PLEs should generate new methodologies. To do so, we have to know how knowledge is build. And knwoledge nowadays is extremely fluid. Learning has evolved from a cognitivist approach to the edypunk DIY, the Do It Socially, the Learn It Yourself and, at last, to the Learn It Openly or Social networked learning.

It's been a month allready, but here is my roundup of this year's EAJRS conference in Newcastle.

Not surprisingly four of the presentations centered around the Tōhoku disaster. Starting with NDL, giving an overview of the library damage in that region (251 libraries, 236 musea and 128 lifelong learning centres wrecked or damaged).

The National Diet Library building in Tokyo itself didn't suffer much damage, and only on the top 4 of their 17 floors where 1.8 mio books dropped of their shelves. On March 12 they counted 318 visitors (wonder what they came to read), everything was back to normal by 25/4. More importantly, we also got an idea about what NDL is doing in terms of support measures:

1. restoration and conservation of damaged materials  (with the Noda village library as an example)
2. archiving eartquake related web resources, in cooperation with the Internet Archive and the Reischauer institute
3. contributing to Diet debates, reports (follow the digital booklibrary link on their homepage)

Follow the links on their support page or take a look at the presentation.

JACAR, one of the best Japanese Studies resources around, features an online guide to tsunami and earthquake related historical documents. Check out the top left button on their Japanese homepage or the presentation titled

While digitalizing Japonica in the Archives of the Royal Palace I came across a two-page dossier about a benefit matinée for the victims of the Great Kantō Earthquake in 1923, organised by the Brussels administration in the Monnaie theatre on Octobre 27, 1923 at 2 h.I/2 (sic). Judging from the big Oui on the invitation letter, the king attended.

The archive holds some other goodies, for instance two photo-collections from the secretary of Leopold II. The larger consists of 80 photographs from the 1890's with various views from all over Japan. At least three of these were taken by T. Enami. The second photo-dossier has 9 unique photographs from the Belgian legation by K. Ogawa (Enami's photography teacher).

There's also a dossier about the visit to the port of Oostende by two Japanese warships in 1902, and other one about a ceremonial sword given to king Albert I in 1914 by the Japanese government.

Using a wikipage instead of slides to support a talk is a good idea. I've been trying that out since I saw Brian Lamb's  opened talk in Barcelona. Below is (an embedded wikipage used as) a presentation in my 'Introduction to Japanese culture' class. I learned a lot preparing for this particular item. The richness and diversity of Japanese popular culture, again.

Annotations are in Dutch but don't let that stop you.

Teaching an introductory course on Japanese culture has some modest advantages. You get to YouTube all day. Below is this year's list of clips used in the sessions on Japanese cinema. I haven't got the time to annotate the clips in English but the links to the Internet Movie Database should provide sufficient background info. Enjoy.

• Orochi (1925)