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...