Closing Impressions: A Thrilling Chase, A Wondrous Place

      It amazes me at how quickly this program has gone. I have been able to do so many different things during my time here, and I want to use this last blog as a sign off to a wonderful experience that has shown that there is more to the world than I could have even imagined.



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.

Politics: The Next Step

I remember sitting down on the couch with my host mother and watching TV. It was not to terribly long into our stay here, but I would guess it was about two weeks or so. I remember seeing the head of the Japanese government on the TV, and, to my surprise, my mother made a comment under her breathe. I asked her what she said, and she continued to tell me that the politics of Japan are full of liars. Then Obama came on the TV, and she asked me what I thought of him. I told her that I didn’t think very highly of him, but I also realized that he wasn’t the one who was really in power. The conversation ended in politicians being liars and idiots. This being said, I remember when the elections were taking place a little further into our stay. I remember being greeted every-single day with the beautiful sounds of the “めんどくさいもの” that drove in front of our house, and through town, all day. During this time, my host mother and I also harped on them. Soon came the time when we were greeted with the new leader of Japan. Of course, one might think that, since he was replaced by vote, he would be better standing than the last guy. However, within a few weeks to a month he managed to make it down to the title of “idiot” and “liar.”

This being said, I have noticed a sense of discord between the governors and the governed that has reached across entire oceans it seems. I must admit that I figured Japan would have a much tighter ship than that of America or Britain due to their reflection techniques and their ability to think about the bigger picture. However, I was corrected in this. Jobs are hard to find, money, people aren’t reproducing fast enough, etc. These are all issues that Japan has been dealing with. Adding the Great East Earthquake onto that already complicated pile of issues, and you have “wide open spaces.” So much so that it is “big enough to make a big mistake.” What Japan is going through right now is tough. There is such a negative view of politicians in the world. This being said, the vast majority of those ‘negative Nancies’ are not lifting a finger to do anything about it. Japan is dealing with a feeling that all nations are dealing with, I feel. People aren’t happy, and there are issues that we haven’t really dealt with before. I think that the message that has been plastered on buses, benches, and tissue packets for Iwate and Tohoku of “がんばって” is not going to be enough to really deal with these issues. I feel that “がんばって” has undertones of enduring through the same old things just to get through them. However, Japan, like nations around the world, will need to start looking beyond endurance of systems to really take that next step towards an unknown future.<\c>

Gender

Male and female are both dichotomies that we have all heard before. However, I feel as though, throughout my lifetime, this concept of gender as simply biological has been challenged again and again. This strong dichotomy, however, seems to exist in a different way in Japan. When it comes to the classification of gender in Japan, I feel as though it is much more role based than that of American society. Although this idea might exist within American culture, I feel as though physical appearances weigh more heavily in American culture than that of Japanese. This being said, I have to admit that there have been times where I have done things that I thought to be extremely feminine, where Japanese people have hardly cared at all. But if the biological gender holds less importance here, then what is it that makes the man, man and the woman, woman? Through my experience, I have noticed the first separation in that of the chorus. The students separate by voice range. This same idea, as I have heard from my sensei, is the reason that the students stand boys and girls. It is also the reason for the separation in the classrooms. I feel as though this contributes a lot to the idea of roles. The students are separated, and come to understanding the difference through these placements.

Globalization

There are many facets to this term, I feel. When I first think of this word, I quickly come to the idea of the ‘shrinking’ of the world that is occurring due to greater communication and travel options. However, as I was having a conversation with my host sister, she brought up an interesting point. She asked me what I was writing my blog on, and when I told her that it was about globalization, she asked if that meant how things were becoming more American. This struck an interesting chord with me. I thought about ways in which she might have obtained such a viewpoint as this. As we have learned, English is taught to students all throughout Japan with quite the fervor, but is it really English that is being taught. I snapped a shot of her English workbook. This book is a tool in which to teach students her age about the English language. However, the culture of Japan, as we have learned in our various classes while here, is much more closely tied with that of America. It is not just English that is being taught to the students, but there is a much larger emphasis on American English, I feel. This being said, I think of all of the signs and information pamphlets that have English written on them. I highly doubt that these daily stimuli are printed with English for the students to practice for their tests or speaking the language. So, what is the purpose? Although this is a question that I have yet to be able to answer, I feel as though this is very much a tool of the globalization that my host sister speaks of. There is a great association with English as a means to achieve better standing in the world. This could be related to the fact that the economy has shifted from isolated to being much more globally based. It is not hard for me, necessarily, to find American items in Japan. Kit Kats, Coke, Pepsi. These are all various companies that are American based, but seem to have created specific flavors for the inhabitants of Japan. Is this yet another factor of globalization? I feel as though it is. The base is very much so revolving around that of the English speaking world, as Japan, and possibly other countries are coming to adapt to that reality in hopes of gaining prominent economic standing.

Sports

The first interaction I truly had with sports was actually in a gym, and had nothing to do with a ball or game for that matter. I was standing in front of the junior high school I am currently helping at for the first time. I had just finished my speech when I was instructed to stand in place.

