Four months of living in any place certainly gives one a different perspective on the moods and motives of its people.  After living in China for four and a half months, it was only during the last few weeks that I really got accustomed to the rhythms of life in Beijing and starting understanding the flow of life rather than resisting it.  Japan was a different matter.

When I first arrived, I knew that I was really going to like Japan.  But there were quite a lot of things that confused me about it, regardless.  I wondered why stores were labelled in English, and why katakana was so prevalent, and why exactly there was a giant crab on that skyscraper.

After four months, though, I have begun to understand that Japanese culture, though full of whys still makes sense, as long as you can keep in mind the things we've been studying in class this semester, especially things like the Japanese Version.

I think that that documentary really got closer than any other to explaining exactly what is going on when we see something that LOOKS familiar but takes a form we are unused to.

For example, after studying the kawaii ideal and shojo power, it doesn't seem so odd to walk down the street and see a girl holding a handbag that looks like a skirt or wearing a pair of shoes that look like animals:

Even Colonel Sanders, who both amused and confused the hell out of me when I got here, seems to make more sense now:  



After all, in America, we did used to have the mascots for all these fast food chains standing outside the stores.  You still do see Ronald McDonald some places, and that's no stranger.  The problem is that we are seeing this things out of the context we are familiar with, and wondering why they are there.  Upon reflection, it isn't so odd; the dissemination of culture through globalization makes us not flinch when we see a sushi place or a Chinese restaurant, and I believe the desire to understand other cultures is perhaps greater worldwide than it has ever been before.

Every journal post I've done has either helped me think more deeply about Japan or forced me to expand on my previous knowledge.  Stereotypes are easy to believe, especially in Japan, where the culture can seem almost overwhelming at times.

Obviously, though things make more sense, there will always be things you see and at first don't really comprehend.  But since that is a part of every culture, I don't see why we should blow it out of proportion just because it happens to be Japan.  Japan's mystique is sometimes overrated, and it is obvious that they hold as many stereotypes about us as we have about them.

Current Mood: accomplished

Whenever you walk down the street in Japan, it seems that you can always find a billboard or poster advertising some candidate or some political party.  In illustration of that fact, I found this poster while hiking near Mount Kurama, a strange decision, for this poster would never be seen by large numbers of people, as it is neither near a railway station or a town:

It also confuses me that the poster here (and others that I've seen) are bilingual:

 

This could be just another manifestation of the Japanese manner of putting English on signs in order to make them more interesting or exotic, of course, and I think that is what it must be, because the foreign population in Japan really makes little impact on the policies of Japan.  This could also be though a remnant of regulations left over from the establishment of the Japanese constitution.  I really don't know.

However, I think the way these posters are set up is an interesting window into the way politics would like to be viewed in Japan.  Whether or not they ARE viewed that way, of course, would take more research to discover.

The person featured is not an accurate photograph, rather a sort of 1950s style color wash drawing, very idealized, almost, and the pose, too, with the candidate looking off into the distance, with his inspirational phrase next to him.  I cannot understand the first part, but the second part is interesting:

日本は変わらない -- I read this as "Japan will not change" or perhaps "Japan must not change" (again, any help with the translation would be helpful)  

In the context of the first part of the sentence, this might sound less strange, but to me at least, it seems like the stylized image and the sentiment of stability and peace are inspiration to those who feel their lives require that promise.

 

Current Mood: listless

The hip-hop fashion trend in America did obviously not just start out as a fashion trend, but, as with wearing military clothes to criticize the Vietnam war in the 70s, a social statement that referenced a certain group of people in society.  In the case of hip-hop fashion, that was the inner-city Black population.

In America, I believe that most people who wear those kinds of clothes are aware of the social implications of their wear, even if they have picked up on the style through commercial means.  There is a spirit of ridicule about those who wear hip-hop clothing, however, for those who do not come from the social background of those who would normally wear it.  For example, I grew up in a reasonably homogenous small town in Connecticut, but the boys I went to school with wore baggy clothes, sneakers or boots without laces, and they had certainly never undergone the experiences of the people who originated hip-hop fashion.

In Japan, now, I see something similar.  There is a hip-hop dance group on campus, and walking by their rehearsals, it is easy to spot their distinctive fashion:





But how many of these people are aware of the social consciousness and background that came with these clothes?

The article "Who copped my hip-hop?" (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/member.html?fl20030413a2.htm) has many humorous attempts by the author (African-American himself) to discover why 'his' fashion has been appropriated with no concern for its historical and cultural background. 

