SCHOOL LIFE: Tuesday, October 26 and Thursday October 28.

 Tuesday morning brought a sudden drop in the temperature- nearly ten degrees, celsius. And thus began the Japanese tradition of remarking on the cold every ten seconds. Being as adjusted as I am to Japanese culture I shared in reminding myself and everyone else how cold it was. Adding to the harshness of the complete lapse in time from early Autumn mugginess to Winter frigidness was that I arrived at school for first period's "Comparative Culture" to find that the class was off for the day. I sat outside practicing Japanese kanji until second period.

 In Intercultural Communication, students were asked to name daily cultural traits in Japanese culture (or if they weren't Japanese, their own culture). The answers were pretty standard, but the most interesting response was from a girl who had no example prepared and said nothing spare a few noises of puzzlement, and the professor remarked that this was a typical response for Japanese students, to remain silent instead of giving a definitive answer or simply saying "I don't know". This has been something I noticed as well, and it can be a test of patience. The reluctancy of Japanese students to give any response in the fear of looking stupid makes it hard for professors to engage in any real discussion in class. Questions by professors in larger lecture-hall classes often go unanswered even when it's a simple matter of raising hands. I suggested that be the girl's answer for an every-day Japanese cultural behavior. Other than that, it was just more studies of culture shock and cultural adaptation.

 I didn't see a lot of the third period class, "Interchanging Societies", due to having to wrap up some practice with member so the Folk Song Club in preparation for the school festival. The lecture continued to discuss the focus on urban and residential planning around train stations in Japan. Because of the projected decrease in overall population in Japan, the way that cities and areas are planned will have to be revamped. This was delved into deeper for Thursday's class.

 That was it for Tuesday.

 Thursday morning was Japanese language and culture, and the practice of studying news articles was carried on, this time with the accompanying children's news segments being shown. The stories included discussing China's next new leader and the anti-Japan demonstrations, harnessing volcanic activity for energy, and massive rainfall in Kagoshima that caused flooding earlier this year. An extensive story was shown on Tokyo's Haneda Airport and the transformation of its international hub. The language-learning was the same as before, focusing on listening comprehension and reading skills.

 In second period, Civil/Private Law was actually somewhat understandable for me. The lecture was about inheritance rights and how certain situations of deaths can lead to different rulings on the matter. While I could not pick up all the details, it was a case of feeling like I could understand the lecture even while not remembering much of what was said. This happens quite frequently for me when listening to complicated conversations in Japanese, but shows a general basis for comprehension that leaves room for growth. There will be a small exam based on some study points which I will attempt to do.

 "Interchanging Societies" built more on the urban planning lecture and how a decrease in population will lead to more densely populated areas around train stations. The layout of Japanese neighborhoods compared to American city clocks was also brought up, and the professor, Ueno-sensei, made a remark on how the grid-like layout of American areas makes it very boring to walk through them. He might be missing the point that much of the land used in the United States for residential areas is flat compared to the Japanese layout of areas contours to the largely mountainous landscapes. The lecture continued to describe the challenges of changing planning as populations decrease and increase in other nations. Many Americans find the thought of higher population density as undesirable, preferring to live in wider, more secluded areas. There was a graph displayed that in both Japan and the United States more people are satisfied living in rural areas than the amount of people satisfied in urban zones. The challenge described in the lecture is how societies will transform in the face of population changes, and how Japan's expected drop in population due to low birth-rate, another subject of lecture that has risen in the class, will effect the nation's future.

 In seminar, students presented their research subjects and the seminar professor certainly dragged out each presentation with his cynical and somewhat intelligent elaborations on subjects presented with bare-bone minimalism. One presentation on recycling and other ecological conservation practices led the professor into a rant about "being kind to the earth", which is a popular turn-of-phrase in Japanese (世界に優しい, kind to the earth) and stated that the only real way for humans to be kind to the earth is if everyone died, or something to that effect. He then went on about how milk is delivered to his house in glass bottles and how he reuses the bottles and hates the smell of plastic or something. His remarks, while long-winded and tiring, often draw laughter from his seminar students who exclaim how funny he is. His cynicism is something rare in Japanese colleges, and as a professor of French studies and language he carries the air of snootiness as well. The seminar students showed that they hadn't really though their research subjects through; the purpose of these presentations is to prepare students for writing their college graduation thesis papers, and many students put little effort into interpreting the information they learned and instead repeated the obvious points of research information as they researched it. Later in a meeting with the seminar professor he told another student who was present that college is not about learning new things but how to interpret and understand learning new things. I told him that Japanese colleges don't teach students how to do that, and he responded "but I do". His influence alone, however, cannot remove the classic style of Japanese education where students memorize information from lectures more than they intellectualize it. At least American college students can pretend like they know how to interpret their studies given their overly-inflated sense of worth in their thoughts and opinions.  In terms of my presentation next week, the professor suggested I rehash previous studies that I did at Evergreen regarding Japanese culture. I couldn't argue with his reasoning on college education.

 That closes the last week of classes. Things are going relatively well, even though I'm hitting a bit of a slump in how much effort I want to put into learning things here. Nonetheless, I am motivated by the work I have done so far and will continue to try and improve my language and cultural studies within and outside of classes.

