Virtual Hagaki

Changing Impressions of Japan

2008-05-14T23:57:00.002+09:00

So I've had four months in Japan and in less than two weeks I'll be heading back home to America. In that time I've gone from utter bewilderment, amazement, and a whole hoard of conflicting thoughts to get to this point: where Japan became everyday life.

Going to Kinkakuji? Just a day trip to Kyoto. I got there by biking, riding trains and walking - all without getting lost. I saw it, made my way through the tourists (both Japanese and foreign alike) to get the obligatory photo. It was a strange place to be though, somewhere between tourist and someone who actually lives in Japan. I didn't need a guide or a map and I could make my way around with my language skills, so I wasn't like the big group of tourists. And without even going into the litany of reasons, I'm definitely nothing like someone who has lived here for a long time.

But everyday life came to be the best part of being here. When trying to find pictures for this post, specifically something that was quintessentially 'everyday life,' I couldn't find anything, probably because those aren't the times anyone takes photos. What we choose to take photos of, more likely than not, are those times when something special is happening, but really, after being here for a semester, instead of being in the awe stage of studying abroad, I've reached the part where Japan was just another part of life, just as much as my time back home.

Politics in Japan

2008-04-30T23:01:00.002+09:00

The above picture was taken in Nipponbashi (or DenDen Town) in Osaka. It wasn't the first political vehicle I had ever seen, but I got a picture of this one.

This particular van was for the Democratic Party of Japan (certainly NOT to be confused with the Liberal Democractic Party of Japan, which it broke away from, along with other groups in 1998).

Taken from the DPJ's website:

We will take the idea of "coexistence" as our philosophy for building a new nation, and transform Japan into a "fair nation" that is logical in every way. In order to achieve this, we will aim for each Japanese person to become self-reliant and moreover to become self-reliant as a nation.
[...]
In terms of diplomacy, Japan, having expressed remorse for the last war, will take the lead in promoting as our national policy the achievement of "coexistence" between human beings and between nation states, in other words ensuring peace for Japan and for the world, and "coexistence" between human beings and the natural world, in other words preserving the global environment.

This picture was from a day of hanami in Kyoto. It demonstrates many things about the DPJ's policies. First, the signs are in two languages. As a matter of fact, the people running the stand were a Iraqi man, an Indonesian woman and their children; the children had all grown up in Japan - a very international family to say the least. Despite differing viewpoints from various political parties, foreigners can and do come to live in Japan permanently. Like in the photo, they may retain their culture while also adapting to or even adopting Japanese culture.

The other aspect that reflects the DPJ's policies is the bottom sign. Not pictured was another sign about ending the war in Iraq. As coexistence and peace is essential to the DPJ's platform, it is a good visual example of that idea. Not only are there the words and the ideas, but also they are written in different languages (which, interestingly, on this sign there is no Japanese, but on the bigger sign there was).

Okinawa

2008-04-22T19:04:00.007+09:00

As the title indicates, today's blog is about Okinawa. I was fortunate enough to be able to go their over my spring break. Besides enjoying the sunshine, I also got a sense of how unique Okinawa is when compared to much of mainland Japan.

(The above picture is of a Shisa, protectors of the island of Okinawa.)

In the past, Okinawa was a sovereign kingdom, the Ryukyu Kingdom. The above photo was taken at Shurijo in Naha. It is a picture of the throne for the Ryukyu king while he was staying in Shurijo. Although almost all of Shurijo was destroyed in World War II, it has been restored with painstaking detail. It's restoration aimed to restore the symbol of the Ryukyu's.

The people that feel tied to Okinawa have much to be proud about. In the past, the Ryukyu kingdom thrived because of its trade relations with China and other nations. Its location did wonders for the wealth of the island nation.

