gnguyen002-blog

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A general look before Japanese sojourning

Considered as a very safe country to travel, Japan “ranks in the top 10 in the Global Peace Index, and it has no active travel warnings or alerts issued by the U.S. Department of State” ("How safe"). However, to prepare for any sojourning plan, a general look at all aspects is a critical step such as geography, history, politics, media and especially features of society like religions, types of communication, gender roles, cultural characteristics. Learn about cuisine and places of tourism also play a major role in the journey.

Japan is an island nation in East Asia, which situated in the Pacific Ocean, it sits on the eastern edge of the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea, China, the Korean Peninsula and the Far East Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and islands, and Taiwan to the south. The official name of Japan is Nihon-koku (日本国) meaning "the root of the Sun," and people refer to call Japan as the "Sun Land.” Japan consists 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Japan’s capital is Tokyo; the major port is Yokohama in Honshu. Besides, many beautiful cities are popular tourist destinations, such as Sapporo-popular with winter sports, the ancient capital of Kyoto, Osaka with plenty choices of food, and Hyogo with impressive Himeji Castle. (“Japan.”)

  Japanese history passed through many important historical movements, which navigated Japan’s development. The first significant event happened in 1854, Japan and the United States concluded the Treaty of Peace and Amity, ending Japan's seclusion. Next, on 1 August 1984, First Sino-Japanese War started and was completed on 17 April 1895, resulting in Treaty of Shimonoseki. Also, Second Sino-Japanese War lasted from July 7, 1937, to September 9, 1945, led to Nanking massacre in China.World War II, lasted from 1939 to 1945, affected many countries in war zones and warring nations; Japan suffered heavy losses after the war. Specifically,  Atomic bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki occurred on Aug 9, 1945; that event destroyed the two big cities of Japan, led to the failure of Japan in World War II. 3 May 1947 is a special day, marks Japan Independence. In 1956, Japan became a member of the United Nations, opened economic growth proceeds. Be a country usually suffering the natural disasters, Japan’s society and economy have been strongly affected by each catastrophe. For example, Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, Major tsunami in the Indian Ocean, and Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake both occurred in 2004, and Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 causing the radiation effects in Fukushima.(“Explore”)

  Japanese people speaks their own language, called Nihongo (日本語). The Japanese writing system includes three sets of character: Kanji (Chinese characters), Hiragana and Katakana (together called Kana). Nearly 99 percents Japanese speak Nihongo; the remaining 1% includes minority languages (Ainu, Bonin English, Nivkh, Russian), main immigrant languages (Korean, Portuguese, and Chinese), and main foreign languages (English, Russian, German, French, Portuguese, Spanish), and sign languages. (“The Languages”)

    There are two major religions in Japan- Shinto and Buddhism. While Shinto is “as old as the Japanese culture,” Buddhism introduced into Japan from the 6th century. Besides two main religions, there are some other religions and philosophies -Confucianism, Christianity, basics for Muslim Travelers- coexisting in Japan society. Religions play the main role in Japanese daily life and particularly in Japanese festival or ceremonies like birth, weddings or funerals (“Religion”). Religions have a great influence on all aspects of Japan, even politics. Soka Gakkai, a Buddhism-based organization, is a truly large group of parishioners began as a movement of educational reform in the 1930s and developed in the postwar decades into the most active religious participants in Japanese history. Its influence spreads to politics when members of Soka Gakkai participated in electoral politics since 1955 (Shipman). This movement led to a wave of strong protest, accusing accuse Soka Gakkai of violating Japan’s constitutionally guaranteed separation of religion and politics. Although there is no clear link, religions shape the beliefs and lifestyles of the people, resulting in a great impact on Japanese politics.

    The Japanese government is a constitutional monarchy, in which the Emperor's power is limited and lowered primarily by ritualistic obligations. The government in some states consists the executive branch, the legislative branch, and judicial branch. The Bakugan Taipei was a feudal political system in the Edo period of Japan. Baku is an acronym for Baku, meaning "military government" - that is, Shogun. Japan gradually became a democracy after the end of World War II in 1945 (Shipman). It took six years of occupation and a new constitution in 1946 to bring the changes.

