Friday, December 9, 2011

Japan, That Happened.


In the time I have been in Japan my impressions of the country have not changed so much, as my perspective has.  I have learned to view things through a different lens and to look at things deeper and consider all aspects of something instead of just judging things on surface appearance and molding them to preexisting stereotypes.  I think change has come out of the work we have done in visual anthropology class.  We have seen lots of examples of what to do and what not to do and with this the dangers of assumptions and bias when portraying an aspect of life.
            When at first I was noticing all the small differences between America and Japan I was molding my impressions around what I had heard about the country; the collectivist culture, the sexual repression, the advanced technology, the rich traditions.  And this was really a bad way to form impressions about Japan.  While there definitely is a collectivist undertone, I have met so many unique and individual Japanese friends who break from this mold. While one could argue this is just n exception, there are enough people like this that to generalize the entire population and leave these people out is foolish.  And this is just one small example.
Shinya, one of my more unique Japanese friends.
            Another specific impression I had early on that has changed is the racism I felt when going into stores or restaurants.  At the beginning I was upset by this and thought it was blind racism but after going through a semester I kind of understand it.  So many international students just behave poorly in public and if I owned an establishment I’d want to distance myself from these people as well.  The trend of gaijin smash is enough to justify this prejudice.  Too many international student don’t behave because they feel like they’re not expected to, or don’t have to because their outsiders.  They justify embarrassing, rude behavior with terms like “gaijin smash” or “no shame on foreign roads”.  So although I have encountered racism, I have come to realize that it is not unjustified.
            As a whole my impressions have slightly changed in realizing that Japan is not as crazy and uniform as it is often portrayed. While it is to a certain extent, when viewed without preexisting biases, the similarities between my home country and japan stand out more while the eccentricities wan in the background. 
Some Gaijin Smash at a Karaoke joint in Hirakata.

Friday, December 2, 2011

THEY'RE GRRREAT...good...ok...kind of...sometimes


The storied Koshien Stadium, home of the Hanshin Tigers.


The Hanshin Tigers are one of the preeminent teams in Nippon Professional Baseball through the good and the bad, and more of the bad.  The Tigers have one of the most dedicated fan bases in Japanese sports even when the team does poorly as it seems to so often do of late.  It is only possible to understand the fans by taking a trip to a game. 
A fan wearing a Happi Coat, the traditional garb of Tigers fans.

The fans are extremely passionate, especially in the outfield seats, which hold most of the dedicated fan clubs and cheering sections.  The fans are easily recognizable by black and yellow outfits, jerseys, costumes, and most notably Happi Coats. This offers quite a sight when the fans are all cheering in unison and clapping their thunder sticks as is the tradition.

The ouendan waving their flags in preparation for Toritani's plate appearance to lead of the inning.


The crowd at a tigers game is incomparable to American baseball crowds and even most other crowds at Japanese baseball games.  The cheering is almost all rehearsed or planned cheers specific to each player that are chanted in unison by the entire crowd.  This is led by fan clubs called Ouendan who yell through megaphones, play drums and trumpets and wave flags to urge the Tigers on to victory.  While the Ouendan are a staple of any Japanese baseball team, the tigers still stand out due to the number of these people and the intensity of all the fans.  Many writers have noted the listless crowds at most NPB games; the polite clapping and general socializing the tends to occur throughout the game. But the Tigers refuse to fit into this mold.  The crowd is more attentive to the game and has a better understanding of the game and the players on their team, and while most teams get all their cheering from the ouendan in the outfield seat, at Tigers game the whole stadium participates in the cheering. This is most visible in the middle of the “Luck Seventh inning” when the entire stadium releases balloons into the sky in a shower of rainbow colored flying tigers banners to will the team on to victory.  To go to one of these games is a must for anyone with an interest in sports and is an experience like none other you will find. 

A video of the 7th inning stretch:
Some fans posing with To-Lucky, the Tigers' beloved mascot.
For more reading or information on the Tigers check out these links
the Tigers official website: http://hanshintigers.jp/

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/travel/05journeys.html?pagewanted=all

https://webspace.yale.edu/wwkelly/pubs-archive/WWK_1997_Japan-Q_44-4.pdf