Soooo. . .
Every year in Japan, the end of March signifies the end of the school year, the ending of winter, the beginning of spring, and a time for great changes. Cherry blossoms start to bloom, everyone is much happier about being here because the weather is actually tolerable. There are too many enkais (work parties) to count.
A typical graduation ceremony:
sit
stand
bow
sit
bow
bow
sing
sing
bow
speech
bow
bow
bow
stand
bow
sit
bow
bow
bow
speech
bow
bow
speech
bow
bow
speech
bow
bow
speech
bow
bow
stand
sing
bow
sit
bow
bow
speech
bow
sing
bow
bow
stand
bow
bow
for about two hours.
These ceremonies really make me hate the ceremonial culture in Japan which regards crying as acceptable but not smiling. Everyone wears black or gray and the entire occasion is way too serious for what it is. This goes for all ages, kindergarten through junior high. I don't have high school here, but I imagine it is pretty similar. It also doesn't need to take over two hours to accomplish everything. The speeches from officials are all generic and the speeches the students make to one another are recited in unison, which sounds robotic and makes them seem apathetic (which, I'm pretty sure, they are). It's also a strange time to see people getting emotional. This year, a large chunk of the junior high school boys starting crying like crazy during their graduation. It was strange to see them like that, these little punk rockers and baseball players in tears. . .
That all being said, I finished the year off with a Spring Dance for the JHS students. It wasn't quite as successful as the first one since I asked for them to give ￥100 to get in. There were also many students who graduated and wanted to go, but had to move to their dorms for high school and things. Still, many enjoyed their time there experiencing this western idea of a dance party. We stayed in our giant circle with a few people popping in and out to solo dance every so often. I ended up painting some faces, which I think they had never seen before judging by their reactions. Again, like an idiot, I forgot to take photos of the place all set up. . . next time? They always ask for another one, but they'll have to earn it this time by being awesome students in the new school year! Haha. . .
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Lunch Today
Today I had lunch with 小学校 1年生 students (elementary school 1st graders) and it was ever so lovely. . .
The meal was fine, some saucy meat and veggies, bowl of rice, bowl of soup, and a scrumptious piece of strawberry/ vanilla cake! The students I ate with (there are only 6 of them in that grade) were all excited that I was there, as always. It's adorable to see them excited like that.
They also really enjoy watching the way I eat and copying me. . . they never get the chance to see such strange and exciting things during meals! Once before, we had a long roll of bread and some weird kind of pumpkin, onion, cheesy stuff. The pumpkin stuff was a bit strange on its own and the bread was dry, so I put them together in a sandwich. Sounds normal to me, but these kids went NUTS! Everyone made these sandwiches. They also like when I dip my bread into the soup and copy that as well. Today, we had that saucy stuff and rice, which I mixed together and they all went nuts again. This is just not done here, the mixing of food things. They assured each other, as they tried it, that it didn't taste bad. It was actually delicious! The teachers usually give a faint look of disapproval, but the kids love it.
We also have random little chats together These are the moments that make these awkward times worthwhile!
The meal was fine, some saucy meat and veggies, bowl of rice, bowl of soup, and a scrumptious piece of strawberry/ vanilla cake! The students I ate with (there are only 6 of them in that grade) were all excited that I was there, as always. It's adorable to see them excited like that.
They also really enjoy watching the way I eat and copying me. . . they never get the chance to see such strange and exciting things during meals! Once before, we had a long roll of bread and some weird kind of pumpkin, onion, cheesy stuff. The pumpkin stuff was a bit strange on its own and the bread was dry, so I put them together in a sandwich. Sounds normal to me, but these kids went NUTS! Everyone made these sandwiches. They also like when I dip my bread into the soup and copy that as well. Today, we had that saucy stuff and rice, which I mixed together and they all went nuts again. This is just not done here, the mixing of food things. They assured each other, as they tried it, that it didn't taste bad. It was actually delicious! The teachers usually give a faint look of disapproval, but the kids love it.
