Changing Impressions--->

When I first arrived in Japan, I was constantly making comparisons about how similar things where here to what I knew back home; the Japanese have the same technology and the same conveniences that we have in the United States. They have the same infatuation with style and clothes, with shopping and with going out and spending money. However, after being here for only 3 short months, I realize now how truly different things are here as well. There is an ancient history here that is lacking for the most part in most American cities. This history is mostly rooted in Shinto and Buddhism, and so it is very easy to find these elements in society no matter where you go. The sports here are different; even baseball is played with different tactics. The food is obviously much different from what I am used to, although I am getting to like it very much (even though I am vegetarian, so it is a little more difficult for me). And the trains- the trains were probably the most difficult thing for me to get used to (other than the language barrier), for we don't have the sort of complex railways and subways that they have here back in the States.   

I am constantly amazed by the fact that within a first world country like Japan, that so much ancient history can still be found here, nestled into the heart of a big city like Osaka and also in the country side which surround these bustling areas. It seems such a stark contrast, however, even in this modern industrial country, the heritage is never lost. That is the one thing that I will always remember about Japan- all areas of the spectrum can be found here, for this country truly is rooted in diversity.      

Art and Entertainment- Japanese Dance

For this post I decided to talk a little about Nihon buyo, or one form of Japanese traditional dance. I chose to write about this because after seeing this particular show, I realized that this dance form is really both art and entertainment all in one. Also, after doing a little bit of research into the matter, I discovered that there are actually several different kinds of Japanese traditional dance forms, all of which are unique in some way or another.  For example, some dances are done entirely by men, whereas other dances are done to describe some historical event. Today there are four traditional dances; Noh Mai, Bon Odori, Kabuki and Nihon Buyo.

          

Although I can't be TOTALLY certain, I believe that the style of dance that these women were doing was Nihon Buyo, for they seemed to incorporate many different aspects into their dances such as fans, screens, props and even a weapon in one of them.  Also the music (from what a friend and I could discern), was often telling a story that the women were both dancing to and "acting" out. Nihon Buyo combines aspects from Kabuki Buyo, Noh Mai, folk dancing and even some European/ Western culture. I could see aspects of all of these things in the dances. For example, it was done on a stage which comes from the Kabuki style theatre, some of the music incorporated flutes and hand drums (Noh Mai), and then some of the dances were done to music that seemed to be made with electric guitars! I remember watching the dances and thinking how different each one seemed to be from the last, and this is what leads me to believe that these dances were part of the Nihon Buyo style dance.   

Also, I would like to mention briefly that the audience was almost completely made up of elderly women; I hardly saw anyone there who was younger than 40. Even the women who were dancing in the show were older (with the exception of a very young girl who did a dance by herself). I thought that to be quite interesting and also associated this with Kabuki because Kabuki theatre tends to attract an older audience. I'm not sure if my observation is correct, but either way, it was interesting to watch this show unfold. 

**Check this out: it is selection from a book which uses Japanese traditional dance as an ethnographic case study that explores how movement is transmitted and embodied through dance. Unfortunately, in order to access selections from the book (the link I gave doesn't work), you must first go to google and type in book search. Then, when the search bar comes up, type in: Sensational Knowledge: Embodying Culture through Japanese Dance. 

The Politics of Art Making

For this post I decided to write about the 'politics' that are behind different styles of throwing pottery. When I first came to Japan I had already taken ceramics classes and had learned how to throw on the wheel, however, we were taught to weigh out the clay, form them into balls and then put one on the wheel and make it into whatever you want (mug, bowl, plate etc). When you are finished making a form, you simply take it off the wheel and move to the next ball of clay. However, the first day that I began to throw here in Japan, Inomata Sensei told me that I should start to throw in a style called 'off the hump'. This is a different style of throwing in which you take one large lump of clay and center it on the wheel and then start from the top and throw multiple forms from this one piece of clay. I had already learned this technique, but only used for certain forms such as pots with lids. So, I started to throw everything 'off the hump' and essentially had to re-learn how to throw forms using this method.

