6.30 First week is over

Since I have been in Japan for a week before the program begins, I am kind of familiar with the society. The thing that strikes me most is still the sense of hierarchy and highly

uniform behavior. Every day I hear different levels of politeness when people interact with different groups, and I have to search i order to make sure how am I supposed to say in shops, in temples or speak to normal people. When someone begins talking to me in Japanese, it is also great difficulty for me to determine the right way to say, the right distance and politeness. In addition, since these days are rainy in Tokyo, there is a surprisingly large proportion of people holding transparent umbrellas, and finally I got one yesterday because I lost mine..I guess one reason of this tendency is that long umbrellas do not easily spill water onto others like the folded ones do. And also the clothing style. Almost everyone salary man I see wear dark trousers and white shirts, and most women wear dresses which is under the knee. Uniform for high schools is common and even kindergarten kids have uniform as well. In the train station, everyone walks fast without hesitation in such a crowd, and I always feel sorry when I need to stop to look at the map. So it makes sense to say Japan is s homogeneous society, following a set of rules in general. However, talking about ethnic or national homogeneity, things are different. I don’t expect this many foreigners on street, and how common there is English or Chinese and Korean announcement and labels on street. And I noticed during my own excursion that Japanese people are actually very open to foreigners and to talk to others. This reminds me of the reading of immigration. It makes sense that people want to picture Japan as homogeneous and somehow linked this culture to its ethnicity and tradition. While on the other hand, Japan is prepared to welcome globalization and many assistance is established. However, there are also concerns among local people that foreigners don’t follow the rules or the take the traditions seriously. There is a struggle. That struggle is also revealed in politics. I am still impressed by the tour to National Diet. It is interesting to learn how Japanese government choose to whether adapt from the West, or to represent national pride. The final result is a compromise of both. But we can still see very traditional features in the building and carefully chosen symbols to represent the country and its history. Just like its religions and society, politics usually choose the way which can offer the best, while people may have their own voice. I just saw a speech in Shibuya today, advocating for unity and autonomy of Japan, with very arbitrary definition of what is Japan and who is Japanese citizens.

Another interesting point I notice is the way Japanese perceive religion. They take religion from a very casual and practical aspect like Chinese do. But they don’t put that much materialism in it. Most people don’t necessarily believe in supernatural, but they still make wishes, pull Mikuji and purify themselves before all the rituals following traditional ways. Omamori is still very popular and most people buy them as simply souvenirs. It is interesting to see there is no real distinction between Buddhism and Shinto. Though there is difference between temple and shrine, but most people go to either one when they want to make a wish, or do certain practice on festivals. That part is also interesting. It also reveals the blend and mix of Japanese culture and foreign culture, since Buddhism is a foreign religion. They adapt and assimilate so well that not many people are even aware there is something foreign. That mixture and subconsciousness is also my research topic, on how foreign loan words adapted into a part of Japanese language that everyone just uses in a very natural way, without thinking about it.