~~Onsen~~

The washing stations as well as the bath (there are apples in the bath which is not customary of onsen)

Famous Japanese macaque enjoying onsen

          The obsession with hygiene in Japan does not stop at slippers and a clean living space but it also is present in the bath culture of Japan. Traditional Japanese houses all have a bathroom which is where the bath is positioned along with a separate space for washing the body before soaking. Bathing is not only for cleaning but it also for soaking and letting oneself relax in the tub. Baths are not only existent in households but communal baths known as either a sento or an onsen (depending on the water source) are located everywhere throughout Japan. Even in a large city like Tokyo, you are able to find onsen which offer inexpensive communal bathing. It is not considered an embarrassment to be naked among strangers, infact, it is more embarrassing to be self-conscious of yourself while bathing in onsen.
           This large bathing culture is one of my favorite cultural practices of Japan. I appreciate Japanese people’s attempts at staying clean but also for making the bath a place to socialize and enjoy with other human beings. I find that this idea of “nakedness” and the idea of being embarrassed about one’s body a rather new concept that should be diminished. When it comes to bodily appearances, nothing makes an individual special for we all have limbs, genitals, fat, bones, etc. The embarrassment, especially with people of the same gender, is an obstacle that foreigners should attempt to step over if they are in the position to do so. I appreciate Japan’s love for staying clean, kirei (both beautiful and clean). The meaning of kirei has a new meaning for me and now since living in Japan for several months, I combine the two meanings of this word and strive to incorporate it into my own life.

The Japanese have continued with their traditional customs and they refuse to let the growing times exasperate their desire to bathe as a group in the hot springs. Japan’s ability to endure through changing times is another one of my favorite cultural mindsets that Japan possesses. 

Toyama, Japan--The feeling

Kani (Crab)--one of Toyama's premium dishes

Ryokan

Tateyama mountain range

Women washing vegetables in a communal washing area

            Toyama, Japan is located in the center of Japan’s Honshu island bordering the Sea of Japan. Toyama is a haven for a nature lover for it is lined with beautiful mountain ranges, ocean, rivers, and plains. Although Toyama is a great touristic spot, the feeling that one can experience in Toyama is very useful for discussion. When walking into a little village near the ocean, it is so quiet there aren't noises of kids playing or anyone talking. You might have the urge to ask yourself “where is everyone?” But Toyama is about the small community of hard workers. For example, there are several washing sites located around villages that use water from pure river flows coming from the mountains. Even though the water might be freezing, women can come here to wash laundry, wash vegetables, collect drinking water and chat while doing these menial tasks. They are enjoying the simple tasks of life by incorporating a sense of community. We stayed at a Ryokan, a traditional Japanese style hotel, where an old women by the name of ookami-san treated us with warmth and kindness. The ryokan had been in her family for several generations and she herself lived and took care of the house with delicacy. Each room had a story and she cherished each guest in the house. This sincere, hardworking personality is customary of Japan’s older generation as well as the people who live in the country side of Japan. I find them to be generous and hospitable as well as filled with grains of knowledge about Japan that can be useful for getting the feel for “real” Japan. 

First Experience in Japan

   

Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture
Kyuushu, Japan

          My first experience in Japan was not in Tokyo, the nation's capital. I have only lived in Tokyo for nine seemingly short months. There are few yet meaningful times when I have traveled outside of Tokyo. My first experience in Japan was actually in Nichinan, Kyuushu Japan. Nichinan is located in Miyazaki Prefecture of the southern most main island of Japan called Kyuushu. I had no previous expectations of Japan except for the stereotype of Japanese being an unwelcoming and cold people, especially against touching or expressing affection. This was simply the stigma I was fed along with the stereotype of Japan's kawaii girls and charming feminized boy idols. So what exactly could represent the real Japan in this tropical, rural town?
     

