Summary Blog: Japanese Culture

This is my favorite Japanese anime, Sailormoon.

          Japan is one of Asian countries that has fully-developed and has succeed in various industries without having to neglect their cultural values and traditions. Even though Japan is considered as a small nation, many people know where Japan is and they also know at least few popular Japanese cultures. In my second blog post, I have explained several reasons why I chose Japanese culture for the Cultural Reporter Project. I like watching Japanese dramas and animes since high school hence I decided to take a Japanese class in UNL so that I could speak Japanese as well. While taking the Japanese class, I realize that I am becoming more eager to learn about Japanese culture. For the Cultural Reporter Project, I would like to focus on the relationship between Japanese strong identity and their achievement as a successful nation. Many Japanese nowadays are still practicing their customs and traditions, and they are very persistence towards changes around them or changes brought by outsiders. Even so, they manage to become one of influential countries in the world without sacrificing their own identity and originality. 

Tokyo, capital of Japan.

          I have been using dialectical approach to study and to understand Japanese society. Dialectical approach is an approach to intercultural communication that integrates three approaches; functionalist, interpretive, and critical in understanding culture and communication (Martin & Nakayama, 2012, p. 71). A society's culture is well-portrayed through communication and interaction. I have been observing how Japanese communicate with each other so that at the same time, I could figure out how their culture influences their communication with other people. Besides that, I also have been participating in Japanese communication's environment where I communicated with my sensei and several Japanese students at UNL. The dialectical approach emphasizes the processual, relational, and contradictory of intercultural communication, which encompasses many different kinds of intercultural knowledge (Martin & Nakayama, 2012, p. 72).

Respecting other people's culture is an important key to maintain a relationship.

          I have conducted several interviews and participant observations to complete my Cultural Reporter Project. I interviewed my Japanese lecture, Sensei Nii and few Japanese students to gain more accurate information about Japanese. Sensei Nii is the perfect example for intercultural marriage because she is married to an American man. Even though she is a Japanese, she manages to communicate with her husband properly because she can speak English very well. "But, in certain situations, misunderstandings happen because my husband does not fully understand Japanese culture" (Steele Nii, personal communication, November 5th, 2012). While showing her wedding pictures, she said, " Japanese women usually will wear traditional white dress (kimono) during wedding ceremony. In Japan, white symbolizes purity, elegance, and "new beginning" (Wordly Weddings, 2010). Married women should wear short sleeves kimono while single women should wear long sleeves kimono to signify they are not married yet." (Steele Nii, personal communication, November 5th, 2012). 

 Japanese traditional wedding dress.

        I also actively participated in Japanese class and at the same time, I recorded data based on observations made during the class. After almost three months taking Japanese class, I conclude that the learning environment in the Japanese class is totally different from my other classes in the UNL. I have figured out an important Japanese aspect being practiced in the Japanese class: communication between teacher and students. Every day, we greet each other with proper Japanese greetings to maintain a harmony relationship between teacher and students. At the beginning of class, we will greet each other by saying "Konnichiwa" (Good afternoon) and we will say "Sayonara" (Goodbye) at the end of class while bowing to each other (Nurul Norman, observational data, October 26th, 2012). One of my classmates said, "The reason why I am taking this is class is because I really like Japanese accent."

      On November 1st, I went to one of Global Friends of Japan's events at City Union. Many students including students from different countries came to their booth to try takoyaki (Nurul Norman, observational data, November 1st, 2012). Takoyaki is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and it is normally filled with a piece of octopus (Global Friends of Japan, 2012). However, the Global Friends of Japan members decided to replace octopus with kimchi (fermented vegetables) and sausage. "We put kimchi and sausage instead of octopus because most people never eat octopus in real life so they might feel weird if they eat takoyaki with octopus inside it" (Steele Nii, personal communication, November 5th, 2012). Originating from Osaka, takoyaki is one of the most common foods you will see there, as well as festivals and special events all over the Japan (Japancenter, 2010).

