Video Conference 2

The video conference with the Swedish students was very interesting and I enjoyed the topic quite a bit. Though we went in not knowing the information fully, they were interesting discussion topics that I believe we could relate to in some way.

For the first discussion about Japanese pop culture, we talked a little bit about things we knew that were from japan that were popular here as well. I mentioned some video games and the Swedish student mentioned some as well. Also, I talked about how many younger shows shown on tv were truly Japanese animes, such as Pokémon and Dragons Ball. The Swedish student also knew of some pop Japan artists or bands, which usually consists of a large group of attractive people. This reflects how japan is so structured around groups and working together, similar to how they don’t have single super heroes, most of their pop seems to be groups of people as opposed to individual stars. Also, we talked of how manga is seen differently outside of Japan. The Swedish student mentioned how most adults don’t read manga while in Japan everyone reads manga. I commented on how it is most likely seen as childish due to how America has always portrayed comics as something kids read. When we got onto the topic of “Cool Japan”, no one in my small group knew particularly what it was. From the pictures on the slide we guessed that it was some kind of promotion used to attract people to japan, the Swedish student mentioning it could have perhaps been due to the declining birth rate. Also, with the use of the internet, we were able to find what is to discuss it further. We talked a little about whether this would attract people to Japan.

In the second discussion of Cute Japan, my group also didn’t know particularly what that meant. The Swedish student in this discussion suggested that perhaps they are trying to portray this image of cute in contrast to their darker background involving war and what not. I then commented on perhaps dressing in this way was to distinguish them in a society strongly based around conformity and strict social rules. We then talked about how this cute image was one that would cause people to not take the society as seriously. We them mostly talked about differences in American culture’s view of these cute things and Sweden’s as well.

Sorry that I can’t be more specific on who said what, its hard to remember exactly what was said during the discussion, but the discussion did bring up ideas and concepts that I wouldn’t have been able to think of on my own so I believe they were very productive. It was fun to get to talk to the Swedish students about what is popular and what not, because it seemed like something everyone could relate to in some small way.  It was an interesting experience and I am glad I got to participate in it.

Shinobi

The image that comes to mind when ninja is mentioned is a figure clad in black quickly running and jumping from rooftop to rooftop stealthily killing their target. Though this may be a more movie-esque ninja, they were present in historic Japan. The proper name for ninja is Shinobi. (Szczepanski)

The Japanese folklore associated with ninja’s claim they were “descended from a demon that was half man and half crow”. (Szczepanski) They truly evolved as an opposing force of the samurai in feudal Japan. The skills ninja’s learn are called ninjutsu, or the ninja’s art of stealth. This art began to develop in between 600-900 A.D. (Szczepanski)

The main reason ninjutsu developed was to oppose the samurai and their code of bushido, or their code of honor and loyalty. So since honor was held in such high regard, samurai would select only a single opponent upon going into battle, announcing the challenge along with his family credentials and then attack. They wore their clan identification colors and armor, leading to a highly stylized but inefficient type of battling. Ninjutsu was developed to get the job done, very different from the samurai’s code of bushido. Things that would be shameful to a samurai, such as sneak attacks, poison, seduction, and spying, were all “fair play” for ninjas. “The ninja code values accomplishing a mission by whatever means necessary” (Szczepanski).        

Ninja leaders were referred to as jonin. Some of the jonin were disgraced samurai that had lost in battle, but refused to commit the ritual suicide. Contrary to much of Japan at the time, women could also become quite successful ninjas. Female ninjas were called kunoichi, and would usually infiltrate through disguises to get to the enemy (Szczepanski). It’s very interesting how female can have a role within the ninja ranks since they can’t seem to have a similar role in Japan where they would have responsibilities on their shoulder. I believe it reflects the idea of the shinobi in a way, getting the job done no matter how taboo or honorable. It’s similarly reflects how it is different from the samurai, who are much more similar to what seems to be ‘proper’ Japan culture, or that which is shown in Japanese culture. Everything is done with great tradition and honor, every little thing being something very important. This is reflected in how the samurai act, following a strict code and upholding it against all costs.

What’s interesting is although samurai had to strictly follow the bushido themselves, it did not restrict them from hiring ninjas themselves to carry out any of their dirty work. Since the samurai wouldn’t technically be committing the crimes against the code themselves, their honor would remain intact. Luckily with samurai hiring and paying ninjas quite well transferred wealth to the lower classes within Japan. The issue with this though was, of course, the opposing samurai could also hire ninjas to go for their opponent. “As a result, the samurai needed, despised, and feared the ninja, in equal measure” (Szczepanski).

The whole idea of shinobi and samurai are all very interesting. In a way, reflecting Japan’s own culture. I believe they in a way reflect the ideas of inside and outside, or one’s true feelings and ones outside face. The samurai represent one’s outside face, one of honor and following the strict cultural code. While on the other hand, shinobi represent ones true feelings, they remain hidden and don’t follow strict code but aren’t shown in public in a way. It’s an interesting balance between what is seen and what is honorable.

