sonnets, and Limericks.   

 

Next, I began my Plan stage. I determined the features of Tokyo which I will portray in my poems. In order 

to figure out the most significant themes to focus on, I decided to survey the foreign teachers at our school 

to learn what they find or found unique about Tokyo. Their responses gave me an objective perspective on 

Tokyo which enabled me to consider many new themes such as the asphalt streets and salary‐men on trains. 

(See Process Journal). After reading each survey, I listed themes which I found appropriate for my poems. 

They included: trains, skyscrapers, crowdedness, temples/shrines, seasonal qualities and the fusion between 

new and old. Then, I assigned a theme for each form of poetry as shown in the chart below. 

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  Chart 1.0: 

Form of Poetry      Theme 

Haiku 1  Evening, when the sun sets. 

Haiku 2  Night, when the lights on buildings turn on & off 

Sonnet  General image of the city 

Cinquain  Fusion between new & old 

Limerick  Train/the metro 

Ballad  Social aspect of Tokyo 

 

After deciding  the  themes,  I  commenced my draft  stage where  I began writing my poems,  exploring  the 

various techniques. (See Analysis) Finally, I proofread them by checking whether the numbers of syllables 

were appropriate to the style and made changes so that it would flow.   

 

Next, in the second process I searched for poems written by other poets about Tokyo (or Japan) translated 

into English. Although I encountered difficulties, I eventually found a few (See Analysis, Process Journal and 

Bibliography).   

 

Lastly, I compiled all of the above poems into one collection by using Microsoft Office Word 2007. I decided 

to insert a photograph into the front page to foreshadow the theme to the reader. It beautifully demonstrates 

the  fusion  between  old  and  new,  which  I  repetitively  focus  on  throughout  my  anthology  (See  Shall  I 

Compare Thee to a Human Being? and Confusion of my collection) 

 

I  sent  the anthology along with a  survey  to  four  foreign  friends  I have around  the globe who have never 

visited Japan. Their response told me whether my collection increased their knowledge or not. (See Product, 

Process and Goal) 

 

Components of My Project 

The components in doing my project include the research, cultural awareness and the assessment of goal. 

1. Research: The research for writing my own poems was more intense since at the beginning of doing this 

project, I did not know what to write about Tokyo. In order to gather ideas for what I should discuss in 

my  poems,  I  decided  to  survey  foreign  teachers  at  K.  International  School  Tokyo,  about  the 

characteristics of Tokyo that they found interesting or unique. The results provided me ideas that were 

objective and helped me recognize things that I did not before due to no novelty. For example, if I had 

not done a survey, then I would not have thought of including a description about alcohol (sake) into 

the poems. According to some teachers, drunken people or alcohol intake were prominent in Tokyo than 

cities in other countries. I recognized that this was one of a cultural activity since many people in Tokyo 

like to celebrate events and social activities by drinking sake. I  included this cultural aspect of Tokyo 

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✓Do the rhythm and meter integrate with the poem's structure? 

✓Are my rhymes fresh, unassuming but supportive? 

✓Is my overall impression original, honest, expressive and significant? 

(LitLangs Ltda., 2008) 

This checklist was very helpful when evaluating and editing my poems.   

Other than my poems, I used publications of famous Japanese poets: Matsuo Basho and Miyazawa Kenji. 

The questions which I asked myself after deciding which poems to include into my anthology are:     

✓  Did I include poems which have seasonal reference(s)? 

✓ Did I include a poem/poems with reference to Night (so that it can contrast with Sunset)? 

✓ Overall, does it portray an equally distributed detail on the modern and traditional aspects of Tokyo? 

I put the poems into my anthology after making sure that the answers to these questions were ‘yes’. 

 

3. Assessment of Goal: Survey 

As the final step of my project, I surveyed four foreigners out of my country to see whether they were able to 

obtain knowledge by reading my poems. All of them said that they obtained more than a “Somewhat clear 

understanding” of Tokyo. This inferred that my goal which was to see whether poetry can deepen people’s 

knowledge was  achieved. The  average understanding out of  10 was 8.25 meaning  that my  anthology was 

successful. Hence, this component is significant since it related the process and product to the goal. 