I began to wonder why it was that he wanted us to throw like this instead of doing it the way that we had been taught somewhere else; what was the reasoning behind having a student re-learn something that they already knew how to do, just in another style?

                                                        

A lidded form thrown by Inomata Sensei

So, I talked to Inomata Sensei about this topic. Originally he began to talk about the convenience of throwing 'off the hump'; when you throw 'off the hump' you can make many things off of one piece of clay which means that you don't have to spend the time weighing out and re-centering each ball of clay. I asked him if this was the way his sensei had taught him to throw and he said yes, but that for large forms like vases they use bats (a piece of plastic or wood that you place on top of the wheel and then throw off of so that when you are done you can simply remove the bat).

                                            

Then he began to talk about the differences between the way Westerners and Japanese eat and drink. For instance, Westerners don't generally pick up bowls/mugs and drink from them as the Japanese do, therefore, for Western potters there is no need to throw a bowl with a foot-ring at the bottom (the foot ring, as shown above on a cup that I threw, is handy for the Japanese because they can hold the bowl from the bottom with their middle finger and not get burned by the bottom). In this way, it makes sense that Westerners would throw a bowl or mug with a flat bottom made on a bat rather than off the hump; when you throw off the hump it is much easier to simple pinch in the clay at the bottom of the form when you are done making it thus forming a foot ring. 

So, although it was inconvenient at first for me to learn this new style, I now understand why Inomata Sensei wanted me to learn this way; after all, we ARE in Japan, so it only makes sense to throw pottery which the Japanese could (potentially) use...

**If you are interested in learning a little bit more about Japanese Pottery styles, history and aesthetics, check out this website: 

http://www.burlingtonartcentre.on.ca/Exhibits/japanese_traditional_pottery/japanes_traditional_pottery.html

   

Religion in Japan

Religion in Japan is quite an interesting subject, for what the statics say about religion and the reality here in Japan are very different. As we learned in class, official statics state that there are between 100-128 million (depending on the source) followers of the Shinto religion in Japan. This number, of course, is roughly the population of Japan; this would lead you to believe that between 75-95% of the population views Shinto as being their religion (These sorts of figures come from the Shukyo Nenkan, or Religions Yearbook, which is put out by the Ministry of Education and Bureau of Statistics). It turns out, however, because of laws established in the 17th century which required citizens to register with Shinto shrines, that essentially everybody within "local districts" were counted as adherents to the religion. Statics also state that anywhere from 30-35% of the population of Japan claims Buddhism as their religion. Just these two figures alone add up to more than 100% (if you use the two highest figures from each), so it is obvious that there are some discrepancies here. 

My observations have led me to believe that, in fact, most Japanese people would not claim any religion (I have talked to some Japanese students about this subject, in fact). Instead, they feel as though there is a combination of Buddhism and Shinto in their lives due to the historical/cultural presence of these two religions, however, they don't necessarily practice or even fully understand these rituals and events that take place for these religions. What is so interesting to me about this is that most Westerners would tend to think that if you don't have a religion, that you are somehow missing out on something that would led you/help you to be a moral citizen/human being. However, Japan and my interaction with Japanese people so far has proven just the opposite; it is not necessary for a country and its citizens to be avid followers of a religion in order to have social stability and upright citizens.     