We also have random little chats together These are the moments that make these awkward times worthwhile!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Conformity, かな?
I barely noticed in my first months of being here, but pretty quickly after I became adjusted to life in Japan I noticed how incredibly conformed everyone is here. . . Well, I'm not sure whether that is a completely accurate term to use in all of these cases, but I guess it gets my point across a bit more clearly than something like "similar liking or doing of things"? It's pretty frightening when I think about it, actually. Let me list a few of these ways:
> When confused, everyone tips their head at the same angle, same direction, and makes an inquisitive "mmmm?" noise in the same manner.
> When speaking to a public audience, people change the tone of their voices to a higher, gentler tone. Maybe some of us foreigners also do this a bit (I don't think so, not in the same way) but they all sound the same and make such drastic changes to their tone of voice that I can't usually recognize them by voice alone when they make a speech.
> When shocked, everyone makes a ghastly "EEEEEEEEEEH!?" noise and, regardless of the amount of real shock, regardless of gender or age, everyone grunts this out the same. Think of Tim Allen on Home Improvement. . .
> When hot and sunny, everyone (especially women and possibly excluding the farmers and swimmers) covers their entire body from head to toe in ridiculous-looking wind breaker clothing. They wear gloves to drive, enormous hats and jackets, they cover everything but no one really wears sunglasses. . . interesting. . . every conversation begins with "あついね？" (atsui, ne? (hot, isn't it?))
> When cold, everyone pulls out their plastic, puffy jackets. Every conversation begins with "さむいね？" (samui, ne? (cold, isn't it?))
> At graduation ceremonies, everyone wears black. No one really smiles because everyone is waaaaay too serious. Even the students, who are both happy and sad to be ending their time there and want to smile have to stifle it for the 2-hour-long ceremony. They'd rather them start crying than smiling! I thought this was supposed to be a happy occasion!?
> When an event goes on away from school and the teachers and students eat lunch during this event, all the faculty members order a bento lunch from the same place. I know, this is somewhat convenient, no worry about remembering to pack something or whatever. HOWEVER, they usually don't even like what is in the bento they bought.
I once brought a lunch I had made to one of these events and ate lunch with everyone. They stared at me in shock and giggled to each other as I took a bite of a raw carrot. . .amazing!?
> People are afraid to dance at a dance party. I guarantee that no matter where you go in Japan, you will find the same thing: people face the musician/ DJ/ whatever and bob their heads together, maybe clap, maybe move a few other parts of their body, but not many actually dance. Nor do they turn away from the musician. It just feels so weird. . .
> When getting drinks or something together, a group of Japanese people will almost always order the same thing. If two or three want beer, everyone else does too. Even if they don't like beer or initially wanted a chu-hai (fizzy cocktail with Japanese vodka and flavored syrup).
> All sketches by students look exactly the same. They are either little cute things or manga (Japanese comic) drawings. If you ask a child to draw a picture of something, especially of food, it will almost always look the same. For example, grapes are always a bunch of small circles which have a little 'T' vine at the top, Curry will always be a brown half circle next to a white half circle. I find it a little strange and sad. . .
> People make the same exact comments and ask the same questions to every gaijin (foreigner) all over Japan. . . "Wow, you can use chopsticks!?" / "Your Japanese is very good!" (even if you only said arigatou. . . ) / "Have you ever tried Japanese sake/ sushi/ tempura/ tea?". . . the list goes on and is full of things which are somewhat insulting, inferring that we are thought to be completely ignorant of other cultures.
> It seems like most Japanese people want to travel to the same parts of the world to see the same things. I can't tell you how many people I have heard talking about this or that place which is amazing and any time anyone goes there, it's always full of Japanese tourists!
> When eating certain foods, everyone uses the same utensil. Yes, they use chopsticks for most things, but there are certain dishes (like curry and rice) where you are expected to use a spoon. It might not be so bad if they didn't freak out when they saw you using something else!