 

SCHOOL LIFE: Thursday, October 21 and Monday, October 25

 On Thursday, I'm ashamed to say (but proud to be honest) that I left out two of the classes I regularly attend. The first period was a struggle, as I operated on little sleep, no coffee and a hang-over from the night before. The drinking from the night before, however, was not a totally selfish endeavor, and even had relevance in my studies (though it's a bit of a stretch to let it excuse being unprepared for classes) but I'll get to this in a long over-due post. Regardless, I was racking my brain to get through the lesson, made even more taxing by the fact that the lesson was supposed to focus on a video and instead was changed to the same study material but through reading comprehension. The class read news articles on the Japanese workers who were imprisoned in China for entering a restricted area and their delayed release, the COP-10 global summit being held in Nagoya in order to discuss ways to preserve ecosystems, a Japanese shogi (Japanese chess) player who lost to a computer making it the first instance of a human player losing to a computer program, and lastly, a bear who wandered into into a populous area in the Yamagata prefecture and injured several people before being shot. Aside from the instructor's pitiful reaction to the death of the bear, there wasn't really anything relevant outside of the standard language practice.

 The second period was a no-go, in what normally is Private/Civil Law. I do not have the 5000 yen ($60) law text book for the class, so I am often lost as to what the professor lectures on about. The main purpose of the class, for me, is to practice Japanese listening and try to retain vocabulary through text translation. So while I may not understand what the lecture details, it does provide a good opportunity for language learning. In addition, observing Japanese students and how they study in these kinds of classes, and how the professor treats the students, has been the most insightful look into the Japanese college experience in the exchange thus far. The lack of coffee, however, could not sustain this.

 After wandering about with a member of the Folk Song Club, also unwilling to bother with trying to understand his second period class (Micro-Economics or something like that), and a bit of an extended lunch period, I made my way to "Interchanging Societies". The lecture of the day focused on population density in relation to train stations in Japan. The density of the population seemed to correspond to the train stations, as well as affecting the behavior of people in those areas. Japan's rail system was compared to other nations, and although the vast United States topped the charts in overall railway length, its use utterly paled in comparison to Japan in usage. The use of railways certainly appeared to be Japan's greatest triumph in terms of infrastructure, used both for people and freight. The lecture mainly reminded me how much better things could be, regardless of the relative size of the US, if trains were more well utilized.

 To top the day off, I missed seminar. I'm sure I'll have something to do in that class before too long, so I can't make a habit of it.

 Moving on to today, Monday's classes:

 First period was the aforementioned Private/Civil Law class. I repeated what I usually do and only managed to catch a little of what was going on in the professor's lecture. Mainly it concerned the rights of women involving pregnancy, as well as the rights of the father in such cases. I wish I could have understood a bit more about what was lectured but will have to read up on the subject on my own time.

 Second period was Chinese Communication II. I can't really say, without stretching the limits of my imagination, anything was educationally relevant in this class. The instructor requested me to repeat Chinese phrases in English for the benefit of her and the students in the class. The manner in which I translated the phrases out loud drew laughter out of the students in its deliberate resemblance to English language-learning sound bites. That's as far as my imagination can go on this one.

 Third period was Technical Japanese II. This class was interesting in that the relativity of salary to seniority in the traditional Japanese work system was discussed. In modern times, the concept of rewarding the most talented with higher salaries regardless of when they enter a corporation is a relatively recent concept. The the system in Japan before has been to employ people at a lower level and retain them as they grow in seniority as part of the corporation. This fosters a system of loyalty and makes it relatively rare for corporations to lay off employees in comparison to other countries, particularly the US, which may offer salaries based on skill rather than seniority. The drawback, however, is that corporations become less flexible during economic recessions due to the other sacrifices they make while retaining employees. The professor asked the students what they thought the best system was: skill or experience. Typically, the students chose skill as a better decider of salary, citing its obvious benefits for corporations. When asked my opinion, I gave a somewhat cynical response in that I didn't think of either system as more favorable and rather offered that the systems work better for certain cultures than others. The issue of Confucianist roots in Japanese culture, and by the association of the predominantly Chinese class body, Chinese culture, was brought up by the professor as a reason that salaries based on seniority are better-suited for cultures like Japan. I also joked that due to the overwhelming majority of senior citizens in Japan compared to young adults and below, it's only natural for Japan to continue a system of seniority. The Japanese business system nonetheless contains both systems, but the traditional way still continues its prominence. And while unemployment in Japan may be low due to less company lay-offs compared to other countries, the recession has made it more difficult for Japanese college graduates to find full employment within corporations. Regardless of systems that emphasize talents or seniority, either case seems to be struggling in the recession.

 And that was the make-up of last Thursday and today's classes. On a side-note about these entries: if they seem lazy or forced, it's the best I can do when describing one goes on during a day, something I've never been skilled at doing, especially on a regular basis. These blog entries are simply to give an idea of what's going on, and the utilization of this blog for other aspects of the contract has been long-delayed. Along with the special interest study of music, which is by no means a lost cause and will be detailed with this week. In terms of cultural studies, I have some ideas for blog entries that will be put into work. Visiting different areas is another thing I want to revive from last quarter, which was made interesting in regard to the photos I took. I have no real functioning camera at the moment, a situation I hope fix in the near future.

 In any case, I'll continue the pace I've been add while adding more into November. Until then, stay tuned.

 

SCHOOL LIFE: Tuesday- Comparative Culture, Intercultural Communication II, Interchanging Societies

 In Comparative Culture, distance and body contact was discussed in depth. The distance between couples, friends, strangers, work superiors, etc were given on average through various studies, and the professor paired these research sources with photos that he had taken in various countries, from Japan to Canada to Taiwan and so forth. In terms of how Japanese people need personal space, boundaries seem to be crucial according to the lecture; tables outside of a Starbucks usually contain some kind of enclosing handrail so that people need not worry about coming into contact with people passing by where they sit. The professor used photographs to show the research he had done himself, almost to the level of stalking, as he showed pictures he had taken of a couple crossing a street in Tokyo, and how they didn't hold hands while crossing the street but showed a picture of them reaching the other side where they resumed body contact. There was another photo report on how Japanese people posture while reading magazines at convenience stores. This is something I never really thought about in Japanese culture, as at nearly every convenience store on a busy day there will be a row of men and fewer women who are standing and reading magazines and comic serials. Some of them squat down to read, some flip through real quick and put the magazine back, some shoe facial reactions to what they read and some no reaction at all. The fact that convenience stores allow this, along with large number of publications, particularly in terms of comics, has given birth to this type of activity that can be found anywhere in Japan.

