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Reflection on a year of reading Japanese literature

Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto

Geisha, A life  by Mineko Iwasaki

Japanese Society by Chie Nakane

General Reflection

Overall, I found this project very enjoyable. I learned a lot about a culture I have always been fascinated with. These stories introduced the social, political, and common cultural aspects of Japan. Some of the books gave me a really good perspective on why Japan functions the way it does (hierarchical). I learned about what is very important to the people of Japan, including family, careers, and status. I enjoyed the common themes of the books, which includes staying true to yourself and your loved ones-- a theme I really appreciate.

What I learned about life from Asleep:

I learned 3 very important things from the three short stories in Asleep. In the first, I learned that one should always tell the people they hold close to their hearts how they feel about the, one never knows the last time they will see them. From the second short story, I learned that our problems always exist and that one has to confront them head-on. One cannot keep running from their problems. From the last, I learned that their is deeper meaning in everything, one cannot go through life ignoring omens that are there to guide you.

What I learned about life from Geisha, A Life:

I realized how we must accept circumstances in our lives that we cannot control, and see where they take us. Mineko was given up by her family to become a geisha from the age of 5. She accepted her circumstances and grew up to be one of the most renowned Geisha’s in Japan.

What I learned about life from Japanese Society:

This book taught me that the way our society functions follows a format. Nothing is by accident or coincidence. There is a rhyme and reason to the way we function and where we end up in life. It also taught me a lot of how much of an influence the east had on the west. Not only did I learn about life, but it taught me a lot about Japan’s history, and the dangers of westernization. I thought this was very interesting because the book was written not too long after the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

What I learned about myself:

I realized how much I like Japanese literature, Overall, I enjoyed this project because it expanded my horizons by discovering so much information about another culture. Unfortunately I have been really busy balancing school and work so I have slacked on it. I do enjoy reading and learning new things, so I did enjoy spending time on this project. I also was surprised by how much I enjoyed the literature. I learned that-- although I come from a different background-- I could relate to a lot of the characters in Asleep. I find that really interesting, especially because usually I’d assume I would relate to people who would have similar backgrounds to me. This project opened my eyes to a beautiful culture, and to a lot of stories I learned meaningful lessons from.

WORDS: 520

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Week 19 blog

Book: Japanese Society

By: Chie Nakane

Pages:15-75

Words:152

Summary: Chie Nakane’s Japanese Society, breaks down Japanese Society to the individual. In the chapter I have read, he discusses the internal structure of the group. He talks about the different ways hierarchies are set up in each type of group, whether it’s the hierarchy itself, army, business, family, etc. He discusses each individual role, and how the rest of the hierarchy, and society, depends on them.

Personal response: I find the time period that this book was written in very interesting. It was written in 1970, 35 years after the bombing of Hiroshima. I can definitely see the effects of the unnecessary and cruel attacks in his writing. Not so much the effects on the writing, but the effects the attack had on society. He even mentions how the bombing altered society. The book isn’t a focus on that, but more so there is subtle things that the attacks had affected.

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No matter how famous a photographer might be, once he has become a member of the group, he will take pictures as the director indicates-- even when the director is younger and less well known than the photographer.

Chie Nakane, Japanese Society (89)

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The acts of their followers are dependent not on formal orders from the chief but on the personal charm he exerts in direct human contact. The phrase 'He shone his face upon me' has more importance that can be judged rationally. It is said that soldiers who shouted 'Banzai to the Emperor' and prepared to die were always filled with warmth and loving respect, saying as they gave their lives, 'This is what the commander asked us to do.

Chie Nakane, Japanese Society (71)

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The atomic-bomb memorial incidents in recent years are a case in point. In 1963, for example, the Communist and Socialist Parties were not able to join together for the performance of the memorial ceremony, with the result that the ceremonial hall became the stage for their open quarrels.

Chie Nakane, Japanese Society (54)

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However, at the same time such headlong competition entails an unavoidable and unwarranted waste of energy. In foreign trade the dog-eat-dog spectacle of many companies offering the same product to buyers is well known. In Japan, someone only has to say, 'I think Cabbages are good', for the farmers all to yell 'Me too, me too', and everyone plants cabbages; in the following year cabbages flood the market and rot in the fields.

Chie Nakane, Japanese Society (90)

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I was asked one day by a French journalist who had just arrived in Tokyo to explain why a man changes his manner, depending upon the person he is addressing, to such a degree that the listener can hardly believe him to be the same speaker. This Frenchman had observed that even the voice changes (which could well be true, since he had no knowledge of Japanese and so was unable to notice the use of differentiating honorific words; he sensed the difference only from variations in sound).