There are many cute anecdotes he cites, such as when he first ran across someone outfitted in that style, and trying to determine how conscious they were about what statements they were making:

"I couldn't help asking him: "Say, have you ever heard of Malcolm X?" I was referring, of course, to the black political activist memorialized in the Spike Lee movie and easily the most influential figure in modern black America after Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Nope," he said.
"Never?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Are you, well, curious about anything related to black culture?" I persisted.
"Nah, not really," he said, and looked away."

Generally, I feel as though this is the norm, that hip-hop fashion is just another cultural fad disseminated by the ever-moving force of globalization.  Though, of course, this is not necessarily a bad thing, I believe that things spread abroad in this manner tend to lose a great deal of their significance.  It would be a strange thing if, to look cool, an American started wearing the uniform for a top Tokyo high school.

From America, messages about cultural strife seem to be only few.  However, the article wraps up with a description of four teenagers who WERE aware, through hip-hop culture (Japanese) of current events and were paying attention to them:

"Yuri, 17, told me that, partly because of hip-hop, young Japanese have become more interested in human rights and other world issues. The best example of local hip-hop consciousness, she said, was the veteran Japanese rap group King Ghidorah, which released a CD lamenting the carnage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. "King Ghidorah spoke," said Yuri, "and we started to listen"."

Current Mood: busy

 As the sport created and practiced exclusively in Japan, sumo should provide a window into Japanese culture in its forms, practices, and interest within the nation.  Recently, there was a sumo tournament in Osaka, and even though I arrived early in the morning to purchase tickets, the line was already around the block, and I didn't end up getting one.  I had assumed that sumo was not quite so popular, but obviously I was wrong.

Besides knowing that sumo is a popular sport in Japan, though, I know otherwise very little about it.  Why is it popular?  What needs does it serve within Japanese society?  Where and why was it created?

According to the Beginner's Guide to Sumo on the Nihon Sumo Kyokai website (http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/eng/ozumo_joho_kyoku/shiru/kiso_chishiki/beginners_guide/origin.html) Sumo, much like Bunraku dance, was created as part of a religious ceremony, meant to accompany prayers and dancing to entertain the gods and bring forth a fruitful crop.  From these beginnings, it evolved into Imperial entertainment, military training routines, and eventually, the sport we see today.

I have had the good fortune to be able to visit the sumo stadium in Tokyo; located right outside the Edo-Tokyo museum, this building is right in the center of the city:



Sumo is a grand event; though the matches themselves do not last long, the whole day is an affair of pageantry.  The contestants dress up in costly outfits, present themselves in the ring, and various other tournaments of lower-level sumo wrestlers take place before the main events.  Everyone notices the referees, who wear kimono in the style of Kamakura period clothing, and officiate the matches.

Inside a match, more time is spent trying to 'fake out' the enemy by glaring, throwing salt (Shinto purification rites) and taking positions as though about to attack.  When they do attack, though, they represent the statue seen below, found outside the stadium in Tokyo:



As a sport that's steeped in Japanese history, culture, and religion, sumo seems to be one of those surviving cultural landmarks that though sometimes fade from the mainstream will hopefully never disappear.  Things I could imagine to be similar to this would be geisha and various other traditional art, music, and entertainment styles that seem so far removed from the world of the modern Japanese that they seem almost obsolete.

However, I could imagine fewer things worse than to lose these customs and practices, and hope that sumo remains a vanguard of Japanese culture and tradition for many years to come.

Current Mood: thankful

Being a Christian myself, I am always interested to see how Christianity is represented and practiced by other cultures.  In China, I found little evidence of it, seeing only two churches the whole time I spent there, and hearing little of Christianity besides the general popularity of Western-style Christian weddings, which seem to dominate the scene in China.

In Japan, however, things seem slightly different.  First, I've noticed that on campus there is a youth ministry to bring the local churches to the attention of the foreign students.  In most of these churches, the sermons are only in Japanese, so the times I have gone I could only understand very little.  Although, some churches do offer bilingual services, so that foreigners and Japanese can attend on Sundays.

The fact that services in most churches are in Japanese is encouraging; it shows that there are Japanese who consistantly attend church.  Below is a picture of one church, in the area of Makino station:

 

And here is another, a much larger one, in the area of the Osaka mint.  I selected this image because it illustrates that Christianity is a more important force in Japan than in other countries.  Even though Western marriages are popular in China, in the whole of Beijing there was not a church that was even half this size.