  Japan social hierarchy includes Upper Class, Middle Class and Lower Class (the labor class). Upper Class includes the royal family and Bussiness class; the class keeps utmost power and monetary freedom in the Japan society. Middle class includes Low Scale business men and Service men, who are laymen, common men work on the salary basis in companies or firms. The lower class is also called the labor class, includes people working every day working to earn their livelihood. (“Japan Social Hierarchy.”)

   Gender roles in Japan have changed through every different period. Confucian ideas imported from China shaped the gender roles under Confucius system- loyal and courage (Kincaid). When men were expected to be loyal to their lords, women were loyal to their family and husband. Through World War II, gender roles gradually changed based on the harsh demands of patriotism. While men were educated in absolute loyalty to the imperial and nation, women's main duties were taking care of family and ‘childbirth,’ or poor women became "comfort women,” who were forced for sexually service military soldiers. In modern society, the notion that “men make money for their families” has still existed (Kincaid). However, the number of women involved in the economic, political and educational fields is increasing, that upgrades the position of women in society and helps them to expand their influence. However, loyalty remains a top priority; the loyalty to both the company and the family is equally shared between men and women. There are many literary works about gender roles. If Patriotism of Yukio Mishima, through the ritualistic suicide of Lieutenant and his young wife, expresses the absolute loyalty of men to the Emperor and the unit and of women to their husband, Spring Storm of Mori Yoko opens a social gap when the roles of men and women change places, the woman becomes the main source of income, that will lead to the breakup of marriage.

    Two big news agencies in Japan are Kyodo-a cooperative sixty-three newspapers and Jiji- delivery of news to corporations, businesses, and government agencies ( “Japan Press”). The most prominent newspapers in Japan is Asahi Shimbun established in 1888, with two languages Japanese and English, Yomiuri Shimbun 1874; The Japan Times 1897 in English (“Top Newspapers”). Some famous television agencies in Japan are NHK general TV and educational TV, Tokyo Nippon Television Headquarters. Top three radio stations include NHK Broadcasting Center TV, AFN Tokyo, and FM Fuji: Independent ( “Japan Press”). Japanese media frequently update information of weather forecasts and natural disasters, which is an advantage for travelers. Although the filmmaking industry does not grow so strong in Japan, the animation industry has many achievements over the world. Japanese animations variety of genre, new content, form, especially no limit in the audience’s generations. Some famous Japanese films are Spirited Away- a story about a girl fighting in an imagine world to save her family, Nobody Knows- real story about Sugamo child abandonment case, "Love and Honor"-love and honor of the couple due to the husband's revenge against the high samurai, the recent anime movie “Your name”-A teenage boy and girl embark on a meeting to meet for the first time after they exchange the body miraculously.

    The yen is the official Japanese currency, the third currency traded on the foreign exchange market after the US dollar and the euro. Bills are worth 1000 yen, 2,000 yen (very rare), 5,000 yen and 10,000 yen. Coins are available in 1 yen, 5 yen, 10 yen, 50 yen, 100 yen and 500 yen denominations. Foreign currency is generally not accepted outside major international airports. Japan has a reputation as a cash- based society, but the trend has gradually changed, and there has been a significant increase in acceptance of other payment methods Credit or Debit Card, IC Card. (“Money")

  Japan has a distinct national cultural identity; however, Japanese culture has been a combination of the traditional value and import of foreign culture. One of the country influencing to Japan is China. The Japan written language is believed adopting from Chinese script to make the communication between empires during the interference of two cultures more convenient. However, the development of Japanese and Chinese writing styles through centuries made them unique. An important aspect affecting the Japanese culture is religion. Although the origin of Buddhism is in India, Japanese Buddhism is the result of the spread of Chinese Buddhism, became one in two major religions of Japan besides Shinto. (“The influence”). The widespread of Buddhism lead to the birth of series of architectural works that combine Japanese traditional culture and religious culture; for example Butsuden at Myōshin-ji in Kyoto, Pagoda of Ichijō-ji in Kasai and Kōmyō-ji's Main Hall in Kamakura (Blair). If China made an obvious impact on Japanese writing and religion, Korean culture has left its footprint on many aspects of the culture such as music and dance, silk weaving, jewelry, sculpture, sewing. To observe the combination between two cultures, the travelers can visit Tamamushi Shrine of Hōryū-ji temple complex and the main hall of Asuka-dera Temple in Nara, or the "Crown-Coiffed Maitreya” Koryu-ji Temple in Kyoto (Blair). A clear example of Western influence on Japan is that Japan combines the traditional new year and western new year, celebrates the official New Year on January 1 of each year by the Gregorian calendar.

