Gen Con 2023

Road Trip on the Kumano Kodō
Thursday, 10 AM (1 hour)

The Kumano Kodō is one of only two UNESCO-honored pilgrimage trails in the world, used since the 10th century for physical and spiritual journeys and helping to create a millennium of peaceful religious syncretism. Join a thousand years of ascetics, samurai, emperors, and monks to learn about the cultural history of this trail network from someone who has hiked it herself. We’ll discuss the historical context, the development of the trail network, the purpose of the pilgrimages and the resulting thousand years of religious syncretism, political implications, and how the trails can be experienced today.

Storytime from Japanese History
Thursday, 11AM (2 hours)

As the oldest monarchy in the world, Japan’s had plenty of time for some amazing moments in history. Hear a few of the most important, most famous, or most fun—from the Genpei War to the Meiji Revolution, from girl power to magical red cows, from archery contests to smallpox—with illustrations, photos, ties to your favorite anime/manga, and plenty of geekery.

Moar Storytime From Japanese History
Thursday, 1PM (2 hours)

Continued by popular demand! How did an earthquake lead to the development of ramen and a hostage situation to Cup Noodles? Who went “Gotta paste ’em all!” about religious stickers? Who were the Shitennō before they were Sailor Moon villains? What will you eat at a Buddhist temple, and why is it so good? Come pick up a few more intriguing stories and facts from Japanese history!