**If you would like to read a short passage about religiousness in Japan written by a Japanese citizen, check out this website:

http://www.tsujiru.net/compass/compass_1999/reg/kameyama_ruiko.htm

 

Gender in Japan

Gender in Japan is different, to be sure. On a daily basis I am shocked at how many boys tend dress rather on the effeminate side, with outrageous hair-dews and sometimes even make-up. Even on campus at Kansai Gaidai I am surprised to see girls who dress more boyishly (I use the word 'surprised' as girls fashion here tends to be quite 'girly'; that is, lots of bows, short skirts and shorts and high heels galore.) As I have mentioned in previous posts, fashion here is raging, and so it is not surprising that the fine line between the male and female gender is often toyed with and crossed. This particular blog consists all of photographs that were taken during the gay pride parade in Osaka on October 18th. I thought these photographs would be perfect when discussing gender in Japan because this particular event proved to me that even though times are changing and people are becoming more open to the idea of the reversal of gender roles, there still seems to be a great deal of hostility towards the subject. For example, as I was walking in the parade, I came upon an old man who was standing in the middle of the crowd grabbing people, yelling at them in Japanese and shaking them. Although I couldn't make out exactly what he was saying, it was obviously not good. Although the people around me just laughed off the situation, it made a lasting impression on me because it really proved that in terms of gender identity, we are in a big period of transition- not only in Japan, but across the world.

 

I would also like to add at this point that I did not purposefully use only pictures of men cross-dressing and pushing the boundaries of their of gender; indeed, this is an important half of the equation. However, I found almost no women who were cross-dressing as men or even standing out in the crowd at all.  I was very surprised by this, and also a little puzzled. I have heard that it is simply not as accepted here for a woman to be lesbians or bi-sexual, but I didn't really believe it until I went to the gay pride parade. Although I do see some girls on the campus who dress more boyishly (with baggy jeans, timberland boots and jerseys), I felt that perhaps this was more of a fashion statement rather than an attempt at pushing the the boundaries of gender. Nevertheless, the word about homosexuals (yes, even lesbians) is definitely on rise.

Here is a link to a short article written about Mizuho Fukushima, a lesbian Japanese political leader:

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5085.html

Sports in Japan

I decided to do this post on sumo wrestling, since this sport originated in Japan, and Japan is also the only country where it is practiced professionally. After doing some research into the topic, I discovered that these mens lives are actually highly regimented and they are required to follow strict rules and guidelines that are put in place by the Sumo Association- I was totally unaware of this previously. This is mostly due to the fact the tradition of sumo wrestling is ancient, and also because there are some ritual aspects to the sport which come from the Shinto religion, the national 'religion' of Japan. Therefore, because of these important associations in Japanese culture, it is important that respect for this sport be upheld to the highest degree. These particular pictures were taken from a sumo event which happened in Tokyo at the Ryogoku Kokugikan.  

 

It is almost comical to me the amount of time that is spent announcing the fights, introducing the fighters and even the dance of the Yokozuna, or the highest position held on the official listing of rank (these people are often referred to as living symbols of sumo). When it becomes ready for the fight, it is all over in an instant, and so much of the time is spent merely watching the motions that are gone through for every fight, every time. This is much different from any sports in the United States (and elsewhere for that matter), specifically I am thinking of basketball or soccer, in which almost the ENTIRE time of the game is spent in action.  But then again, that the fact that the Shinto tradition/ancient tradition is what makes this sport so interesting and unlike any other sport in the world. 

**If you would like to learn more about the traditions and rules of sumo wrestling, check out this website: 

http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/eng/ozumo_joho_kyoku/shiru/kiso_chishiki/beginners_guide/index.html

Globalization in Japan

For this post I decided to take up the issue of coffee/coffee shops in Japan. Although I am aware that there are many other (possibly more interesting) forms of globalization at work in Japan, I am particularly drawn to coffee shops and fast food restaurants. The first picture was taken on the very first day that I came to the Kansai Gaidai campus. I was SO surprised to find a Seattle's Best Coffee in Japan, let alone on campus! I was particularly excited because I worked a part time job at Seattle's Best the summer right before I came to Japan, so everything about the job was still fresh in my mind. When I came here, I was thinking "Great, I finally get to leave everything that I know behind and experience something completely new...." 

