changing impressions of Japan

Through the class, Visual Anthropology of Japan, the changes which happened to me was that I’ve got to see the stuffs around myself critically having wonder. Around the time that I started this kind of activity, I didn’t have any habit to take a picture constantly and any idea how to deal with that unfamiliar subject, so I guess the things that I tried to capture at the beginning was the major representative Japanese culture, like this photo, or the scenery apparently recognized as Japan, but I just realized I could find something that really represent Japan easier by getting some ideas to compare Japan with others and objectively seeing something Japanese thinking how “Gaizins” would feel about it because, for native Japanese me, it takes a long way to have a wonder in my life. 

I ran into it at Hirakata station. It is the umbrellas for someone who doesn’t carry it when it rains from lovely consideration. I thought it represented kindness of Japanese.

Another thing that I learned through the blog activity was the importance and respect for neighbors. Before I start blogging, neighbors were just neighbors, and I was thinking I would not get anything from them. When I had research for blog post 2 and 7, I had the chances well enough to talk with the neighbors who were so familiar with the area. They always gave me some direction or deep ideas that could be helpful to get familiar with the place more than I research by myself, and, to be honest, I was getting to find the interaction with the neighbor fun these days. When they tell the histories or background behind the blog topic, I could know how they felt then and the notion which included others’ who live around there also at the meantime. That made my understanding for my topic deeper and reasonable, and I felt like I was watching a short documentary movie and thought to collect information through a neighbor is the only thing Japanese can do, but one thing I regret is that I was short of the ability to write it down on the blog. I feel sorry for that. Anyway, it was good to get the opportunity to face and think of my own culture and find the method to reach, abstract subject, Culture. 

全興寺（Zenkozi）in 平野市(Hiranoshi)

This time I tried to learn something I never knew then I decided to visit here, “Zenkozi” in “Hirano”. Lots of old-Japanese style buildings and townscapes still remain there, and what I had research was in there. This place is kind of famous for mysterious hell touring.

It looked ordinary before the gate, but I got something pretty interesting even for the Japanese me inside there. What came in my sight at first was a tiny “Oni” (means like an ogre or a devil). That bit amazed me because basically we don’t see the “Oni” sort of things in regular temples in Japan. According to the chief priest there, the temple teaches people what heaven and hell are like and how to get judged to go to either, and he also said “by seeing “Zigokudo”(means hell), you’re going to get some direction to go to heaven after dead”. 

This is a request from the temple to parents which says in short “this is just to tell children the importance of life and not to do bad things, and Don’t use it to scared children in terms of education”  

Inside of “Zigokudo”, you can see “Enmadaiou” (a god judging which people to go, heaven or hell), “Oni”, and Buddha- like dolls. When you push the button or hit the bell below “Enmadaiou”, hell story begins in the weird place. The story was mainly about several brutal tortures to punish someone who did bad thing during they were alive and what the children who died before their parents die are going to take from “Oni”. It is said, in the hell, if the children who died before their parents die want to see the parents again, they have to pile up rocks to some level of height, but “Oni” is monitoring them doing through whole way, then the time they nearly reach at the end, “Oni” pops up to them and ruin their effort. “Oni” makes them do so over and over.  

It says “If you press the button, then hell starts” I doubt it.

抹茶(Powdered green tea)

抹茶(powdered green tea) is a kind of Japanese original tea and has been loved by Japanese circa for a hundred years. Its taste is little bitter but softly leaves green tea flavor in your mouth and nose. This is a temple in “Arashiyama” which we can have some 抹茶 and Japanese traditional sweets inside of. This time, I had a cup of 抹茶 and sweets with my friends, then I thought “I drink a real form of 抹茶 for the first time unexpectedly. Something has probably been making me mistake as if I’d been familiar with the taste. 

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We Japanese can say 抹茶 is a taste that we are used to and fond of, but I doubt if what we are used to is a real 抹茶 or just a flavor of it. The answer to this question may be the second of the two. To take a look in コンビニ, we would easily find sweets or drink including 抹茶 flavor without any attempt looking for it. While some Japanese traditional food or drink disappear, 抹茶 survived by collaborating with something, I guess. Sometimes this tendency produces something strange that might ruin true goodness which it has, but 抹茶’s case is not. By adapting themselves to the taste of the modern, they could avoid becoming outdated. 

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Even Macdonald has a product relevant to 抹茶

Japanese vending machine

I’ve been wondering what could be a big difference or looking weird thing to the foreigners who newly come to Japan while writing blog post 1 to 4 then Japanese vending machines fulfilled my question. On a trip to Melbourne this summer, it was bit strange and inconvenient for me that few of them were on the street because I couldn’t get what I wanted at the moment when I needed as like doing in Japan. This was just the case in Melbourne, though there could be no doubt in that other countries don’t have more vending machines than Japan does.

These were taken in Gaidai.

However, even for me, Japan is crazy about the quality and quantity of vending machine, which makes me wonder, like “Are they really such needed?” I know Japanese always keep seeking conveniences in everything, but it’s too much. Just only in Gaidai, you probably find ten or more.

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                                   This probably is a car vending machine!! 