 The next class kicked off with a discussion about eating dolphins. The movie "The Cove" or whatever it's called was brought up in reference to dolphin consumption. While not at all a common Japanese food, there are places that consume dolphin meat. While I asserted my opinion that conservation of animal species should be based on preserving animal species in a sensible way to prevent their extinction and maintain ecological balance, and that the moral argument of killing dolphins doesn't hold logical weight, there were a few good number of Japanese students who raised their hands when the instructor asked if they think killing whales and dolphins should be stopped. The professor went on with the conversation before concluding with the inevitable safe-route statement that the issues are complicated and could be debated for hours. The class moved into some other activities that took up a good deal of the class time. People were paired into groups and discussed their regular daily activities in order to establish what aspects of daily life were cultural or universal. At the end of the discussion the only real cultural differences evident were that Japanese students brush their teeth after eating breakfast (as I do) and the Chinese students of the class do it right after waking up, before eating. All in all a standard lesson in intercultural communication.

 Arriving a bit late to Interchanging Societies, I caught the end of a lecture about marriage services in Japan. Apparently Japanese people pay a decent amount of money to find marriage partners through various match-making services. Changing social dynamics in Japanese society make finding a marriage partner alone more and more difficult, leading to a rise in match-making services. The lecture then moved into an odd territory, particularly in how Ueno-sensei had worded the English in his lecture. It described the trend of "herbivores", a coin-word for young Japanese men who show no interest in succeeding in romance or a career and would rather, as the professor generally put it, act like spoiled little girls. I couldn't help but laugh out loud when the presentation compared the television shows and movies that these so-called "herbivores" enjoy and how it's similar to women liking "Sex and the City", along with how they enjoy to eat sweets (like cakes and puddings) instead of finding a girlfriend. I was not in Ueno-sensei's Winter quarter class at Evergreen but it seems like a presentation such as this would be deemed sexist or homophobic or whatever. The thing is though, there are many Japanese young men who fit this category and it's a wide-spread concern. While inevitably being just another countering trend to the Japanese mainstream, it indulges in a hedonism that discourages constructive success. These men, while not homosexual, show no interest in dating women simply because they view the process as a bother, and would rather focus on their own looks and leisurely activities. Though the lecture ended prematurely, this was the biggest cultural insight of the day, as awkwardly and politically incorrect as its presentation was.

SCHOOL LIFE: Monday- Private Law, Chinese Communication, Technical Japanese

 While fairly awake for the first period of the day, being alert and ready to learn did little to help me cut through the density of legal jargon (in Japanese, at that) that trailed off into space throughout the professor's lecture. Sitting back several rows from the front of the room, where I have sat before, also made it more difficult to pay attention, because everyone else in close range wasn't paying attention either. Whether they were sleeping, playing cards, playing handheld game systems, sending text messages, talking, whatever, everyone seemed to be just as lost when it came to the lecture. It really begs the question: where and when do Japanese students learn? Of course, there are several students who sit in the front and pay close attention and take notes. But then there's the greater number of students who act like it's a chore to be there. One student in particular, that I mentioned in a previous blog post, who fits the Japanese stereotype of "Gal Otoko", continuously drew the irk of the professor who called him out for being disruptive, mocking his appearance and passively telling him to leave. I understand these students need to take this class for credits, and some of them may not wish to be there. But the kind of attitude displayed really contrasted to how a lot of college students in American schools tend to behave- as adults. The fact is that they are all putting money into taking these classes, which makes me wonder exactly how much college is taken for granted in Japanese society. If a college education becomes so universal, does it deteriorate the motivation of both students and faculty to put effort into education? Is the process of graduating high school and entering a university so common in a country with such universal wealth that many students seemingly take it for granted? Maybe the system just isn't compatible with this younger generation of Japanese, a generation more Westernized and less interested in taking on a life of study, leading to employment until death. Whatever the reasons, I couldn't very well focus with this exchange between the professor and student. So while my ears lost the lecture, I stuck with translating an outline sheet for the quarter, translating questions like "Why were mortgage protections put into place?" among other enthralling subjects. I thought strongly about how I might have been too hasty to pick this class, but the schedule has been committed to and I can only go along and learn what comes through.

 Following this class was Chinese Communication. Nothing much to say here. It was reviewing stuff I have learned in Chinese classes many times before, and while there was plenty I had let slipped I did feel as if I was in the wrong place. The students in the class were very vocal when they spoke in Mandarin out-loud, differing from the previous Chinese class I had taken at the University of Hyogo. The other class was nearly inaudible when they spoke out loud, but this class consists of mainly first-year students, and the instructor does a much better job of inspiring a comfortable atmosphere for students to speak. I do learn a bit of Japanese in the explanations of language points, but I still won't qualify this class as Japanese learning in terms of earning credits for the Evergreen contract.

 Third period was Technical Japanese. The class read two hand-outs about Japanese traditional systems of hiring labor and other work forces. There was a discussion of whether skill or experience is more important in the Japanese (or any, I suppose) work system. I mainly looked up the numerous (nearly all of them) words that I didn't know in the article. With the purchase of an electronic dictionary, this has become the bulk of my in-class studying.  I'll port more details on the language-learning process later.

