Changing Impressions of Japan

     Over the past three months of blogposts for this visual anthropology I have had the oppotunity to try to better understand the community and the country I have been living in for the semester. Through interviews with locals, although sometimes difficult to do in a language you are learning, I found the importance of gaining information from the communtiy as well as established institutions, such as newspapers and boradcasting. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the two concerning what information they find is relevant and should be shared with their viewers, or in my case when talking to people on the street, a foreigner who speaks sloppy Japanese. Trying to judge a source's potential bias and agenda was also an important skill I came to better understand through interviews. My impression of confomity in opinions has changed, as the Japanese hold just as much variety in opinions on social, political, etc. issues as any other country.
    

     Besides information distribution there was also a lot of time spent trying to understand cultural differences and see them as differences only. To put it in the simplest way I can: observing that people here drive on the opposite side of the road as oppossed to using the terminology that they drive on the wrong side of the road(in comparison with the U.S.), which is not the case. This may seem like a moot point to discuss, but I think it holds a lot of relevance in how cultures understand each other and how a foriegn anthropologist records information about the people they are observing. Instead of making broad surface judgements based on your native customs, trying to communicate and reach a better understanding with the local culture as to why they do the things they do that differ from your home country. Some customs became much clearer with and explanation (and some remain hard to grasp), but learning to continue to seek knowledge, even in areas which you consider yourself a proffesional.  I would see this as less of a change in impressions of Japan and more of a change in how to observe and undesrstand it from a foreign view.

      As I am still living in Japan for another 7 months I still have much to learn from the community about the local customs and culture and am greatly looking forward to the journey. I would have to say that my impressions will continue to change as time goes on. My biggest change in impression has come from being in night life districts in Osaka and Tokyo, where it is easy to observe that Japan might be viewed as a conservative culture, but in certain parts of town it is anything but, with an array of clubs, host bars, and other establishments. These districts obviosly don't represent everyone in Japan, but it is a stark contrast observing the salarymen going to work in the morning during the week and seeing (a small minority) sleeping in odd places on Friday nights after their long work week has ended. Some things in Japan will continue to be strange or amusing to me, but I will try to keep an open mind and a desire to learn.

原発 Genpatsu

     Staying with a host family while attending a foreign college has altered a lot of my daily routine. One of the biggest things I do now is watch t.v. (mainly the news) and attempt to comprehend what I'm hearing and seeing, usually also with the aid of subtitles. My limited understanding of the daily new has developed well enough to understand when nuclear energy in Japan is being discussed due to its' high volume of debate in the recent year after the meltdown that occurred in Fukushima. Besides making me learn the Japanese word for nuclear energy, it also made me interested in how Japanese people felt about nuclear energy. Going to Hiroshima and visiting the museums there it was obvious as to why it is a hot topic of debate, radiation of land and people has grotesque and long lasting effects.

     Although my interest for this post does not lie in finding out about opinions about nuclear weapons, my trip to Hiroshima was a good base to gather information on what is known about radiation, weapon form or otherwise. While there I was able to come across information about a foundation for radiation research started here in Japan in 1975. I recommend anyone with interest in the effects of radiation browse the website which in in both English and Japanese : http://www.rerf.jp/index_e.html
     Talking to people in my neighborhood, it became apparent that the Japanese were in a tough situation as to what to do with nuclear energy. While most people said they would be glad to be rid of it, the major cities and business areas are large users of this energy and completely getting rid of it at this time would only cause energy problems and more reliance on fossil fuels. Here's an article with some brief statistics and information on energy in the 2nd paragraph : http://www.nbr.org/research/activity.aspx?id=163.The citizens fear and protest over nuclear energy are completely understandable and highly visible in the community. Just last weekend while walking in Kyoto I passed block after block of people marching in the streets with anti nuclear signs, although I wasn't carrying a camera these marches seem to occur often.

     One thing seems to be apparent, and that is the desire for alternate and safer forms of energy in Japan has established a strong foothold that will likely change the way the country invests and researches new sources of power in the coming years.

Urban Greenery

        Going through Japan I am often surprised at the amount of rice fields and other "urban" gardens mixed in next to housing. It gave me the impression that growing various flowers,vegetables, and other plants is definitely something that Japanese people do and are fond of. This is in comparison to the volume and size of gardens and other green spaces a person might find in the United States. While there are still people growing vegetables and flowers in the U.S., you would not find the volume of gardening in a similar size city. Asking around I was informed  that most small plots of rice are used only to feed one's family and any small amounts of excess are sold. I was also told that most people just enjoy growing flowers and other non edible plants too. It seems 5 years ago gardening was very popular in the Katano area, but recently it has dropped off, although I hardly had to leave the house to find gardens to photograph.

     Getting into the geographic layout of Japan was the most obvious answer to why gardening and small agriculture spaces are intermingled within most mid sized cities. Most of the country is very mountainous and uninhabitable, I was able to find a dated website with some statistics (although the geographic layout of the country has not dramatically changed in the past 10 years, which is what I was looking for statistics on): http://poza.net/japan/living4.html . Surprisingly urban farming is on the decline in Japan because of many factors from taxes to agrobusiness, despite being a substantial part of food consumed in the country. http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/japan’s-urban-agriculture-cultivating-sustainability-and-wellbeing/ Possible the mindset of "going green" will reverse this tide, but it is difficult to tell at the moment.

