tattoos in japan

Recently a mayor in Osaka, which is a city in the Kansai region of japan has created quite stir in japan with a controversial survey of the city workers. He asked all the city workers if any of them had tattoos and if so what was the tattoo of and where was it located on their body.  This all stemmed from incident at a welfare center where a city worker showed off his tattoo which then scared some children at the welfare facility. 33,546 city employees were surveyed and out of those 33,546, a 110 said they had at least one tattoo, and 98 of those 110 said that there tattoo was visible. The mayor then said that those who wanted to have tattoos should quit working for the city and go into the private sector. A possible code of ethics might be proposed for city workers in order to regulate tattoos; this issue has sparked huge debate on privacy in japan and where exactly the line is for civil servants. This stems from an older generation that still associate tattoos with criminal activity since the yakuza in japan were well known for their colorful tattoos that were often used denote their particular affiliation and their ranking with in the gang. Although this is less common their still is a stigma attached with the tattoos for most in japan. It can also have a serious impact on the social acceptance by others in japan, it can also keep you from entering certain public place due to the fact the some places will not allow you to enter if you have a tattoo as it can make people feel uneasy. This is most common at public bathhouse and the hot springs as well. It goes on to say how in the article that suggests employees with visible tattoos to get them removed. The city then said that most of the employees who had tattoos work in either sanitation or the transportation departments. This debate has sparked a larger conversation about tattoos and the privacy rights of people in japan and the ability of their employer to dictate certain rules about what they can and cannot do in their personnel life.

Here is a link to the article: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120518a4.html

Geisha reflection post

Yukina moved from northern Japan to Koyoto in order to follow dream of being a geisha. Before this, the young woman had never lived in a big city; this was also the first time she lived away from home. I was shocked that it was her first time away from home and that she was willing to quit school in order to take chance at becoming a geisha. I was also surprised that she aspired to be a geisha based upon a woman she had seen on television. She lives in geisha house in the older district of Koyoto. At the beginning of the process, Yukina looks forward to a long time before she can meet customers; she must also and respect the elder girls of the house by doing choirs and other things for the girls. It was interesting to learn how the hierarchy exists and functions within the geisha house. Maiko is the term describing a trainee geisha; these trainees endure four months of no contact with family and friends, which seems a harsh way to prove one’s dedication to a house. Furthermore, I found it fascinating that there is designated big sister for the trainee in order to help and mentor them which shows the sempai to kohai relationship in this part of Japanese society. Yukina must learn how to serve tea and all the small things that go along with that art form of being a geisha. I was surprised at the depth of rules and idea of what is graceful during the serving of tea. Although many Japanese had never met a maiko or understand what it means to be a member of this profession, the image of the geishas is tainted by old traditions of selling virginity.

If she passes the test of becoming a geisha, she will be paying back her house for her training for the first 5 years. She is given a new name for her work and new lifestyle; Yukina is given the name of Kikuyu; she didn't have any say in her name as her housemother picked it out for her.  Moving away has made her distant with her own real sister, who is jealous of her ability to go out and try to accomplish what she wants. The idea of perfection in movement of dance, along with the amount of money and effort that goes into getting dressed for a party, was pretty shocking, furthermore, the sacrifices that these girls are willing to make and having to decide that at such young age is rather surprising. The fact that this lifestyle must make it very hard to have romantic life with someone would also be hard for the potential geishas. A geisha is committed to her big sister for life and this relationship is compared to bride and groom. This surprised me, as I had never heard about this aspect of geisha culture before. She now is representative of her big sister and must work hard to maintain both of their reputations. This seems to be lonely lifestyle, at least during their maiko study. Her friends are even unsure of the rules surrounding sex geisha and show how, although part of Japanese culture, their rules are not well known by the population.

She passes her exam and has to deal with the stress of missing home and not being able to talk to her family.  She is now allowed to go out entertaining with her sisters. The white make up of the geishas stems from the use of candle light in that the white acted a reflector for the light.  It takes about 2 hours them to get ready in order to go out. Formal presentation to the Koyoto Society as maiko is a very important event in the life of the geisha and was very significant for Kikuyu.

