NEW BLOG

Hey everyone... This blog was set up for the a class assignment that has ended.

I am making a new blog for another class this semester. Please check it out http://fwiw2u.blogspot.com/

Happy reading.

--Katy

Changing Impressions...

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When I first came to Japan, I experienced quite the culture shock. To me, this country seemed like a world within a world--unlike anything I've ever known. How Japanese people act and how they treat each other (and foreigners) took a lot of getting used to. For example, as a straight forward person, I had to learn how to express myself with the fewest words possible. Since the Japanese have this extraordinary ability to "speak without words". I now realize the importance of my blood-type (from a Japanese perspective) and further know the meaning of being cute. However, for the purpose of this blog, I have encountered many more things in Japanese culture and I will continue to discover more. Maybe Nihonjinron will prevent me from fully understanding it. So that my only explanation will be just "because".

Can you really explain what you see in this picture with more words than because? Or can it be explained that the Hitler sponge on the right and his accomplice are going to tackle tough grease and grime?!
My lack of explaination denotes that in Japan I will always be an outsider...

I guess as I am trying to reflect on my first impressions of Japan to see how they have developed and changed, through what I learned about politics, art, sports, religion and such... I conclude in saying that it's not that my impressions of Japan have, in fact, changed, but that I've learned to accept it, at face value for what it is. And I believe that I do not have to become Japanese in order to appreciate Japan and what it has to offer.

Because everyone needs a mini iron....

Japanese Theatre - A Living Art Form

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Noh is one of the oldest art forms of ancient Japan. In general, Japanese Noh plays are not very dramatic. It is a poetic slow dance of the supernatural world. Paul Binnie explains that "it is this very beauty which makes Noh a living art form still, over six hundred years after it developed, and which has caused all subsequent Japanese theatrical forms to draw on aspects of Noh." Noh has inspired other forms of Japanese theatre, such as Kabuki, where technical aspects of Noh perform ace have been adopted and transformed.

Scene from Yuya, a Noh play attributed to Zeami, showing (left foreground) the shite (principal actor) and (right foreground) waki (supporting actor). The hayashi (musicians) are seated in front of the pine tree painted on the kagami-ita (rear wall); the jiutai (chorus) sits at right; and a koken (stage assistant) sits at the left. A portion of the hashigakari (ramp leading to stage) is at far left.
This picture by Kunihei Kameda and description from the online britannica encyclopedia.

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Kabuki, literally meaning the Art of Song and Dance, contrasts to older Japanese art forms, such as Noh. Noh "speaks to modern audiences as it did to the noblemen and women of the Muromachi period." Whereas, Kabuki was popular among townspeople--not of the higher social classes.

Founded in 1610, Minami-za (seen in the photos on the right) is the oldest Kabuki theatre located in Kyoto, Japan where historical stories of moral conflicts in love relationships and the like are still performed. Plays are also delivered in a old fashioned language, which makes Kabuki a challenge to understand. The actors speak in a monotonous voice and are accompanied by traditional Japanese instruments.

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For more information visit the Japanese Theatre Index:

• http://www.theatrehistory.com/asian/japanese.html

For examples of Noh masks visit Mask

• http://artsci.wustl.edu/~rlneblet/noh/

Quoted phrases were taken from the following website:

• http://www.artelino.com/articles/noh_theater.asp

Battle of the Sexes!

. Gender segregation in Japan is as clear as 20/20 vision. In a traditionally patriarchal society gender distinction are still evident in Japanese culture. The colour of elementary school bags traditionally differ between black for boys and red for girls; soccer and baseball are regarded as male sports only; and women working are generally tied to the service industry as well as their jobs, compared to men, are less valued in society. Although Japan has moved forward from oppression of women and such--meaning women in Japanese society have more security (as shown in the picture above), freedoms and responsibilities, there are other aspects of Japanese culture, including Nihonjinron, which also stresses gender stratification. Nevertheless, Japanese language is the thread that neatly holds Japan's social fabric of patriarchy together.