Do you believe samurai’s use of shinobi was honorable? Or necessary in a way to get things done?

Szczepanski, Kallie. "History of The Ninja." About.com Asian History. About.com, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://asianhistory.about.com/od/warsinasia/p/NinjaProfile.htm>.

Becoming a Geisha Reaction

The movie “Becoming a Geisha” was a very interesting and brought up many things that I wasn’t expecting and surprised me. I think it’s a hard concept to grasp since there really isn’t such an equivalent within the United States, and would most likely be misinterpreted similarly to how her mother misinterpreted the idea of a geisha.

                One of the first things I wanted to bring up is how Yukina received a new name for when she was to become a Maiko. Not only did this surprise and interest me, but how much went into the choosing of the name surprised me as well. They took into account how many strokes it took to write the name, along with the meaning of the name, plus what fortune she would have with the name. So much went into one name. This baffles me because here there isn’t much emphasis on names. Children are named because the parents simply like the name, or naming after someone else. Though sometimes parents look into the meaning of a name, the amount of letters or strokes don’t have significance. It shows how deeply rooted tradition and rituals are within Japanese culture. But it was also interesting that she got a new name for becoming a Maiko. It does make sense though, showing her transition from her normal modern life to the traditional elegant lifestyle of a Maiko. Or it could show that her new name is her tatemae while her honne is her true name.

                Also what was surprising to me was that Yukina was drinking while attending to a customer. I wonder if there is an exception the drinking age for Maiko or if she wasn’t actually drinking alcohol. It just shows there devotion to their customers, similar to how her older sister had to drink wine even though she didn’t like it at the request of her customer. The Maiko’s dedication to their customers is surprising and something you don’t see in America. Not being able to eat or drink while with the customers seems difficult and must take extreme dedication.

                After watching this movie I was surprised how Maiko and becoming a Geisha all worked. It’s a system very foreign to the United States and was very interesting to learn about. Their dedication and ties to tradition are very evident, and hopefully a practice so rich in culture will survive in Japan as it modernizes.

How do you think geisha or maiko would be seen in America?

Would such a business work well or be frowned upon?

Departure Movie Reaction

Departures was a movie showed the struggles of a young man who was unable to uphold his family on what he had believed to be his dream, playing the cello. He finds a new job dealing with the departed, and shows his various struggles. Throughout this movie, you could clearly see Japanese culture and ideas. A lot of the ideas that were shown revolve around Japanese ideas of death, understandable due to the story of the movie.

                One thing that I noticed was very prevalent was a general dislike and shame associated with the job of cleaning the bodies of those who passed away. This seemed to be related to the Japanese belief of Shinto, where death is seen as very impure and isn’t something that humans are able to get rid of. This was shown through his old family friend ignoring him and even his wife leaving him for a short time. This greatly surprised me, especially with how grateful people were afterwards. I believe that is when their emotions for the departed override their traditional beliefs. This is also shown from his original reaction to the job. The idea of dealing with the dead was scary to him, but he truly needed the money.

                Another thing I saw in the film was the idea of uchi and soto in a way, along with tatemae and honne. A good example I can think of was how his wife originally reacted to him giving up his dream and having to move back to his mother’s house. She seemed so cheerful and for it. But later she reveals that she was really upset that he was giving up his dream and had to move home. She was using tatemae, not her true feelings but putting on a face, so that he wouldn't be upset that she didn't want to move or for him to give up his dream. This also surprised me, because how she acted when he said they would have to move back, I was completely convinced that she truly wanted to move back to his mother’s house.

Departure was a good movie that I enjoyed watching. It was interesting to see how everyone reacted to his job of washing the dead so strongly, because it would have a much different reaction here. Seeing the different culture through the movie allowed to see the ideas we learn in class in action, and I enjoyed seeing it.

Reaction paper 2

                For this reaction paper I want to focus on the thing that mainly caught my interest recently in Japanese culture, their religious beliefs.  It was fascinating to see how their beliefs are truly shown throughout their everyday life and traditions, which I believe you don’t see as often in the United States. What really surprised me was how they usually claim to not have a belief. First I will discuss and compare the Japanese beliefs then I will discuss their relevance within their everyday lives.

                What surprised me the most was how when most Japanese are asked whether or not they have a religion, they say that they do not have one. “Many Japanese people claim to be non-religious, if asked directly. They have no strict allegiance to a particular religious organisation, and if asked whether they believe in a god or gods they my reply ‘no’, or ‘only if I want something’.” (116 Hendry). It’s hard to understand being able to have more than one religion, let alone that a group of people whose beliefs influence their everyday lives would say that they are not religious. In America, religion isn’t as flexible allowing for believing in more than one religion. Religion is also often fought over. I believe there is much more religious freedom and flexibility in Japan, while there is more discrimination of those from other regions.