In 1609, however, that would change because it was then that Japan began its control of the Ryukyu islands. Some sovereignty of the Ryukyu royal families would remain until 1868 when the Meiji Restoration began and "Japanese leaders felt the need to legitimize Japan's nation-state status, [...] which signaled the end of Ryukyuan sovereignty, with the push for the full integration of the Ryukyu Kingdom into Japan as Okinawa Prefecture. "

Okinawans are Japanese, officially, but to some mainland Japanese, and to some native Okinawans, they are still different. Many Okinawans I spoke to were proud of their ties to the Ryukyu kingdom. And surely, all over the gift shops were shirts and other merchandise marked with "The Ryukyus" rather than "Okinawa."

Some Okinawans don't feel they are just like mainland Japanese people. Like other minority cultures around the world, the Ryukyus in Japan, after becoming a prefecture, were forced to accept an "occupation and assimilation policy" where Japanese officials "forcibly suppressed independent indigenous culture, language, and political and economic systems."

Many assert that the discrimination continues today. Take, for example, the US military presence in Okinawa. One of the biggest problems many people have is that "Okinawa prefecture hosts over half of the US forces in Japan and that about 75 percent of the land US forces occupy in Japan is on Okinawa," not to mention news stories that keep surfacing about rapes and other crimes committed by American soldiers in Okinawa. Many Okinawans feels that they are disproportionately shouldering the affects of American military bases.

Other issues exist as well. When the Japanese government was looking to change things in some textbooks, one of the things proposed to be changed was about the mass suicides that occurred on Okinawa, spurred on by advice from the Japanese Imperial Army. Survivors of that time insist that "distorting history is not good. You run the risk of committing the same mistakes."

So while Okinawa is both legally and culturally Japanese in many aspects, it also retains a culture of its own, hardened, perhaps, by the struggle it has endured to stay alive.

For some more visual anth, check out my two videos of traditional Ryukyu dances as seen at Shurijo: here and here. I didn't have the best seat, and it was rather windy, but enjoy nevertheless! Also, they are rather short...

Sports in Japan

2008-04-16T20:52:00.003+09:00

I really like baseball, and lucky for me, so does Japan!

According to What Japan Thinks, when asked "what is your favorite sport" the results were as follows:

Baseball	20.7%
Football (soccer)	11.8%
Formula One, rallying, motorbike racing, other motor sports	4.9%
Volleyball	4.6%
Swimming	4.5%

And now, welcome to Kyocera Dome Osaka!
Back in March I got to see the Hanshin Tigers play the Yokohama Bay Stars.

Baseball came to Japan in 1872, and the first formal team was formed in 1878. Like many foreign things brought to Japan, it has flourished. There are few major differences between American Baseball and Japanese baseball. There are some interesting things, however, such as:

Many teams are named after their corporate sponsors, not the city they are from. For instance, the Hanshin Tigers are named for the Hanshin Railway that owns them. One of the most obvious examples of this would be the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.
Like Sumo, there is a cap on how many foreign players are allowed on any one team. Right now, the maximum number is four.
And the songs... oh the songs. There are songs to sing for most any event in a game. Everyone seems to know them, too! I felt so lost. Luckily, the man next to us taught us a few of them.

And then there are the fans. Like I mentioned in an earlier post (and eluded to with mentioning the songs), Japanese fans are every bit as enthusiastic about their teams as we can be in the US. The above picture is everyone preparing to release a ton of balloons as the Hashin Tigers closed in the game (and won!). They did it, too, at the seventh inning stretch.

For me, it seemed as though the cheering was much more organized compared to US games. Each team has a specific cheering section (unfortunately, my photos of the Tiger's section came out really blurry). Also, I was surprised by how much noise people made when their team was up to bat. At least with my experience in the US, you try to be the most jarring to mess up the other team! For example, being the freshly-made Hanshin fans we were, my friends and I quickly boo'd the other team's pitcher (he was pitching fairly horribly, I'm just saying), and the man next to us (who had taught us the songs) told us that you only cheer for your side to do better, never for the other side to do worse. Not that Japanese baseball is without little jabs at the other side. When the other team was about to strike out, the Hanshin band played a little of "Auld Lang Syne."

And just in case you're interested, here's my (horribly shaky!) video of the big screen playing part of the Hanshin Tiger's theme song: enjoy!