Churches are by no means an uncommon sight in Japan, though obviously not as popular as Buddhist temples or Shinto shrines.  But how many people really practice Christianity as an exclusive religion?

According to a survey done by the US Department of State:  "...107 million persons identify themselves as Shinto, 91 million as Buddhist, 3 million as Christian, and 10 million follow "other" religions..." 
(http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90138.htm)

The size of this number indicates to me that these people are likely to be stricter followers of Christianity than those who simply want to have a Church wedding.

Besides the presence of churches, there are other societies in Japan that deal with Christianity, such as the Japanese Bible Society, responsible for translating, printing, and distributing copies of the Bible in Japan: http://www.bible.or.jp/e/brief_history.html

So, to conclude, I find it interesting that though many people may have the impression that Japanese people only practice Shinto or Buddhism, that there are several large religious minorities, Christianity among them, that continue to show that Japan is not a homogenous society, by any means.

And one more picture to end this post: the Jesus-mobile!

Current Mood: tired

Perhaps nothing fuses the current modern Japanese art and entertainment scene so well as comic books, or manga.  Popular for both adults and children, men and women, Japanese comic books span a wide variety of genres and capture the attention of almost every audience.  From observation at the Hirakata City Book-Off (where I go to buy manga myself!) the popularity of manga is evident.  Sometimes getting to the shelves or leisurely browsing for a new series is impossible, for the many rows and aisles of comics are choked with standing readers.

This picture captures the amount of manga available, though even in this relatively small bookstore, this is nowhere near the total amount of manga offered.  There are at least seven shelves full of manga, as well as two floor-to-ceiling wall-lining shelves:



Obviously, since manga is so popular, it must serve some kind of need in the population.  Liking and reading manga myself, I can understand the allure.

One of the most popular genres of manga is the shoujo (少女) genre.  This is the genre I am most familiar with, and obviously, by the way it is named, one can immediately determine the target audience.  Shoujo manga appeals to young girls (although is read by women, as well). The topics dealt with in these comics are often supernatural (magic), and always with a young girl (aging from 12-18) in the leading role.  Information from personal experience and the following article: http://matt-thorn.com/shoujo_manga/japan_quarterly/index.html

In this post, I would like to talk about two manga in particular. Both of them I was introduced to in America; one of them I had finished reading in English and had watched the anime for, and the other which I had read several volumes in English but now am reading in Japanese.  They are, respectively, Fushigi Yugi (ふしぎ遊戯) and Basara　(バサラ).



In Fushigi Yugi, the main character is called Miaka, a junior-high school student under pressure for her exams into high school.  Upon discovering a book in the library called "The Universe of the Four Gods" she finds herself sucked into ancient China where she decides to become the priestess of Suzaku and receive the power to make her wishes come true.  However, in doing so she gets into a love rivalry with her best friend (who also falls into the world and becomes the priestess for a rival diety) and sees many of her guardians and protectors killed for her sake.

Before entering the Universe of the Four Gods, Miaka is an irresponsible girl who thinks too much about food to be a serious exam candidate.  She has low self-confidence (as evidenced by her subconscious jealousy over her intelligent best friend) and is helpless in difficult situations.  During her stay in the world of the book, however, Miaka grows up.  She learns how to take care of herself and care more for others, putting their wishes above her own, and eventually spends her three wishes on protecting the realm of which she was priestess, wishing her best friend back from the dead, and repairing the damage done to Tokyo when the characters of the book made their way out to the modern day.  With these wishes, she denies herself the chance to spend her life with the man she loves.

The art of this manga shows how the main character gains power and responsibility (sorry it's horizontal...I can't change it!):



In Basara, the main character is 16.  The fact that she is a girl has always been a problem...for she has a twin brother, who is considered to be the "Child of Destiny" who will liberate their country from the domain of the Red King.  However, just when the two children come of age (at 16) her brother is murdered and her villagers scattered.  Cutting off her hair and disguising herself as a boy, she declares that she, Sarasa, was killed, and that Tatara (her brother) is still alive.  Leading them in the disguise of her brother, she maintains rebellion against the Red King, gaining allies through tests of bravery and strength.

Basara is more grim than many shoujo manga, plotwise, and therefore is not so popular (for example, the anime never went beyond the first four volumes of manga).  The characters however, are complex and the situations are adult.

