Impressions are like seasons... they change...

Prior to my arrival to Japan I had all of the real cliche stereotypes about Japan. I expected a country full of color and history; a country where things never slowed down and something amazing was constantly occurring. This stereotypes though have turned out to be partially, if not entirely, true insofar as my limited time in Japan has presented me. I have seen hundreds of shrines and temples that look like things straight out of a movie set; I have seen streets so busy they make Time Square in New York City look like little more than footpath; but most of all i have been thoroughly entertained and entranced by Japan since my arrival. As a history and social studies major I have been interested in the culture and history here since well before my arrival; there was a part of me that was worried that Japan was not going to live up the expectations I had set. Luckily Japan has met and exceeded my expectations primarily due to the fact that Japan is so remarkably different than America. When visiting a new place I relish the feeling of being lost, overwhelmed, and out of place; I truly enjoy being somewhere that I have to work to adapt at fitting in. I was also worried that the history and culture of Japan would not be as prominently displayed as I had hoped. However places like Fushimi Inari pictured above and the myriad of other temples, shrines, and palaces have given me ample opportunities to experience Japan's ancient culture. Even in japan where space is at a premium and one very rarely has any personal space to speak of places like Fushimi Inari and other temples defy the stereotype and stretch for acres and acres allowing people to get out into nature even in the middle of a crowded city like Kyoto.
At the same time in Japan I have never been so far out of my comfort zone that I wished I wasn't here; there have been multiple occasions where the language barrier or culture barrier has caused some issues but most were easily shrugged off. I am also never to far away from a little slice of Americana; places like malls and shopping arcades offer numerous western shopping and dining experiences that help ward off homesickness. I have yet to go anywhere in japan where I haven's spied a western fast food chain or a trendy clothing store like Tommy Hilfiger. In truth Japan consists of a perfect blend of traits that made it an excellent place for me to visit. I was able to experience the history and culture I longed for while the surge in globalization that has taken place over the past few decades allowed me quite a few western comforts during my stay (I have managed to go the whole trip only using a Japanese style toilet twice.) Overall my opinion of Japan is much the same as it was when I arrived only with a nice layer of satisfaction added, I have been thoroughly impressed by the people and culture here and I am already anxious to return.

A Whole New Machine

Politics have never been of great interest to me personally, I keep up with current events and I always vote in elections but I would by no means consider myself a political guru. One reason for this is the way politics are presented in America, if politicians in America are to be judged by the way they are presented to people then it would seem that every candidate spends all of their time kissing babies, visiting the elderly, and wandering aimlessly through tobacco fields (A popular theme in Kentucky Political ads). I cont like all of the pomp and circumstance put into commercials and campaigns and how politicians try to force feed politics to use at every turn.
Japanese politicians in the other hand have taken a slightly different approach. Since my arrival here I have not seen a single commercial for a political candidate, I am instead inundated with countless posters and placards advertising one candidate or another or the unnervingly ominous "Campaign Trucks" that seem to pass right outside of my window every morning between 6:00 and 8:00. Posters like the ones shown above are pasted everywhere; on houses, fences, telephone poles, bathroom stalls, seemingly everywhere one could think to stick up a sign. However each of these ads is simple and relatively low key, there is no elaborate photo or stunning visuals. Most are simply a picture of the candidate with a brief "sales pitch" tacked on. Far more unsettling for me are the vans that seem to be constantly patrolling the city with mounted loud speakers blaring a political pep-talk message or even more unnerving a very Cold War-ish sounding soundtrack very reminiscent of Communist propaganda films. I of course have no idea what any of these messages are saying but a small part of me feels as if I am being slowly inexorably pulled towards a somewhat more "Red" existence. Upon questioning a few Japanese students about the purpose or message the vans were toting, all of them admitted to not knowing, they simple muted out the background noise the vans produced. I don't honestly think that these vans are toting some communist message (Although I cannot be sure) but it seems so weird to me to have politics presented in such an unavoidable way. It seems so Big Brother-ish to have vans patrolling the streets spouting political jargon to anyone within a city block. I much prefer the poster method, it is much more user friendly and doesn't seem so much like subliminal encouragement. All that aside I am even more ignorant about Japanese politics than I am about the American political machine. So for now I will just settle down in my chair under my freshly hung hammer and sickle and read my copy of Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei until the revolution begins... I mean until dinner time.