 I understand that the majority of my posts lately are somewhat mundane day-to-day recordings of classes. I will get to work on the posts that involve music in Japan as well as blog posts similar to the ones I did during the Spring quarter. One problem is I'm at a loss for a good camera, as the one I was using has broken, but will try to remedy the situation in due time. Please stay tuned.

CULTURE: New York Times article on Japan's decline

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/world/asia/17japan.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

 I thought this was an interesting read and worth writing at least a bit about. The article paints a dreary picture of Japan, particularly the Osaka area. The article is filled with distortions of the reality of things, however. While most of what the columnist describes is the truth, it's hardly the die situation that he makes it out to be.

 The other night I was in front of a convenience store in Kobe. A man driving a Porsche had parked his car in front of the convenience store, window open and engine running. The car sat their idling for a good five to ten minutes. This isn't uncommon in Japan, but unthinkable in a country like the United States. Japan is by no means anything less than one of the wealthiest societies in the world, and even with increasing poverty and a declining financial structure, while nothing less than dismal, is still a stark contrast to what the Times columnist describes. Someone reading it with half a mind might even be inclined to ask if Japanese people are living in boxes, in reference to the bit about concrete apartment structures with tiny-sized bedrooms and kitchens. From my experience in Japan none of these things strike me the way certain areas of my hometown Tacoma look, which can resemble third-world countries (a bit dramatic, but in comparison to many areas of Japan this seems all too true in my eyes).

 Take this bit from the third page of the article:

     "There are vending machines that sell canned drinks for 10 yen, or 12 cents; restaurants with 50-yen beer; apartments with the first month’s rent of just 100 yen, about $1.22. Even marriage ceremonies are on sale, with discount wedding halls offering weddings for $600 — less than a tenth of what ceremonies typically cost here just a decade ago."

 First off, the exchange rate is incorrect; I'd be happy as hell if a hundred yen got me more than a dollar. The rate is closer to 85 yen to a dollar- meaning every thousand dollars you exchange in Japan loses 15-20%, or $150 or $200. Second off, I have never seen a ten-yen vending machine in Osaka. 80 yen at the cheapest, and that's for small cans of coffee. I'm sure they might exist somewhere, but this article makes it sound like Japan is operating on the Chinese yuan. 50 yen beers? Let me know where they are, because beer runs at 300 yen plus nearly any place you go. You have to really dig deep to find places as cheap as this columnist suggests they are.

 The most offensive bit of the article came with this paragraph on page 2:

     "When asked in dozens of interviews about their nation’s decline, Japanese, from policy makers and corporate chieftains to shoppers on the street, repeatedly mention this startling loss of vitality. While Japan suffers from many problems, most prominently the rapid graying of its society, it is this decline of a once wealthy and dynamic nation into a deep social and cultural rut that is perhaps Japan’s most ominous lesson for the world today."

 This type of language makes it almost sound like the columnist is writing in revenge rather than objectivity- exaggerating the decline of a once ever-threatening economic power. Japan's culture and society might be taking relative downturns to how it used to be; I have written about these social issues before through a previous contract at Evergreen. But to say that these social downturns are any worse than the polarizing and obnoxious social problems in the United States, or England, or any other country, and even worse, to claim them as an "ominous lesson" for the rest of the world, sounds condescending and misguided. The financial collapse in the United States more resembles an ominous lesson to the world, and in many ways, the world has already learned these lessons even while getting dragged down into it. Japan still maintains an incredible infrastructure and social services in comparison to the United States, and yet the columnist claims the United States still has a greater chance of pulling out of recession than Japan. In my mind, both situations are seemingly helpless, but to put the United States at greater chances than any other struggling nation comes off as ignorant, and by my experience in Japan, this columnist certainly fits that category. While the columnist makes relevant points about Japan, the overall picture he paints of the current state of Japan can be equally countered. Asking Japanese people is often little validation, either. Many will undoubtedly claim Japan's situation as a mess, and while it's important to take them at their word, it is also necessary to understand that Japanese tend to look upon themselves more critically than other nations. Ask an average American if the United States can be pulled out of recession simply through free market ingenuity, and if the response is a resounding "Yes!", you can judge how cultural attitudes can distort the reality of situations. Japan has a chance to get a lot worse, but I also believe there's enough of a chance for a stable recovery of Japan's economy; nonetheless, Japan as it is now barely fits what this columnist describes.

SCHOOL LIFE: Thursday- Japanese Language and Culture, Civic/Private Law, "Interchanging Societies", Seminar

 Japanese Language and Culture, the first class on last Thursday's muggy morning, continued the outline of the semester. The focal point of the course for me and other students is giving two presentations throughout the semester about one's background and about Japanese culture (at least from what I gathered). The lesson then moved into watching recorded news reports that are designed for Japanese children (a little embarrassing as the sound from the TV blasted incredibly loudly, announcing the program for all other classes in the hall to hear until a teacher from a neighboring class told the language instructor to turn it down). The news stories consisted of the story of Japanese nobel prize winners Eiichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki, the maritime dispute between Japan and China in the Senkaku Islands, Japan's plan for banks to reset interest rates to zero, and another story about a Japanese soccer player that the class didn't get to before the end of the period. Being that the majority of students in the class are Chinese, the story about Japan and China's quarrel could have brought more tension; when the news story discussed the agreement between Japanese and Chinese officials in Brussels, the instructor asked the students what they thought about it, and one particularly smart-aleck student said "It's a lie!" prompting another Chinese student in front of him to turn around with a glaring look of disapproval. Unlike the Chinese students, however, it might be difficult to yield any kind of response about politics from Japanese students. Politics may as well be a totally different universe from a good amount of young Japanese. Coming from the United States where politics is equally redundant but ultimately louder and more polarizing, there's little wonder as to why people would not want to care; little wonder, but numerous consequences.

