Aside from myself, the introductions went well to uproarious applause and shouting that drowned out the voices of the waiters and waitresses of the restaurant trying to make sense of what everyone was ordering. Their shy vulnerability certainly appealed to their upperclassmen; this too is a strong aspect of Japanese group culture... it permeates even into a group like the Folk Song Club, who are comparable to some kind of "counter-culture" in Japanese society. The new members follow every code of courtesy in addressing their "senpai" (先輩 meaning upperclassmen, or senior, compared to underclassmen "kouhai" [後輩]), showing total formality in an utmost informal situation. The order of hierarchy is, after all, an integral part of Japanese culture (italicized for emphasis). The senpai fawn over their kouhai and remark how cute they are, and the excitement and promise of the new generation of Folk Song Club members is entirely palpable.
Everyone drank in merriment, some maybe a little too merry. The common age group of the new members is 18-19 while the older members aren't any more than 22 years old or so. People sat at tables based on what year they were in school, but as the night grew on people mingled with each other regardless of their senpai or kouhai status.
As I had mentioned in my previous post about the Folk Song Club, during the initiation type events the aura and the atmosphere prelude some enormous journey that the bright-eyed new members are about to embark on. For college students like this, the club circle is far more important than any academics before graduation. That's truly what comes to mind when I go to these club activities. And then I hear that most graduates fail to find work after graduation, or even quit after miraculously finding some position in Japan's ever-increasing cutthroat economy. It makes me wonder about the connection of students who spend all their time in club activities over studying and the ones who don't find work after graduation. Because it's so hard for graduates to find work either way, you truly need some kind of qualitative edge to find a good company position. The students who spent all their times in clubs rather than studying probably won't make the mark. But for now they have their fun... maybe some of them will be accomplished musicians some day. I say all the power to them. Even if they become nothing but part of the growing statistic of "Freeter"s (Japanese term shortened from 'free-timer', a person who doesn't hold permanent employment but works part-time while pursuing other activities, considered a troublesome trend in Japan), it's not going to change whatever systemic problems lie in the Japanese economy and in Japanese society. As the modernity of twentieth century continues to crumble, as seen in American society, Japanese culture will have to evolve again to survive. While this is a heavy topic for such a discussion, it fits well into fact that the Japanese college students in the Folk Song Club would rather spend time playing music than studying to graduate and then enter a company position that they would probably hold till death. There are alternative forms of success that involve Japanese with stronger individual wills. While some may simply graduate and fail to find work and then spend their time doing things of little value, others may very find success and happiness even if they don't pursue the stereotypical path of graduation and full employment. These are, however, merely my thoughts, and I will continue to observe the nature of Japanese college life in areas like the Folk Song Club and see if I can reach some personal conclusions about what it all means. Until then, stay tuned!
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