Ichi...Ni...San strikes your out...

Obsession is defined by the American Heritage dictionary as a, "Compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety." I have never been as willing to apply the word obsession to something as I am to label the Hanshin Tigers baseball team fans as obsessed. Perhaps obsession is too light a word, fanatic comes to mind; someone so endeared to an ideal that they would kill for it. Indeed the Hanshin Tigers fans in some cases seem almost as if they would kill for the love of their team, at the game I attended I noticed the constant presence of security around the opposing teams cheering section. Not to say that every fan is obsessed but a large portion are completely focused on the game and nothing else. one gentleman sitting in our section who I simply referred to as "Pinkman" spent the entire game wearing a full Pink Hanshin Tigers getup complete with fluffy ears and tail. But the obsession did not stop there, each time a Hanshin player went up to bat he help up a large sign with the players name and cheer written in black sharpie, he was a one man cheering section. The remainder of the stadium was filled with fans sporting all sorts of Hanshin gear from noisemakers to gigantic flags to Lucha Libre tiger masks. Of all the sporting event I have attended this game definitely had the most emphatic and empathetic supporter, fans reacted with startlingly strong emotions as the game went on from shouted songs of praise to tears of sadness. Many of the customs at a Hanshin tigers game were quite different from those of a normal baseball game. During the seventh inning stretch the crowd blows up and releases thousands of "Rocket Balloons" to zip around the stadium for a few seconds before starting the next inning. Another key difference was that while the Tigers were up to bat the stadium maintained a dull roar of cheers but during the other teams time at bat the stadium is virtually silent, there are no cheers or chants while other team is up; in fact very few people even seemed to be paying attention to the game during the other teams at bat save for an exceptional catch made by a Hanshin player. Overall the biggest impression the baseball gaem made on me was the way the Japanese people acted there as opposed to other places. Normally Japanese people have been rather timid and quiet in my experiences with them, this is not to say that all japanese people are this way but in day to day life most are relatively placid. At the game however people are loud, flamboyant, and far more enthusiastic than they normally seen. It was great to see such dichotomy at this game and it was certainly one of my favorite "people watching" events since i arrived here. I leave you with one closing though:
Rokko oroshi ni sasso to
Soten kakeru nichirin no
Seishun no haki uruwashiku
Kagayaku wagana zo Hanshin Taigasu
O-o-o-o Hanshin Taigasu
Fure-fure-fure-fure

Toshi hatsuratsu tatsu ya ima
Nekketsu sude ni teki o tsuku
Ju-o no iki takaraka ni
Muteki no warera zo Hanshin Taigasu
O-o-o-o Hanshin Taigasu
Fure-fure-fure-fure