 

Special pan is used to cook takoyaki.

 It was my first experience to try takoyaki and it was very delicious. It was only $2 for two pieces of kimchi takoyaki and two pieces of sausage takoyaki.

I made a short video to summarize all the findings and information I have gained to complete this project.

References

Global Friends of Japan. (2012, October 31). Global friends of Japan [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Friends-of-Japan/219951998028688?fref=ts

Japancenter. (2010, June 11). Recipe:takoyaki [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://blog.japancentre.com/2010/06/11/recipe-takoyaki/

Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2012). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

Wordly Weddings. (2010). Japanese wedding traditions. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.worldlyweddings.com/japanese-traditions-a/128.htm

Culture Reporter Blog #2

Japan, Land of the Rising Sun

          Japan is very popular in almost every aspect of life such as technology, custom and tradition, music, art, and others. Even though Japan is considered as one of the smallest countries in the world, everyone would agree with a fact that Japan has become a great nation  after the World War II. According to U.S Department of State, the area of Japan is 377, 835 sq. km. (145,902 sq. mi.) including land and water; about 11% smaller than California (2012). Most people around the world know about Japan and they are very interested to learn more about Japanese society.

The picture above is Observatory Deck in Tokyo. Visitors can enjoy 360 degree panoramic view of the city of the Tokyo in relaxing atmosphere (Nishi, 2012).

For the second culture reporter blog, I have decided to focus on dialectical approach to understand Japanese culture and communication. Dialectical approach is an approach to intercultural communication that integrates three approaches; functionalist, interpretive, and critical in understanding culture and communication (Martin & Nakayama, 2012, p. 71). Currently, I am taking a Japanese class in UNL. Every day, students learn how to read and write different Japanese characters; hiragana, katakana, and kanji in the class. At the same time, I have been participating and observing several Japanese elements in the class  for weeks. 

Different styles of Japanese writings. 

            The learning environment in the Japanese class is totally different from my other classes in UNL. My sensei (lecturer) will greet us at the beginning of the class every day. She says, "Konichiwa (Good afternoon)" and all students will reply, "Konichiwa" too (Nurul Norman, observational data, October 11th, 2012). At the same time, we will bow towards each other as a symbol of respect. Bowing is an important etiquette among Japanese to convey appreciation, gratitude, salutation, respect, and apology. If you’re higher up in society from another person, you’ll notice that they talk more politely to you (to a greater extent than what we do in America / Western cultures), bow more deeply, and even perhaps order the same food as you at a restaurant (Koichi, 2012). Due to globalization, many Japanese nowadays do not really practice a deep bowing (90 degree bow) when they are communicating with each other. Light bow (picture below) is the most common bowing in today's Japanese society. With regard to the processual nature of intercultural communication, it is important to remember that cultures change, as do individuals (Martin & Nakayama, 2012, p. 71).

Standard bow in Japanese culture.

             My sensei always uses suffixes or honorifics when she would like to address us. Honorifics situate people within the Japanese social hierarchy, by showing respect, affection, and humility (Koichi, 2012). She once told us that Japanese never use "you" in their daily conservation because it is very rude to call someone by using the word "you." Instead of using "you," they prefer to call other people by names in their conversation. For example, my sensei addresses me as Norman-san in the class (Nurul Norman, observational data, October 17th, 2012). Usually, Japanese will address foreigners by calling the surname.  In Japan, seniority and manner are very important. It might be appropriate to address American lecturers without using honorifics but it is very inconvenient to address Japanese lecturers by calling their names without putting the suffix -sensei. A dialectical perspective emphasizes the relational aspect of intercultural communication study (Martin & Nakayama, 2012, p. 71). 

Common suffixes used by Japanese:

-san さん: equivalent of Mr. and Ms.
-sensei せんせい : to address teachers, polices, and doctors.
-chan ちゃん: to address children, female family members, animals, lovers, and intimate friends.
-sama さま : to address king, queens, presidents, and sometimes it is also used in business.
-kun くん : to address younger males.

