The Cultural Life of Japan

(as seen from an American viewpoint, of course!)

Culture Shock

• DRIVING: As Americans, we are used to driving on the right side of the road. The most obvious difference about driving, here in Japan, is that they drive on the wrong... oops... I mean left, side of the road! But the entire meaning of this escapes you, until you actually do it. You sit on the other side of the car, so all your hand-controls are set up backwards. You may find yourself turning on your windshield wipers, when you mean to signal a turn! You'll probably even get in on the wrong side of the car a few times, or at least head for the wrong side. If you buy a vehicle with a stick-shift, you'll be shifting gears with your LEFT hand! (After about 2 years here, I did go ahead and learn to drive my hubbie's van, which has a stick-shift... it's do-able, after all! But I still think it would have been too much new stuff at once, for me to try it when we first got here! But that's just me!) All the street signs are on the left side of the road, which of course makes sense, but is not where you'll be used to looking for them. FYI: You are not issued a Japanese drivers' license, but a SOFA license, which you carry with your valid American drivers' license. There is a class and test every Wednesday, in the chapel annex. Cars and vans here are small, but cheap (at least the used ones you buy on base from other Americans). You will find that most cars and vans are selling for between $1000 and $3000. Motorcycles, however, are not cheap- in general, they go for more than cars!
• TOILETS: This might be the hardest thing to get used to, here. If you are the flexible sort, both physically and mentally, you may be comfortable with the facilities here. I may NEVER get used to them! A standard toilet here looks like a urinal installed flat on the floor. If you would like to see my photo of a Japanese-style toilet, be my guest! The idea is to squat down over it to do ALL your business (so, while women always have to deal with this, men occasionally must, too). If you're lucky, and have lots of self control, you may be able to find a "western-style" toilet (often the only one is in a handicapped stall). I lived in Japan for almost three years, and spent a lot of time out in the local community, and I managed to always find a western toilet in time!!! FYI- If you are driving around Japan, and see a McDonald's, I have been told that every McDonald's has a western-style toilet. Please DO NOT write to me and tell me how wonderful Japanese toilets are!!! If you grew up with them, or just tried them, and prefer them... USE THEM! I'm happy for you! These are my views... If you don't agree, suck it up and deal with it! (Or, get your own webpage!)
• LANGUAGE: The language barrier has been difficult for me to get used to. I have always thought of myself as a literate person; it is very hard to get used to not being able to read a menu, or the contents of a can of food, or directions on a map, or whatever. I depend on communication daily, and not being able to speak or understand the language has been humbling, too. I did take a Survival Japanese Language Course, after we got here, and have picked up a few words and phrases; I get by, between my Japanese and the Japanese locals' English! I hope to learn a lot more by the time we leave. The written language is much more difficult than the spoken language. There are 4 'alphabets';
  1. KANJI: This is a form derived from Chinese characters. I read somewhere that there are over 6000 characters (I read somewhere else that it's more like 50,000... who knows?), although only about 2000 are used in daily life. Each complex character stands for a word or concept.

     For starters, this is the kanji symbol (actually two symbols) for Iwakuni. The first symbol, on the left, is "Iwa", which translates as "rock". The second symbol is "kuni", which translates as "country". So, Iwakuni is Rock Country! It helps to memorize this, so you can recognize it on maps, road signs, etc.

  2. HIRAGANA: A syllabary used for Japanese words.
  3. KATAKANA: A syllabary used for words of foreign origin, and names of people and places of other countries. Probably the easiest for foreigners to learn.
  4. ROMAJI: When Japanese words are written in Roman letters, such as those used in English, that is called Romaji. It would be great if everything here was in Romaji- then it would be no harder to learn Japanese than French or Spanish. Life isn't that easy, though. You'll have to learn at least one other 'alphabet' to be literate in Japan. :-(

Souvenirs

(The following section copied from a flyer I received with a souvenir)

"HISTORY OF IWAKUNI STONE DOLLS: Stone dolls are small natural items attached to stones in the river under the Kintai Bridge. Because the shape is like a doll, it is called a stone doll. A folk tale says: Long ago, when Kintai Bridge was constructed, two young girls were offered as a sacrifice for smooth construction of the bridge, and that the stone doll is a rebirth of these girls. Also, because human sacrifices were made to protect bridges and castles, these dolls were used as amulets to protect oneself from accidents, disasters and evils. Further, they were used as folk toys, and it is said to be one of the three rare toys of Japan. During the latter part of the Edo period, many poems were composed about this stone doll and a culture peculiar to Iwakuni was developed. Originally, this stone doll is a nest made of pebbles and sand collected by an insect of a mole cricket family. It has been introduced widely throughout the country as a very rare article of folk art of Iwakuni. It is fragile, please handle with care."