 The next class was a mental exhaustion. I had decided to ditch "Public Law" on Monday mornings in order to take the 4-credit, twice a week program Private Law. The class runs on a relentless lecture from start to finish. The professor never shows a hint of boredom in his own lecturing- and that's not to say he's incredibly vigorous about it. He simply stands and delivers with the utmost seriousness. While this is by far an impressive feat compared to some of the more disinterested professors, in no less becomes exhausting, even for Japanese students who speak the same native language, to try and understand. At the end of each class I hear the voices of students behind me expressing their absolute cluelessness as to what was taught. This class mainly consisted of introducing various civic and private laws, mainly in regard to corporate entities and their private rights, and how these rights reflect rights held by individual people. It talked about renting and buying rights between companies and banks and I get disinterested even typing that much about it... However, my philosophy on the class is that I can even understand and retain some amount of what is taught, it will increase my Japanese language proficiency. Using an electronic dictionary I purchased (leaving me in a bit of a rut this month financially) I translate the key words and somehow manage to catch the gist of the topics even without knowing the smaller details. After all, I'm not getting credit for the class. I can only get as much as I put into trying to understand a difficult and tedious subject in a foreign language.

 Following lunch period was Ueno-sensei's Interchanging Societies. I must have some kind of bug lately because the fatigue I feel during the daytime makes staying awake and alert a real challenge. It could just be the changing seasons. Nonetheless, I stayed awake to listen to the professor talk about the perils of Japan's ever-decreasing birthrate and the overwhelming size of Japan's senior generation. Thinking about it certainly makes it seem a bit terrifying in the face of a dwindling race of people; at least they aren't reacting like certain white fundamentalist Christian groups are with theories on how all of Europe and North America will become racially Arab in the next twenty years unless white people reproduce in large numbers. Japanese merely blame people for being "too lazy" to have children. The fact of the matter is that in order to succeed in Japan, one must work far harder and focus more on career than raising a family. Now that women have largely entered the work force and stay-at-home moms are becoming a thing of the past, the construction of Japanese families becomes a more and more difficult task; this idea was included in the professor's lecture. However, I think some of the worries might be a bit exaggerated- the work system in Japan is deteriorating, and I think that more Japanese people will reproduce at higher rates within the next twenty years as Japanese society changes into a less of an economic power-house and more of a self-sustaining nation (I base this theory on nothing but my own arrogance of gut reasoning). This was the only real thought-provoking bit from this class, aside from the large amount of students who were asleep on their desks.

 Fourth period was Seminar. Nothing really to say here; students presented books on what they had researched, this time about fair trade and domestic food production. The food production led to some lengthy conversations between the seminar professor, who loves to speak, and the other students. Apparently many foods labelled as domestically raised or grown are actually grown elsewhere through loop-holes and all that. It might be like "Organic" as a tag-line in the United States, a meaningless phrase. Still, I refuse to buy U.S. beef in Japanese grocery stores even when it's relatively much cheaper. Just like the seminar discussion, I don't know where the food in my own country comes from either.

LANGUAGE UPDATE: New Kanji since last post

 I decided to put a little more effort into these kanji entries. Although I review the characters off of the notebook in which I write them, putting their meanings here will provide a little more value than just the ambiguously putting the characters into entries.

(Since last post on October 1)

剃- shave

契- pledge, vow, promise

剖- divide, cut

剥- come, peel off, be worn off; fade, discolor.

剣- sword

剤- medicine, preparation

剛- strong, hard, rigid

帰- return

剰- surplus, besides

副- accompany, vice-, deputy, assistant

割- divide, separate, split, break, crack/split apart, ten percent, rate, comparatively

創- create, originate, make; wound, injury

剽- threaten

劇- drama, play; intense

力- power, force, strength

加- add, apply; California, Canada

功- merit, meritorious deed; success; credit

幼- very young, infant, small child

助- help; (as suffix) assistant, auxiliary; rescue; broad, dame.

励- encouragement; diligence

努- make effort; exert one's self; strive

劾- investigate, prosecute

効- be effective

勅- imperial decree

勁- strong

勇- brave, courageous, in high spirits, stirring

脅- threaten

動- to move; be perturbed

勘- perception, intuition, sixth sense; think over, censure

勤- work; Buddhist religious services; work for, be employed, serve; be fit/competent for

勧- recommend, advise, encourage; offer

勢- force, energy, vigor

又- again, also, moreover

叉- crotch (of a tree); fork (in a road)

双- pair, both

収- obtain, collect; be obtained, end

友- friend

皮- skin, hide, leather, pelt, bark, rind

叔- younger sibling of a parent

受- receive, catch (a ball), undergo (an operation); take (an exam), sustain (injury); be well received, be a hit; receptacle, support, prop; take (an exam); popularity

歿- die

叙- narrate; describe; confer (a rank)

桑- mulberry tree

叡- wise; imperial

冗- uselessness

写- be photographed, be projected (on screen); copy, transcribe, duplicate, photograph

軍- military, army

冠- crown

彙- classify and compile

亡- dead, die, pass away; the late, deceased; to destroy, bring to ruin

Kanji count this quarter: 100

Overall Kanji count: 440

A note on "School Life" entries.

