Reaction to Japan and Changing Impressions via Visual Anthropology

Little did I know when I thought I knew a lot about Japan but being here for four months (which is not enough), I realized my knowledge about Japan has obviously been through the etic point of view which is purely stereotypical and aesthetic generalized. There is so much more about Japan than just what we see in the media of course but also during observation. What we see is not always what we see. We choose if we want to contemplate it and by doing so, we choose to participate in it and that is when you are truly learning by interacting and not only by watching. I never thought of that before until I enter Anthropology classes. Everything I do suddenly has more meaning as it brings open-mindedness, creativity and the ability to change things and to take new ventures. I like to think that my experiences are long-term orientated as you emerge, you learn and you tend to forget (short-term perspective) but it will always be there (long-term perspective). What I have gain through my experiences in Japan has not only affect my perception of the country itself but of how I view other cultures as well. In fact, it made me understanding the world rather than myself. It has changed my inner world and quite frankly it made me feel pretty darned small.

Looking back in my previous impression of Japan, I recalled their over-politeness behaviour. Politeness is only a common sense and it won’t get you close to people. We are not interacting here as the politeness is only a form of impression. We normally don't contemplate it and we tend to let it go. So through my impression of their behaviour, I found it hard to imagine a prospect relationship with the Japanese people because of their over-politeness. We have referred them as robots but that is of course not true as their politeness doesn't necessarily mean that they don't want to further develop the relationship between them and you. If you can break that ice of politeness, they are as human as everyone else. It's not a matter of the restriction of this polite form, it's a matter of trust and you can achieve that through interaction that will certainly bring you closer to the people. Remember Japanese people do want to interact with us, more than you can imagine. So from this day, I'm glad to say that I can see a long-term relationship with my Japanese friends.

Here's a video I made of people in Japan.

Extreme Beauty in Japan

We see ourselves everyday but we choose how we want to see ourselves. We all try to present a “better you” for the society and this has intensely been focus through our outer beauty rather than our inner beauty. This idea is universal but how we view ourselves is different across culture. I’ve notice this particular since I’ve been living in Japan; their self-ideal image is very different from what I observe in Western countries. Like many other cultures, the media constantly influences the depiction of beauty through TV commercials, Internet advertisements, billboards and magazines. In moderation beauty in the media is fine but some people become easily convinced of the media’s definition of beauty, which leads to obsession with the way they look. For some reason, I can see that in the younger generation of Japan, who follows what the media labels them to be.

Japan is one of the largest advertising markets in the world with all big colourful billboards and adverts covering metropolitan cities. Here you will clearly discover how differently the Japanese models are portrayed on the adverts. Obviously, the media keeps on placing beauty with beauty however in the Japanese media, they emphasize more on the eyes, hair and make-up. Apart from advertisements, another way to clarify image of Japanese perception of beauty is through the Japanese purakira photo booth. It’s a famous Japanese photo booth that makes your skin look smoother and your eyes look bigger, basically it makes you look more beautiful. In reality, girls have circle eye lens and fake lashes (the bigger the better), stylish dyed hair (often light brown and always perfect), skinny body (more acceptable than curvy and slim body), high platform/heels (has to be worn anytime and anywhere) and of course make-up, which should be recognized as the biggest transformation to beauty. These steps to make you more beautiful are very common in Japan particularly in metropolitan cities. In fact, steps that make you look more western are highly recognizable especially in the media.

It’s also very interesting to see how the way they look can affect the way they are. I believe that being obsessed with your physical appearance changes your personality. The idea of “must-look-good” for other people and constant satisfying the society through their appearance might be the ultimate way to express their individuality as Japan is a country with lack of individuality compare to the western. Therefore I can only imagine having a strong “ideal-social-self image” is very important.

What do Japanese people do?