   The traditional Japanese food is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes; There is an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. Side dishes usually include fish, salads, vegetables cooked in soup. Seafood is popular, usually grilled, but also serves ingredients such as sashimi or sushi. A “Japanese meal” usually includes white rice, miso soup, and tsukemono, pickles. Soba and udon noodles, Yakiniku-grilled meat, Ramen-low-cost Chinese-noodle dish, Okonomiyaki-pancakelike dish (“Japanese Food”). Japanese cuisine spread throughout the world. In particular, Japanese food is often sophisticated regarding processing, presentation, style, and Japanese restaurants often have unique characteristics of decoration and costumes. Thus, the development of cuisine serves as a springboard for the expansion of Japanese culture. To Japan, visitors can not ignore the street dining experience with attractive and colorful dishes such as Okonomiyaki-Japanese pancakes, Watame-American carnival classics, Yaki Imo-baked sweet potatoes, Crepes, Taiyaki-fish shaped cakes, and Ikayaki-grilled squid (Spacey).

    Because Japanese culture is more formal, going through rituals is another important way to show respect. The Japanese greet each other by bowing and saying "Ohayō gozaimasu," "Konnichiwa" or "Konbanwa" depending on the time of day. In casual and informal case, the bow is a small nod of the head, and become a deep bend at the waist to indicate respect. Japanese welcome every single person, even if they are in a group. Today it is quite common to use short greetings, such as "yā" and "yō." However, it is more common to say nothing between close friends. (“Japanese Greetings.”)

    "Japan is considered as one of the highest context cultures in the world" (Frost). The Japanese appreciate the group, team working, even in businesses or social activities. There is the big distinction between those in the inner and outside cycle. One result if high context culture the is relying on non-verbal indications like the tone of voice and facial expressions than words (Frost). Japanese people prefer the indirect style of communication over a direct style so that they usually imply what they mean through volume, word choice, facial expressions, the tone of voice and gesture (Seifi). For example, the Japanese say “yes” usually meaning “I hear you,” not “I agree with you,” which causes the misunderstanding when interaction with the Western company. Japan is also an extremely time-conscious culture (“Time”). It is contradicting when Japanese use the polychronic time for each other, but strict monochronic time to work with foreigners and technology (Frost). A characteristic of the polychronic time when the Japanese spend most of the time socializing with colleagues; they combine the work time and free time to improve the co-worker relationships (Frost). Type of communication in Japan inclines to neutral style, which means that thoughts are more important than emotion (“Affective/Neutral.”). The Japanese rarely express the excessive feelings, they usually keep an impassive expression in front of other people, especially in non-closed relationships.

    Traditional clothing in Japan is Kimono, which is still used in ceremonies and special events. In daily life, the Japanese’s clothing follows the western fashion. Nonverbal communication is important in Japan when the Japanese consider silence as ‘golden.' If eye contact is appropriate in US or UK, it becomes aggression in Japan. Eye contact can make the listeners uncomfortable, and be considered as rude or even sexually intrusive. Instead of pointing, the Japanese prefer to use an open hand to indicating something or somebody. The action that lets the wrist go limp and flop the fingers at the person means waving goodbye to someone; it may cause confusion for foreigners when this action seems like ‘come here’ in other culture. Posture shows attitude in Japan. Sitting with the arm or leg out is a serious sin in Japan - means taking up space; it is also a sign of confidence, which many Japanese people explain is too confident or arrogant (Seifi). An interesting thing in Japan is that slurping noodles while eating shows enjoying the food. The Japanese prefer standing at arms lengths from one another; the distance can increase when meeting a stranger (“JAPAN.”). In conversing, there is almost no touching between each other. However, the distances can be restricted in public places, such as pushing up in the subway; it is interesting that someone falls asleep with his or her head in other’s shoulder is common practice, and the Japan usually just tolerate it instead of trying to put his or her head away.

    The sojourning will bring great experiences and much useful knowledge. A thorough preparation before the journey is the perfect start the most favorable trip.

