observations
2007 03 08
DRAWINGS OF ME
i played this game with the students, in which they had to draw out a sentence i secretly told them. kinda like pictionary. the sentences were "joel hates pizza." and "joel played video games yesterday."
OBSESSION:
i think japanese often have the compacity to be obsessive. even when they place their hope in something obsurd, they dont always see it as wierd. its almost like the fact they keep their thoughts inside so much that they ferment, like wine, making their obsession stronger. this can be seen in many things like japanese sports fans, music idol worship, and the stories of girls becoming hopelessly infatuated with guys often ones they dont even know.
AMERICA WE LOVE YOU:
AMERICAN OBSESSION:
its so hard, the longer im exposed to it, not to become a bit disgusted with the all-so-prevailant american obession. granted some people have suggested that i`m the same, only japan-obsessed, but it is different. being japan-obsessed in the US is strange, but being american obsessed in japan is the most normal thing imaginable, in fact it`s expected. it`s the kind of thing no one questions but instead assumes is natural.
DISNEY OBSESSION:
ive never heard disney mentioned or seen their manifestations (infestations) as much as i have in japan, especially japanese schools. mainly with girls who have their belongings covered with disney characters. especially and strangely enough with the character ``stitch``. most americans, i'd wager, dont even know who stitch is including myself until i came to japan. its amazing how a crappy unsuccessful cartoon in the US could produce such a popular character in japan. its reinforced my concept of disney as a collasal monster able to maintain its massive profits without much effort. and even if americans completely give up on disney, it will still reside the dictator of entainment as long as japan is around. it almost gives me the feeling that the average young japanese girl would glady give up everything unique to japan, the culture, their own animation, etc. for a giant mickey mouse statue at the center of every city. or perhaps blow up mount fuji to make room for another disneyland.
IF IT'S COOL IN AMERICA, THEN WE LIKE IT TOO
its strange how western things become popular out of their preceived popularity in the west. japanese often take a likeing to something because it is considered to be popular in the west. whether or not it actually is. of course knowing something thought to be popular actually isn't, could destroying their system of reasoning, if they were aware. but i so often run across things done simply because theyre done in the west that way, when of course they either were done that way in the past or to the japanese amazement they never really were done that way.
things like.. the big ben chime at the end of class, the various strange english, the names of things, so many things. some of them tracing back to the early 1900s when japan began sucking up all of the western influence it could. which in a sense has made it part of their culture. a strange paradoxical culture.
FAUX INTO FANTASTIC
interestingly a postive result of the misunderstanding of what is and is not done in the US, is that japanese will often take a dead, dying, or never popular idea or thing and make it much better than it was to start with. like the 50s era department stores, their death in the US unknown to japan, they keep making them and improving them. or various types of food, like the classic western cake that rarely is seen in the US; one of those cakes with fresh fruit on top the kind you might imagine people ate in the 50s or something. well they have that too and its possibly the best cake ive ever eaten. nothing ive ever had in the US compares.
MUSIC
sometimes, taking in western influence is good, sometimes not. for example students in school learn about classical european music, they have brass bands and choir. students learn to play piano, tuba, clarinet, and the flute. which of course is not a bad thing, but what is bad is that traditional japanese music is not taught. it becomes only a novelty, a thing of the past. some people might say that such a thing is normal that music like any culture simply changes over time and the same is true in the US, but this is distictively different. in the US music is something that has evolved mostly from europe, it is something that can be traced back. you can see its gradual change over time.
however japanese music did not evolve into brass, violins, and pianos. instead there is a clear moment in history when japanese simply dumped their own music and traded it for western music. i think its important for americans to understand the effect the west has on other countries. keep in mind im not saying its the fault of the US, it's more simply the result of the US. the result of capitalism and american global dominance.