A video lesson about how to use san, sensei, chan, sama, and kun properly.

References

Koichi. (2012). Bowing in Japan [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.tofugu.com/2010/07/12/bowing-in-japan-japanese-etiquette/

Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2012). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

Nishi, Y. (2012, October). Visit Japan international. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=394722960600123&set=a.233100593429028.56028.211783385560749&type=1&theater

U.S Department of State. (2012). Background note: Japan. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. 

Introduction Blog: Culture of Japan

I am interested to do a research on Japanese culture for my Cultural Reporter Semester Project. My curiosity towards Japanese culture is becoming more intense as I am currently taking Japanese class in UNL. I was very excited when I saw my sensei (my Japanese class lecturer) spoke Japanese language during our first meeting just like in Japanese dramas and anime I have watched when I was in high school. From that moment, I am very determined to learn nihongo (Japanese language) and at the same time, to explore Japanese culture as well. 

Nihon (Japan)

What is culture? The definition of culture is very subjective. As for me, culture is a trademark of a nation or society. Culture provides identity and originality of the nation. Culture is also inherited from the past generation and it is mean to be preserved for the next generation. According to Martin and Nakayama (2012), culture is learned patterns of behavior and attitudes shared by a group of people (p. 84). 

Japanese culture is very unique as Japanese are always concerned with the application of cultural values in their daily life. The term "Japanese Traditions" signifies the customs or practices that have been passed on from one generation to another in Japan (Maps of World, 2012). Majority of Japanese in Japan are well-educated by their parents on how to behave properly and conduct their life according to the culture of Japanese. Reciprocity, indebtedness, and loyalty are some of Japanese values which are very important for Japanese society to produce a harmony nation. Japanese culture is always associated with Chinese culture. Chinese culture flowed out of China and into Japan to influence Japanese culture in several waves (Char4u.com, 2012).

The video above explains how Japanese eat sushi. Proper ways to eat sushi are very important for Japanese as they reflect the culture and tradition of Japanese people. When my sensei showed this video in the class, I was amazed with Japanese culture as it always prioritized manners and appropriate gestures when communicating with each other. 

Japanese women in traditional Japanese kimono

This website, Japan National Tourism Organization provides a lot of information about Japan including Japanese culture, Japanese festivals, and famous places in Japan. The information provided is very useful especially for tourists who are interested to visit Japan in the future. Based on the Japan National Tourism Organization website, Japanese celebrate different festivals for each season (2012). During winter, Japanese usually will celebrate Chichibu Yomatsuri (fireworks show) which has been celebrated by them for more than 2000 years.

Chichibu Yomatsuri

I have outlined several plans how to conduct my study on Japanese culture and Japanese people: 

1) Participant observation

Currently, I am taking Japanese language class in UNL. I will use my personal experience in the class for my Cultural Reporter Project. Besides learning how to read and write, I also gain knowledge about Japanese culture from this class. Global Friends of Japan in UNL also conducts various activities to promote Japanese culture among students. I will join the upcoming events to experience and understand Japanese lifestyle and culture.

Global Friends of Japan in UNL.

2) Interview

I know several Japanese students in UNL and they are willing to help me to complete this project. I'm also engaged in teacher-student relationship with my sensei hence I am going to interview her about Japanese culture and Japanese people in details. 

References

Char4u.com. (2012). Chinese culture. The influence of Chinese culture on Japanese culture. Retrieved from http://www.char4u.com/article_info.php?articles_id=47

Japan National Tourism Organization. (2012). Festival and ceremonies. Chicibu Yomatsuri. Retrieved from http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/spot/festival/chichibuyo.html

Maps of World. (2012). Japan. Japanese traditions. Retrieved from http://www.mapsofworld.com/japan/culture/traditions-in-japan.html

Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2012). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

Cultural Identity Video