 

Analysis of Process and Product 

Inspiration 

a) Inspiration of the Product‐ Poetry: 

What inspired me to write poems for my Personal Project was the unit of learning about Shakespeare and 

reading his works. Out of all his writings, the Sonnet 18 was the most memorable one for me, and since then, 

I have obtained interest towards poetry and other styles of English literature. Again, recently, writing a poem 

based  on  the  structure  and  style  of The  Kraken  written  by  Alfred  Lord  Tennyson, made me  even more 

interested  about  poetry.  All  these  experiences  I  have  had  in  English  class  encouraged  me  to  choose  a 

Personal Project that involved poetry.   

Since I often travel to different countries of the world, I am usually asked what Japan is like, and I encounter 

having trouble communicating about the country I come from, which I have found quite frustrating. Using 

this opportunity,  I  thought that  it would be great to become capable of explaining my country through a 

style I have been interested in. Hence, my inspirations for my Personal Project include English classes about 

poetry and questions about Tokyo asked by foreigners which I was unable to answer.   

 

b) Inspiration of My Topic and Process – Tokyo: 

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The general inspiration for why I have decided to write poems specifically about Tokyo and not something 

else is because I wanted to inform people about something I only knew or could do. If I chose something 

that  a  large  population  was  aware  about,  then  perhaps  my  Personal  Project  would  not  have  as  much 

significance to the society as to if I did one that has never been done before, igniting new perspectives in 

people.   

The inspiration which were gained throughout the process, as I have mentioned before in my Research, were 

photographs  acquired  from  Flickr.  They  all  gave me  great  inspirations  to  the  features  of  Tokyo  which  I 

discussed  in my poems. During  the process,  it  triggered many  ideas and enabled me to brainstorm some 

topics  I  could  discuss  about.  (See  Diagram  1)  The  features  which  were  inspired  by  these  photographs 

informed the foreigners outside of Japan characteristics which they did not know of, making my anthology 

an educational product and causing a significant impact on their perspective.   

For example, the photo 1 showed in the Components section, inspired me to write the line in the Children in 

Tokyo: “They are the salesmen, who live in crinkled suits. They pour sake and flattery into the guests, Trying 

to  avoid  conversational  mutes.”  One  of  the  foreigners  said  that  “Reading  this  line,  it  gave  me  an 

understanding that there are many salesmen who wear suits and drink Sake in Tokyo. I can say that there is a 

hierarchical system for occupations like salesmen in Tokyo. I loved the part where it said ‘They pour sake and 

flattery  into  the guests’. Very  clever.” This evidence suggests  that  the  inspiration  from the photographs of 

foreign  photographers  were  one  of  the  reasons  why  my  anthology  was  successful  at  giving  people 

knowledge.   

 

Research 

Researching contributed significantly to my product. Without  it, my anthology would not have finalized 

the state at which it did. One of the reasons why the research shaped my collection is because I could not 

find many poems written by other poets about Tokyo. Throughout the process, I attempted to find poems 

about Tokyo in English so that I can include into my collection. However, since I could only find Matsuo 

Basho’s  and Kenji Miyazawa’s  English  translated  haikus,  I  decided  to  use  the  poems which were  about 

cities  from other countries and learn writing techniques from them. For example,  I  found a poem called 

the Cities by Hilda Doolittle, an American Poet. The lines which contributed to my poems, especially Shall 

I Compare Thee to a Human Being? were: 

“with the beauty of the temple 

and space before temple, 

arch upon perfect arch, 

of pillars and corridors that led out 

to strange court‐yards and porches” 

Analyzing  this  poem,  I  reckoned  that  she  relates  the  city with  beauty which  enables  the  reader  to  feel 

closer  to  the existence of city.  I decided  to use  this  technique since Tokyo  is a beautiful city with many 

diverse qualities. The usage of this technique can be seen in Shall I Compare Thee to a Human Being?: 

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When deciding which forms to use for my poems, from research, I found out that some of the forms 

which were commonly used in English literature were identical. For example, I did not know that 

heroic couplets which was a couplet consisting of two rhymed lines were used in Sonnets. From this 

finding,  I  decided not  to  use  heroic  couplets  in my  anthology  and  instead use  Sonnets. Another 

example is the ballad and ode. They are both similar since they do not have a strict structure and is 

written as a song.  I decided not to use the ode since the ballad seemed much appropriate  for my 

topic. 

