Hello, good-looking! What's your blood type?

Is it possible to summarize who “Japanese people” are? Of course not! However, it is easy to categorize them in personality groups… just draw a little blood.

Takeji Furukawa founded this way of thinking when he published: "The Study of Temperament Through Blood Type" in the early 1900s. Since then countless studies have be conducted to prove this social stereotype true. For example the University of Ochanomizu published results of A Natural Experiment with Time-series Data of 1978 - 1988 concluding that "blood-typical personality stereotypes actually influenced individuals’ personalities – self-reported personalities at least – in Japanese society and operated as a self-fulfilling prophecy, even though no scientific evidence for these stereotypes has been presented."

There are four different blood-types believed to reveal with the following personality characteristics:

• Type A: calm, perfectionist, most artistic, shy, conscientious, trustworthy, sensitive.
• Type B: goal oriented, strong minded, individualists.
• Type AB: split personalities, can be both outgoing and shy, confident and timid.
• Type O: sociable, outgoing, optimistic, creative and popular, confident, attention seeker.

Japanese purikura has an option to illustrate what blood type you are.

There are also certain compatibilities between blood groups. To test this further, I conducted my own study: a random selection survey in which I asked 20 Kansai Gaidai students about their opinions on this subject. 5 boy and 5 girl International students from various countries and backgrounds, as well as 5 boy and 5 girl Japanese students were asked the following questions:


International Students

1. Do you know your blood type?
2. Since your arrival to Japan, has someone asked you what your blood type is? How did this make you feel?
3. What does blood type mean to you?
   

Japanese Students

1. Do you know your blood type?
2. Have you asked someone about their blood type? Why?
3. What does blood type mean to you?

Most of the International Students didn't know their own blood type, 50% of the group said that they had been asked what their blood type is, and all of them said blood type is important for biological and medical purposes. The Japanese students, on the other hand, all knew their blood type, 70% of the group said they had asked someone else what their blood type is, most commonly when they met someone knew. All of the Japanese students said that the blood type explains personality or character. Some of the Japanese students also mentioned that the personality traits by blood type is just for fun.

Snap Shot: Split Personality. Takafumi Yamaguchi is a student at Kansai Gaidai. His blood type is AB. Before this picture was taken, Taka-kun was skillfully singing a song by The Killers and as soon as he saw the camera, he posed (see photo) and then went back to singing.

In Japan, blood-type horoscopes are also mentioned on the morning news and dating services may also cater to people based on their blood type.



The following links provided information for this blog post:

• The Japan Times:
  http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20061114aj.html


• Japanese Culture Site:
  http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art22988.asp


• Love and Personals:
  http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/love/package.jsp?name=fte/bloodtype/bloodtype
  

For further reading on this subject check out these sites:

• Personality and Individual Differences: Blood Type and Personality:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V9F-46JYKJX-3&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=869437d88620738e39bb8f2cf3ceea9d


• Blood Type Condom Machine:
  http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?cID=359&pID=329

There is no place like home for a stranger in a strange land.

Hello Neighbour!
Welcome to Neighbourhood Hirakata!

Hirakata City - A quaint town, friendly and slow-paced. Much like my home town— Acton, Canada.

As I settle in to my new lifestyle in Japan, I’ve come to realize how much Hirakata reminds me of home. Like Acton, Hirakata is full of friendly people. Every day on my way to or from school someone extends a friendly greeting. To the city folk these places may not have recognizable distinctions that make them unique or special. Yet, to us these small towns have a charm of their own. For example, Acton is known as the “Leathertown” and holds an annual festival in celebration of our history tanning leather. The same way Hirakata has come to be known as the "University City" with six universities that have been recently established in the area thus creating a new image for itself (Find more information about the university city on the homepage for Hirakata City: http://www.city.hirakata.osaka.jp/freepage/gyousei/hpcontent/eng/index.html). And again, like Acton, Hirakata is moments away from an exciting city oasis. I am comfortable living in Hirakata because it feels familiar...

I started writing this blog on a theme of being a Stranger in a Strange Land... but as I continued to write, gradually the words changed, I have to come realise that maybe this strange land is home after all.

Over looking Hirakata City.

City details.

In Japanese culture there is an apparent attention for detail—in artwork, the presentation of Japanese cuisine, business negotiations and the like. There is one particular detail in every city of Japan that I find fascinating—the man-holes in the street. Each one illustrates some purpose and meaning that corresponds to the city.