Japanese Religion

2008-04-08T19:36:00.004+09:00

Japanese Religion: Jizou

Everyday I pass this on my way home from school. Once, I asked my homestay mom what it was and she explained (through a mixture of her little English and my little Japanese) that it was a Child's Kami, but specifically for when children die. I also asked my younger homestay sister. She explained, rather interestingly, that it was a shrine for "children who are born, but not really." Needless to say, I was a little confused, but I looked it up, asked some friends, and came to know that it was a place for Jizou, the guardian of unborn, aborted, miscarried, and stillborn babies, as well as the patron saint of expectant mothers, children, firemen, travelers, pilgrims, and the protector of all beings caught in the process of reincarnation.

According to legend attributed to the Jodo Sect around the 14th or 15th century, children who die prematurely are sent to the underworld as punishment for causing great sorrow to their parents. They are sent to Sai no Kawara, the river of souls in purgatory, where they pray for Buddha's compassion by building small stone towers, piling stone upon stone. But underworld demons [...] soon arrive and scatter their stones [...] But, no need to worry, for Jizo comes to the rescue.

In Mainland Asia's version of Buddhism; however, his role is related to the latter of the latter of those, not the guardian of unborn, aborted, miscarried, and stillborn babies. That interpretation of Jizou is unique to Japan.

In the pictures above, you can see both piles of stones and red bibs on the statues. This is because:

Many believe that a stone offered in faith will shorten the time their child suffers in the underworld. [Also] sorrowing parents bring the little garments of their lost ones and dress the Jizo statue in hopes Jizo will specially protect their child. A little hat or bib or toy is often seen as well, the gift of a rejoicing parent whose child has been cured of dangerous sickness thanks to Jizo's intervention, or a gift to help the deceased child in the afterlife.

Japanese Art and Entertainment

2008-04-02T18:47:00.006+09:00

Today's post is about Japanese Entertainment, specifically, Japanese fandom as it is related to the entertainment industry. To do this, I'm focusing on Kat-tun, and the women in my host family's obsession with them, as well as opinions on Japanese fandom in general.

In planning for this post, I tried to find pages that broke down simply their record sales, tours, etc, but all I could find was hoards of amateur fan sites. Then I realized, that says enough right there.

This picture is from our living room. Notice the Kat-tun fan and the Kat-tun DVD collections. Across the room from this, on another wall, is a Kat-tun calendar and another fan (I, however, couldn't get a decent glare-less picture of it).
It's in the living room and not just in a bedroom or other non-family room because enjoying Kat-tun has become a family activity, at least for my home stay mom and my two sisters. They go to as many concerts as possible together, buy all the DVDs, of course all the CDs and whatever else they can find.

(This is one of my home stay sister's walls -she graciously let me share her collection with the world. Note that only a few are posters - most are just ads that the members of the band happened to be in.)

Now, fandom isn't unique to Japan. All over the world people of all ages obsess over singers, actors, sports teams, etc.
But Colors Magazine puts an interesting spin that takes it from the realm of ordinary fandom and places it in the realm of cultural understanding:

The Japan we imagine from afar is placid, tidy, and seamlessly efficient, correct to the last place. Trains arrive on the dot, and crowds pour out of them, in streamlined rows of look-alike Chanel and gray suits, not a bead of sweat visible, even in the heat of summer rush hour. [...] There’s truth, without question, to all of this. But what it ignores are the immutable Newtonian rules of engagement: the more rigorously a group mentality is enforced, the wilder the explosions of individual eccentricity.

(And the crowning glory, her wall of posters. There's no size reference, I just realized, but it goes from ceiling to floor.)

Colors Magazine continues:

In a certain sense, part of the point of fandom, as revealed by Japan, is that it hardly matters what the object of your devotion is; it’s the devotion itself, the release of renegade energies, the creation of a private sanctuary, that counts.