I watched as a group of male students came up in front of the stage and began to yell, loudly I might add, for me to ganbare. I later came to find out that this was part of a much larger cheering scheme that involved the entire school. The first picture is exactly of that. It was a large sporting event where students from all of the schools in the area came together to compete with each other. What was most interesting about this was that the students, not only attended the event, but also cheered for their classmates. The entire time! Students were everywhere.Before this event, I remember walking into the gym to see all of the students working on their cheers. I asked my sensei why all of the students partook, and he said that it was mandatory. He said that it built school spirit. I found this interesting as there is a lot behind this idea of ‘team spirit.’

It is this very idea that pervades a lot of the Japanese school system. Students are constantly being forced to coexist and stand together through activities, sports, and clubs. It is through these facets, especially sports, that the students form bonds with each other. They all learn the same cheers and stand before their classmates supporting them in their endeavors even though they aren’t competing.

Religion

When I think about Japan, two things quickly come to mind: technology and tradition. Now, I suppose Nintendo, Sony, Toshiba, and other electronics that are created in Japan have had an impact on that particular thought process. However, the emphasis in this entry is on the ‘religion’ of Japan. “What exactly is ‘relgion’,” is one of the first questions I find myself asking. According to my Mac, there are three definitions for ‘religion’:

*The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. *A particular system of faith and worship. *A pursuit or interest in which someone ascribes extreme importance.

I don’t honestly feel that the first definition can even really apply. Whenever I have talked with Japanese people about ‘religion’ they have always pushed it off as something that is not really all that important. As for ‘superhuman controlling power’, I don’t feel as though that plays into anything I have seen or heard from my experiences thus far. You can pray to the god or what not, but the ultimate control lies in your action. However, I think this is an opportune time to reaffirm that I am only speaking from experience. ‘A particular system of faith and worship’ is somewhat of a definition that I find more applicable. There is definitely a system in place. During my time in Kyoto, I was able to see a lot more of that system. The interesting thing is that, while one group of individuals would be praying, another group of individuals around roughly the same age would be taking pictures for their memory books. It was really interesting to see the co-existence.

The third definition is the one in which I find really interesting. ‘Extreme importance’ is definitely not something that I have seen a whole lot of when I think of religion in Japan. However, I have seen an extreme importance for paying homage to one’s ancestors. So, is paying homage to one’s ancestors a form of religion or a form of respect? The answer that I have managed to come to is, yes. Religion is, as every ideology, relative to the location that it is created. The concept of ‘religion’ in Western thinking is far different from that in the East. For example, the Japanese will build huge beautiful churches for the sake of holding weddings, and weddings alone. Marriage is not necessarily viewed in the same religious context as we view it, but at the same time there is a large emphasis on the bond formed between the two individuals in the act. Does that make it any less religious? It clearly puts an ‘extreme importance’ on a ‘pursuit or interest.’

At the end of the day I find it extremely hard to remove the western religious bias from my mind. I think that we all have an idea of what religion is and is not, but I feel that something so deep in a culture is not easily understood. Sure we have things like Christianity, Buddhism, and Shinto, but at the end of the day, the actual religion becomes imbedded in the culture in a way that is much more relative than the large umbrella term that it might fall under during categorization.

Pop Culture (And I'm Not Talking About Soda)

Pop culture is a hard topic to cover. According to the dictionary on my Mac, pop culture is “commercial culture based on popular tastes.” So, what is popular in Japan? That is a questions that I don’t have enough Japanese language under my belt to answer. However, I will take a stab at one thing: convenience. Throughout the mini-trip I took in Japan, I noticed the number of different ‘convenience’ items located throughout the cities, subways, train stations, and streets. The first picture is obviously a shot of a vending machine. Vending Machines. Are. EVERYWHERE! I am staying in a somewhat, more rural area of my city, and we have the convenience of still having a vending machine sitting right out side of our door. Is it starting to get colder? Well, they have covered that too with all of their tea’s and coffee’s switching from cold to warm. That’s right! If you are feeling the freeze, just pop in 120 yen or so and you will be able to indulge in a nice, warm, canned beverage on your bike ride to school. This is not to mention the vending machine that will scan your body, recommend a drink to you, and all you have to do is touch the screen and flash your Suica to obtain liquid bliss!

Vending machines aside, this is also evident in the world of convenience stores in Japan. Manga, toiletries, alcohol, meals, snacks, you name it and a convenience store near you probably has it. The most fascinating thing to me is the pre-made meals. If you ever forgot your lunch, no problem! Going to the combini and grabbing a meal from the shelf is just as good. They will heat it up and even provide you with a hand towelette and chopsticks.

All of this being said I would like to pull you to my second picture. It is a picture of nature. Tell me, how convenient is that? I suppose that is a fairly loose questions, so I will just make some stipulations here. Let’s say that I live in the country of Japan. Most of the ‘professional’ jobs, especially as a college grad, are not going to be located in the middle of rice fields. There is also a large difficulty when it comes to transportation. If I wanted to live in the country, I would have to buy a car or ride the train to and from work every day. However, why go through all of this hassle when I could just move to the city where everything I could ever need is sitting there in a nice little pre-packaged, heated, chopstick provided combini? What I am trying to say is that, from what I have experienced in Japan thus far, most people are all about convenience, and with such a large buy in toward this ‘popular taste’ (literally in some cases), it is most apparent to me that it is a facet of Japanese pop culture.