Low and behold, somethings didn't change a bit. In fact, I went inside the Seattle's Best on campus expecting to maybe find some variation in the menu at least, but no. It was exactly the same as what I had been selling just a couple of weeks before. The only difference I could see was in the point card that they give out for free, and it was only different because it was written in Japanese. I was pretty disappointed. 

Furthermore, the fact that there is a McDonald's RIGHT next door to Seattle's Best (this particular picture was taken in Tokyo) didn't make me feel much better. In fact, I remember feeling a bit sick to my stomach to think that greasy, unhealthy American fast-food had managed to slither into Japanese society with no problem. And I won't even begin to talk about Starbucks, mostly because everyone knows that Starbucks is (like McDonald's) a multi-national corporation with stores all over the world. Therefore, it's not surprising to see these two particular companies thriving in a developed country like Japan. Still, something feels wrong to me about this situation... so totally wrong. It is not only that I am vegetarian and so DESPISE places like McDonald's (McDeath as I like to call it), but also because this phenomenon says something about the scale of the world markets and the necessity of countries that slightly behind the United States in terms of GDP to import and adopt things like McDonald's and Starbucks. 

At least the portions at McDonald's are not as out of control as they are in the United States, and even the menus are different. Thats about the only positive thing I can say about this situation; the Japanese can get their fill of greasy food, but maybe postpone the on-set of diabetes just a little...       

Traditional Japanese Culture

In my opinion, one of the best expressions of real traditional Japanese culture are the festivals. Every year there are thousands of festivals that take place in different locations all across Japan, and all for different purposes. This particular picture was taken at the Fushimi-inari Taisha shrine (a popular location for Shinto worship) in Kyoto during the annual fire festival. Because this is the largest Shinto shrine in all of Japan, many festivals take place here and most of them have to do with the worship of some aspect of nature (such as rice harvesting or moon viewing). What is particularly amazing about this shrine is the large number of red torii gates which line the paths running behind the buildings. The word 'Inari' signifies that this particular temple is sacred to a deity named Ukano Mitama no Okami; the divinity of Fushimi-Inari Shrine is said to bring prosperous business and large harvests. Therefore, many people visit this shrine every year to pay their tributes.

    

These two photographs represent some of the traditional aspects of Japanese culture that will undoubtably be found at any festival you visit in Japan. In this case, the first picture shows some of the items that are thrown into the fires at the fire festival: rice, salt and leaves from the surrounding area. These items are used because they represent purity (as both salt and rice are white in color, which match the ceremonial garbs worn by the Shinto priests. The second photo shows some Japanese women singing some traditional Japanese songs while being accompanied by the beautiful sound of the Koto- a traditional Japanese instrument which was derived from the Chinese zither.  It is the national instrument of Japan and so has obviously played a large part in traditional Japanese culture.

So, if you want to experience some really good traditional Japanese culture, visit any festival and you are sure to find something new and exciting.

**If you want to learn more about Shinto in Japan, check out this informative website:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2056.html

Japanese Pop Culture...

IT'S EVERYWHERE! For such a small island, it really is amazing to me just how many shopping malls you can find in such close vicinity to each other, all selling the most popular clothes, music and accessories. Instead of being spread across the land (like in the United States for example), these shopping malls rise vertically towards the sky, each floor packed on top of the next, full of the latest goods to be sold. This particular photograph was taken recently in one of the MANY shopping centers in Shibuya, Tokyo, which, being one of the most notorious areas in Japan for great shopping, is always packed full with eager shoppers searching for the perfect bag or pair of shoes to match their new outfits. 

Of course, because there is such a huge emphasis on consumerism here in Japan, there is also great attention paid to the quality of customer service (as I mentioned before in my post 'Neighborhood Hirakata'). I decided to post this picture (also taken during my trip to Tokyo) because I think it really captures the eagerness of the Japanese to help customers as they shop for whatever product they are interested in, whether it be electronics or fancy clothes.  