First, male and female speech commonly occur in informal concepts of self and other through spoken and written grammatical differences. For example, in referring to the self, boku is used by males and atashi by females. Second, the voice pitch reflects femininity or masculinity, especially for women, and has become a cultural expectation in speaking Japanese. Finally, and maybe most obvious, is in choice of first names.

Here are some examples of common names:

Female: (child can be added)

- Pretty - Flower - Pure - Snow - Fall - Dance - Bright - Good smell - Truth - Beautiful -

Male: (sometimes take a Kanji from father’s name)

- Fast - Strong - Studious - Smart - Big -

In these pictures my friends are demonstrating how their use of words and the meaning of there names show femininity or masculinity. On the top: 私の名前は～です。(Watashi no namae wa...desu) This part of the sentence means "My name is..."

僕 (boku) also refers to the self, but is only useable for males.

早希 (Saki)
The sa 「早」means early and ki 「希」means hope.

貴史 (Takafumi)
The taka 「貴」means respect and fumi 「史」means history.

In my opinion, there seems to be more words and phrases used by men only, whereas women often use the terms that can be appropriate for both genders.

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The follow link provided information for this blog:

• http://www.coolest.com/jpfm.htm

To read more on this subject I suggest the following source:

• Japanese Language, Gender, and Ideology: Cultural Models and Real People by Shigeko Okamoto, Janet S. Shibamoto Smith
• Katsue Akiba Reynolds' review on this text is also worth reading.

Back to the Future -- Are Japanese Political Campaign's too Old-fashion?

. In 2007, BCC News reported on how the Japanese political system of campaigning is out-of-date and I'd like to agree. There are a vast number of strict prohibitions when the election campaign begins that may seem unorthodox in other modern, developed nations.

Let me break it down. First, I've put this chart together to illustrate the main points of election campaigning and political activities.

During the 12-day-campaign, public opinion pools on individual candidates are strictly prohibited by law. Endorsing of candidates by media is also prohibited. Media, thus plays a key roll during election time in Japan. The government pays for all of this in order to "level the playing field" between political parties, removing competition of wealth. The media thus focuses on the political issues rather than the horse race. Yet, the ideologies of the political parties, more or less are the

same.

I am surprised to see how the government is actively involved in limiting political campaigns in Japan. Furthermore, in order to enforce these limits, Japan is stuck in what Prof Phil Deans, who works at Temple University in Tokyo describes as "almost a throwback to the 1950s". Cars with speakers is a perfect example of how Japan is holding on to these old-fashioned ways to spread politics throughout the country. I have seen many of these political cars around Osaka and this one in Hiroshima (see photo below). I couldn't make out any of the mumbled Japanese, and the people on the street, passing by looked like there weren't interested because they didn't seem to care.

Japanese politics and campaign elections are seemingly government affairs only. People of the country appear to be ill-educated about Japanese politics and thus uninterested in the matter. If this changed, maybe more people would vote.

The BCC news article Japan's old-fashioned campaigning provided information and inspiration for this blog's content.

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/6292602.stm

Religion in Japan

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Shintoism

Shintoism is one of the primary religions in Japan. Deities in Shinto are known as kami, and Shinto, itself, means the way of the gods. I think that most Japanese people do not look towards or "belong" to just on religion. Instead, the syncretism of two or more religions is common for in daily lives.


The Four Affirmations of Shinto:

1. Tradition and family must be honored.
2. Love of nature plays a great role. Most shrines are built in groves on the edge of the village, near a waterfall, near a distinctive rock on the seashore, etc.
3. Physical cleanliness must be assured before prayers or approach to a shrine. Lots of washing, sprinkling with salt, etc.
4. Festivals and ceremonies must be honored. Japanese festivals (matsuri) are joyous occasions with lots of energetic activity: eg, the young men in bright jackets pushing around a huge wagon containing the sacred shrine during a parade, wrestling matches (that is, sumo). These events are intended as entertainment for the benefit of the kami as well as for the participants.