Onna no Hito and Otoko no Hito

Many things about Japan have shocked and amazed me since my arrival here; the food, the festivals, the clothing and many other traits continue to astound and sometimes confuse me. Another aspect of Japanese culture that surprised me was how gender identity here differs from gender standards back home. My first big revelation occurred while watching a concert at campus in which a group of Japanese students played a very pleasing set of Classic Rock songs all of which were sung in English. I was sitting near a group of Japanese students and we began talking about classic rock and the "awesomness" of American Rock and Roll. They began to ask me about each member of the band and my thoughts on them; "The Singer?"... "Oh yeah he is great"... "The Bassist?".... "He is good too".... "The Keyboard"... "Sounds great".... "What about the drummer, she is good right?"... "Yeah she is, I don't see many female drummers back home." This last comment was met with a wave of laughter and I was quickly informed that this was silly because girls are always better drummers. The Japanese students assumed me that all of the best bands in Japan utilized female drummers because women are far superior to men as drummers. Hearing this I was somewhat taken aback as I had become used to the somewhat sexist happenings in japn (Not to say that that is the rule, but compared to America the gender bias is somewhat more substantial). This got me to thinking about the gender differences I had experienced in Japan compared to the States and I had a sudden epiphany... The keyboard player... looks like a girl... The guy two rows in front of me... very effeminate... the students who had prepared my coffee earlier that morning appeared as though he had spent more time on his hair than I had spent showering getting dressed and getting to campus combined. It wasn't until that moment, nearly 2 and a half months into my stay in Japan that I realized that Japan has a severe gender crisis on its hands... By American standards that is. A popular fashion for men here is what is referred to as metro sexuality in the States in which males take special care in preserving their appearance and in many cases appear well... to be girls. this is not to say there is anything wrong with this of course, and from what I have seen the majority of these men are heterosexual in nature. I simply come from an place of more conservative stock, where men dress like men, women dress like women, and there is very little intermingling of the two styles. So what is really just a simple fashion trend had at first appeared to me as a sort of mass-hysteria of gender confusion. The new young generation of Japanese doesn't seem as bound by traditional gender customs as the older culture (For example older couples are very rarely sen so much as holding hands in public, much less partaking of one of the American forms of Public displays of Affection or PDA) and along with this new form of gender recognition a new set of styles and fashions has come about. While gender roles are indeed different here in Japan and at times a bit confusing to me it is no more so than any other aspect of the culture; regardless of what people are wearing here my ability to understand the language remains unaffected... I think the language barrier is a much bigger issue than that of Gender.

Shinto or bust...

When it comes to religious symbols in Japan it is entirely impossible to go an entire day without seeing some sort of religious symbol or imagery. From the temples and Tori gates that dot every city to the monks and priests that can be seen praying or collecting donations, religion is an integral part of Japanese culture. One interesting fact that I learned upon arriving here is that every Japanese citizen regardless of the religion they practice is registered as Shinto, I found this odd until i began to learn how important the Shinto faith has been in Japanese history serving much the same way Christianity had in European development. I find it quite refreshing to see these small religious reminders throughout the cities, the aged shrines and temples help keep maintain the classical feel of most cities, although i must admit seeing a shrine sandwiched in between a laundromat and a car wash is quite a baffling sight to see. One fact that I cant quite get over is the extent to which many of these shrines and temples have become as much about reeling in tourists as they are about serving as religious locations. Many of the temples I have visited are full of tourists snapping photos and souvenirs; unfortunately in many cases the number of tourists outnumber actual patrons of the shrine. Also, while her in Japan I have met very few people who are practicing Shinto, most of the students students and young people I talk to generally tell me that their families do not practice any particular religion, however most of the still consider themselves Shinto even if they do not practice the religion. This has led me to believe that the practice of Shinto is going out of style and is reserved mostly for the elderly and those of a more conservative persuasion. Religion seems to serve more of an aesthetic purpose for the younger Japanese serving as a backdrop for photos or a place to sight see with friends. Regardless of the current importance of religion in Japan it is beyond doubt that religion helped shape Japan into what it is today and will provide beautiful landmarks and imagery in Japan for time to come.