And so, consumerism in Japan continues to run WILD, and it really does seem as though there is nothing that you simply can't buy. This trend in consumerism is, of course, responsible for allowing Japan to quickly develop from an agrarian society into a world super-power, almost overnight. This topic, for me, is one of the most interesting ones to consider when thinking about the Japanese nation as a whole, so if you are also interested in the development of Japan into a major competitor in the world market, you should check out this link:

**www.japanfocus.org/

(Go to the 'Title' search bar and enter: 'Japanese Popular Culture in East and Southeast Asia')

**AND for your viewing pleasure, a video taken from THE most popular intersection in Japan, right outside of the Shinkansen Tokyo terminal. This is for all of you who have not yet made it to Tokyo, so that you can see the size of the consumer crowds in this particular location... 

Japanese People

Japanese people....aah, what a broad topic to write about. I could say so much about my impressions of Japanese people, but I decided to start with this photograph of Japanese women cleaning the streets. They were sweeping up leaves and collecting them in bags as other people were pruning the gardens which surround this area. I included this photo, which I took recently when I visited Osaka castle because ever since the first time I came to Japan, I noticed how incredibly CLEAN things are here.  Coming from the 4th largest city in the United States, I am quite used to seeing clutter and mess around the city. In all honesty, I was blown away by how clean the subway stations are here and the streets in general. In fact, the first time I came to Japan I was in a station in Nagoya and saw an old man meticulously cleaning the stairs with a hand-held vacuum cleaner which was strapped to his back. I was totally in awe because the stairs weren't even dirty!  I simply couldn't believe the dedication to cleanliness here. In all honesty, this was one of the reasons I decided to return to Japan. I am not saying that this is always the case; in fact, recently when I was in Tokyo I discovered an area in Shinjuku station in which the floors were almost completely covered with homeless people and trash. This was quite shocking to me as it was in stark contrast to what I have seen elsewhere. Still, in general I am impressed by the drive that the Japanese people have to keep their city streets clean and orderly. No doubt this is a necessity when living in such a compact area. 

On the same trip to Osaka castle, we encountered this guy; an interesting character indeed....

I decided to include this photo because I feel like this proves another point about Japanese people that I have thought since the first time I came here (and even before that really): Japanese people are UNIQUE. I think from a Western point of view, we tend to sometimes think that because the island of Japan is relatively small and was for a long time cut off from the rest of the world, that somehow they (Japanese people) all have the same basic characteristics because they have such tight-knit communities. However, this is actually couldn't be farther from the truth; everyday that I go out to visit some interesting new place, I am always taking note of the variations of people, like this man for example. In front of him him was three cans, each for a different amount of money. Depending on which can you put money into, he would play a song and the songs got more complex the higher the amount of money you deposit. After the song was finished, he would return to a frozen posture, waiting for the next person to deposit money.

I've decided that there is really no way to categorize Japanese people other than their nationality, and to do so would be missing something. Beyond nationality, it is really open ended as to how each person will choose to express themselves, and you can never be sure of what you will encounter next.  But, of course, this should not come as any big surprise, since in reality this holds true for all places on planet earth. Of course 'Japanese people' do have some common qualities, but with these commonalities also comes great diversity.         

** At Osaka castle I took a video of this man who was entertaining the crowds with his unique skill....check it out. **

Exploring Hirakata--->

This picture was taken in early September on my very first outing around Hirakata. After knowing the people in the picture (I will leave them anonymous just in case...) for only 5 minutes or so, we left the seminar house together and rode off in search of an electronics store.  Because we were short one bike, we decided to follow the example of the Japanese kids around Hirakata, whom we had seen several times before skillfully maneuvering through the streets carrying their friends on the backs of bicycles. How easy they make it look! I suppose our thought process was, "If they can do it, surely we can too!" In reality, it is quite a difficult task and we stopped more than a couple of times due to near accidents. As the driver finally got the hang of it though, we began to cruise the streets until we realized we were totally lost.  After using what LITTLE Japanese we knew at the time to ask directions from local pedestrians, we were able to eventually find our way to K's electronics, where we again made use of our elementary Japanese in order to find an adaptor. The employees at K's were extremely helpful (albeit slightly amused, no doubt) and they even double checked with the supervisor to be certain that they had recommended the right product. If there is one thing that I have constantly noticed since arriving to Japan, it is the eagerness of employees to help customers. The kindness of the Japanese people was exhibited even in this very first trip around Hirakata.