Works Cited

“Affective/Neutral.” InterCultural English, interculturalenglish.weebly.com/     affectiveneutral.html. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

Blair, Heather. “Buddhist Art and Architecture in Japan - Buddhism .” Oxford Bibliographies, Oxford University Press, 24 Mar. 2017, www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/         obo-9780195393521/obo-9780195393521-0010.xml. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

“Explore Japan History.” Web Japan, web-jpn.org/kidsweb/explore/history/index.html. Accessed     23 Apr. 2017.

Folger, Jean. “How Safe Is It To Travel In Japan?” Investopedia, 3 June 2015, www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/060315/how-safe-it-travel-japan.asp. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

Frost, Alan. “Japan: A High Context Culture.” Restaurant Kyotos Blog, restaurantkyoto.dk/blog/en/japan-a-high-context-culture/. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

“JAPAN.” Culture Crossing, guide.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student_details.php?         Id=8&CID=104. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

“Japan.” Encyclopedia of the Nations,  www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-         Pacific/Japan.html. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.

“Japanese Greetings.” Learn a Language Online with Rocket Languages,           www.rocketlanguages.com/japanese/learn/japanese-greetings/. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

“Japanese Food Culture.” Japan Fact Sheet. web-japan.org/factsheet/en/pdf/ 36JapFoodCulture.pdf. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

“Japan Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers.” Press Reference, www.pressreference.com/Gu-Ku/Japan.html. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

“Japan Social Hierarchy.” Hierarchy, www.hierarchystructure.com/japan-social-hierarchy/.Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

“Money on Your Trip to Japan.” Plan a Trip, www.japan-guide.com/e/e2196.html. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

“Religion in Japan.” Plan a Trip, www.japan-guide.com/e/e629.html. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

    Kincaid, Chris. “A Look at Gender Expectations in Japanese Society.” Japan Powered, 23     May 2016, www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/a-look-at-gender-expectations-in- japanese-society. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

Seifi, Philip. “Japanese Body Language and Gestures.” Become a Successful Language Learner |LinguaLift Blog, 19 Dec. 2016, www.lingualift.com/blog/japanese-body-language-gestures/. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

Shipman, Matt. “Religion and Politics in Japan: A Conversation with Religion Scholar LeviMcLaughlin.” NC State News, 16 Dec. 2014, news.ncsu.edu/2014/12/mclaughlin-japan-         election/. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

Spacey, John. “29 Japanese Street Foods.” Japan Talk, 28 June 2015, www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/japanese-street-food. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

“The Influence Of Chinese Culture On Japanese Culture.” Articles about Chinese Culture, 28         Aug. 2013, www.char4u.com/content/the-influence-of-chinese-culture-on-japanese-         culture/. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.

“The Languages Spoken in Japan.” Studycountry, www.studycountry.com/guide/JP-language.htm. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

“Time in Different Cultures.” Exactly What Is Time?, www.exactlywhatistime.com/other-aspects-of-time/time-in-different-cultures/. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

“Top Newspapers in Japan by Web Ranking.” 4 International Media & Newspapers, www.4imn.com/jp/. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

[gnguyen002-blog]

   Traveling is always an exciting challenge for everybody. It helps people open their mind, gain a vast knowledge and experience; however, it is also a potentially dangerous activity. The country I chose for my international sojourning is Japan. Even that Japan is considered as a very safe country to travel, “ranks in the top 10 in the Global Peace Index, and it has no active travel warnings or alerts issued by the U.S. Department of State.” The safety is still the most concern for the trip.

   Two problems that most people worry before going to Japan are natural disasters and radiation effects. Even that the travelers can choose places to limit the levels of danger and the development of public warning systems such as Japan Meteorological Agency, still some natural disasters are unpredictable. Besides the earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, and landslides are natural events strongly affecting to Japan. Therefore, looking for information about safe zone and certain places usually encountering natural calamities is the first step in preparation for a Japanese trip. For example, the Northeast are more prone to the earthquake while Okinawa, Hokkaido, and Kyushu are possible to confront typhoons (https://www.scti.co.nz/travel-advice/dangers-in-japan/). Moreover, acquiring more knowledge and setting up the software for local weather warning or checking the public warning systems are vital steps for Japanese sojourns, such as things to know when being in the earthquake (https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/eastern-asia/japan/earthquake-safety).    

