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.