The chrysanthemum is one of the many symbols of Hirakata City. It signifies the earth’s suitability for cultivating this flower, which “is intimately connected with Hirakata's traditional craft, the flower doll.” (see link below.) There are two people perhaps harvesting near their home and the surrounding landscape illustrate the boundaries of the city; Yodo River to the west, and the verdant Ikoma Mountains to the east. The picture represents what Hirakata has been previously known as—a suburban farming village.


(http://www.city.hirakata.osaka.jp/freepage/gyousei/hpcontent/eng/welcome_hira.htm)



Side streets.

Every day I follow this route to and from school. It follows behind the main street and cuts down about 10 minutes of the ride to school. I tried to illustrate how there is no geographical segregation between the classes in terms of housing.

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=i83CpOI6ULI

Early Impressions of Japan: What you see is what you get?

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Left: "Western", up-right toilet; right: Japanese squat toilet.
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Hasn’t your mother ever told you: “Don’t judge a book by its cover?” First impressions may be deceiving. Yet, some might say that everyday decisions are often based on those first emotions—the ‘gut’ feeling, for example. First impressions and how we react to them may be a dangerous thing. Should we be more open and understanding of new encounters in our surroundings or is what you see, what you get?

See the picture above. What did it make you think? Do you agree with the text describing each image in the photo? Why or why not?

From my own perspective, as a "western" foreigner to Japan, clearly I find the upright “western” toilet more comfortable. I dub the squat-style toilet a.k.a. the-hole-in-the-ground very different. This reflects on some of my other first impressions of things unique to Japanese culture that I have found to be out-of-the-ordinary. Driving on the left side of the road and sleeping on the floor are not my idea of normal. That doesn’t mean; however, that it’s wrong. So what does that mean exactly? Despite much thought, anytime I attempted to reflect on my first impressions of Japan, my explanation was simply that it is different.

What do you see?

Left: "Western", up-right toilet; right: Japanese squat toilet.

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Conclusion 1: How can I explain all of the new things I am experiencing in Japan as vague as saying that they are different and nothing more? Well, I was asked about my first impression! Maybe after sometime I will be able to elaborate more—after having more time to think about it... But then again, it wouldn’t be my first impression anymore now would it. Confused? So am I.

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In particular, after I arrived in Japan; whether at the airport, in the city, or on campus... I noticed that Japan is very clean! This leads me to the impression that Japan has an obsession with cleanliness. Allow me to exaplain... Outdoor shoes are not allowed inside; dogs are kept outside of the house; there are sinks located at public cafeterias; and the roads and sidewalks are ‘litter’-ally spotless! From my personal experience as a student living in one of the Seminar Houses, we must follow recently implemented “rules” when sorting garbage. There are 5 bins for sorting: Burnable and Raw Garbage, Plastic Garbage, Pet Bottles, Cans and Glass, but it doesn’t stop there, raw garbage must be placed in a nylon bag and pet bottle labels and caps must be removed and sorted as well. Furthermore, the garbage must be thoroughly cleaned before placed into any of the bins! We were also told that cleaning staff would have to re-sort the garbage if it was separated improperly, otherwise the garbage would not be collected.

Garbage and recycling bins in Seminar House 3.

Instructions on "How to Seperate Garbage".
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What are your thoughts on this?

Conclusion 2: Wouldn't you much rather live in a comfortable, clean environment? Yes, of course! So why not adopt the Japanese way? I honestly think that if I dedicated myself to keeping things super-duper clean, I wouldn’t even be able to enjoy it!

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Click the following links to read more about Japan’s obession with cleanliness.

• Cleaning the Sidewalk in Japan:

http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~sedwards/photos/crazyjapan200207/Pages/Image19.html

• An Australian Study: http://www.abc.net.au/correspondents/s356312.htm


• A Personal Story:
  http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/1747


• Canadian Perspective on Japan's Cleanliness: http://www.thestar.com/living/article/461415

Welcome

FWIW: For What It’s Worth.

I have chosen to title my blog under this name because I want everyone to keep an open mind when reading my blog posts. Think for yourself. Be critical. Don’t be judgemental. Know the facts. Discover the importance and meaning of your surroundings for what it is worth—to you.