 

ii. Topics: 

In my poems I discussed other topics unmentioned  in Chart  1.0, such as  in Children  in Tokyo  the 

social  changes of  Japan  like  the declining birth  rate. Even  though  this  is a problem  involving  the 

whole country, it depicts what sort of city Tokyo is like since I see many elder people in Tokyo. By 

discussing  these  social  features,  I  wanted  the  readers  to  understand  Tokyo  more  than  just  its 

appearance. 

 

iii. Techniques: 

I  decided  to use metaphors  since  I  thought  it was  a  great  technique  to use  to  convey  features of 

Tokyo. By using them, it provides the maximum meaning with the minimum of words which is great 

since I can explain a lot even if I have a syllable limit. I used metaphors in all of the poems and this 

is how it is used in my haiku: “Trees get tanned with a soft glow” 

Also,  I decided to use personification because it was a useful technique to portray the close bond 

between Tokyo and I. As I have explained before, finding the song Under the Bridge inspired me to 

decide to use personification since the relationship with the city is as if it is with a person‐ strong, 

supportive  and  loyal.  I  attempted  to  portray  that  quality  repetitively  in  the  poems.  I  used 

personification intensively in my Sonnet. 

Another decision  I made was  the usage of metonymy.  It has  the  same connotation as metaphors 

since the effect they can have on the reader is similar. It describes a movement/thing by replacing it 

to something that it closely associated with it. I also used this technique: “The sun‐kissed mornings 

thou have painted” 

 

iv. Other Poets’ Poems: 

As I have explained earlier, I could not find many poems which were written by other poets about 

Tokyo.  Instead,  I  found  poems  by  poets  written  in  earlier  times,  generally  about  the  traditional 

aspect of Tokyo. In evening out the distribution of the aspects of Tokyo, I changed some parts of my 

poems to focus on the modernized qualities.   

 

Overall analyzing the process and product through multiple aspects, I am satisfied with the anthology and 

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the steps I took in creating it. Every stage played a significant role and without one component, my project 

would not have been possible.   

 

The Product, Process and Goal 

In achieving my goal which is to know whether poetry can deepen one’s understanding on a particular topic, 

I  sent  the  anthology  along  with  its  Survey  2.0  to  four  foreigners  who  have  never  visited  Japan.  From 

analyzing their responses, it can be concluded that my anthology definitely deepened their understanding 

of  Tokyo  since  the  average  level  of  the  understanding  obtained  by  them  out  of  10  was  8.25.  Since  my 

description  of  the  scale  10  is  “perfectly  clear  understanding”  and  5  is  “somewhat  clear  understanding”,  I 

believe it provided them with great knowledge of Tokyo. Hence, my goal is achieved since I can answer to my 

query which was whether poetry will be able to deepen people’s understanding about a certain topic. The 

answer which I have learnt from this project is that poetry can in fact enrich ones knowledge on a particular 

topic. 

 

Focus on Homo Faber and Environment 

Throughout my project, I have been quite consistent with the two chosen Areas of Interaction‐ Homo Faber 

and Environment. I have accomplished in creating the poetry collection of the specified environment which 

is Tokyo whilst  learning about forms from various time periods and at the end, causing an impact on the 

readers’ perspective, clarifying any stereotypical impressions on Tokyo. Overall, throughout this project, my 

process as well as my product interacted with the two areas intensively according to how I stated it will in 

the beginning of project. 

Conclusion 

Reflection of Impact of My Project 

The impact of my project is quite remarkable since my anthology was able to change 82.5% of the minds of 

the readers. The four foreigners were surprised to know of these features and noticed that they have been 

misunderstanding Tokyo until  they read my collection so  its  impact  is extraordinary. Plus,  this  is  just  the 

impact of showing it to four people. If I sent it to a large population globally, it would cause an exceptional 

effect, causing a tremendous change in the worldwide impression of Tokyo.   

 

New Perspectives to Consider 

Some of the new perspectives I should consider are conveying my impression and interpretation of Tokyo 

through other ways related to  literature,  for example creative writing. Novels will allow the writer to have 

more freedom than when writing poems since there is no particular form to follow or any fixed structure. 