Eventually, Sarasa is revealed as a woman, and, in tears, she apologizes for leading on her supporters.  But they refuse to let her go.  As one of the characters says:

"この中の誰もあんたが＜タタラ＞だからついてきたわけじゃないよ。” (Basara, volume 10, p 175)  My translation is not very good, but I read this as meaning, "In the end, nobody but you is "Tatara", so that's the reason we keep on following."  Gender roles mean nothing--Sarasa has led them as a competent leader, so it hardly matters that she's a woman.

Personally, I believe that these manga (especially shoujo) serve a need in the young, female population for the idea of control, magic, and power.  Women in the main roles are often flawed (irresponsible, clumsy, and flighty) but through extraordinary situations they are revealed to mature and grow, and they inevitably gain self-confidence.

P.S.  If anyone can help me with that translation, I'd be grateful!

Tags: amine, basara, books, fushigi yugi, manga, shoujo
Current Mood: contemplative

One of the most enduring images of traditional Japanese culture that I have seen so far is the persistant presence of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.  Though this might be said to be true of religious buildings in general, Japan (especially in certain places) seems to be riddled with shrines.  In Kyoto, for example, you can't turn around without running into one, or two, or three, whether or not they are famous tourist attractions.  Nara, as well, is simply full of them.

These buildings have many purposes, much more so than the Western equivalent of Christian churches, I believe.  Horyuji temple in Nara is the resting place of Prince Shotoku's soul, but it also serves as a historical museum as well, for in the Daihozoin hall, one can see many artifacts from Japan's long history.



Shrines can even be memorial structures, as well.  As late as 1869, Yasakuni Shrine in Tokyo was founded to commemorate the spirits of those men who died serving the Emperor, and, as such, it has been the center of not inconsiderable controversy over the last century.  There have been many protests regarding the visits made by the prime minister to the spot, in order to honor the souls of the dead who rest there.



So obviously, Japanese shrines are not merely tourist attractions; they continue to serve an important and sometimes controversial part in the modern arena.  But where they are sometimes come down to the level of tourist attractions, they are still very much worth taking note of.

For example, in Nara, Todai-ji temple is the largest wooden structure in the world!

Current Mood: impressed

 I spent last semester in Beijing, China, where I had the good fortune to visit many historical sights, off of which had beautiful architecture.  I had already known that Japan had borrowed much of its architectural style from China.  I assumed, then, that the structures in the two countries would look similar.  They do.  But there are also many differences, mostly in color (paint) that show that Japan has taken the brilliantly colorful aesthetic of China and suited it to its own purposes.

Nearly all buildings in China are brilliantly colored, predominantly in red (the color of happiness), blue, green, and in some cases, yellow or gold (this being the color of the emperor).  For example, the Forbidden City has yellow tiles on the roofs, as it was an Imperial compound.  (All pictures of China taken from the following website: http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/default.htm)



And for contrast, here's a photo of an extremely elaborate Lamasery (Yonghegong Lama Temple), built originally in the seventeenth century:



Recently, I took a trip to Nara, to visit Horyuji and Todaiji temples.  These buildings, Horyuji especially, were strongly influenced by Chinese architecture.  According to the pamphlet distributed by Horyuji temple, the main buildings were built in the style of Chinese worship halls.  However, when contrasting the pictures above with the pictures below, anyone can see a fundamental difference.  (Pictures below are mine)



The tower is in the style of Chinese architecture; the buildings would not look out of place there.  But where is the color?  The buildings are almost unadorned with paint of any kind, the wood unvarnished and weathered.  One can see how it has worn on this sculpture, but no effort is made to stop this weathering:



I've studied Japanese aesthetics before, though.  In the fields of pottery and architecture, certainly, imperfection is beauty.  Something that has no blemishes, that looks brand new, is not valued.  This is the concept of wabi-sabi, on which subject many good books have been written, in particular I recommend the following:  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1880656124/portlandpatternrA/

So, it seems that as early as Horyuji was constructed, Japan was already starting its pick-and-choose brand of globalization.  They have taken the style and the grandeur, but these buildings have become uniquely Japanese.  This is covered in the film The Japanese Version, and I think that that analysis of Japanese globalization is particularly apt, and there is certainly enough historical precedent for it.

Tags: aesthetics, architecture, forbidden city, horyuji, wabi-sabi, yonghegong
Current Mood: artistic

 Perhaps equally as ubiquitous an image of Japan as that of a geisha, the idea of a high school girl wearing a school uniform is recognized the world over as a symbol uniquely Japanese.  Perhaps this is currently due to the wide dissemination of anime; especially in the shojo genre, nearly all the main characters are wearing sailor uniforms or some other kind of uniform:

For example, the image of the main heroine for an extremely popular anime, Inuyasha (犬夜叉).