CONSTRUCTION
cheap flimsy buildings are common in japan. and perhaps mostly true in japanese schools. the buildings are essentially concrete blocks. cheap and unpainted the extoreriors quickly become cracked and stained. making them look like old dirty sidewalks on the outside. inside is made of the cheapest plywood and wallboard, much of which, if painted at all, was likely painted only once when the building went up some 40 years ago. there is no attempt to repaint, clean, or fix aging areas. the only similar buildings i can think of in the US would be warehouses, sheds, or storage shacks. these buildings start out bad. buildings in the US most of the time start out better and if they go bad, its because people are neglectful, poor, or the buildings are abandoned. none of those things are true here. the school isnt poor or neglectful, this is just normal. additionally because there are no janitors the already cheap materials degrade quickly. and the light student cleaning doesnt really scub the place. areas to high for example seem to never be cleaned. types of cleaning involving more than a broom dont get addressed but maybe once or twice a year. which leaves a long term uncleanness, that results in layers of dirt and such that cannot be cleaned by a broom. water stains, ink, and the like are only mildy cleaned allowing them to become permanet additions to the environment. the doors are thin peices of wood that slide in grooved floor. the colors used are the defaults of the materials. off white plastic pipes, yellow wall board, faded pastel pink-brown paint. basically its a dirty off white wonderland.
SCHOOL ISSUES:
THE FOOD THAT SITS FOR A HALF AN HOUR
school lunches are received everyday by delievery from the school lunch center. then they are prepared for the teachers by the resident lunch lady. the problem is they are prepared (put in bowls and plates and on a tray) sometimes up to an hour before anyone is allowed to eat. so it sits there on my desk getting old. my favorite is when i am sitting at my desk straving but cannot eat the food right in front of me until the bell rings. one time everyone who was eating lunch the day was in the room and at their desks but no one ate until the bell rang...
THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND
there are so many things the teachers will say from time to time that seem so patronizing. but i think its not really their intention, its just that the simplified english they often use comes out sounding like orders. additionally they seem to state the obvious very often. this too is probably just out of a desire to make 100% sure everything is clearly understood. it just comes across at first in annoying way. saying "they dont understand" when the students dont know what im saying... as if its my fault i had been asked to explain it to them in english, as if i must be making mistakes in english, or as if i havent simplified good enough all daily class activities into a set no more than 15 vocab words (which is insanely hard - explaining a game using a very very limited set of words). but i always tell myself they dont mean to come across that way.
NO SUBSTITUTES
today one of the teachers was absent, this is the first time i have ever noticed a teacher absent. the other english teacher came over to me and said he would be filling on for her. and then it hit me, there are no substitute teachers in japanese schools. or least i have never seen or heard of one. but when i thought about it, it wasnt that surprising considering teachers are always at school even when sick. it seems a teacher is only absent in the wake of a major catasrophie.
CONCERNING SECOND YEAR STUDENTS (8th GRADE):
DO NOTHING KIDS
here if the second year students dont do their assignments, that is not even start them, they and many of the teachers will more or less just let it go. i am always amazed how many students get away with doing absolutley no work. these students are never disciplined in any sort of way. the message that comes across is school work is just a suggestion. it also makes it hard to evalute students when doing nothing is more or less acceptable.
THE JUNGLE AND JAPAN
the schools are divided into essentially two buildings. one building houses the majority of the classrooms and the other is mostly offices and the like. these two zones could not be any farther apart. in the classroom zoom, we`ll call it the ``jungle`` just about anything goes, especially when the teachers are not present during the 10 minutes intervals between classes. during this time is basically martial law, with students yelling, running, throwing things, etc. all of this is in stark contrast to the other zone, we`ll call this ``japan``. in this area teachers are quiet, reserved, overly-polite, and acknowledge the unspoken codes of japanese conduct. this is the normal adult japan. what then will happen when the ``jungle`` is released in into the adult world of japan? time will tell.
PUNISHMENT (lack there-of)
i watched as a student carved away at his desk drawing some kind of picture, meanwhile the teacher was watching. the student looked up and noticed the teacher but then simply went back to work destroying school property. the student didnt stop and the teacher didnt do anything. of course the best that teacher cuould have done would have been to coax the student out of doing that. plesently reasoning with him. this is the extent of the teacher`s power. to try and coax the students. no command of authority because of a lack of any authoritative resource.
there is no punishment in these schools. and their is essentially no rules. there is no detention, no writing on the chalk board, no sitting in the hall, no trips to the principles office, no sitting in the corner, no putting your head down, no retraction of privledges, nothing..