A thing I always do outside is people observation. Commonly, I focus on how they look, what they wear and how they behave differently. In public, people don’t seem to distinguish themselves too much. So to get more insight of them, I usually observe their houses through their windows. It is very common in Sweden that windows are clear for anyone to see. In Japan, you literally cannot do that. I haven’t seen a single window that is clear and see-through which makes me wonder what Japanese really do behind closing doors.I somehow feel that this can contribute towards their behaviour in public where they seem to be distant even though politeness is very common. It’s not the matter of what they do as it is quite universal but it’s how they do it. For example, everyone does grocery shopping but how do certain people do it differently is more interesting. Generally of what I have been observed, the term “less is more” seems to be associated with the Japanese lifestyle. Japanese people don’t accumulate as much as we westerners do. Take food for example, everything comes in a small amount at supermarkets and convenient stores. You don’t buy a bag of apples. Apples are selling as a single entity. You also don’t get more than three carrots in a bag. In fact when selling one carrot, they are neatly wrapped and displayed as singles. Japanese people clearly likes it less and neat. This idea of “getting less” has been accommodating to their lifestyle. So what they do is buy a small amount of food every time they do grocery shopping. So imagine having fresh food on the table every day. Sound wonderful doesn’t it? But this brings me to the question of time consumption. How much leisure time do these people really have? Where is the “lack of time” behaviour? It’s interesting how they never seem to stress about not having enough even though they don’t purchase or accumulate much. This type of behaviour is not generally applicable in my country where consumers are  often “time-conscious” and if they are doing grocery shopping, they do it once in a week or even month depends how much they buy. We just don’t have time to do grocery shopping everyday as Japanese people do. I can’t say what is best for the people but I wouldn’t mind having fresh food every day.
What Japanese people do in their leisure time is obviously Karaoke. Karaoke is very common, not only in Japan but other parts of Asia. While westerners go to a pub and cheering, Japanese people go to karaoke and singing. Again behind closing doors, Karaoke is a private thing. Compare to a pub where people actually meet new people, Karaoke is mostly for a “group of people” where everyone is already introduced to each other. What Japanese people is doing is very discreet and in behave of others and themselves. By that I mean, in public they are quite distant and at home, everyone is accepting one’s privacy. This is from my own experience with people in Japan but that doesn’t necessarily mean every Japanese person follows this kind of lifestyle. However, I like the idea of “less is more”, things seem to have more meaning then.

A moment with Obaasan

One of the best way to observe one's culture is to become what my professor would say "a fly on the wall" and since I've been living in Japan, I always thought of how it would feel to be a part of a Japanese family and not being surrounded by "Gaijin" (foreigners) on a daily basis. When I signed in for a program called "home visit family", I meet obaasan (the grandmother of the family). I could clearly see that she is a living cultural tie within the family. The family itself was beyond kindness that it's almost too good to be true but the one that holds the family is the grandmother. Without her, the traditional value would be far less adapted to the family as the modern lifestyle has already taken over to suit their current needs. In order for the family to get away from their busy life, they would visit obaasan once every week to see her but also to remind themselves about where they truly belong. I was overwhelmed to become a part of the family especially when I was invited to the grandmother's house. My social interaction with obaasan was far more different than it was with everyone else in the family but that doesn't necessarily mean that I felt uncomfortable with her. I had already experience many difficulties with my level one spoken Japanese in this country so this was not something entirely new. I knew I wanted to talk to her once the mum and the dad went home and left me and Ami (the daughter) at obaasan's house. Once obaasan was finally free from cooking and cleaning, my relationship with her starts to develop. Our conversation turns out (like it always do) to be very pleasant. A difficult yet committed conversation with my mind running wild with anticipation especially when I have to read all the possible signs that goes along with the words to at least understand the situation that was giving to me. I found myself overwhelmed by the story of her life during war time that allows me to glimpse and share in. She told me about her early marriage at twenty years old with the man she spend her life with until he passed away in 2010. She also talks about the atomic bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki where her grandfather was killed.  Her voice were spoken with serenity and contentment that could go for long without any need for response. Her story and behaviour to it penetrated my soul and I could visualize her being in that incident. I also found myself reflecting her story into the glimpse of my own grandmother during the Vietnam war and how her father fought to protect the country. Overall, it was such a wonderful feeling to be at obaasan's traditional house and hear her talking. The conversation continues to ebb and flow until midnight. A moment with obaasan that I will never forget.