“Gaizin” would be amazed at not only the number of them, but the variety of them. The one in my town started talking when I inserted coins into it, like “まいどー”meaning “hello” or “釣銭忘れんといてや!” meaning “Don’t leave your changes”. In other case, you can get almost every stuff including soup, “Oden”, “Ramen”, Junk food, alcohol, or cigarette. These are usual for us Japanese, but sometimes I get the feeling of suspicion about the necessity for such quality. To be back to my basic question, we won’t be puzzled just only with “コンビニ”, but for business men rushing to work place and needing a hot coffee in a morning, the existence of bending machine everywhere may help them get refreshed and do the best that day.   

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Combination of nature and city, TEMMABASHI

Temmabashi, where I did research and fieldwork for blog posting, has been said "there's really nothing fun in there". Somewhat, because of that, I hadn't been there until this time. This station is mainly used by business men, and most of them are double users of Keihan line and Tanimachi line, which is one of the subways in Osaka. For It's located near the Osaka city, all sorts of trains stops at there, Temmabashi.

 Someone who I talked to was on the way to his work place, even if he was kind of rushing, he  did not put some irritated expression on his face at all. This is my first try taking a picture of person all of a sudden like the guy in the movie we have watched. 　

As like the title of my blog above, Temmabashi really looked like a combination of city and nature to me. Just by walking through the bunch of office block, there are some beautiful places to see with nature.

I guess this picture represent what Temmabashi is like best

He was not like what you guess, some of you would think I’ve captured something bad.

I found Osakajyo park following the suggestion of the guy I talked to, and a lot of people looking like passenger were chilling out there even if it was Wednesday morning.   

Gaijin Friend forever

An image for foreigners that I had until I see her was totally opposite with the real way she was. That was what I felt most because several not good images coming from TV drama, such as gossip girl or OC, were fixed into my head deeply and steadily and it was actually wrong in contrast. What I watched through those dramas was teens messing around and hurting each other selfishly and so badly. For me keeping the prejudice inside, she apparently looked like the one that I mentioned, I mean her appearance got me some syncing image I had from the dramas. I bet you have probably heard the proverb “you can’t tell a book by its cover. That can be the best that explains how I felt like after I know about her more than beginning. 

As you can see these pictures, she always puts amazingly bright smile on her face, and her personality is also the kind of saving people around her from feeling of sick, I guess. There are tons of differences between girl in Japan and her I have noticed on the process of hanging out with her. One day, I saw her sitting in CIE lounge and doing some assignment with computer, I was just about to talk to her as I usually do, then She just started to shake her head as if she was in the middle of Rock concert. There was no doubt that every single guy, all of sudden, glanced at her. After that, I asked her about that, from her saying, it was the moment where she hit a nice music video on Youtube.

I guess that I myself also got infected by her more or less, being with her, I was getting numbed about the need of deed caring about people around. Some or all of my friends think of me as weirdo, but I’m proud of myself right now because that means I don’t hide myself without any shame.

The Heal in Park

                  These are from near the place where I live, and this was the very first time I could happen to know this place and come there. This is a so huge park called “Yamadaike Kouen” where people use for jogging, walking, or feeling lots of nature.                                                  

 I never expected that there’s the place like this near my place because I felt like I was in a totally different place once I get into there for that beautiful lake there and the well organized bushes and gardens. While I was taking picture, one old lady, I mean really old, talked to me and we just had a little walk for a while. She is almost reaching 80 years old, I guess. Partly thanks to her, I could get familiar with the organization of the park more or less. For me not having time to feel nature or relaxing any these days, taking a look and walk there wiped away my tiredness coming from a daily life, and so did having a chat with the old lady that reminded me my real grandmother.       

 One more thing that made me feel better was cats carelessly sleeping on the rock. When I take a picture of him or her, I approached them as close as I could, but they wouldn’t even care about me or tried to run away like they know we wouldn’t try to hurt them. Actually, there were a lot of cats in that park. According to a notice board, many people have been throwing baby cats away there. That’s why I saw cats all around there, I guess. I’m not sure that you can get every stuff I felt and saw by watching the pictures on my blog and my describing, but I can be strongly sure that chilling somewhere like this could heal your heart, I mean go visit there!! That’s worth to do!!

Recommendation of something in Japan

 I’m writing down about “Pachinko” which is familiar especially for Japanese and more like a gamble game than just amusement for me because anybody can possibly double or more your money just with a temporary luck and decision to risk your money on it. The reason why I dare to mention it this time comes from that many people, I mean both Japanese and no-Japanese, do even if they totally lose their money being aware of that fact, but I do not disagree with to play Pachinko, in fact, someone spends unbelievably huge amount of money on girls, video games or food. I can’t see any regret about that, so hereby I recommend Pachinko as one of Japanese culture. Obviously as you can see, there’re so many places to play Pachinko like everywhere in Japan. Just by seeking for them in the way back to my house from Hirakata station, I find, at least, 5 or 6, which is same somewhere but Osaka.

Like the picture in the middle, people gather around in front of there and make a line before the day of Shindai Irekae (It means that the new type of a Pachinko machine is coming in Japanese) to get a better one faster than anyone else. I guess even that part is also the point to have fun for them.　Pic comes from（http://getnews.jp/wp-content/themes/redevo_newsred/featured-images/090406_0807331.jpg）

I took this photo at Pachinko parlor, called Himawari, near east gate of Kansaigaidai. Whenever all day in a year I go past beside that Pachinko parlor, wide age range of customers seriously face a Pachinko machine holding or putting a cigarette in their mouth. That kind of forces me to wonder if they really have a job or keep living by playing just only that. If you wanna be through all sort of stuff in Japan, I don’t think it’s bad one.