> When a teacher notices a student doing something unique (especially in elementary school), something other students are all doing the other way, instead of praise, they are reprimanded. I realize this probably depends on the teacher you have, but I typically notice the teacher correcting the student from their individualized way to be like all the others.
> People are afraid to question things here. Either that or they don't really care. If you ask a question about why they do something, you usually get the same answers. (For example: "Why do you eat whale?" "Because it is Japanese tradition.")
> Weddings (or at least the receptions) are beautiful, elaborate TV show put on by hotels. Apparently, they are almost all the same, depending on the part of Japan you are in. These parties have just been completely commercialized into something the bride, groom, and guests are shuffled through so that the next bride may have her party. Coming from a place where those I know and love put their hearts and souls into a very personal wedding party, it just felt strange to experience this.
> I would have to say that over 90% of vehicles here are white, silver, or some other kind of neutral/ stone color. It is a rare excitement to see a brightly colored vehicle and, considering that they don't like to stick out, not many people approach the rainbow-ed cars.
> There is quite an eerie obsession with cherry blossoms (さくら sakura) here. Not just by women, not just by a few people, but by the entire nation. I mean, a little too much infatuation with the flower. Yes, I definitely admit it is beautiful and there is something poetic to Japanese culture in that they come out for a few weeks, they are beautiful and make others happy for that time, and then they die. However, you can't escape them! Cherry blossoms cover everything: all manner of materials, clothing, books, pottery, cars, cakes (not just the look of a flower, actual cherry blossom flavored things, not so nice!), BEER cans!?. . . the list goes on for days. Everyone sets up a time to go do 花見 (はなみ cherry blossom viewing) and have picnics and beer under the trees. Nice, but gives me a creepy feeling when I see them on and in everything, everywhere. . .
> I'm sure there are plenty more. . . feel free to add some in the comments if you know of any. . .
Again, I understand the simplicity of it all; people sometimes enjoy a sense of belonging which they gain in doing and liking the same things as others. It just really bothers me to see people afraid of expressing themselves or doing/ getting what they actually want just because they would become the odd one out. Here, it is not a good thing to be different from others. There's a saying that's very popular in Japan. . . "The nail that sticks out needs to be hammered down." Enough said.
> When confused, everyone tips their head at the same angle, same direction, and makes an inquisitive "mmmm?" noise in the same manner.
> When speaking to a public audience, people change the tone of their voices to a higher, gentler tone. Maybe some of us foreigners also do this a bit (I don't think so, not in the same way) but they all sound the same and make such drastic changes to their tone of voice that I can't usually recognize them by voice alone when they make a speech.
> When shocked, everyone makes a ghastly "EEEEEEEEEEH!?" noise and, regardless of the amount of real shock, regardless of gender or age, everyone grunts this out the same. Think of Tim Allen on Home Improvement. . .
> When hot and sunny, everyone (especially women and possibly excluding the farmers and swimmers) covers their entire body from head to toe in ridiculous-looking wind breaker clothing. They wear gloves to drive, enormous hats and jackets, they cover everything but no one really wears sunglasses. . . interesting. . . every conversation begins with "あついね？" (atsui, ne? (hot, isn't it?))
> When cold, everyone pulls out their plastic, puffy jackets. Every conversation begins with "さむいね？" (samui, ne? (cold, isn't it?))
> At graduation ceremonies, everyone wears black. No one really smiles because everyone is waaaaay too serious. Even the students, who are both happy and sad to be ending their time there and want to smile have to stifle it for the 2-hour-long ceremony. They'd rather them start crying than smiling! I thought this was supposed to be a happy occasion!?
> When an event goes on away from school and the teachers and students eat lunch during this event, all the faculty members order a bento lunch from the same place. I know, this is somewhat convenient, no worry about remembering to pack something or whatever. HOWEVER, they usually don't even like what is in the bento they bought.
I once brought a lunch I had made to one of these events and ate lunch with everyone. They stared at me in shock and giggled to each other as I took a bite of a raw carrot. . .amazing!?