 I don't know if I explained this properly in the independent study contract, but I will here: School life entries serve the main purpose of describing classes in terms of earning credit hours, for language-learning especially. These entries, however, can be related to cultural credit hours as well, as long as their contents have relevant cultural observations. If this is too vague, I will go back and properly mark the "School Life" entries as also being "Culture Studies". Maybe I will just do that either way. But the main purpose of the entries is to describe the contents of classes in order to prove I am attending them. If there are any concerns or things that need to be addressed please let me know via e-mail.

SCHOOL LIFE: Comparative Culture, Intercultural Communication II, Interchanging Societies

 In Comparative Culture, a class that examines cultural differences mainly in terms of behavior, the class mainly focused on the behavior of people riding in trains. There was a worksheet handed out that I was unfortunately unable to wrap my head around due to the language barrier and an odd feeling of fatigue in the morning.  The gist of the worksheet was to describe a likely scenario on a crowded train and how one responds to a train that is fully crowded to the point where people nearly overflow from the doors when it stops at a station. The main talking point of the lecture was groping on trains; this is a common occurrence in Japan due to the crowdedness of trains and the general unwillingness of victims to protest when they are being fondled. Japanese culture is often known for virtues of withstanding situations and being patient rather than asserting one's individual rights, and this paired with a situation of being in a completely filled train where calling for help would potentially become a great ordeal (though by moral standards it should not be a greater ordeal than the violation of one's body and space) facilitates a feeling of helplessness for victims of groping and molestation on crowded trains. The professor asked students if they thought groping on trains was more common in Japan than another train-heavy country, the United Kingdom. Students near-unanimously voted that Japan has the most cases, and apparently they were right. The professor explained the cultural differences in that women in the West are more likely to raise their voice or scream if someone touches them inappropriately. While I was aware of these cultural differences I had never given a depth of thought to groping on trains and how its frequency in Japan is culturally related. By looking at what was discussed about trains in Japan, this class brings about a clear cultural perspective, which deepens its relevance for the culture element of my study contract.

 The next class was Intercultural Communication. Taught all in English, as I said before, the class explored the effects of culture shock. The class, while in English, focuses more on activities rather than dialogue. Students first explained their experiences of culture shock; many of the students in the class are Chinese, so it was easy for them to describe what was culturally shocking to them upon coming to Japan. One of the most recent exchange students from a university in China which operates an exchange in the same way that Evergreen and the University of  Hyogo does had an interesting perspective; she said she finds it difficult to discern romantic couples in Japan, because many boys/girls and men/women don't hold hands or engage in other displays of affection in public. She said in China couples are always holding hands; I found this a bit odd, as I had not noticed too much more physical contact when I had studied in China before. I believe there are very similar ideas about physical displays between Japanese and Chinese culture, but who was I to argue with a genuine observation from a Chinese student? In Japan, physical displays are of course more common than they used to be, but there are couples that do not display affection often if at all in public. This was the only really relevant cultural lesson of the class; other culture shock experiences were differences in table manners and speaking dialects, yielding the typical culture-studies response that cultural differences are never right or wrong, etc. The class moved into an activity where students walked other students around the room while one of the partners had their eyes close, to simulate how it feels to be in a new environment and to guide people who are in a new environment. The main lesson was that cultural differences in language and customs can make one feel intellectually inferior and cause one to lose confidence. When the stress from these situations accumulates it can be debilitating to people in a new culture. I offered my thoughts on this kind of culture shock; in many cases when I have been in Japan, if things are not going well, particularly in terms of interpersonal relationships, I not only lose confidence in myself and feel alienated from Japanese culture, but also feel the distress permeate throughout all aspects of being in Japan. I become resentful of cultural traits and customs that I once accepted and even admired. This might be a response unique to certain individuals, but it differs strongly from the kind of culture shock in, for example, seeing yet to be potty-trained toddlers defecate on the street. This might make one feel strange but it does not necessarily create true shock of being out of one's element; true culture shock, in my opinion, is an overall complete disconnection or resentment of the culture itself. In my cases though, I have always found that overcoming these stresses of living in another culture leads to a deeper love for the culture and a great personal growth.

 Third period was the course by Ueno-sensei, "Interchanging Societies" (I still can't think of a better translation for the title of this course, so I guess that it will stay). Mainly the professor discussed differences in geography and forest density between the United States and Japan. The class was a difficult one to sit through; due to the professor's disuse of a microphone, his voice, while audible, was soft and lulling, and a quick glance at other students in the class shows many students with their heads down. This is something I never really see at Evergreen; the way many Japanese professors lecture is a traditional lecture, and Ueno-sensei is a traditional teacher (no hats on in class). These lectures do not always actively engage the students, and even when they do, many students stay silent unless addressed directly. Students were advised to write down their impressions of the course, and I advised Ueno-sensei to use a microphone. On Thursday (writing Tuesday's post on Friday, today), he started using a microphone and many more students seemed to pay attention.

 That wraps up Tuesday's classes. I joined the Folk Song Club later that evening for a dinner with only the first year students, and in spite of no alcohol consumption, the noise level and horseplay was effusively there. Sometime: a cultural entry on how Japanese college students behave at meals. And remember, cultural differences are not good or bad, just different.

 

SCHOOL LIFE: Thursday- Japanese Language and Culture, Civic Law, "Interchanging Societies", Seminar

 Today was the fullest day of class that I have had at the University of Hyogo thus far; it almost made me feel like a real student here. Due to a scheduling problem, however, one of these classes will be cut out from Thursdays. This will put the amount of classes at about nine per week, with no classes Wednesdays (as last semester) and none on Fridays. While this makes the week seem somewhat short, it actually numbers as more classes than I took last semester.

