And now 2 completely unrelated things

This is a map of a Japanese neighborhood. All the names of each family can be found on this map. It made me think of Bestor and how he used pictures like this to study the history of a Japanese neighborhood. I also find it interesting that in America, to see a city layout like this you would have to go to city hall or some sort of government office. But this was right in the middle of the neighborhood. I guess it would help alot because Japanese neighborhoods are very confusing to navigate and this map can tell you exactly where your friend's house might be.

This is a picture of some candy. Notice the sambo-esque mascot. I find caricatures like this all over Japan. Japan even has a show wear Japanese dress up as people from other countries, but what they dress up as are stereotypes. It is a comedy show that laughs at everything not Japanese. Foreigners are pretty much fair game to make fun of because their aren't any to speak up against it. It's a bit unfair and reminds me of Japan's view of racial superiority during WWII. To me this image is very offensive, and I see lights of black characters portrayed this way. It makes me a little sad.

Holiday in Japan

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A little girl enjoying herself while watching a monkey run around on the fence. I have been wondering about animals place in Japanese culture. Many animals were incorporated into mythology such as the tanuki, kitsune, and the monkey. But as for the role for animals today, it seems to fill the role of amusement like most cultures. I find it interesting that most of Japan's population lives in the cities and to see animals in the wild must be a treat. Everyone there loved these monkeys. To me they were kinda of frightening, but I guess when you are protected by a chainlink fence you can can enjoy it just a little more.

This picture is of the sea of people that crashed on the shores of Arashiyama. Arashiyama is a very famous place especially for its こうよう(fall leaves). I went here over the break we had and I had never before seen so many people. The streets were flooded with people, cars could not go anywhere. Each train as jam-packed and even then more people would push on making you feel like a sardine. I thought I had been to a crowded place before, but it was never like this. It is incredible that so many people get out to go see the fall leaves, in America it is just another season. But in Japan, it is a much bigger deal, they even have there own word to describe it.

Life in Japan can be dangerous

These are bottles of water lined around a corner. These can be found in all Japanese neighborhoods. I have asked some Japanese people what they are for. The answer I have recieved is to keep cats away. The reason being is that cats do not like water so the water keeps them away from their house. I do not know if this is true, but Japan has a large stray cat population. I have seen lots of strays and even been to a park that is just crawling with them. I have seen some restuarants leave out leftovers for them as well. Another thing I noticed is that alot of Japanese have dogs. They are a very popular pet at least here.

The first sign is a sign warning about a small stream and how you could drown if not careful. The other one is a sign that tell you to be alert when you are walking alone because some ちかん(pervert) could get you. Both of these signs(or similar ones) can be found in any Japanese neighborhood. Wandering around Japan, I have noticed that the most popular Kanji I see is 注意 which means "watch out" or "warning". I didn't think Japan was that dangerous, but I am told to watch out for cars, trains, perverts, rivers, pretty much everything. I find it somewhat strange especially when Japan prides itself on how safe it is. Maybe its signs like these that make Japan so safe. I thought was interesting to see so many warnings and most of the time what I was warned about didn't look to be dangerous.

Panda's

After reading Andrea's post and since I was in one of the pictures, I thought I would blog about it.

I empathize about feeling like a "panda." I feel like I am treated like that often. But sometimes people will just treat me like a person and not some object to be stared at. I have also felt the unbelonging that she feels and is expressed in her post, but sometimes I get the feeling I do belong. I do not believe that everyone treats gaijin like "pandas." I feel welcomed when I am able to speak Japanese and are responded to in Japanese and not given some English supplement. But as Andrea points out more often then not we are labeled as "pandas." Andreas pictures are able to express that feeling. The picture with me in it was a very awkward situation. While I had the ablity to refuse I just didn't know how to politely refuse. It also felt like it was easier to get a sale from foriegners because I never saw Japanese people stuck in that situation. So I felt singled out because it is harder to refuse when you dont have mastery of the language.

The second picture at the danjiri festival does really capture the feeling of be a "panda." It seems like they were just dragged out due to being gaijin. I know that some people will always view gaijin this way, but there are other who treat us like any other person. I hope that one day Japan opens its doors wider and be more accepting about gaijin in their country.

Why is Japan so in love with foreigners, but at the same time despises them?

Spiderman lives in Japan

This is a picture of Santa, Spiderman, and a Power Ranger trying to sell me Yakisoba at Gaidaisai. The person on the right giving the thumbs up snuck in to the photo. I was amazed at how I was assaulted by people wanting me to buy their product at Gaidaisai. Traditional the Kansai region specifically Osaka was known for its merchant culture. People from here are said to be the best salesman or at least the most persistent. I can see where this stereotype comes from. I have attended fairs like this, but never have I had to turn down so many vendors. I understand that the money goes to their clubs, but I was just overwhelmed with offers for cheap food.