Technology,Immigration, and Politics in Japan

   

      This week's blog did not find me venturing out anywhere, I was able to find a person to interview and photograph in the comfort of my home stay near Kisaichi station. My host father is in his 50's and is old enough to remember doing math on an abacus. 

For those of you who don't know or can't remember what they look like.

     When I asked him what the biggest change in Japan was from his childhood until now he told me emergence of technology and the role computers and other new high tech gadgets have played in the way everyday life is carried on. When I asked him what was the biggest challenge his generation faced he laughed and told me he couldn't remember and we moved on to current times and challenges facing Japan now during his daughter's life (she is 23).

     

     We discussed politics and it seemed that currently the Prime Minister is the main concern because of the position changing hands almost annually in recent years: http://infocus.asiaportal.info/2011/09/06/six-prime-ministers-in-5-years-why-japanese-prime-ministers-are-so-short-lived/. His opinion was that the splits in political parties and disapproval of Prime Ministers by the public has led to a lack of faith due to perceived inabilities to take action to better Japan. People are concerned, and their concern is showing through people buying less and a declining birthrate due to the difficulty of finding a "good" job.

      

     One of the main "bad" jobs my host father was concerned (a job he currently works himself) was the lack of Japanese willing to accept the salary and conditions that come along with caring for the elderly. A position that is increasingly being filled by foreigners and is multiplied by the declining birth rate that also fuels Japan's increasing need of foreign laborers to fill manpower gaps in the workforce. Even these workers do not have an easy time getting into Japan because of the entrance exam. Foreign workers was something my host father told me he is ok with and he thinks will be fine "...like America," but even the U.S. is having an identity crisis as always seems to be the case in hard economic times. I was told that a majority of the older generation of Japanese are the ones who don't want foreigners in Japan, but the younger generation is more open and he believes things will change in their lifetime.

Classic Tales Lost in Translation

     This week found me trying to figure out the story behind the river and accompanying park near my house in Kasaichi. It is a quiet little town near the mountains at the end of one of the keihan lines going out of Hirakata Station. I also found that gathering information in a foreign language which you have little command over can complicate matters a bit.

                                                              Notes from trying to gather information.

     The Amanogawa river (天の川）starts slightly past the park in the photos and runs down past Hirakata station, most students reading this post have walk over it multiple times on their way to class or heading to Osaka or Kyoto. It is also called "The Milky Way" because of the stars and stories associated with it. 　　　

                                                                  Stone monument from the park.
     The story involves and man (Hikoboshi) and a woman (Orihime) who are married, but only meet each other once a year. Orihime is a seamstress and Hikoboshi is a cowboy, but not in the American cowboy sense. He seems to literally ride a cow and "looks like a cowboy, but is very strange," according to local descriptions.

                                                                     View of the park and river.
     Their presence is not only in the park, but also in the sky, with each person having a star associated with them. Orihime is associated with the star Vega and Hikoboshi with Altair. The magic and mystery associated with the two people and their relationship draws out some Japanese in the month of July. Locals come to the park on the 7th day of July to to leave a type of card often seen at temple sites on the bamboo around the park. Wishes do not necessarily have to be relationship based, but can be anything the person is hopeful for from health to good fortune. Upon trying to discover why the 7th of July is so special I was informed by my host mother that she was unsure and that the story originates from China. She also described the bamboo in the area as "Looking like a Christmas tree," around this day in July. I was further informed that there is a small shrine named Hatamono also associated with Orihime and Hikoboshi near the mountains in Katano.

                                    Image From: http://www.kuanhoong.com/2007/07/07/tanabata-festival-7th-july-make-a-wish/
     Please also follow the link to find a more academically correct article without the language complications! It is interesting to see what details people consider important to stress when telling the story to a foreigner and what details are left out.

Early Impressions

Round 2

     After my first 3 week visit to Japan a couple years ago I decided Japanese was something I wanted to
pursue more through college. Why are the people so friendly? Why could I spend 3 weeks being hosted
by people I had met over a beer outside a 7-11 in Bangkok and only spent 5 days with? I'm still trying to
understand how to gauge if the hospitality is authentic or just a gesture which I'm not really supposed to
take people up on. I feel like most first impressions of Japan will at some point include geishas and
samurai. Case in point from my trip to Kyoto last week:

Maiko performing for the beginning of spring.

          
     While samurais and geishas are a part of Japanese history and I always look forward to spotting
them in Kyoto (the geishas, haven't seen any samurais walking the streets) there were other details of
Japan that caught my attention upon arrival. I think most foreigners would immediately notice the lack of
trash, it seems in some areas that I had to search to find it outside of a receptacle as a sort of Where's
Waldo game. It is easy enough to reason why, living on an island where space is limited would influence
anyone's habits. Other things that come to mind: urban agriculture, beer in vending machines, respect and
courtesy.

     It also felt very safe, though this could be attributed to being 6'1" and quiet larger than the
average Japanese male, it seemed like my own mentality changed upon arrival. There are places in
America I wouldn't go and I'm sure that applies to areas in Japan also, but the feel of needing the
security of being licensed, trained, and armed to the teeth to go on a motorcycle trip wouldn't cross my
mind as much here as back in the states. Maybe the language barrier acts as a shield against observing
people's odd habits and if the day of becoming fluent arrives my perceptions will change, but I find this to
not be likely. The differences here and throughout the world always reinforce my respect for diversity in
the ways people choose to live and I am always happy to be an observer of these different lifestyles first
hand.