 The first class of the day was the same as last semester- Japanese Language and Culture- only this time it had a different instructor. Before was Matsuda-sensei (I think this is the first time I've used names in a blog entry, because of the Human Subjects Review but I don't think names really violate not having fulfilled that), who mainly teaches Japanese to foreign students. She still teaches Monday's class "Technical Japanese" but for this class a younger female teacher is fulfilling her role. With an almost saccharine-sweet demeanor, she brought an entirely different attitude to teaching, similar to what a kindergarten teacher might do in the United States, but this is nothing out of the ordinary in Japan. Culturally, cuteness is acceptable at any age in any setting (including signs that warn about sexual predators [will post a picture at some point]) and my all-Chinese classmates seemed thrilled with her renditions of monkeys playing the piano and scuba-diving to show what her hobbies are. In spite of my cynicism she is a breath of fresh air, and her attitude shows a feminine side of Japanese culture that would likely be ostracized by American feminists who are clueless about cultural differences in gender. The class amounted to self-introductions and an open attitude to how the class would be taught in the future (in particular, abandoning essay-writing for conversational practice).

 The next class is the one that may be dropped from the schedule, but I am moderately intrigued in the possibility of challenging myself by taking it. Civic Law, as I believe it to be called, is a twice a week course (the other day the class is on conflicts with the other law class I mentioned, one that's probably much easier to understand and handle) with a stern professor who called out two talkative students and ridiculed them in front of the class (both male students, one fitting a Japanese stereotype known as "Gal-Otoko" [ギャル男、Gal-man] placed on men with bleached-blonde hair and flamboyant dressing styles, which could be misconstrued as a style for Japanese homosexuals [though many of them undoubtedly are] but usually embodies a shallow, hedonistic facet of modern Japanese culture; perhaps a post on these stereotypes is in order?). While the lecture left no room for playing around, it definitely invoked a sense of confidence that what the professor was teaching IS the real deal, and for anyone interested in pursuing law a necessary course, as the professor explained that anyone with only economics credentials on their college transcripts would be dismissed by any potential employers. Being that the University of Hyogo is an economics and business school, this seemed to me a powerful statement. The professor repeatedly expressed the seriousness of the course, and with the huge amount of students that were in attendance, it seemed a bit more inspiring than the other law course which contained relatively fewer students. I'll mull it over in my head over the weekend on which path to take, but if I did partake in this course it would put the number of classes to 10 per week and require a higher degree of self-determination.

 Third period was filled with a class that also takes place twice a week, taught by the exchange faculty who was at Evergreen a year ago, Ueno-sensei. The class revolves around his time in America and how American society contrasts with Japan. While it looks to be a glorified travel-log (much like my entire exchange itself), Ueno-sensei engages me frequently in class, drawing the eyes of other students and effectively feeding my ego. In terms of a cultural experience, it should be a sufficient-enough look at American and Japanese society. In terms of its language-learning value, there are many segments in English, making it a bit difficult to claim it as a language experience. Nonetheless, it's a normal class for Japanese students, so it will provide adequate practice for speaking and reading Japanese.

 The final class of the day was seminar, as it was last semester. Students presented written reviews of books they had read according to research topics. The point was for students to practice writing so they can some day produce a thesis for graduation or post-grad education. I am expected to do this assignment, which means reading a book in English or in Japanese. When I complete this (I can say that with some degree of confidence) I will post it here and explain it in detail.

 Thursdays look to be a tiring day this semester, but considering it's my last here, I had better make it worth something. Once the schedule is finalized I will have it posted here in the next week.

SCHOOL LIFE: Tuesday, October 5th- Comparative Culture, Intercultural Communication II

 I am faced with a dilemma in choosing classes this quarter; the class from last Friday, European history, is a twice-a-week class that earns more credit at the University of Hyogo. Classes that are once a week are two-credit, classes that are twice a week are four-credit. Since I receive no credit from this school, I would rather limit the classes I take, especially if they are classes that really hold no value in learning more about Japan. Therefore, I am inclined to drop European History from my schedule, as the other class is held on Tuesdays during the first time slot. Instead of taking European History I found a more exhilarating and perhaps culturally relevant course entitled Comparative Culture (比較文化論). While I am not entirely sure what the course will entail, today's class involved comparing pictures and seeing how students would respond to the comparisons. The class seems to focus on human behavior and how it correlates between different people and different situations, and where they may originate. Breast-feeding was a major source of today's studies; the professor presented situations where humans will make gestures with their mouths that relate back to suckling from the breast. The professor had students move a pen in various ways and then insert the pen into the mouth and hold it there, and then the same with a book. The students who actually put the books in their mouth were far fewer than the students who inserted the pen; he explained that the pen is easier to insert because the mouth responds in the same natural way as it did with breast-feeding. These observations and theories were not pondered on too much, but rather to show how behaviors are connected to different things. Watching the Japanese students respond to the lessons was interesting, as the conduction of the course vastly differs from what you might experience in a class like European History. The students seemed more engaged as a result. The professor also actively engaged the students individually, which is rare in Japanese teaching, but certainly effective for these kinds of subjects. There was some kind of assignment given at the end of class for students to go and photograph in public and present it in class the next week. As far as I know right now, the premise is to observe how people in pairs- couples or what-have-you, share similar body language when together. Surely this course will be useful for learning about social behavior in Japan, and I will be sure to keep it updated as times goes on.