Hence, creative writing will most likely be easier to communicate features of Tokyo. Or another genre could 

perhaps be a diary of life in Tokyo. Writing one like the famous Diary of Anne Frank can certainly allow the 

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reader to see through the writer’s perspective, making it easier to portray the characteristics of Tokyo. Each 

genre will create a different product, impact and result which is why challenging myself with these forms of 

literature is definitely a new perspective to consider. 

  Word Count: 3918 

Bibliography 

All of the URLs used in the previous sections of this write up will be specified with further details below: 

Flickr:   

1. (2006, April 16th). Tokyo Train Map. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site:

http://flickr.com/photos/moaksey/131599619/sizes/o/ 

2. (2006, July 10th). Img 2130 Tokyo . Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site:

http://flickr.com/photos/62591211@N00/186506841/sizes/l/ 

3. (2006, October 18th). Zojo-ji Temple and Tokyo Tower. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site:

http://flickr.com/photos/kalavinka/273474410/sizes/o/ 

4. (2007, February 8th). Snow of Tokyo. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site:

http://flickr.com/photos/modern_classic/2239009292/ 

5. (2007, October 31st). Old & New (Tokyo fragments). Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site: 

http://flickr.com/photos/28481088@N00/1808267994/ 

6. Carvarlho, A. D. Rebel Without A Cause. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adc/215405524/sizes/o/ 

7. Houghman, G. W. (2005, June 22nd). School Children. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anomic/153697074/ 

8. Said, Will (2007, February 5th). Tokyo Sunset. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site:

http://flickr.com/photos/thoth037/2250213168/sizes/m/ 

9. Sng, J. (2007, October 5th). Drinking, Tokyo, 2007 Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site: 

http://flickr.com/photos/offspring/1489211477/ 

 

(2004, August 24th). Cities H.D.. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Poetry X Web site:

http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/4672/ 

(2008). Poets.org from the Academy of American Poets. Retrieved February 11, 2008, Web site:

http://www.poets.org/ 

(2008). Writing-World.Com Poetry. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Poetry & Greeting Cards Web site:

http://www.writing-world.com/poetry/ 

Lear, E. Limericks. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Poetry-online.org Web site:

http://www.poetry-online.org/limericks.htm 

Matterson, S., & Jones, D. (2000). Studying Poetry .A Hodder Arnold Publication. 

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Poetry Analysis. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Poetrymagic.co.uk Web site:

http://www.poetrymagic.co.uk/critiquing.html 

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Under the Bridge. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Lyrics007 Web site:

http://www.lyrics007.com/Red%20Hot%20Chili%20Peppers%20Lyrics/Under%20the%20Bridge%20Lyrics.html 

Simpson, E. Forms. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Connections: A Hypertext Resource for Literature Web site:

http://www.math.grin.edu/~simpsone/Connections/Poetry/Forms/index.html 

Sonnets. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Patterns in Poetry Web site:

http://www.cranberrydesigns.com/poetry/sonnet/history.htm 

Miyazawa K. Translated by Pulvers R.(2007) Strong in the Rain Selected Poems Bloodaxe Books Ltd 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Foreigner 1:

The Survey for Poems

Hello, I’m Yuri Higashino. I am a student from K. International School Tokyo, doing a project to find out whether poetry

can deepen people’s knowledge about a certain place. It would really help my project if you answer the following

questions with as much detail as possible, after reading the poetry collection I have attached to this mail. To answer the

questions just type in below the questions, and send me this document back. Thank you.

Which poem portrayed the clearest image of Tokyo? And especially, which line/phrase? How?

I thought the poem called Shall I Compare Thee to a Human Being portrayed the clearest image of Tokyo because it told

me many things that I would encounter daily if I was there such as how frequently I would see old and new things there

and get stuck in morning traffics. It gave me a general picture of what Tokyo is like.

I liked the line “The sun-kissed morning thou have painted, Gives me the strength to face morning traffics” because I got

the impression that you can still interact with nature (sun) even if you are in Tokyo. This definitely changed my

perspective.

Which poem was your favorite? Why? (Specific phrases, lines, or words; the topic; etc.)

My favorite poem was New Year’s First Snow because I could really imagine the scene just by reading it.

Out of 0-10, how much understanding did you receive from reading the poems? (Compare to your understanding

before you read the poems.)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

None Somewhat Clear Perfectly Clear

Lastly, what do you think I could have added to improve my poetry collection?

