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.