movie reflection: departures

Emmett Moore

Reaction to movie: Departures

This movie is about young man who is living with his wife in Tokyo, Japan. The man is named Daigo Kobayashi and he works by playing a cello in orchestra that is until the orchestra, that he is working for is disbanded. This happens just after he purchases a very expensive cello that is on the same level that the pros use and now he must find a way to continue to make the large payments on the cello. This leads him to move back home to small town, where his mother raised him after his father left them. He is embarrassed about losing his position in the orchestra and ashamed about by going into debt over the cello that he had hastily bought after joining the orchestra, he also feels that he lacked the talent and ability to continue that career. So when he moves back to the town he is ashamed to tell the people, he knows what actually had happened to him. This shows the shameful nature in Japan if one does not succeed at chosen path and how he really has trouble dealing with this issue for most of the movie.  Also the idea of moving home in order to live in his old home was something that I was able to connect too but that will often happen here in the united states as well if this kind of situation occurs to someone. I think the same sense of failure would be felt by anyone who didn’t accomplish all that they hoped for in the career path only to have it cut short. Daigo then must find work in the town in order to pay of his debt and support him and his wife, they move into his mothers old home and he begins his job search. He finds a job ad in the paper entitled departures, which led him to believe that it was travel agency. When it actually is a job as encoffineer, who help prepare the dead and take care of the ceremony this is semi-taboo profession and is culturally shunned by the Japanese. I think this also true in the united states that the death profession is seen as off-putting and is uncomfortable talk in western culture for the most part. Although I don’t think we have the same reaction as the Japanese because we do not have their sense of clean versus dirty which this profession some what conflicts with due to its inherent nature, of cleaning and preparing the dead. Although the profession does allow him to see the more emotional side of people in a culture that has sometimes trouble-expressing emotions helps him to untangle his own complicated feelings about his life. When he first accepts the job and his wife finds out she leaves to go stay with her parent but after some time returns to him and begins to understand why he chose to continue with it. When his father dies his mentor allows him to bring one of his best caskets for his father, which was great honor to give to daigo, and really shows how close they have come from their experiences together.  I think this movie does great job of showing how death is extremely difficult for Japanese people to deal with but in the end that they are able to overcome the grief and how that experience changes them.

reaction paper # 2

Reaction paper #2                    Emmett Moore

We have cover many topics so far in the class this semester, so I am going to talk about what intrigued me most and was also new information for me and something that I had not know about before taking this class. I was surprised to learn at how the Japanese business structure works and the organization and idea behind large Japanese corporations who often have very strong loyalty to their employees. This stems from the fact that wages in japan increase more with the longer the person has been employed by the company and not always for skill, which I find very surprising compared to the western business model of role advancement which is primarily based upon skill level and education of an employee. Although this would help to explain the amount of loyalty the company receives from their employees, also the fact that these companies are often close groups of friends in some sense, since much business is conducted in formal dinning settings with other employees after work, which helps to create a more informal bond between employees. These companies also often provide many other benefits to their long-term employees including pensions, bonuses, hobby clubs, and even housing, thus becoming a key structure in their social lives as well. These companies there for have large to play in Japanese society and are often seen as the focus of many their own lives.

This leads me into my next topic I was surprised in learning about is how the education system works in japan and the amount of pressure but on children in japan to study and perform well on test that often determine their life paths in many senses. Its through these exams that children are able to gain entry to the schools of japan are used through out most grade levels in order to determine placement and ranking thus these test often define where a student can go to school. So a lot of importance is put on study for these exams not only in school but also in school after a school just for test taking, which is called cram school, which most of the students will partake in, in order to do better on the exams. This means there is not a lot of time for other activities and often puts large amounts of pressure on students to do well from their family and themselves. This can result in breakdowns some of which have been violent in the past; Japan is currently dealing with one of these issues stemming from the stress of the exams system. Its called Hikikomori which is were a person will lock themselves in their room and refuse to leave, I was quite shocked by this because although we do have loners in our society, I don’t not think this is as common in the west as in japan where new social services have popped up in order to deal with the issue. Many believe it stems from the stress that the exams system puts on trouble and I would have to say I would agree. It seems that student life in japan would be very competitive and time consuming all to prepare for test that might not accurately define ones ability but will decided their path in education which is a major factor in over all life quality in japan stems from their level of education and where. This is also true in the united states but too a lesser degree I believe, although it does benefit people to go to certain schools in order to gain access to certain programs or internship tend to have easier time is not always defined but what school you went too and the grades you received there. Which allows for mobility in the United States after school is over then I feel one would have in japan after schooling is over. 

Tsunami Documentary Reflection

Emmett Moore

In the documentary we watched concerning the tsunami in Japan, I was really taken back by how people reacted in the aftermath of the storm and how they came together; however, many found it difficult to rebuild their lives and were suffering some trauma from the tsunami. An example of this would be the chef  who was staying at a shelter and heard that they needed a someone of his profession while he was in the gym. He was unsure if he could help all these people, especially without his own kitchen in his restaurant which was lost in the tsunami.  His son then convinced him to give it a try and he ended up being able to serve thousands of people everyday from a  junior science room that they converted into a makeshift kitchen. This example speaks to the efforts of the Japanese people and their ability to come together in this time of need and make do with what they have right in the moment and finding a way to continue on.

I also noticed how many people were traumatized by this experience and how many of them are trying to deal with the loss and destruction that has become part of their lives now. The swim instructor who lost many of her younger co-workers deals with her new found fear of the water and even has trouble when washing her face shows how much psychological damage resulted from this storm to the people of japan. Since the Japanese are such a stoic people, I think it was hard for them to show how much they were affected emotionally by this storm to the international community.  