Chie Nakane, Japanese Society (31)

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According to so-called modern and advanced management theory, a genuinely inspired 'spirit of love for the company' is not merely advocated, but is indeed an atmosphere resulting from management policy, so that 'whether the feeling of love for the company thrives or not is the barometer of the abilities and talents of management staff.

Chie Nakane, Japanese Society (19)

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Week 17 blog

Book: Geisha, a life and Japanese society

By; Mineko Iwasaki and Chie Nankane

Pages read: 151-243 and 1-15

Word count: 303

Summary: in the final pages of Geisha, a life Mineko Iwasaki discusses her decision in leaving the Geisha house and Creating her book. She discusses how she is a renowned geisha and why she is leaving. She also discusses how she created the book. Since it is hard to talk about what a Geisha does because nobody really has done it before, Mineko Iwasaki wanted to make sure that her memoirs as a geisha we’re not written in any disrespectful manner. In Japanese society, Chie Nakane breaks down what Japanese society and culture is like. He specifies in the introduction that it is not a book on the westernization of Japan, more so he is trying to explain the culture as the way someone who is traveling there would want to know it.

Critical analysis: in Geisha, A life Mineko Iwasaki characterizes Mama Masako as flirtatious,“Unfortunately, her clearhead common sense evaporated around men. Not only did she pick ugly ones, she was always falling in love with inappropriate men who didn’t love her back.” I can tell she is flirtatious due to the fact that Iwasaki describes her as how she was “always falling in love.” This shows it’s not a passing character trait because it is repetitive. Mama Masako was always flirting with men who were not of best interest for her.

Personal response:

In conclusion I felt that Geisha A Life was very informative. Until this point I was never really sure what a Geisha does, and of the duties she performs. i look forward to reading Japanese society by Chie Nakane. I feel like I will learn a lot about Japanese culture that I never really knew before.

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“I have used wide-ranging suggestive evidence as material to illustrate the crucial aspects of Japanese life, for the understanding of the structural core of Japanese society rather as an artist uses his colours.”

Chie Nakane, Japanese Society (viii)

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“He was like a song I'd heard once in fragments but had been singing in my mind ever since.”

Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha, A life (232)

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“Some people have difficulty telling the difference between something great and something they've simply heard of.”

Geisha a life, Mineko Iwasaki (217)

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“This is why dreams can be such dangerous things: they smolder on like a fire does, and sometimes they consume us completely.”

Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha a life (201)

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”But the geiko were another matter I want to respect and friendship and I did try to please them. At the very least, I wanted them to like me. But nothing I did seemed to work. The more popular I became with the customers the more alienated I became from other geiko. Most of them treated me shabbily, from the youngest maiko to the older, veteran geiko. I became increasingly frustrated and depressed.”

Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha a life (188)

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“I have a good memory for dates, and became famous for remembering my clients’ birthdays, their wives’ birthdays, and their wedding anniversaries. At one point I retained this information for over one hundred of my best customers.”

Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha a life (170)

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“Unfortunately, her clearhead common sense evaporated around men. Not only did she pick ugly ones, she was always falling in love with inappropriate men who didn’t love her back.”

Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha A Life (151)

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Week 13 blog

Geisha, A life

Mineko Iwasaki

Words: 303

120-150

Summary:

Iwasaki discusses the obstacles she faced when attempting to adjust to her new life. She talks about her love of dancing and how that was her favorite tradition to learn. She talks about training to be a geisha and how intense it is. She meets older geisha and learns some tricks of the trade. She talks about how she first learned and first began to really understand a Geisha's job and what they had to do.

Critical Analysis:

The author discusses symbolic significance in the book, “Kimono, the. Costumes of our profession, are sacred to us. They are the emblems of our calling.” Iwasaki uses symbolism to explain how kimonos represent everything geisha practices and does. Geisha will wear specific kimonos to symbolize a cultural tradition, holiday, season, event, etc. She uses symbolism to explain that they stand for geisha as a whole. Also, she uses another example of symbolic significance, “In premodern times the emperor was considered a sacred presence.” Mineko Iwasaki explains how emperors are symbolically significant. They are sacred figures.

Personal Response:

I like when Mineko starts to meet her mentors. They each contributed a little bit of themselves to make her who she is today. It’s really interesting to have read that scene where she is introducing herself to little parts of who she now is. I find it really interesting that of all the new things she was learning, dance captivated her. I am understanding that being a geisha is like being a host. People hire you to host gatherings and traditional ceremonies, like tea ceremonies. I look forward to learning more about geisha. I also want to hear more about her emotions on leaving her family and starting a whole new life. Right now she’s just discussing events, not really making it too personal.