I found this particular subject very difficult to begin writing on and even more difficult to find photos for. Of course I have the stereotypical pictures of American food chains dotting Japanese streets and Nihon-jin tooling around wearing western style clothes. One of the first items I saw was a restaurant in Kyoto with a huge cheeseburger that reminded me of the sort of record setting meal one would find in the states. Another place that seemed very western to me is a family dining establishment called Kappa Zushi that serves sushi in a very unique way. All of the table in Kappa Zushi are set up around a small revolving conveyor belt at table height that travels from the kitchen and out to the tables carrying a variety of small sushi plates. Each plate costs 105 yen and a diner need only remove a plate from the belt and enjoy the sushi. At the end of the meal each person check is tallied base don the number of plates of sushi you have consumed, it is a very unique idea and much different from restaurant back home. What makes it a great example of globalization is the way the restaurant has a sort of family friendly atmosphere; the restaurant serves traditional sushi as well as kid friendly snacks like chicken nuggets and juice boxes in order to appeal to all age groups. Each time I go I see at least 5 or 6 tables with children at them, laughing and enjoying selecting their food almost as much as they enjoy eating it. In Japan sushi is usually considered to be a somewhat formal food and is served mostly at more traditional and expensive sushi bars. I feel that a restaurant with a family friendly theme that serves food in such a fun way is a more western idea and that a family friendly place like Kappa Zushi is a fun example of Western influence in Japan.

In my time here I have heard many people make comments about how Japan is "losing its sense of self." or "becoming just another western nation." I would argue however that Japan is doing what every other country, city, tribe, nation or any other group of people has done for thousands of years; borrowing. Whenever one group of peole starts a new trend or fashion or discovers a new concept it is generally shared with other people's; in thsi way every country in the world can absorbed aspects of other cultures. I do not feel like the Japanese culture is being "replaced" by a western culture they are merely watching foreign trends and the picking and choosing aspects they like and incorporating them into their own identity. I feel that is is impossible for the spirit of Japan to ever be lost; instead Japan will continue to change and grow just as every other nation does. As the world becomes more and more of a globalized economy and barriers come down there will always be certain aspects of a society that can never be changed or altered. No matter how many gigantic burgers or sushi conveyor belts or Tommy Lee Jones coffee machines (hard to explain that one) this country gets it wall always be Japan.

Kyoichi Sawada: Eyes on Vietnam

Kyoichi Sawada was born February 22, 1936 in Aomori Prefecture in Japan. He was orphaned as a child and spent the majority of his early years working with cameras especially for the Japanese Military. In the 1960's Sawada became interested in the war in Vietnam but was denied a press pass, he decided instead to travel by himself on vacation where his photos convinced his publisher UPI to send him to Saigon to photograph the war. Sawada's most famous photograph and perhaps one of the best known photos from the Vietnam war features a woman and her four kids swimming across a river to escape the fighting on the far side.
(Can be scene at: http://www.worldpressphoto.org/index.php?option=com_photogallery&task=view&id=168&Itemid=115&bandwidth=high)
This picture won Sawada a Pulitzer Prize and made him one of the best known photographers in Japan. Sadly Sawada died in Cambodia (Thanks for correction Catherine!!) on October 28 1970, after receiving numerous other awards for his powerful photography in active war zones. Sawada's work plays an important part in Japan's history as photos of war were generally frowned upon. Hos work was important because of the messages he chose to convey, he did not simply take pictures of innocent civilians but also soldiers both in triumph and in tragedy but nearly all of Sawada's photography had to do with war. His visual documentation of these conflicts served to illicit a variety of reactions in viewers; everything from sympathy, to hatred, to shock and awe can be felt in nearly every one of his photos. While Sawada's photos do not in my opinion represent all of Japanese culture they certainly help keep a record of the conflicts occurring is Asia during this time period as well as the type of fighting as well as the type of people present at these conflicts. His pictures are very successful in documenting the variety of feelings present in a war zone, pictures of frightened people fleeing battles as well as ravaged corpses help the reader see the broad spectrum of emotions that make up a war. I feel that Sawada's work is especially powerful even when compared to pictures taken by other wartime journalists. His ability to get photos of death and sadness as well as action photos shows the astounding range of his skill as a photographer. I have respect for the sort of person willing to put themselves in harms way in an attempt to tell the stories of other people. Sawada is in my opinion one of the greatest wartime photographers that ever lived and his work help influence opinions about the conflicts that he covered.