This is a picture of my Japanese friend Taka dressed as Spiderman. Spiderman is very popular in Japan and it even has its own version of Spiderman. But I chose this picture because of what happened once he was in this costume. Japanese people seem to enjoy getting the picture taken next to costumed individuals so they jumped on the chance to photograph Taka. But since he was standing next to me they assumed he was a gaijin and would ask in English if they could take his picture. I found this interesting that just because I was standing next to him they assumed him to be a gaijin and since he was a gaijin they assumed he could not understand any Japanese. Well maybe that is a bit cynical and they were trying to practice english. This was very interesting to me. Did they not think it possible for me to have a Japanese friend or for a Japanese person to dress up for Halloween?

A religious experience

Highschool students on a field trip to Todaiji. It wa nice to see a bunch of highschool students having a good time. We mostly hear about how hard Japanese school is and how most students attend cram schools. But from what I have seen and heard it s not as bad as we make it out to be. They still get to go on cool fieldtrips like this. Another thing that is significant is the school uniform. While I was at Todaiji, I saw many different uniforms. Each school has its own uniform and so one can use these uniforms to identify what school they go to. Based on what school they attend you could also infer where they live or even how much income their parents make.

A man lighting incense while his family waits. This was shot at Todaiji which is Japan's largest wooden structure and house the largest statue of Buddha. For some it seemed to be somewhat of religious experience, but most people were here as tourists. I saw many people light incense, but were the lighting just because it was there and its the tourist thing or were the lightning it for religious reasons? Most Japanese would say that they are not religious, but many perform rituals such as this. I find it very interesting that despite saying that they are not religious, they still engage and religious rituals.

And now for something completely different

A man sleeping his day away beside a river in Kyoto. Along the river you could see many people enjoying their afternoon. Some were fishing, others chatting. As for this person he was close to some homeless shelters so is this person homeless or just some who was so tired he just fell asleep right here. I didn't watch him long enough to find out, but it got me thinking about Japan's homeless population. Professor Fedorowicz mention some statistics and it seems to be a major problem. But like homelessness in most cultures it is looked down upon and considered the fault of the person. This article explains about "internet cafe refugees." What strikes me is this quote from the article and by a former homeless man "Those cafe sleepers are not the ones the government should be throwing tons of money on." Which I agree with. The homeless on the street are ignored or shooed away much like the man in the picture. I hope the government will try and help the street people as well.

A sign that commands readers to "Feel Wood." English text can be found all over Japan, but alot of it is considered engrish. The word "engrish" itself is engrish, capitalizing on how the "r" and "l" sounds are hard to pronounce for the Japanese. I see signs like these almost every day. I once saw a sign the proudly proclaimed that it had "Everyday high prices." Why would anyone want to tell people they have the highest price? I find it interesting that these exist. Every Japanese student must take about 6 years of english. With people who have learned/learning english why is that no one notices the grammar and spelling problem? Or perhaps it just popular to throw in english much like Kanji tattoos are extremely popular, because it looks cool. Or maybe it all just a huge joke that is laughing at the english language? Who knows?

A Visit of Nostalgia

This is a man dressed as a buddhist monk asking anyone passing by for money. Is this guy really buddhist? Or is he capitalizing on the amount of tourism Kyoto gets? Seeing this reminded me of the Shuwa reading about specific areas having unique signs for that area. One of those signs was of a extended hand asking for money which was to represent a monk begging. I thought it interesting that these beggars take on the image of a buddhist monk asking for alms. All along the bridge were people dressed like this, ringing bells, and asking politely for money. These were the first open beggars I had seen in Japan. Japan's homeless population is very much shunned so it surprised me to see this.

This pictue was taken in Kanjiro Kawai's house. Kanjiro Kawai was a very famous and amazing potter. Upon entering his house I felt as if I had entered a traditional Japanese house. The kind that I envision when I think of traditional Japan. It made me feel at home. All over the house you could spot Kanjiro's work. The works are awe inspiring. While he was living the Governement offered him The National Living Treasure Award for his expertise. He politely refused. He was an advocate of folk art, which in Japan is greatly appreciated part of Japanese culture. Japan has preserved many of the folk arts from bunraku to kabuki. From our Oreintalist viewpoint we think the Japanese all work at large companies, express no creativity, and conform to a group. It was nice to see that stereotype shattered. The artistic aspects of Japanese culture were great to experience.

Stranger in a Strange Land

After reading this post and this short article I knew I had to comment. I empathize greatly with the soapbox update. I made a comment on the post, but I feel this is a very important matter. I have felt completely alien in this country on the border of unwelcome. I have had to jump through many hoops just to be able to stay here for only a couple months. Imagine the foreigners who live here permantly, this is just one more hoop that they are forced to jump. It seems extremely unfair. Can Japanese people do no wrong? Why aren't they considered able to be terrorists? It is unfair that native Japanese do not have to such lengths as permanent foreigner residents And since foreign residents are not allowed to vote, how can they hope to get their rights back? How can they voice their opinion? It also seems like saying that this law passed is to prevent terrorism is just an excuse to discourage and further alienate foreigners coming to this country. Is this law just an embodiment of Japan's historical mistrust of foreingers?