GOOD LUCK SYMBOLS OF JAPAN: Since both my mother and I like cats, one of the first souvenirs I bought to send back to her in the states was a colorful, little ceramic figure of a cat sitting down, with one paw raised up. At the time, I had no idea of the meaning, but I just thought it was cute. It turns out, though, that this is one of many symbols of good luck in Japan! It's called "Manekineko", and it is often displayed outside businesses. If the right paw is raised, it welcomes people to come in and spend money; if the left paw is raised, it is a simple invitation to enter. Written on the front, in Japanese kanji, are words meaning "bring good luck".

Another critter, which is often a character in Japanese folk tales, and is considered good luck, is the Tanuki. This is a common animal in Japan, considered to be a cute, clever animal, which often gets into trouble (like the fox, in Aesop's Fables). Sometimes called the "Ponpoko Tanuki", statues of these animals, often with a ledger (to represent a shopkeeper) and a jar of sake (it seems he enjoys this!), are set outside shops, again, to invite people in!

The Seven Gods of Good Fortune are available in many styles... I've even seen them depicted as Manekinekos (very cute)! Benten, the only female diety among them, is the Goddess of Beauty and the Arts. She is shown with a lyre. Jurojin is shown as an old man, because he is the God of long life. Daikoku stands on 2 bales of rice, and strikes with his wooden hammer to make gold coins appear!! He is the God of good luck :-) Ebisu, the God of fishers, is shown with a fishing rod and fish, and is happy and contented. Bishamon carries a spear, as befits a courageous God of warriors. Hotei, shown with a big belly and a broad smile, loves children and is always happy. (Remind you of anyone in western culture?) Fukurokiju is the God of learning and of noble character. He is shown carrying a stick and a scroll.

A Daruma doll is a human-type figure. It is kind of egg-shaped, which contributes to one legend about this doll. It's like a Weeble (remember, "Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down"?). There is a Japanese proverb, about the Daruma doll, "seven times pushed over, eight times it raises", which stresses the importance of continuing to try, in order to succeed. Legend says that a Buddhist priest (Daruma) sat in a cave for nine years, in meditation, in order to gain enlightenment. His legs withered away and he became blind, so statues of the priest have the characteristic roly-poly shape and the faces have no eyes! Some people believe that the doll can make wishes come true... They write a wish on a piece of paper, attach it to the doll, and color in the right eye. When the wish comes true, they color in the left eye!

Dolls are one of the more popular souvenirs to acquire while in Japan. There are several types. One that I personally like a lot is the Kokeshi Doll. These are wooden dolls, made on a lathe. Some styles have round heads with painted on hair. The type I prefer has wooden hair, made from a seperate piece of wood. The Hakata dolls also seem to come in many styles. The type shown, which was given to my daughter for her birthday, is entirely of bisque porcelain. There are many of these, depicting chubby little children playing, sumo wrestlers or warriors, and graceful Japanese ladies waith fans, etc. Another type is dressed in fabric clothing and a wig; you see only the bisque face and hands. These are very elaborate (and can be outlandishly expensive). ITT has trips to a nearby Hakata doll factory, which may be interesting to do at some point!

Links to other sites on the Web

The Anime Cafe Site by an Iwakuni native! A great guide to the Japanese comic book & film characters and plots that seem so popular today... not just in Japan, but in the States, too. If you're into this, or your kids are, check it out. Has a Parents Guide to Anime :-)
Traditional Japanese Toys and Games 14 Aug 02
Web of Japan This site has links to both business and personal pages... some of the links are full of great cultural info!
Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts 14 Aug 02 High tech site; history of the arts in Japan
Japan, my Japan! 14 Aug 02 A goldmine of links and resources for all things Japan!
Jun Gifts Even though this is (partially) a commercial site, it is filled with page after page of great information about and photos of Japanese life. Vending machines, Japanglish, "pocketo-tish", etc. Just great!
Schauwecker's Guide to Japan Probably the most extensive site on the Web for info on Japan in general... very good... be sure to drop bread crumbs along the way, though :-)
A History of Kimono New URL 1/11/2000 Both Women's and Men's Kimono, as well as obi, are discussed on this page, with photos.
Joyo 96 Written Japanese Language Instruction
USNA Japanese Page This Japanese Language Course page is from the US Naval Academy... includes some good links.

© 1999 usmcspencers@usa.net