                                 

To continue with the story, on the very same outing around Hirakata I also discovered KAPPA SUSHI, just around the corner from K's electronics.  I decided to post this picture because this type of restaurant is particularly intriguing to me, not just for the obvious reason (sushi on conveyor belts!?) but also because of the recent discussion in class about 100 yen shops and discount stores, which have apparently only recently popped up in Japan.  Prior to this phenomenon, people were quite secretive if they shopped at discount stores, almost as if they were ashamed. However, today so much has changed in Japan; this restaurant, for example, obviously does not serve the highest quality sushi, but you get a lot for your money. Every time I have been to Kappa Sushi, there is always a lot of business (the same with 100 yen shops for that matter) and for me this really drives home the point that (as we saw in the documentary Tokyology) Japan is indeed a place of constant growth and transition; never stagnant.      

                       

**For fun, I uploaded this short video that I took from the first time I visited Kappa Sushi....enjoy!

                                        

Early Impressions of Japan: So Familiar/ So Different

This picture was taken just down the street from Kansai Gaidai University, and I pass this particular wall quite regularly when I am out and about on my bicycle. Being an art major, I always tend to spot and take notice of graffiti around the city, although I really only have my own hometown graffiti to compare to. Even so, I found this piece very intriguing because even though I am in a foreign country, it is images like this that remind me of my own city (Houston), which is large and covered with all sorts of different graffiti. Looking at this image reminded me of the people I know personally who do graffiti in Houston and how outrageous these characters tend to be by nature. It made me wonder what the person (or persons) who did this might be like; are they outgoing and full of life like the people I know from back home? Or are they more reserved, choosing to throw up their tags on the walls of Hirakata in the middle of the night like ninjas? Upon taking this picture, I stood in front of the wall for a good 3-4 minutes, lost in my own thoughts of home and by comparison, my new home, Japan.

**If you would like to check out some graffiti art from my hometown Houston Texas, check out this site: http://www.graffiti.org/houston/houston_1.html

In comparison to the first photo, this photograph represents for me all that is extremely different about Japanese culture and American culture. Although this is not my first time in Japan, it is the longest I have ever stayed abroad and so I am, of course, bound to have many cultural experiences which are somewhat uncomfortable and also expand my horizons in terms of becoming more immersed in a new culture. This photograph was taken on the 15th of September 2008 around 3:15 AM. A couple of friends and I took a train to Kyoto and then took the Keihan Dentetsu Otokoyama Cable Car to Otokoyama-sanjo to check out a festival which started at 3:00 AM at the Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine. As I was taking this picture, several Japanese people dressed in traditional, white ceremonial garbs walked by and so were captured in the photograph, looking almost ghost like. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes being in a foreign country can produce uncomfortable situations, and I believe this was one of them. As everyone who was participating in the ceremony lined up along the walkway, preparing to descend the mountain, myself and my fellow 'gai-jin' made a walk of shame, trying to get to the front of the procession so that could get a better view of the festivities. As we walked together, I could feel the eyes of the Japanese and it felt as though they were watching our every move, waiting for us to make a wrong step. I believe no matter how long I remain in Japan, I will never truly be considered 'part of the culture', but I am starting to be more comfortable with being an outsider.

**If you would like to know a little more about Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine, please visit this site:

http://www.kiis.or.jp/kansaida/yawata/yawata01-e.html