                What’s also interesting is how these religions in Japan influence individuals on a daily basis. American religions usually don’t influence everyday life, American religious traditions usually affect only when going to services, such as church or weddings. Besides that there aren’t many other traditions that would affect daily life.

                Those are the things I found interesting that we have learned in class recently. They caught my interest due to how different they are from traditions and our beliefs.

Which culture do you think religion influences more, American or Japanese?

Movie Reaction

Movie Reaction

I think what really got me about the video was it made the disaster seem more real. Even saying that now I know that I will never be able to fully understand such a tragedy since I wasn’t there to experience it firsthand. The movie did a good job of putting the disaster in perspective in a way, showing the individuals experiences person to person and their feelings on the overall event. I also found it very interesting what the women had to say about the reporters, how they would always look for those who had lost family or where orphaned. This movie, as opposed to those news reports, focused on individuals stories about the event along with the aftermath and their reactions.

The common trend seemed to be that most everyone didn’t expect that large of a tsunami, and explained how it was just hard to grasp. Japan being a place where earthquakes and what not are common place, it shows how big of a natural disaster it had to be to catch these people off guard. As the filmmaker and her friend walked through the destroyed buildings they use to go to school or go to on a regular basis really shocked me. There was so much damage, and just trying to imagine that happening to my high school or neighborhood is hard to imagine.

                Something that really got to me was how the one woman was explaining how people are talking about the disaster as if it is over, while it is truly still happening. It must be harder and harder to get help and work through these times when the tragedy is being talked of as if it is of the past, when everything isn’t nearly back to how it used to be. I didn't realize there was such destruction during this tsunami, since the US mostly covered the issues at the nuclear power plant. But it seemed the news reporting’s interviewing the people weren't acknowledging everyone as well. It really showed that as a community, it truly is a hard time. 

How would your community react to such a situation?

How would you react to losing everything?

My Neighbor Totoro

My Neighbor Totoro is another one of Miyazaki’s films.  This film is a great animated movie that Miyazaki animated and directed. Like Spirited Away, it was quite popular, though this one towards a younger crowd. This movie truly shows how group oriented Japan are, and show a lot of traditional Japanese values.

The movie starts out with a family moving into their new home, a father and his two daughters, driving through the rice patty fields and welcoming the neighbors as they go. Upon arriving, the neighbor’s grandmother, called Granny, came over to help them move in. The two sisters, Mei and Satsuki, search the house. Upon opening a door leading inside, they see a bunch of black puff balls swarming around and then hide into the walls. They find these are ‘soot sprites’ that Miyazaki also has in Spirited Away, which were living in the house since it was empty. Mei, Satsuki, and their father later go to visit their mother who is sick in the hospital. Later, when the younger sister Mei is exploring, she sees a little totoro, which she follows and ends up at a huge camper tree. She falls into a hole in the trunk of the camper tree and finds another large totoro. There, she falls asleep. Her older sister later finds her asleep in the bushes, wondering how she fell asleep there

One evening, the sisters decide to go meet their father at the bus stop. He had missed the first bus so they had to wait a while for the next one.  While waiting, Totoro comes to wait next to them, shocking the girls. Satsuki sees he doesn’t have anything to cover him from the rain, so gives him their father’s umbrella. Then they see him get onto a cat bus that runs off into the distance. They stand in shock as their father gets off the bus.

Also, Mei and Satsuki’s mother was supposed to visit home, but they find from the hospital that she can’t because she had gotten a cold. This greatly upsets the girls, and causes Mei to go running off to try and take a gift to her mother. Everyone from the town goes off looking for her, everyone pitching in. Satsuki went for miles and miles looking for Mei, and finally goes to ask Totoro for help at the camper tree. He calls the cat bus, and the cat bus takes Satsuki to where Mei is. Everyone is relieved to have found Mei and everything goes back to normal.

Something that is shown quite well in Totoro is the feeling of community that Japan has, the whole neighborhood pitching in to try and find Mei and what not. Also, the importance of family is greatly emphasized.

In the original concept for the movie, there was only going to be one daughter, but upon starting the film Miyazaki decided to have two. The younger sister’s name is Mei, or the American version of May. Then the older sister Satsuki is named after the Japanese version of May (Toyama).

Also, Totoro was considered the spirit of the forest. The tree that he was living under had rice straw and ribbons tied around it to show that it is sacred. The worship of this tree and nature itself is a reflection of Shintoism, hence why the family bowed to the tree and Totoro helped Mei. It is believed that respecting the spirit is what protected Mei.

Are there any sacred areas common around the US?

Is family and community as important in America as Japan?

Toyama, Ryoko. "Totoro FAQ // My Neighbor Totoro // Nausicaa.net." Totoro FAQ // My Neighbor Totoro // Nausicaa.net. Studio Ghiblink, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/totoro/faq.html>.