Lost in your own neighbourhood

Being lost in your "supposedly" neighbourhood in another country could be the most terrible nightmare of your life. It already happened to me a few times during the first week of my staying at Hirakata-shi in Osaka. Since I've been accompanied by my flatmates everyday to school, I assumed everything will stay in mind. Then comes the time when I had to head back home without someone to accompany me and worse comes to worst, I completely forgot the way back. I realized that I never really paid much attention to the area so it was quite obvious that someone would want me to get lost at some point. This unfamiliar environment known as my neighbourhood suddenly became much clear. I was more aware of the streets, the buildings, the shops, the people and all those vending machine while trying to find my way home. It was a major challenge but it gave me another perspective of my neighbourhood. There are virtually no roadside parking in the local neighbourhood. The roads, streets are ridiculously narrow and the houses are crammed up against each other but that doesn't mean that Japanese people are not able to give you space while you are passing them with your bike. Many times when I encountered a cyclist, I experience a limited space between me and them and I know in fact it is not only due to the narrow roads. So if you are suffering from claustrophobia, you should not come to Japan. The majority of my neighbours are old people and you can see them walking or even jogging along the street every morning but there are no way I could ask my neighbours for direction since I do not speak any Japanese and they are probably from a war-time generation where English was not common at school so I just walked pass them and gave them a nod to pretend that I don't seem be lost. However, their behaviour towards the environment shows how they seem to be related to the earth by being grounded. Therefore, I believe that my neighbourhood has a fundamental quality of health and life. Apart from my neighbours, there were power lines filling up the sky, little family owned shops and restaurants hidden between buildings and of course a world of vending. Wherever you go, you’ll surely bump into this fascinated vending machine. My neighbourhood sure is convenient but not enough for me to identify where I am. After an hour and a half, convenience was back in the game. A foreigner in my neighbourhood. How convenient, just follow the foreigner and you are home.

It is however a lovely neighbourhood and my stop-motion video will show you the local neighbourhood of Hirakata-Shi.

Early Impression of Japan

The day I decided to see a Japanese optician, was the day I was confirmed with a pink eye. I have therefore been observing my early days in Japan through obscure vision, which unfortunate shaped the experience I had based on constant struggle to see things more clearly. Even though my pink eye was contagious, jokes kept spreading but so did the infection, only then it was not funny any more. I knew my pink eye has nothing to do with me being in a new environment as according to my optician, it was already infected 14 days ago therefore the country itself was not to blame. However, it did intrude my journey, which was unfortunate as first impression really matters but what I also knew that if such distractions never occurred, my excitement would not remain submerged and I probably would have received a better view of Japan. It’s quite interesting how small things can really set you off the mood but I am pretty sure my pink eyes did not neglected the overall impression of Japan. As a matter of fact, my early impression of Japan arose when I approached a Japanese person for the first time in the country. Already then I experienced politeness in Japan, which pretty much formed my expectation but then again it was expected that such customer service respresentatives should be well-mannered and easily approachable. However, there was a statistic on Japanese self-images according to Institute of Statistical Mathematics in 2009, which revealed that Japanese people regard themselves, most highly as diligent, courteous and kind. This also sums up a lot to my early impression. My taxi-driver is a good example of that kind. For some reason, I felt that he portrays the Japanese society. A white-haired old man who does not speak any English, which required him to use body language to communicate. His subtle yet awkward body language in a way indicates that he will do his best to drive me to my destination with safety and security. Although I was aware of his awkward body language, I knew it would not apply to western culture. In this case, bowing was often used and eye contact is rarely common, as he tend to look down a lot. Strangely enough, I find our communication very pleasant and amusing.

Once we arrived to the dormitory, my taxi-driver rang the bell and asked for the landlord, making sure that I was in the right place. So much effort for an old Japanese taxi-driver made my heart warm. When I enter the dormitory, I encounter another Japanese person, this time it was an old lady, my host mother of the building. She approached me with similar manner as my taxi-driver, this sweet yet awkward body language. Consequently, my experience of Japanese etiquette plays a big role in my early impression of Japan. Realizing how tremendously well-mannered and respectful they were towards other, I need to start behave myself.

 

 

Source: Institute of Statistical Mathematics 2009, Sugimoto 2010: An introduction to Japanese Society.