(This information was taken from http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~port/teach/relg/shinto.sketch.html).

To read further about Shinto religion visit:

• http://www.religioustolerance.org/shinto.htm
  

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Shintoism and Marriage

Shinto teachings consider marriage to be one of life's rites of passage. In the ancient customs, the household Shinto altar is where families report the marriage decree to the ancestors. The couple is then introduced to the community in a banquet held by the family. By the turn of the last century, a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple became common place for a more formal ceremony to be performed. Other settings, for example, a Christian church or by civil ceremony, today are not as common. Furthermore, the most popular seasons for Shinto weddings are spring and autumn.

"The traditional Shinto wedding ceremony is a private, formal event, usually attended by the immediate family and closest friends of the couple. The ceremony symbolizes both the union of two people and the joining of two families. In the traditional 'san san kudo' or 'three times three' ceremony, the couple exchange cups of sake. Similar cups of sake are exchanged between members of the families to signify the union. Following these exchanges, the couple offer twigs of the 'Sakaki' sacred tree in worship to the gods."

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For an in depth look at different marraige ceremonial practices in Japan visit:

• http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2061.html


• http://mothra.rerf.or.jp/ENG/Hiroshima/Things/81.html


• http://www.deaconministry.com/shintoism.htm

Sports in Japan: Commitment, Love, and Sacrifice

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Sports in Japan can be compared to a relationship. It requires commitment, love, and sacrifice. That is the biggest difference between playing sports in Japan, and playing sports in my country (Canada).

I played volleyball in Canada at Acton High School for 8 years from elementary school to high school and I was nowhere near prepared for what I experienced when I played with a girls volleyball team at Kashiba High School in Nara, Japan. The biggest differences I found were that at my high school in Canada, different sports rotated throughout the year. This allowed me to play on a different team each season of the year. In Japan, I was only able to choose one club to join and had to stick through with the same team. Second, playing volleyball in Canada, we had 2 morning plactices and 2 afternoon games each week. In Japan, we had practices twice everyday--in the morning and after school. Games were hosted only on weekends (Saturdays). Third, sportsmanship and competitiveness also differed between the two countries. In Canada, it was common to have team members miss practices when it was inconvenient for them, as well as put down other team members when we lost a point. In Japan, it was quite the contrary. Team members were always at practice, unless they had plausable reason to miss it. After every point, regardless of which team was rewarded, the last person to touch the ball received a high-five from each player! In Canada, I was a good player, in Japan... I didn't stand a chance.


I guess you could say that the difference between playing sports in Japan vs. in Canada could be related to how students are disciplined at school. First, in Japan, students commit themselves to one team only. Also, at my high school, it was always stressed that school comes first. If your grades dropped below a certain mark, you were not allowed to continue playing on any sports teams unless your grades improved. In Japan, high school students have different privileges in order to prioritize. For example, in the movie Koshien: Kkoyakyu, the boys on the baseball team had special permission to be excused from class to practice for the tournament. Japanese high school students thus sacrifice a lot to devote themselves to playing on a team. Moreover, in my culture, students in high school tend to be more competitive when playing sports, so much that (as mentioned before) team members will put each other down if a point is awarded to the opposing team. Whereas in Japan, after every point regardless everyone takes the time to high five the last person to touch the ball. This sportsmanship is really genuinely showing that whatever happens, everyone is there to have fun.

Any type of club activity in Japan can be applied to this idea. Anytime I walk through Kansai Gaidai campus I always see students perfecting their skills: band members practicing their march, never missing a beat; countless dancers perfecting their moves in the reflection of the windows around campus; the gym rooms lit exposing a judo match through one window and ballroom dancing through another. At night the entire playing field behind the school is entirely lit as well. You can see a number of sports taking place, lacrosse, baseball, soccer, tennis. In Japan, students willingly commitment and sacrifice for what they love to do. Here you can see a lone student practice their instrument after school into the late hours of the night. This really shows how Japanese students yearn for perfection!