   Because of the Great East Japan earthquake of March 2011 and the tsunami, Japan stuck in the dangerous radiation. The Japanese government has been solving this problem. However, searching for some radiation affected zone is important, place surrounding the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant, in Fukushima was in the dangerous area (http://www.nature.com/news/japan-s-post-fukushima-earthquake-health-woes-go-beyond-radiation-effects-1.10179/). Some areas are still in warnings or exclusions. Furthermore, food and water affected by radiation are also the concerned issues. Advice from the American, British and Australian governments, stay at least 20km from Fukushima plant is to keep safe. Fornuturely, excepting warning places, many cities are safe to visit, such as Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

   Furthermore, the individual safe needs to be thought carefully. According to The U.S. Department of State, “Crimes against U.S. citizens in Japan usually involve personal disputes, theft, or vandalism. Violent crime is rare, but it does exist. Robberies committed after a victim has been drugged from a spiked drink are increasing. Sexual assaults are not often reported, but they do occur, and females may be randomly targeted” (http://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/060315/how-safe-it-travel-japan.asp). So that “Risk upon Arrival” and “Keeping in control” need to be kept in mind to avoid such as being out after midnight, being alone at night in an isolated area, being in a known high crime area, unfamiliar with their surroundings, clearly recognizable as foreigners. There are several of train companies have instituted cars for women only during rush hour to prevent the women from “chikan” (“physically assaulting women on public transit by groping them”) and sexual assault (https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/eastern-asia/japan/health-and-safety-in-japan).

   One of the important things in Japan is cultural differences. The travelers should look for information about cultural differences to avoid the actions or in both verbal and nonverbal communication are considered as rudeness. For example, bow as a sign of respect, the Japanese do not give the priority to the elderly on public powerfully.    

   Because Japan is a highly developed country, the conditions of health care and transportation are quite high. Moreover, food safety and hygiene are emphasized in Japan. So the travelers may pay less attention to these issues when going to Japan. However, regardless of whether the country's tourism, safety problems are always put on the top. Depend on the country’s condition, the travelers can decide to most likely consider to some issues and probably pay less significance to the others.

[gnguyen002-blog]

My collection includes images, and several videos, news, short stories, a blog and some songs and music; these materials are all about Japan. I clarified my images to Japanese architecture, festivals, food, streets, currency and particular features and symbols. About the video, I found a video from ESO C700 Canon camera testing; however, this video illuminates the Japanese daily life. Another video is named as “Fort Report: Japanese Festival”, others are about Japanese shocking facts and a short talk among the students who study abroad in Japan. I also collected two lovely songs and three traditional Japanese music and instruments. When looking for Japanese news, I was impressed by news about female lawmakers, third gender, death through overwork and reconstruction process after deadly disasters. I also enriched my collection with a traveling blog, a short story named “A strange Story” and a link to website “Tale of Genji”.

These media increased my enthusiasm and curiosity about Japan. Through the images, I tried to imagine Japanese old style house, bustling atmosphere of the festivals and their custom. When watching these videos, I liked the gentle and fresh feeling that ESO C700’s video transmitted. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MeEKCYvApM). Moreover, while a short story “A strange Story” brought to readers ambiguity and uncertainty just like the Misty style, a familiar style of Japanese literature, “Tale of Genji” brought the reader closer to Japanese culture. If the images, videos and music drew a beautiful Japan, the news revealed realities existing in Japanese. Overworking pressure has become a significant problem of Japanese society (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04ty75n).

Through these media, I can get a general look at Japan and gain a basic knowledge before beginning my sojourn. I found some images about Japanese currency. Getting familiar with currency prevents me from being confused when making a payment. Besides, videos about Japanese bizarre facts and sharing of the international student in Japan helped me to prepare myself for the cultural difference before my sojourn (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46yHcf1vkmA). Looking for information about Japan, I also made some decisions of places or festivals that I want to visit.  

I think my collection still misses the sources providing detail information about different culture or culture shock that the traveler may experience when traveling in Japan, a video introducing Japanese food, especially street food. I think a blog or video about money exchange, the cost of products is interesting too. Moreover, reading more Japanese literature can help me understand Japanese culture and people so that it helps me adapt easier when living in Japan. I have read a Japanese novel called “White Shadow”, the novel creates a small society of Japan with a variety of personalities and circumstances, as well as love, passion and resilience of each person. I could not find an ebook version to share on Tumblr, but I will look for other versions to add it to my collection.