And of course, who could forget Sailor Moon (セ一ラ一ム一ン）, who, it seems, never steps out of her sailor uniform!



Since I came to Japan I have seen many girls and boys wearing school uniforms.  But why is this such a common image?  Who wears school uniforms and why does it seem to be the only way to visualize a student of middle or high school age?

According to Brian McVeigh in his book Wearing Ideology, Japanese children have some sort of restriction or requirements on their dress, beginning in nursery school and moving all the way up to high school.  Introduced during the Meiji period, school uniforms became something to show unity and school spirit, or, during war times, "uniforms were associated with being 'frugal and courageous'". (McVeigh, 47)

These mandatory uniforms often attract much criticism, as it is said that they "may violate the Convention on the Rights of the Child since they suppress an individual's right of self-expression." (McVeigh, 48)  However, the knowledge that children are uniformed from the first time they enter school until they leave high school certainly explains why it is such a common image; all their formative years are spent wearing a school uniform!

Japanese school uniforms are highly stratified.  Often, the color will change when a student moves up a grade.  And of course, boys and girls wear different uniforms, the most common for boys being a high collared jacket (based on European military dress) and for girls being some sort of sailor uniform or jacket/skirt combination.  Obviously, this causes some tension, and this tension is reflected in popular culture.  As an example, in the anime Revolutionary Girl Utena (少女革命ウテナ) the main character decides to wear the uniform of a boy, instead of that of a girl.  She manages to pull this off because there was no regulation that a girl could not wear a boy's uniform, but the astounded attitude of the teachers illustrates that it simply had never been an issue before.

Whatever the reason, Japanese school uniforms seem to be rather an unchanging image, and certainly you can see them just by walking down the street.  When April rolls around and schools begin again, I'm sure that we'll see a lot more!

 

And the second picture, taken in Nara:



Images from Inuyasha and Sailor Moon were borrowed from Wikipedia.

Tags: anime, school uniforms
Current Mood: busy

Little more than four weeks have passed since I arrived in Japan, and already I've discovered a new hobby: karaoke.  I have been to two widely different places for this entertainment so far, both inside Hirakata city.  One was the senior citizens karaoke bar referenced in my second post, and the other is a much more contemporary place, known as the Big Wave, around Makino station.  The website for that place is here: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/k942303/

One can walk around in most neighborhoods and see several karaoke bars.  In the area around Kansai Gaidai University, I have spotted at least two:  エミ and 愛愛.  But what does it mean that there are so many places to enjoy this pastime?  Where did karaoke begin? 

According to this article http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990823/inoue1.html, Daisuke Inoue created the first karaoke machines and leased them to different parlors, during the early 1970s.  Although the habit was expensive at first, as 500 yen could easily pay for two meals, it soon became popular and spread to the rest of Asia, and now to practically the rest of the world.  Profits from karaoke equal more than 10 billion dollars a year!  A good quote from this article reads:

"It also seems apt that this quintessentially Japanese product, made by a man strolling to the beat of his own private drum-kit, has touched a chord worldwide. Signs for "karaoke nights" now appear outside mom-and-pop stalls in Third World villages and on the glittery billboard of the Hollywood Park Casino in California. Global icons practice it in films like My Best Friend's Wedding, and steelworkers howl away in English towns, where "carry-okie" sounds like a cousin of "cash 'n' carry." Religious figures have been heard to say that karaoke is as essential to the soul as tai chi, and 53 million Japanese alone have inflicted their voices on the world. Even in a city like Phnom Penh you can sing everything from O Sole Mio to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." 

Karaoke is more than just a place, I have found, to practice singing.  Relatively few people practice what is called hitokara (ヒトカラ) that is, singing karaoke alone.  It is a place to relax and party with friends, a place to enjoy eating and drinking, and a place to enjoy a different, lively atmosphere.  Karaoke bars specialize in their clientele; the senior citizens bar and the Big Wave are obviously catering to different audiences, as can be seen from the picture below.  For an example of the other bar, see my previous post.



The Big Wave

Some online retailers even specialize in karaoke products and machines, such as www.karaoke.com!  And a sister video game to Dance Dance Revolution has hit the States:



Karaoke has a worldwide appeal, but it began in Japan, a bare thirty some years ago.  To have reached so many places in such a short span of time probably makes karaoke the biggest cultural export besides...sushi!

Tags: daisuke inoue, karaoke
Current Mood: curious