a welcome party

After wrapping up with Taneichi's bunkasai event, the teachers and I headed down to a local restaurant for some excellent food and drink. Having drawn straws to determine the seating arrangement, I ended up being placed next to Kocho Sensei...the principal...and I lucked out as his English is FANTASTIC and we had a really fascinating discussion about cultural differences and expectations and the way Japanese societal norms and mores are embedded into the language. Who would have thought that sake would be such a thought-inducing beverage!? Well, we talked about a few other things as well, so I am going to try to remember them as best as I can as it seemed important at the time. A few months into this Japan scene and I STILL find myself asking Why?! How come!? Seriously!?

1. We were talking about what defines Japanese culture....and because it is so prominent and central to their lives --its easy to see and experience--EVERYWHERE. We talked about gender inequality, the ultra-busy lifestyle of all Japanese and the conformity to past (and current) idealogies. Of course, one small part of the culture is the food, so I'll start with that. Obviously the food is very Japanesey and there are few options for ethnic treats of any kind. (Whenever I visit bigger cities I head straight for Thai or Chinese--anything but Japanese or Japatalian-concoctions that I drum up every nite... Pizza, mexican, sub sandwiches and turkey dinners havent even been introduced to the culture--they don't know what their missing! (actually, i dont' even miss those things yet, moot point.) Sometimes I wonder if they really want new things introduced?
My first job responsibility is to introduce English, but teaching and sharing culture is a very close second-or so I thought. They have made it pretty clear NOT to teach too much culture....Hmmm, so why don't they want too much exposure to *American culture*!? Well, as both history and current events indicate, American "culture" has undergone some interesting reformations that have left some pretty significant scars. I love living in America and am proud to be American, but in LIVING in Japan, I am trying to see things as they do...which is that America sometimes looks "crazy" "chaotic" and "disrespectful". It IS the antithesis of Japan. I actually know people that have said, I am scared to go to your country. Scared not only of the unknown that happens in going to a new place...but scared of the uncertainity and lack of structure--its "too free". Can you imagine it otherwise? I know I have taken it for granted, as I miss so many of the little things that fortunately go unquestioned, unaddressed and unaccounted for.

BUT---what happens when there is "too much freedom"? Lots of freedom, lots of people power and lots of diversity and you get lots of headaches sometimes. Let's face it, in the States, NOTHING surprises us anymore---just when we think we've heard it all...something else happens to raise the bar on the "acceptability scale". More and more people are testing the American expectations and values and look at where its taken us. It's hard to say where things are headed over there.
But over here, everything is so predictable and uniform and clearly defined. Japan feels like a bubble, a small protected, safe little island (with 135 million people living together harmoniously, in the size of California!) The country is so homogenized, that very few 'new' ideas or ways of thinking have nuzzled their way in. It's the same as it was years and years and years ago...no fresh blood as we say. The language, the roles and jobs, the situational dialouges and conversation, the hiearchy in the workplace and home, the behavioral expectations and the disciplinary actions that ensue----it hasn't changed in YEARS! This can be a great thing, as everyone knows their boundaries and where they fit in this puzzle called community. And it can also be a breeding grounds for what could be construed as oppressive. A place where individuality is not only not valued, but discouraged altogether.

2.
Sometimes, I feel like the Japanese community is afraid to embrace other cultures as it will undoubtedly change the dynamics of everything they know and the ways in which they live. Right now, everything is orderly, systematic and consistent. There IS no deviation from normal and no one rocks the boat. But let too many new thoughts in, foods, ideas--whatever it may be- the diversification could be detrimental to status quo and a tsunami of CHANGE and UNCERTAINTY would surely disrupt the country! Not really, but the tremors would rattle a few conservative folks!
I am quite liberal and progressive-which makes me the type that Japanese fear! My attitudes and personality and nature are probably intimidating to some, so THOSE are precisely the people I try to reach. I want to share my culture, attitudes and beliefs with people who are open to listening, though not necessarily in aggreement. I am not looking for acceptance, just people who want to learn and broaden their horizons a bit. Unfortunately, I have talked with many ALTs over here that say true *internationalization* is the most difficult part of the job.


3. Another thing Kocho and I gabbed about is how the Japanese community is still a bit communistic in thought...very rigid, inflexible and one-sided, no-questions-asked-mentality. Power lies in only a few hands and and fewer are given any choices. Ironically, no one complains. I'm trying to avoid using the term "closed-minded", but I can't find an English thesaurus to write otherwise. This backward thinking is stereotypically common in ANY small town in America, so I am not saying that only rural Japanese are "stuck in a mental rut." But I'm talking about significant amounts of the population...why are they still doing things like they did 150 years ago? Why all of the nonsensical behavioral rules? Why all of the set phrases that are so often insincerely spoken? I realize these are sweeping generalizations, but I'm just trying to make sense of WHY things are the way they are here in Taneichi, in the countryside and in Japan.

Naively, I thought I would have this culture figured out in a few months, but its much too complex to understand. With 4 written languages, several dialects and oral languages determined by gender, age and power status...its quite likely I'm not going to understand it all. However, I will continue to ponder and ask questions, as the many differences I have spoken of today are not meant to be negative and disheartening, but rather indicative of how FaSCinAtinG and inTerESTing of a place it is! Not experiencing challenges and culture shock would surely lead one to assume that I'm not learning and I love learning! It's the teacher in me!

MY QUESTIONS STEM FROM INTRIGUE AND MY COMMENTS FROM EXPERIENCE. I WANT TO LEARN MORE AND CONTINUE MY PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH WHILE IN JAPAN! IT IS AN AMAZING PLACE........."Well, Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore!"

LASTLY: Please drop a line if you care to comment on these differences! Tell us about your travels and your reactions to culture shock! Please pass on what you know so others can learn through you and your experiences! We have so much to share and learn from one another!

Pictured above are about half of Taneichi Junior High's faculty. Kocho Sensei is at the head of the table and "Tuna", one of my two Japanese English co-teachers is seated front right.