So perhaps while entertainment fandom isn't a unique occurrence, maybe the drives behind it are, as the article suggests. I've spoken to several friends who have been to Japanese concerts and been amazed at how the whole crowd moves as one because every one there knows all the dance moves of the band on stage. Myself, I've seen the fan groups for individual Takarazuka players line up and organize long before the show starts, arranging themselves according to the ranking that star has in overall popularity. I've also been to a Hanshin Tigers game and see how almost everyone in the crowd knows all the words to all the songs (but alas, we'll save more of that for the Sports post). Perhaps in a culture of uniformity, where most people share the same ethnic background, speak the same language, wear uniforms to schools, the individual expression that can be found in choosing a fandom and finding others that share it carries something more than just fandom as a hobby on the side.

Traditional Japanese Culture

2008-03-26T15:36:00.000+09:00

I took this picture at Kiyomizudera (Pure Water Temple) on a day trip to Kyoto. In this photo is the famous Otowa-no-taki ("Sound of Feathers") waterfall.

I think this photo represents traditional Japanese culture in many ways. First of all, it is a Buddhist temple which, while perhaps not as organically Japanese as Shinto, is certainly a large part of traditional Japan. Secondly, one of the women in the photo is wearing a kimono, another aspect of traditional Japanese culture. In fact, several people I saw visiting the temple were wearing kimono that day. Lastly, in both Shinto and Buddhist culture, water is a symbol of purity. Before entering sacred places, one purifies oneself with water, and at the case of Kiyomizudear (where purity is even in the name), the above waterfall was said to help ease/protect from illness, help in matters of love and help with one's studies, all through the purity of water (the one for love seemed to be the most popular!).

This photo is of a rice field. One doesn't have to be in Japan long to see how integrated into Japanese food culture the crop is, which is why I also think this photo is representative of Japanese culture. According to Japan-Guide.com, rice has been grown in Japan for over 2000 years. Rice is a part of every day life, both literally (with how common rice is a part of a meal), or more figuratively (like how the word for rice, gohan, appears in the words for the 3 daily meals: asagohan, hirugohan and bangohan). It is also a part of special traditions. For instance, mochi (a pounded rice cake of sorts) is a part of New Year's celebrations.

Globalization

2008-03-10T19:32:00.008+09:00

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to get the chance to go see a sumo match in Osaka. From the hyped environment to all the Shinto rituals, it was certainly an experience, but there was one thing that I really didn't expect:
how many foreigners participate in the sport. In fact, both of the current top two sumo wrestlers (the yokozuna) aren't Japanese at all - they're Mongolian. For something I thought was so uniquely Japanese, I found it very interesting that so many foreigners would participate in the first place, but also that some of them were very good at it (obviously, as the top two are from Mongolia).

In fact, twenty-one of the sumo wrestlers currently competing represent foreign countries. They span all the levels, as well. Other than the two yokouna, there was also a very high-profile ozeki (the rank right under yokozuna) from Bulgaria (there was even a cardboard cut out of him in the entrance way).
But all of this foreign activity in something that is this much of a Japanese tradition doesn't go unchecked. Recently, restrictions have been placed on the number of foreigners each stable can have. Also, each foreign sumo must know the Japanese language in addition to being given a Japanese name.

I chose this topic because it showed globalization from Japan-outwards. Foreign presence in Japan is very noticeable, but Japan also exports many things in the exchanges that globalization brings about. Surely, it would have been impossible for a foreigner to compete as a sumo wrestler at the point of the sport's inception. Now, however, so many were able to enter the sport that the Kyokai (those who regulate the sport) found it necessary to limit their entrance in order to maintain the "Japanese-ness" of the sport. I found that point very interesting as it shows not only how popular sumo has become in some circles around the world, but also how the "guardians" of a Japanese tradition reacted to the worldwide familiarity.

Japanese People

2008-03-03T20:04:00.013+09:00

This post intends to deal not with Japanese People as a whole, but with those that do, or are percieved to, fall outside of normative gender roles.

In this post, I'm going to address the Takarazuka Revue, known for its obsessed fans, and the gay scene in Osaka City. Using both of them, I think this post will address gender and minority concerns, all of which add up to be a large part of any country's culture. In particular, I think these issues speak to the oppressive nature of normative gender roles in Japanese culture.

