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.