            Some aspects of rural Nichinan life that are different from Tokyo:

·        In general, people go to bed early. They stay home, have dinner with their families with the T.V. on, watch a movie, take a bath, and then sleep (or something along those lines). There is limited nightlife in Nichinan which includes limited izakaya (Japanese style bars) and karaoke-kan.

·        There is very limited public transportation. To get to school for instance, students bike, walk, take the little school bus, or have their parents drive them.

·        Cars are used. In Tokyo, there is almost no need for a car and sometimes it can become a nuisance since parking and gas are usually on the more expensive side. In rural Nichinan, cars are very useful especially since the terrain of the town has many hills that would be difficult to tackle with simply a bicycle or by walking.

·        Multiple leveled houses are common and to live in those houses with extended family is also common.

·        Because of the limited nightlife and job opportunities, the rural Nichinan, Japan is made up of mostly primary to secondary school kids as well middle aged people. The university aged and early adults are more likely to live in a large city where there are more opportunities.

·        Life feels less rushed. There is no “life threatening” morning commute, train delays, honking taxis, etc. It’s quiet but there is still life.

            Overall, this might be closer to the “real” Japan since there are many more areas like Nichinan, Japan than a city as large and intimidating as Tokyo. Of course Tokyo constitutes a major part of Japan but underneath that large presence are towns like Nichinan, Japan where the life is less of a rush.

               

                

   
   

   

The Japanese Family--in a strawberry picking session in Chiba, Japan

After hard work, families were able to enjoy a meal of strawberries, d.i.y. pizza and salad

Grandfather helping his child with a traditional weaving machine (Photo taken with my camera by Tomonari Kino)

Family in Japan is a topic discussed in my Visual Anthropology class quite frequently. The development of the children of the household, the care of the household, which parent truly dominates the house, the relationship between the wife and husband, as well as the future of the Japanese house hold and whether recent changes in the economy and government have benefited a Japanese household or whether they are diminishing the opportunity for improvement.

To touch on a few issues of this broad topic, we have learned that unlike in Western society, it is the woman who is the leader of the household in a Japanese ie (house) system. The man is unable to cook, clean, or take care of his children without the help of his wife due to the man usually expected to make money for the family. The man of the house is the money maker and therefore the wife, if she does not have a job for herself, is financially dependent on her husband. Often times because of the high tension of the household, the relationship between the man and the female becomes more like business so typically the male will seek sexual or intimate companionship outside of the house as in hostess or girl bars. Divorce is steadily rising in Japan and in 2013 it is 1.84 per 1,000 couples (Statistical Handbook of Japan 2015). Marriages are also on the decline as well as the birth rate which has been declared a national problem for Japan. The Japanese family, in my opinion, is in a dangerous position of disappearing. The relationship between the male and the female in a household and in the general Japanese population has an overwhelming amount of pressure and sense of awkwardness. In order to reinvent the Japanese family, the issue needs to be more readily addressed.

In this visual representation I have captured families on a Sunday outing in Chiba Japan. The majority of the attendees were mothers taking care of their children but I found only a handful of fathers, grandfathers, and partners in the group. It was a part of an event to develop a community for housewives who might be exhausted with their daily life.

"Statistical Handbook of Japan 2015." Statistics Japan. Statistics Buerau Ministry of International Affairs and Communications, 2015. Web. 29 June 2016.

The Charm of Music in Tokyo

Pre-concert at Orchard Music Hall in Tokyo

After a Shamisen concet with fellow musicians

Singing with my friend at a small party (Taken with my camera by my friend昌之長田)

            Since coming to Japan I have witnessed a huge growth in the amount of live performances I have been asked to give. When I say performances I mean both live performances in public areas but also small home party singing, very impromptu and for a little bit of free entertainment. As mentioned in a previous entry, Japan has a huge karaoke industry but when coming to Tokyo I was surprised by how many non-karaoke live house opportunities there were. I wasn’t aware of Tokyo having a large musical scene other than pop idol groups so I was pleasantly surprised to see some real, non fabricated performances by regular working and passionate music enthusiasts.      