NO COMPLAINING, WHAT-SO-EVER
interestingly, in the midst of difficult situations, teachers NEVER complain. i have NEVER once heard a complaint. they work hard within the lines of the expectation, never taking sick days, and not going home until late everyday (probably giving them 60ish hour work weeks). and in the US we have janitors who clean up all of our messes and new schools with vending machines, air-conditioning, and lcd tv screens built into the walls but with some teachers who complain and dont do any work and some who arent even suited to even be with kids. once again i find that reoccuring theme of maintained expectation versus occasional brillance in anarchy.
GOOD NATURED
the salvation of this wacky system is that the majority of the students are not devious at heart (there are a few tho). most of the students all relatively good natured, well meaning kids. however in this environment how long will that last?
2007 02 20
THE NAIL THAT STANDS UP GETS HAMMERED DOWN
there are both positives and negatives to this idea. this perhaps is what has kept the japanese crime so low and created a people who are always nice and agreeable. certainly the US needs some of this, where freedom has run rampant and threatening to destroy us. japan is the world's most successful example of socialism and amazingly it occured on a community level and not mandated by the government (the government being a democracy structured similarly to england's). of course the other side of this is the conformity. the dangers of conformity are shown often shown in american films and america prides itself in not being conformist... the pressure to fit in in japan is great. to be unique is less desirable than being like everyone else. when it comes to tastes people almost always like something purely because it's popular, they do not even try to deny that motive. acting like that's the only reason to like something. during "show and tell" at school, when justifing their reason for liking their object, students very often said "it's good because it's popular". while people often like things purely because they are popular in the US most people try to deny that being their motivation not proudly broadcast it.
WOMEN IN THE MEN'S BATHROOM
cleaning ladies at all of the schools at any time will go into the bathroom and clean. even if someone is using it. they might even try to chat with you while youre peeing or clean the toliet next to you.
MASU
when in doubt just say -mas...
for those of you who dont know, "masu" is a common word ending like "-tion" or something in english. people come into the office and say all kinds of -mas things but no one needs to respond. like "shitsururei shimasu" (excuse me) or "onegai shimasu" (please) it ends up sounding like everyone is just saying "mas". morever, people often say "ohayo gozaimasu" (good morning) without every looking at you. they say it in passing when they're already behind me. it often sounds like a passing "masssssssss" sound.
2007 01 23
TRANSPORTATION
here there are always multiple and feasible modes of transportation. you can easily take a bus, train, subway, car, or bike almost anywhere. and the vast majority of people use a combination on a weekly basis. it couldn't be more opposite than it is in michigan, where anything but a car is laughable. and not it is only young people who ride public transit, everyone does. starting with 6 year olds going to school alone on the subway (im not making that up) all the way to 70 year old women riding their bikes to the train station (my shamisen teacher).
when you spend time outside of you house and car rubbing shoulders with people on trains, on the street, in the bus, etc.. you feel much more alive. it makes you aware of the community that is, or should be, humanity. it is something sadly missing from the lifestyle of almost anyone living in michigan.
COFFEE
i can't say just how often people think i want coffee. when i go into "the kitchen area" at school it never fails while i'm trying to get myself some green tea someone comes into the room and points out the coffee as if i'm having some kind of trouble mistaking the tea for the coffee. at first it was funny but it's getting a bit annoying. i don't know how you can accidentally pour yourself a cup of green tea thinking it was coffee.