> People are afraid to dance at a dance party. I guarantee that no matter where you go in Japan, you will find the same thing: people face the musician/ DJ/ whatever and bob their heads together, maybe clap, maybe move a few other parts of their body, but not many actually dance. Nor do they turn away from the musician. It just feels so weird. . .
> When getting drinks or something together, a group of Japanese people will almost always order the same thing. If two or three want beer, everyone else does too. Even if they don't like beer or initially wanted a chu-hai (fizzy cocktail with Japanese vodka and flavored syrup).
> All sketches by students look exactly the same. They are either little cute things or manga (Japanese comic) drawings. If you ask a child to draw a picture of something, especially of food, it will almost always look the same. For example, grapes are always a bunch of small circles which have a little 'T' vine at the top, Curry will always be a brown half circle next to a white half circle. I find it a little strange and sad. . .
> People make the same exact comments and ask the same questions to every gaijin (foreigner) all over Japan. . . "Wow, you can use chopsticks!?" / "Your Japanese is very good!" (even if you only said arigatou. . . ) / "Have you ever tried Japanese sake/ sushi/ tempura/ tea?". . . the list goes on and is full of things which are somewhat insulting, inferring that we are thought to be completely ignorant of other cultures.
> It seems like most Japanese people want to travel to the same parts of the world to see the same things. I can't tell you how many people I have heard talking about this or that place which is amazing and any time anyone goes there, it's always full of Japanese tourists!
> When eating certain foods, everyone uses the same utensil. Yes, they use chopsticks for most things, but there are certain dishes (like curry and rice) where you are expected to use a spoon. It might not be so bad if they didn't freak out when they saw you using something else!
> When a teacher notices a student doing something unique (especially in elementary school), something other students are all doing the other way, instead of praise, they are reprimanded. I realize this probably depends on the teacher you have, but I typically notice the teacher correcting the student from their individualized way to be like all the others.
> People are afraid to question things here. Either that or they don't really care. If you ask a question about why they do something, you usually get the same answers. (For example: "Why do you eat whale?" "Because it is Japanese tradition.")
> Weddings (or at least the receptions) are beautiful, elaborate TV show put on by hotels. Apparently, they are almost all the same, depending on the part of Japan you are in. These parties have just been completely commercialized into something the bride, groom, and guests are shuffled through so that the next bride may have her party. Coming from a place where those I know and love put their hearts and souls into a very personal wedding party, it just felt strange to experience this.
> I would have to say that over 90% of vehicles here are white, silver, or some other kind of neutral/ stone color. It is a rare excitement to see a brightly colored vehicle and, considering that they don't like to stick out, not many people approach the rainbow-ed cars.
> There is quite an eerie obsession with cherry blossoms (さくら sakura) here. Not just by women, not just by a few people, but by the entire nation. I mean, a little too much infatuation with the flower. Yes, I definitely admit it is beautiful and there is something poetic to Japanese culture in that they come out for a few weeks, they are beautiful and make others happy for that time, and then they die. However, you can't escape them! Cherry blossoms cover everything: all manner of materials, clothing, books, pottery, cars, cakes (not just the look of a flower, actual cherry blossom flavored things, not so nice!), BEER cans!?. . . the list goes on for days. Everyone sets up a time to go do 花見 (はなみ cherry blossom viewing) and have picnics and beer under the trees. Nice, but gives me a creepy feeling when I see them on and in everything, everywhere. . .
> I'm sure there are plenty more. . . feel free to add some in the comments if you know of any. . .
Again, I understand the simplicity of it all; people sometimes enjoy a sense of belonging which they gain in doing and liking the same things as others. It just really bothers me to see people afraid of expressing themselves or doing/ getting what they actually want just because they would become the odd one out. Here, it is not a good thing to be different from others. There's a saying that's very popular in Japan. . . "The nail that sticks out needs to be hammered down." Enough said.
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