Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Politics in Japan


Today is Wednesday. Garbage day. In Hirakata City, trash must be sorted into 5 different categories. Although this can be a pain, it isn't too bad once you understand the system. The rule book that I received when I moved into SemIV went as far to provide two photos to assist residents with sorting.
The sorting mania has been in part inspired by environmental issues and by also by the mentality of "waste not, want not".
Japan is a country where space is a precious commodity; there is no room for foolishness here, especially in the landfills.



Then there is the other side of the coin. Many fruits in the supermarket are wrapped in a foam mesh, surrounded by a cardboard carton and then wrapped in cellophane. This is then placed inside of another bag once it is purchased. In case of rain, the external bag is covered by a plastic cover. However, I wonder why some of these issues can't be eliminated by reducing the amount of excessive packaging in Japan.


Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Religion in Japan

One day, I went to a shrine with my friend Kieko; it was located in her hometown. Almost immediately she climbed the stairs to complete the ritual of ringing the bell, tossing a coin, clapping twice, saying a prayer and bowing twice. I asked her to explain it to me and she told me that the noises call the attention of the gods to her prayer. As I asked her more questions about her religion, she couldn't really answer me. For example, we all waited outside the shrine for an hour while the elders went inside. I asked her what they were doing but she wasn't sure.


It seemed that most of the people weren't there for religious reasons only, it was a place where one could meet the neighbors. The shrine appeared to be more of a gathering place for the community, a type of glue that held generations together through one common bond.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Gender in Japan

Is this a photo of an ideal Japanese woman? Ready and waiting to serve? Traditionally, women were were taught to be reserved, subservient and obey the dominant male in their life (either the father or the husband.)



Some would say that this makes the Japanese culture chauvinistic. I disagree. Until this day, women have played a very large and important part of Japanese history and culture. For example, it was a woman, Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote the world's first novel entitled, "The Tale of Genji". This year is actually the 1000th year anniversary of this infamous book. This is a memorial dedicated to her that is located in Uji.


When I speaking with my Okaasan about Murasaki Shikibu, she told me that "Japanese women are strong." She told me that many Japanese women want to have a career and do not get married until mid to late 20's. They are very driven; Osaka even boasted Fusai Ohta, the first governor of Japan. As you can see, the woman's gender role is very important in Japan.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Sports in Japan

Aikido
The Way of the Harmonious Spirit

Aikido is a Japanese martial art. The defendant redirects the attacker's momentum through throws and grappling all in such a way as to keep the aggressor safe from harm. It uses minimal movement and energy from the defendant. This art form also teaches mental training. Students learn to relax both the mind and body under stressful situations.


Training in Japan is very rigorous as compared to America. When I took Tai Quan Do in high school, I practiced for about an hour a day. In comparison, my one friend joined the Aikido club at Kansai Gadai. She puts in about 4-6 hours on a normal day. When they are preparing for a demonstration, like they were doing last week for the Festival, they put in about 12 hours each day.