PLAYBOY SOCKS AND MARIJUANA LEAVES
for some reason school girls can't just where plain socks... they hafta wear designer socks. there really are only a few brands of popular socks, all of which have their logo embroidered near the top. brands like polo, lacrosse, and playboy.... yes playboy. i don't know when playboy left the magazine business for the sock business but.... it's true. i think most of the girls have no idea what it is other than first and foremost popular and secondly a cute bunny.
another popular symbol devoid of meaning in this country is the marijuana leaf. i took a ride in someone's car and noticed a marijuana leaf air freshener. surprised i asked if he like weed. he had no idea what i was talking about. moreover, when we were making christmas cards in class to send to australia, one girl drew marijuana on her card. not because she's rebellious or anything she just thought they were pretty. when i told her it had a bad meaning in other countries she was surprised despite the fact she said she knew what it was.
LOUD KIDS
students will often interrupt the teacher before she is done explaining. saying "i don't get it" when the explanation is only half over... they also always yell out "sensei!" whenever they feel like it, whether or not he/she's busy.
THE RUN
japanese women love to run. so many teachers will do this scoot run where ever they go. jog to someone's desk to drop off a paper. jog to the back of the class. but not just teachers. girls around town will do this strange walk/run, it's like fast scooting or shuffling. it looks like they are continually about to fall over. they do it while holding out one arm parallel to the ground with their purse or louis vuitton shopping bag. they also tend to bend their knees inward and point their heels out. it's very unique, i've never seen an american girl do that..
LESS FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
some people when talking have noticeably less or almost no facial expression, especially compared to americans. of course not everyone, there are very expressive people as well. but overall expressions are noticeably more constraint and subtle.
EATING AND TALKING
talking with your mouth full isnt really considered as rude as it is in the US... at least so it seems. almost all men chew, at least sometimes, with their mouth slightly open. of course self conscious women or girls, just as in the US don't do it much.
CHEESY TV/PEOPLE
japanese tv can be so cheesy you can slice it and serve it with wine. when interviewers and the like go visit a tourist attraction, restaurant, or someplace they are so fake and cheesy. it's unreal, americans would honestly think it was intentional. it's that bad. saying things like "wow it's so pretty!" with robotic predictability. it's often the same phrase repeated like someone is pushing a button. when tasting food they always say "it's delicious", i've never heard "it's okay" or "it isn't bad" or "it's not my thing"...
MEN AND WOMEN SEPARATED
whenever the teachers go out to eat everyone divides up into male and female groups. one time one of the female teachers asked me to go out with the teacher, i said yes but i had to go to the bathroom first. when i got back all of the male teachers were waiting for me. so i went with them expecting to see the female teacher that asked me at the restaurant. but she wasn't there because women went to another place.
SHOES + SLIPPERS
i must say im a fan of the removing-shoes-when-entering-somewhere-and-putting-on-slippers thing. it makes such a difference as you can treat the floor like a couch or bed, feeling free to make yourself comfortable on the floor. however the wearing slippers at school thing makes no sense. this is because the floors are dirty. almost as dirty as shoe wearing would make them. this could be due, in part, to the students who, when cleaning daily, don't always try so hard. and when i arrive in the morning in the shoe locker area (unheated area) i have to remove my shoes, which have become quite warm over the course of my hour commute. i have to take them off and put on light, airy, freezing cold slippers.
TRAVEL AGENTS IN SCHOOL
for some reason, on occasion, near the end of the day, professionally dressed travel agents will come into the office and introduces themselves whether or not anyone listens (no one sometimes) and then bow. they then put flyers on everyone's desk and then stand by the door for an hour or so. after that they formally excuse themselves bow and leave.
of course this type of job is quite common. at the "department store" in the expensive foods section, workers hover around shoppers just waiting for question. they will stand there with a smile plastered on, ready to help with your honorable rice cracker purchase. there is just nothing like it in the US.
FREEDOM AND CONTROL the easiest and fastest way to sum up the difference between US and japan is "freedom in chaos" or "order in predictability". as an american less expected things allow for someone to be however they want. which brings freedom and allows people to be who they are but it also brings disorder, chaos, crime, unpredictably, etc. as a japanese you can always rely on people you can always expect them to help. they WILL be on time. but you can be stifled under the norm and expectations of everyone.
MUSIC TIME