 While the class on Comparative Culture was a welcome surprise, the next period brought on a slight disappointment; the class I took last semester, Intercultural Communication, is now being taught entirely in English. This devalues it as a language-learning experience, but still gives cultural insights into how Japanese students go about the lessons. There were about 70% less students compared to the last semester, in no doubt due to the all-English aspect of the class. Today was just introductions and explanations. There was an exercise where students pair up and list five things they like, one of those things being something they actually dislike, and the other student guesses which one is false, thereby exposing cultural preconceptions (some students were Japanese, some Chinese, me American). Any profound or somewhat relevant observations will be duly noted.

 And that sums up the first Tuesday. 

SCHOOL LIFE: Monday, October 4th- Public Law, Chinese Communication, Technical Japanese

 Being the first day with a (somewhat) full load of classes, the feeling that the semester has started finally sank in. Through the effort of trying to be more ambitious this quarter I have taken aim at several classes I would not have expected to take on an exchange in Japan. Before I described taking a course on European history, a class that holds little value in Japanese cultural studies but nonetheless reinforces the necessity of knowing what words mean. In desperation to steer clear of anything related to economics (no offense to the field, the kids in Japan seem thrilled to be learning it) I decided to enter into a course on public law in Japan. The class, titled Public Law (公法), teaches about the various protections guaranteed to Japanese citizens by the Americans when they drafted the Japanese constitution. It is easy to forget that Japanese citizens are guaranteed the same freedoms as the United States in their constitution, and not because Japan violates these rights but because it is rare these issues enter one's ear; surely they occur, and there should be no doubt in that fact. If someone has been denied their civil liberties they will take action to rectify it, but the commonality of such disputes pales in comparison to the vocally contesting nature of law in the United States. From what I have observed, disputes and the like are often settled through cultural means in the same way they were settled before World War II. Nonetheless, however, there is an oddness to hearing laws of freedom of religion gone into depth, as many Japanese keep religion as a private matter and may even feel some shame in showing they actively practice religion (outside of culturally ingrained Shinto and Buddhist practices). 

 For now I cannot go too in depth on opinions about it, though. Today was just an outlining introduction, and with lack of a good electronic dictionary I cannot say I understood everything. The Japanese legal system is by no means a carbon copy of the American legal system, and with a lot of effort on my part I will hopefully learn more about it.

 The second period of the day was filled by a Chinese language class- this time, one at a beginner's level. Last semester at the University of Hyogo I took a Chinese class that went way beyond what I had learned at Evergreen, and couldn't keep up (granted, I'm learning Chinese in Japanese, which is more mentally taxing than I imagined). This time the class is filled with first year students, who are much more willing to attempt speaking Chinese in an audible voice. I won't go into many details about this course as it is mostly simple language instruction, and I may not even count it as a class for credit hours for the study contract. If there is anything culturally relevant or relevant to language learning, I will be sure to post about it.

 After lunch I went back to the same class I had taken before on mondays, Technical Japanese. This class uses economic history of Japan to teach economics-related language to mainly Chinese exchange students. While the economics aspect through me off last quarter, I intend to learn what I can and post about anything relevant learned in the course here.

 That concludes Monday for the first week of class. As a side note: I received a call from the restaurant which I applied to work at, but was not hired. At least I do not have to feel any guilt for being a foreigner taking a job from a perfectly capable Japanese citizen.

LANGUAGE UPDATE: New Kanji October 1st

(since last kanji post and today) 10/1/2010

郡

郭

陳

陪

陸

陵

隆

陰

険

随

陶

郵

都

郷

部

隅

陽

階

隊

隔

隙

際

障

隠

鄙

卯

印

即

隣

卵

却

卸

刀

刈

切

刊

召

州

刑

列

判

別

制

刺

到

刻

刹

刷

券

削

Kanji count for this quarter: 50

Overall kanji count: 380

SCHOOL LIFE: Friday, October 1st

 Today was the first day of the semester at the University of Hyogo. A sudden spike in the temperature outside brought a brief reminder of the scorching days of summer, just a day after the sky was overcast with the face of autumn. The relatively hot weather made things feel even more the same as when school left out for the two month summer break in late July.

 I have not decided entirely on what classes to take, and so far the only class on Fridays that holds any interest is "European History: A General Outline", a class in Japanese intended for Japanese students. While I will, of course, refrain from describing what is learned in this class (unless it appears to be a uniquely Japanese take on studying the West), it does provide good Japanese language experience. Today was just an introduction to the course, and relatively few students showed up. The ones that did were mostly male students, and rather bookish ones at that. As the University of Hyogo hands out economic and business degrees, it comes as no surprise that fewer students are willing to put time into historical studies. The number of students stands to increase, however, which happens in many Japanese courses. One thing I found interesting about the class was that the professor explained that if you attend every class, you can theoretically fail every exam in the course and still receive credit. On the other hand, if you pass every exam you only need to attend 60 percent of classes throughout the semester. This adds to the notion that Japanese colleges often operate on a very lenient system.

 As I will not have all the classes I am taking finalized till around the end of next week. Classes do not need to be registered until October 13th, so students are generally free to go in and out of classes for the first week or two of the semester. If I end up taking any more classes on Fridays I will be sure to post about them.

 In other news, I am being interviewed for a part-time job tomorrow at a restaurant in the Akashi area (refer to older post about Akashi). The job looks like a hectic one, and with a language barrier and lack of related work experience it might be hard to pull. If I fail the interview I will be sure to keep looking for a job that will provide a challenge in speaking and learning Japanese, as well as giving an insight into the Japanese work experience. While I gave no mention of finding a part time job until now, I will treat it the same as any other cultural study I have done in the past, and is done with no intent of doing it to receive special credit outside of what has been designated in the learning contract.