I think if there were more poems, then the poetry collection would have been more helpful. Also, I think if there were

more poets then I could have seen more different views on Tokyo.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Foreigner 2:

The Survey for Poems

Hello, I’m Yuri Higashino. I am a student from K. International School Tokyo, doing a project to find out whether poetry

can deepen people’s knowledge about a certain place. It would really help my project if you answer the following

questions with as much detail as possible, after reading the poetry collection I have attached to this mail. To answer the

questions just type in below the questions, and send me this document back. Thank you.

Which poem portrayed the clearest image of Tokyo? And especially, which line/phrase? How?

I think Children in Tokyo portrayed the clearest image. Probably because it explained what the people are like including

men, women and children whilst describing the other features of Tokyo like crowds and streets.

The line: They are the salesmen, who live in crinkled suits. They pour sake and flattery into the guests, Trying to avoid

conversational mutes.

Reading this line, it gave me an understanding that there are many salesmen who wear suits and drink Sake in Tokyo. I

can say that there is a hierarchical system for occupations like salesmen in Tokyo. I loved the part where it said ‘They

pour sake and flattery into the guests’. Very clever.

Which poem was your favorite? Why? (Specific phrases, lines, or words; the topic; etc.)

My favorite poem was Night Light, by Yuri. “The star-like lights fixed up above, Gleaming on and off”- I could imagine

it. I understood that it is similar to New York City.

Out of 0-10, how much understanding did you receive from reading the poems? (Compare to your understanding before

you read the poems.)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

None Somewhat Clear Perfectly Clear

Lastly, what do you think I could have added to improve my poetry collection?

I think it was great the way you did it!

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Foreigner 3:The Survey for Poems

Hello, I’m Yuri Higashino. I am a student from K. International School Tokyo, doing a project to find out whether poetry

can deepen people’s knowledge about a certain place. It would really help my project if you answer the following

questions with as much detail as possible, after reading the poetry collection I have attached to this mail. To answer the

questions just type in below the questions, and send me this document back. Thank you.

Which poem portrayed the clearest image of Tokyo? And especially, which line/phrase? How?

I think On the Train portrayed the clearest image of Tokyo since it described thoroughly all the interests of one person

that represented the characteristics of the general population of Tokyo. It also talked about the scenery that explained the

environment of Tokyo. “The wind is denser than the water, water and ice reflect each other around February at Rice

Marsh Field” told me that it snows or gets very cold in Tokyo and produces Rice.

Which poem was your favorite? Why? (Specific phrases, lines, or words; the topic; etc.)

My favorite poem The Metro since the structure of the poem or the way it was written suited the content very well. The

structure is very bold and sparsely laid out. I can understand the complexity and the simplicity of the metro.

Out of 0-10, how much understanding did you receive from reading the poems? (Compare to your understanding before

you read the poems.)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

None Somewhat Clear Perfectly Clear

Lastly, what do you think I could have added to improve my poetry collection?

If you included some pictures along with the poems, perhaps the readers could have gained more knowledge about

Tokyo.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Foreigner 4:The Survey for Poems

Hello, I’m Yuri Higashino. I am a student from K. International School Tokyo, doing a project to find out whether poetry

can deepen people’s knowledge about a certain place. It would really help my project if you answer the following

questions with as much detail as possible, after reading the poetry collection I have attached to this mail. To answer the

questions just type in below the questions, and send me this document back. Thank you.

Which poem portrayed the clearest image of Tokyo? And especially, which line/phrase? How?

The “Shall I compare thee to a Human Being?” portrayed the clearest image, I think. It covered everything anyone can

ask about Tokyo. The first two paragraphs of the poem explained the unanswered questions for me- like, are there

temples or buildings in Tokyo?

Which poem was your favorite? Why? (Specific phrases, lines, or words; the topic; etc.)

My favorite poem was Confusion because it was very clear. Yet, poetically interesting.

Out of 0-10, how much understanding did you receive from reading the poems? (Compare to your understanding before

you read the poems.)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

None Somewhat Clear Perfectly Clear

Lastly, what do you think I could have added to improve my poetry collection?

If you included more poems then I think I would have learnt more about Tokyo.

Thank you for your cooperation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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