The Takarazuka Revue:
According to a website on modern entertainment in Japan and many Japanese people I've spoken with, the Revue enjoys an incredibly devoted fanbase, particularly among females. The all female acting troupe was begun as a way to draw visitors out to the city of the same name by the owner of the railroad company. Now, however, fans come from all over to live out their fantasies through the actresses on stage. Especially popular are the "gender-bending" otokoyaku; "In Japan's male-dominated society, which only recently has begun to give any more than lip service to equality of the sexes, the otokoyaku represent a vicarious way for young women to live out fantasies of strength and power."

Despite its potential to be considered against gender norms, the foundation of Takarazuka is based in strict traditional female norms - perhaps to defend itself against claims of lesbianism - like its claim that takarazuka actresses have the discipline and the perseverance to be great, traditional Japanese housewives. In fact, according to an article by Lorie Brau, "While on the surface it would appear that the Takarazuka Revue was primarily intended to grant Japanese women freedom from social oppression, ironically, it began as quite the opposite idea. The production office and corporate structure that control Takarazuka are overwhelmingly patriarchal."

But worldwide, the view is different: "Claims that the members must be all lesbians are way off the mark, but the perceived eccentricity and sexual ambiguity certainly added to its appeal to the gay community, which embraced the Revue when it toured the UK in the mid-1990s."

Which segues into the next point: the LGBT community in Osaka City and surrounding areas. The above photo was taken at a club in Osaka. While there, I was able to talk to many LGBT-identified members of both Japanese nationality and foreign nationality. The Japanese perspective I heard from people is well represented here, particularly with the following:

For instance, even among those gay men who are not troubled by the fact that they are gay, very few actually discuss the matter with their family. Also, even among those university students who may discuss the fact that they are gay with their close friends in a relatively carefree manner, when they go on to enter employment, most will put on a straight face so as to fit in the workplace. Although a person with a strong sense of positive self-worth may be able to get by in such a situation, conversely, there is always the possibility that the gap between a person's real feelings and the demands of the situation will lead to larger complications. In the case of a person without such a positive sense of self, it goes without saying that this strong sense of oppression will be bound up with negative self feelings. Moreover, I've often heard about the unpleasant situation facing gays who live in provincial areas. It is only possible for people to live comparatively happily as gays under certain conditions and it can be said that [Japanese] society as a whole still maintains relatively severe oppressive features.

The above statement was echoed by several people. Also, male foreigners, while they thought they they could dress a little more feminine in Japan than they could in their home country (simply because that particular Japanese style for men seems to be popular), they generally felt that the "hush hush" attitude towards LGBT issues surrounded the whole of the LGBT community in Japan.

Fear of being labeled "an acting troupe of lesbians" led the Takarazuka Revue to stress heavily traditional feminine roles in the training of the members. That same attitude can be reflected of real members of the LGBT community - that it may be okay to look or act a certain way, but to actually be that way is another story entirely.

Transportation Culture

2008-02-27T19:09:00.007+09:00

Surely for most of us at this point, a busy bike lot is just another everyday occurrence. This one is outside Kawachimori station in Katano City. I know, for me, my daily commute includes biking, train riding, and walking, and I've gathered that many other people's routes are similar. A common trend? A lack of the common use of cars. (Go here to play a quick video to see how Japan compares in types of transportation used.)

Now, this isn't to say that the Japanese don't have cars everywhere, as well. Certainly, I pass many on my way to school and see lots filled with them. But there is obviously a trend towards other kinds of transportation.

A few ideas can be drawn by these trends. Firstly, public transportation and other non-car transportation are much better for the environment than an excessive use of cars. This, coupled with the fact that there are also things like "No My Car Day," where a day pass is offered at discounted rates to encourage public transportation use, could help one infer that Japan is much more environmentally conscious than other developed countries. (For more information, click here and scroll down until you see "special tickets.")

However "second nature" this all may be for the Japanese, it can say a lot about the country's mentality. For instance, in the US, it's far more common to see giant SUVs, even Hummers, than a person on a bike. The roads are far more tailored for autos than anything else. Riding a bike or a scooter would be all but impossible (not to mention dangerous). The fact that we box ourselves into cars where we forget about others (I can remember an insurance commercial stating "let's stop treating people like they're in our way and more like they're in our house").