Furthermore, I didn't realize the amount of damage to homes and the option of either staying in a shelter or finding new housing like the one family did in order for their daughter’s high school career to stay on track. Just how the simple comforts of home were overwhelming for them.  The film also talks about the gaps that appeared in wealth between certain groups and how this storm has really stressed and fractured the social structure  in Japan.

Another thing I learned about through watching this documentary is the struggle that some Japanese are having facing the reality of what they lost in the tsunami and what it is taking place  in order to actually rebuild. The scene in  the car dump was really what drove this home to me. Also, I was affected by the fact that they did not really know what has happened to many of their material positions and how they struggled with dealing with that fact and it made moving on even harder, especially since the Japanese are very sentimental and see the soul in all objects, which makes theses losses even harder for them. This makes it much harder for them to face reality and start the process of rebuilding that has to occur. The dramatic damage done to the high school was really shocking and just the overall level destruction to the infrastructure most buildings; some suffered severe damage while others were completely blown away and it's going to take a large scale work-force to rebuild Japan which it does not have at the moment, only making this process harder.  Also, the process by which they must tear down many of the structures in order to rebuild leaving many painful memories in the process since there are so few reminders of how the are looked before the tsunami.  

It seemed as though the main idea of this movie was to bring to attention the overall lack of preparedness for handling such a large level of disaster and the need to learn from this mistake in order to properly be prepared next time. Improved disaster management reporting on lost family and orphans is the proper direction to head in while facing reality and remembering what it was like before and how this disaster happened and was handled afterwards. They also talk about the difficulty to convey the feelings of loss to others, which is why it is hard to express the loss the country feels as a whole right now.  

Tokyo International Film Festival

        This year the Tokyo film Festival will be turning 25 and will be holding commemorative programs, which will include a three-day showing of six Japanese films from the Showa era (1926-89). It’s a way for Japanese viewers to connect over the conversation they will have from the films since the youth will not remember but those over 40 will and be able to share their memories with the younger viewers. The festival finds its origins in Tokyo following World War 2 people wanted a way to celebrate and let their minds escape in cinema.  The first Osaka expo was held in 1970 and was way to enter Japan on the film festival map since other festivals had been established in other countries by this time but it fell through and they had to wait until 1985 to hold the expo in Tsukuba. The first festival opened with Ran a masterwork by legendary director Akira Kurosawa, who was active and willing participant of the festival.  Many people attended the film festival just for chance to meet Kurosawa on his home turf, the next festival was in 1987 and Kurosawa was in attendance once again. The festival has become part of the world network of films festivals and takes place every October in Japan. This year focuses more documentary based line up films focusing on the environment and current serious issues that are going on in the world.

1. Have you ever hear of any other film festivals or directors who partake in them?

2. Would you think of movie culture is big in Japan, why or why not?

3.  Do you think movies are good way to escape or celebrate an event?  

Jiro dreams of Sushi

        I recently watched a documentary entitled Jiro Dreams of Sushi, which was mad in 2011. It follows a 85 year old man named Jiro Ono he is a sushi master, he runs a ten seat only sushi bar that is located in a Tokyo subway station. It has received a 3-star Michelin review and people around the globe call months in advance in order to obtain a coveted reservation. The menu is sushi only nothing else and is 20 course set menu and starts at $ 300 US dollars a plate. Making it one of the most expensive restaurants in the world. Jiro ono has received many awards for his sushi making and continues to hone his skill. The documentary follows him through the daily ins and outs of how he does business. He says that the only way one can truly become a master of his craft is due the same thing everyday until you obtain perfection and this is the mentality, that he has passed onto his two sons. The younger of the two Takashi was allowed to leave his father restaurant and start his own in Roppongi Hills, which has caused some tension with his older brother Yoshikazu, who is trapped in the shadow of their father and continues to be his second in command at the main restaurant where his father still works. He talks in the documentary how never thought his father would be working this long and although he is glad for his father. He is ready for his own moment of recognition and to take on the challenge of running the restaurant full time. There is also another story going on in this documentary, Jiro was never close to his family and unlike most Japanese, he does not hold the traditional values for ones elders both of his sons have that traditional respect that most Japanese have for the ancestors and elders this some times causes friction with in the family and is also the context for why Yoshikazu does not want to try to leave his father Sushi bar, he would rather just take over when he finally retires. Jiro is obsessed with his craft and no matter what awards he wins or what compliments he receives he strives to find more perfection in his craft and this is truly what drives him, to create sushi the way he does and to have created such a high bar of perfection for himself and his students.

Discussion questions:

1. Do you believe in the United States that the eldest son would have stayed at his father restaurant instead of taking charge of the new one?

2. Why do you think that tradition or doing the same thing over and over again are important to creating sushi?

3. Do you think many people in the have the same amount of passion for their work as Jiro and his sons and are their possibly cultural reasons for this passion?

The movie is available on netflix right now and on other online venues.