            Myself, still being an amateur, I have performed at restaurants/bars and have recently completed my first event at a jazz club. I also engage in a classical music choir. I was able to attend a classical music concert in Dogenzaka at the Orchard Hall to see my favorite conductor conduct a Japanese orchestra. I was also lucky enough to be able to see my favorite kpop idol group when they came to Tokyo. These are examples of the diversity of music that is provided in Tokyo. Tokyo is home to more than 13 million people but with a small minority percentage. Although the country is seemingly homogeneous in people, their interests and tastes in entertainment or art is a wide mixture. Finding an activity that interests you in Tokyo is something much simpler than one uninformed foreigner could expect. Not only is music charming in Tokyo, but the realization that Tokyo has an abundance of resources to offer is also a high point of Japan’s capital city.

   

Slipper Culture--Hygiene in Japan

My own personal slippers

            First time walking into my share house, I was told to take off my shoes and come on upstairs. So I took off my sandals, left them in my designated spot then proceeded to walk upstairs. A few minutes later, while walking up more flights of stairs my house manager let out a little gasp then exclaimed “Where are your slippers!?” I hadn’t been aware that I was supposed to put any on. He seemed mildly uncomfortable but has become accustomed to me walking around the house without slippers.

            However, I have grown to like slippers. They not only keep my feet clean, but they maintain a cleanliness throughout the entire house. With 18 people sharing a five story house, it can get unhygienic especially the bathrooms. I have found that Japanese society values hygiene more so than what I had experienced in America. The Japanese I have been living tend to take a shower every night, wash their clothes several times a week, and enforce cleaning in the household. One of the main rules of my share house is to clean twice a week and we have designated cleaning managers to remind us all to do our work. The foreigners who have previously lived in the share house are more unwilling to put in the extra effort to clean our common space but after living in Japan for several months, one is able to appreciate the aesthetic and practicality of keeping one’s living space clean. It de-clutters the mind and helps to live a lengthy and more organized life. 

Hanami in Japan---Why we can't stop talking about it

Kitanomaru Park--It is possible to enjoy an afternoon of boating while watching the sakura flowers

A casual hanami with friends in Nakameguro, Tokyo (Picture taken with my camera by Megu Nakano)

          Hanami was one of my favorite experiences in Japan so far. Hanami itself means flower viewing in Japanese. The season when sakura, or cherry blossoms, blooms is the reason for hanami. Japanese enjoy sitting under or around the beautiful pink trees and eating, drinking, and chatting for several hours. Occasionally they play games or have a little karaoke session. The season for hanami occurs at different times across Japan but from the end of March to about the first week of April, hanami season was in full swing in Tokyo this year (2016). Ever since seeing different hanami parties on youtube and other social media I had always wanted to attend a hanami. I got my fair share of them this season and it is safe to say that I got one step closer to appreciating the flowers just as a seasoned hanami-goer will appreciate them.

          Appreciation. That is the main reason for the hanami parties. Appreciating the effemeral beauty of the sakura. Although this is probably, most certainly, a cliché, the first time that I saw the sakura in full bloom, I felt my eyes getting teary. I couldn’t say anything because the words “they’re beautiful” or “gorgeous” were too simple for the feelings I felt when seeing the sakura flowers. The sakura is a national symbol of Japan. And anyone seeing sakura for the first time can understand the pride that Japanese people have for these impressionable flora. That is why Japan and foreigners alike are unable to stop mentioning sakura. Whether it be in haiku (Japanese three lined poetry about nature) or music including the famous folk song simply titled “Sakura”, Japan is reminding us of their pride and spirit. The spirit of “new life” and men who do not fear death (Rolfes) as well as a symbol for hope especially in a nation that is plagued by so many natural disasters. The sakura is a renewal and I am pleased to have been able to sit underneath something that inspires Japan.

Rolfes, Ellen. "For Hundreds of Years, Cherry Blossoms Are Matter of Life and Death." PBS. PBS, 12 Apr. 2013. Web. 28 June 2016.