But in Japan, cars are smaller (though some are very familiar to American eyes), bikes are more frequent, and scooters (mopeds? not sure what to call them) are everywhere. The photo aboe is of my host family's vehicles. At the house, we have 2 cars, 2 mopeds and 2 bikes. All but one of the cars is used daily.

Whether or not they're conscious of the positive effect of the environment, it's impossible to ignore the vulnerability in these types of transportation. Unlike the SUVs, these modes of transportation leave one open. It makes for a much more trusting environment, I think. Though, yes, some people can be reckless (though, I've noticed that cars are far more so than others, which fits right in line with my former US/Japan comparison), the overall feeling is that one is safe while using these things. They are not only viable options of transportation, but they are frequent.

The way a country usually goes about their daily life can say a lot. Here, I think the transportation culture in Japan is saying that other modes of transportation are not only frequently used, but they're encouraged to be used more. They're accessible and useful. They also create less barriers between people. Whether it be in cramped trains or open bikes, people are less closed off from others, and yet, it seems to be unnatural to worry about any of that.

Neighborhood Hirakata

2008-02-19T17:17:00.005+09:00

So many of us on the first day listed things like "temples" and "kimonos" as pieces of Japanese culture on the first day, and surely, few of us run into those things on a daily basis. But then there are things like in this photo, which I simply passed by one early evening while walking with friends. It was sandwiched in between normal looking houses and I would have completely missed it if I hadn't looked twice.
Truth be told, it's not always necessary to travel to places like Kyoto, with all its temples and shrines, to see the part of "Japanese culture" that so many of us jumped to on the first day of class. It's everywhere! Aspects of "traditional" culture are melded into aspects of everyday life as well.
Also, there are so many parts to this photograph, so many symbols of culture, that I will hardly be able to grasp as a foreigner coming in for only a semester. Sure, I can view it, find it beautiful, but I can't really break into all the information there.

This was just another find while walking around Hirakata City. I chose it because I think it points to a great deal of differing cultural norms from where I am from and here. Even with all my health food and natural remedy stores back home, I can assure you, I have never seen a snake in a bag, and even if it had, it probably wouldn't be in the front window.
Even with my natural stores back home, things are all neatly packaged and sealed in plastic or glass bottles, marked with stickers and stuck on shelves. Without looking closely at the labels, it could easily be mistaken for another over-the-counter drug section of a grocery store.
But with this, it was like a display. Plants adorned the glass shelves where distinctly unique items were placed next to one another, and certainly nothing packaged quite as uniformly as it is back in the US. Surely a fine store for all your snake-in-a-bag needs.

First Impressions of Japan

2008-02-12T18:42:00.000+09:00

Back home, whenever someone asked where I was about to go study abroad, I would always tell them Osaka, Japan. While this is not totally false, I knew it made them think of Osaka City, not Osaka prefecture as a whole. Over time, I made the same mistake as well. Like my experiences with talking to students coming to my University in a small town in North Carolina, a lot of foreigners expected their places of residence to be just like the busy cities and glitzy streets we see all the time on travel shows or in movies, and while I knew I was not going to be in Osaka City, I still expected something a little different, if only in part.
This picture was among the first that I took. It was my first full day in Japan and I was heading out to dinner with a student who had been to KG the semester before and a group of people from my University. On our way, we walked past these fields. In this distance, there are the tightly packed houses that I thought I would see in Japan, but in the foreground, I never expected to see something like that so close to where I was going to school.

On my first night at home with my homestay family, you can imagine my surprise when we stuck a mask on the dog and threw soy beans at her for "good luck." My younger host brother just told me it was a tradition and that we were throwing beans at the dog because it was the new year (also, we ate our age in beans plus 2). As it turned out, the day I moved in was Setsubun and we were taking part in Mame Maki, where we were throwing beans at the "demons" to get them out and eating them ourselves for good luck. For having no idea what I was really doing at the time, it was a lot of fun and a good way to be directly tossed into a Japanese tradition.