This article just cemented my feeling of alieness. It seems that places go out of their way to alienate foreigners. Everywhere I go there is english signs, english menus, and people talk to me in english. Why do they always assume I do not know any Japanese nor couldn't possible understand such a complicated language? I came to this country to learn the language, how can I learn if I am given "special treatment?" I also feel like eyes are on me all the time as if a foreigner is a rare site and something incredible to behold. This might have been true in the past, but in this gloabalized world now, you see foreigners on tv, sightseeing around Osaka, or living in Japan. I just want to be treated like any other Japanese.

"Traditional" Japan

Today, I am going to combine my posts. Both of these pictures show a nice juxapostion of modernity and "traditional" Japan. The first photo is of a field of rice in the middle of Hirakata city and the second photo is of a shrine that is across from the field. The shrine also happens to be a park, hence the slide in the background. When foreigners think about traditional Japan, temples and shrines are sometimes conjured. And whenever we think of an Asia country, rice comes to mind. I thought it was interesting to see a field of rice in the middle of a city or a slide in the middle of a shrine. A shrine or rice fields are the Oreintalist stereotypes we expect to see, but not like this, in a modern setting. Like the Newsweek article suggests, we want to view Japan as the ancient land of the samurai and fail to see what it has evolved into today. We are too busy looking at the temple than see the massive city around it.

Journey to the Central Capital

My friend Quill and a 12 year old Japanese boy who decided to hang out with people almost twice his age. Here we are at an Okonomiyaki restaurant. What was strange about this is that he spent the whole day with us. It is interesting to see how much freedom is given to Japanese children. In America we are taught not to talk to strangers and to avoid anyone we do not know. This kid just came up to my friends and I and started talking to us as if it were nothing. The whole day I was amazed and we kept asking him if it was alright for him to be doing this. And he would respond that it was alright. I constantly see Japanese children do things that I was never allowed to do. Oh, to be a Japanese child.

Waiting for the train. This is a common sight all over Japan. Trains are hardly ever late, extremely convient, and a great form of transportation. With the trains, you can go almost anywhere in Honshu. And if you want to get to your destination faster, and are willing to spend extra, there is the Shinkansen (bullet train). Over the long weekend my friend and I traveled to Nagoya, the 4th largest city in Japan. Along the way we transfered to different trains on different lines that are owned by different companies and charge different rates. I was suprised at how such a convient and effecient system can be so confusing and complicated. I found it less than convient. This is all new to me, but to the people who ride the train everyday it's routine. I just find it fascinating that trains play an important role in the everyday life of Japanese city dweller. The ability to travel great distants on a whim is easiyl attained with the Japanese train system.

Blog 2

In class we have mentioned many one word theories. Well if I were to use a one word theory, I would use かわいい. Everything in Japan is sickenly cute. This photo for example is for some sort of snack food, but contains two cute mascots. Some foods are even the mascot. Nacchan a juice drink, but the bottle itself is Nacchan and when you take a drink you drink the essence of Nacchan. Everywhere I look in Japan I can find a cute mascots, stationary, manga characters, logos, keychains, and even the storm drains have cute cats, dogs, and otters on them.

This is a picture taking in a park of a tree. I took this because most of the nature I see in the city seems rigidly controlled. All the rivers are forced on their paths by concrete walls. Every tree I see is trimmed such that they offer very little shade. The trees are forced up and not allowed to grow out. This might have to do with the compact nature of the cities. If trees were allowed to grow normally they would grow into buildings and cause havoc. In Oregon there is green everywhere even its largest cities. It is strange to see so little green, but all land that is habitable is needed for people. I just want some shade.

Blog 1

This picture is of a shrine in Hirakata City. These shrines can be found all over the City. Usually nestled in between building or hidden in alleyways. You also see the occasionally worshiper silently praying. This I find strange for a country where most people will say they aer not religious yet you can find shrines like these all over the country. Another reason why I took this picture is because it has a symbol we know as the sawstika. But in Buddhism it represents universal harmony. This symbol can be found in popular anime and manga. Here it lacks the negative connations that the nazis gave it and hence why we do not see in America.

This is a photograph of a tanuki statue. A tanuki is a Japanese racoon dog. It not only exists as a real animal, but it can also be found in ancient folklore. The tanuki is often depicted with a large scrotum, a sake jug, straw hat, and a promissory note (Schumaker). This statue was found outside a restaurant, but I have seen them near shrines and temples as well. They are seen as inviting guest and are signs of good luck similar to Maneki Neko (Schumacher). I chosse to post this picture because it very Japanese and you wold not see something like this in America. We do not have anything that is equivalent to a tanuki. I thought it was a good representation of Japanese culture and also a very humorous part of Japanese folklore.

Schumacher, Mark. "Tanuki - Japanese God of Restauranteers." A to Z photo dictionary Japanese Buddhist Statuary. 27 Aug 2007. 10 Sep 2007 .