People
Before I came to Japan, I did not really have any particular stereotypes about Japanese people. My father worked with a Japanese company while I was younger, and Japan always seemed like distant place that I would never be able to see. I remember, before leaving, he told me that the Japanese were extremely nice, but that they didn’t really wave or say, “hey” as much as we did in America. This being said, I found myself greeting Japanese with an expectation of them being kind to me. This expectation brought me to a reality which I should have realized first: Japanese people are obviously people just like the rest of us. They have opinions (sometimes strong), wants, needs, and the ability to shove you out of the way when you are looking at something while visiting Hiraizumi. This being said, my stay here has been an excellent teacher of the principals of tatemae and honne. I think that I have learned from the people of Japan that it is okay to say your opinions, but it is better to know when to keep your mouth shut and ganman. This idea of pushing through rough times or difficult situations has definitely been slammed against me every single day of my stay here in one way or another.
Food
Japanese culture, through food, has really opened my eyes. In America, I feel that we try and teach our children that it is good to eat all of your food, but it doesn’t seem to stick. Throughout my stay, every time that I thought that I couldn’t eat a food or I would not be able to finish it, I felt this unseen pressure to finish my food. I remember when I was presented with my first tray of sashimi. I absolutely hate raw fish. However, I felt bad for the woman in the ryoukan that made the food for us. It was this sort of guilt that made me push my way through the different foods, and, in turn, I learned to appreciate foods that I would never have dreamed of eating, or having to eat, in the United States.Tradition/Modernity
Throughout my life I have been taught and told about a Japan from two different perspectives. I had always been told that it was home to Tokyo, a bustling metropolis that was extremely vast. At the same time, I had also been taught about the samurai and the various other traditional things make up Japanese history. However, when I arrived here, I did not feel the tradition as strong as I had anticipated. I remember participating in one of the local float carrying activities, and I was placed at the extreme front of the dashi line so that cameras could take pictures of me. Here I was, pulling a gigantic float down the middle of a super highway, and I had cars driving by me on both sides. More so than that, there was not a single horn honked, or upset driver (that I could tell). Through our sensei’s class, this also taught me a lot about the ways in which Japan is existing in a place that lies behind the distinctions of traditional and modern. This being said, the state is also not one that is so constant.
In closing, I would like to just write a little about my thoughts, sort of a free-think. Japan is beautiful. The people are kind, the food is good, and the culture is enough to keep my thinking every second of every day that I am here. The largest lesson I have learned from Japan is that people have the capacity to make it through a lot just by doing what they need to do, when they need to do it: ganman. There are times in life where homework, job, friends, money, sickness, etc, just have to be done. I have also learned that actions affect others more so than we really know. I think that this is evident in the ways in which the Japanese people interact with each other. I remember walking down the sidewalk for the first time in Japan thinking, “What in God’s name is this yellow line in the middle of the sidewalk?” I then came to find out that it is there for those who cannot see to use. I was blown away. To think of a culture that pushes individuals cohesively to reach a unified goal is amazing. I suppose that Japan may not have a unified goal, but they are definitely trying to push everyone as a whole somewhere.As I return to the United States, I will try and keep these morals in mind. Japan has taught me things that no classroom could ever teach me. It has also allowed me to realize the importance of doing something to give back to the community you are in. This factor was largely taught to me by setsuden. I hope to be able to go forward and share these findings with my family, friends, and teachers in order to motivate them to look more objectively at where they are in life. This experience has been one that I will remember forever, and I will be sure to return to Japan someday.
