Well, it's another week, and I feel obligated to crank out this blog post before people accuse me of not keeping my promise. So I'm cranking out some club music to get me in the mood. And I'm not gonna' lie, this is one of those weeks where it's actually difficult to think up a topic. I've gone through three or four now, and none of them have seemed to work, so I've decided to go with this.
First, I'd like to wish everyone happy holidays! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year's, and whatever other holiday you may celebrate! Everything is lit up here in Japan; trees and lights are everywhere, and it's beautiful. Christmas is more of a friend or couples holiday here. New Year's is for families though. It's interesting to see it reversed from the States.
Second, I've noticed something really curious about dogs here in Japan. People really like their dogs, and when I say really, I mean obsess over. You know how there's this whole joke about "bag dogs"? Meaning, you don't let your dog walk and instead you carry it in your purse, or other bag. Here, that seems to be pretty common. I've seen more dogs in bags in the past couple days than I've seen in any Legally Blonde movie. They're in purses, briefcases, satchels, gift bags, you name it. There's a dog in it.
Also, while we're on the subject of dogs, there are some serious dogs in sweaters here. Every dog has a sweater. In the States, if you put a sweater on your dog, people laugh at it, and then they laugh at you. Because it's just strange. People don't do it. But here, dogs love sweaters, or rather, they have sweaters. At first, it was the bag dogs, and I thought, "Poor dog. Not only is it in a bag, but now it's forced to wear a sweater too." But then the trend grew. I saw a Golden Retriever the other day with a sweater on. I honestly don't think it did anything. It's a dog with really thick fur, but who knows. Dogs can wear sweaters too.
Finally, the most perplexing of all trends is the current fashion to wear what we'd term in the States as "hooker boots." For those of you who are not familiar with this term, think the boots that are very tall which basically go up to your thighs. These are not in any way acceptable back home, but people wear them everywhere here. I see girls come to school with their short little skirts (yes, in the middle of winter) and hooker boots. I see little girls who are barely old enough to walk wearing hooker boots. I see moms and grandmas wearing hooker boots. Of all trends I've seen so far, this is the one that confuses me the most. How on earth did these things get marketed to the masses?
I welcome any input.
In the meantime, happy holidays to all!
Michelle
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Kobe Luminarie
I decided to take a little trip the other day to Kobe for a really interesting experience. Kobe is known for a variety of things: Its beautiful ocean, its beef, and most importantly as the site of the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995. This earthquake occurred on January 17, 1995, and although it hit the entire region, Kobe was hit the hardest. It took thousands of lives and did trillions of dollars in damage. When you visit Kobe today, you would not even think of this tragedy. It's revived into a bustling city, but the memory of it is still fresh in people's minds. So, I took a few trains with some friends for 600 yen, and we were there in and hour and half.
Every year since the Great Hanshin Earthquake, Kobe holds a festival called the 神戸ルミナリエ (Kobe Luminarie). Basically, lights are strung around the city for 2 weeks, and it's free for anyone to enter. Donation boxes throughout the area go toward not only providing the light show, but also go toward helping those in need in case of another earthquake.
You walk in through a line of lit up trees as you approach the picture below. I'll be honest. I've never seen anything like this before, and it's amazing.
Every year since the Great Hanshin Earthquake, Kobe holds a festival called the 神戸ルミナリエ (Kobe Luminarie). Basically, lights are strung around the city for 2 weeks, and it's free for anyone to enter. Donation boxes throughout the area go toward not only providing the light show, but also go toward helping those in need in case of another earthquake.
You walk in through a line of lit up trees as you approach the picture below. I'll be honest. I've never seen anything like this before, and it's amazing.
Keep walking and you get to go underneath all those arches.
There are entire structures built out of lights.
Even though there were a lot of people, things moved pretty quickly. We were able to move around with no problems whatsoever, and it was amazing. We also had the best からあげ (karage) I've ever had as well as something new called ベービーカステラ (baby kasutera), which was essentially little dough balls.
Anyway, all in all, it was a great trip, even though we were only there for a few hours. Next time, we'll go see the ocean and visit Chinatown. I already can't wait to go back. For now, here's a picture of Kobe at night.
Later!
Michelle
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Of Burakumin
Although I had intended for this to be a happier post infused with some good old-fashioned humor, plans have changed. Instead, I'd like to cover the controversial topic of 被差別部落民, hisabetsu-burakumin. For those of you who have been to Japan, you'll know that this is more than a little difficult to find information on. In fact, the Japanese purposefully will avoid the topic unless you are very close friends. In that case, you will get an honest answer, but the topic will still be somewhat taboo. Luckily, at a university, you are able to learn about such things in class, and then you may talk to your fellow classmates on the subject. Broaching it with someone else though is definitely not recommended.
Burakumin roughly translates to "the sect(ion) of fallen people." These are descendants from Japan's feudal outcast group. Like in many traditional caste societies, the lowest group was compsed of the 穢多 (eta), or those who worked with animal carcasses. These people were therefore tanners, butchers, etc. People with severe diseases such as leprosy could also be put into this group sometimes. They were often segregated from the cities since their work was considered unclean. This therefore led to the stigma that they themselves were unclean.
Interestingly, the Buddhism perpetuated this myth. Although Buddhism normally promotes acceptance of all people, and especially encourages those to feel sympathy toward and help those of lesser status, the case was different for the burakumin. This is because Buddhism, along with Shintoism holds the belief that killing anything will cause a sort of stain. These people therefore were condemned to wander from place to place, separated from the rest of the "clean" society.
The burakumin have been discriminated against in multiple ways. Beside being forced to live in buraku settlements, they were also discriminated against when seeking employment or marriage. When applying for a job, individuals are required to submit their koseki, which in the past was a history of the family lineage, but now just includes the immediate family and the address of the household. Based on the address, employers could check to see if their potential employee was a burakumin or not. If they were, they would immediately be dropped from the prospective employees. The same could be said for marriage investigations. If the individual was found to be a burakumin, the marriage would be cancelled.
In 1871, the burakumin caste system was abolished, and the burakumin were officially freed. Since then, it has been made illegal to discriminate against someone based on whether or not their ancestors were burakumin. Still, even today it was rare for someone to admit to that past. Although things have changed much from their past, that social stigma is hard to forget, so many will keep it a secret.
Although much of the social stigma has faded, it is still an uncomfortable topic for many Japanese. Without a doubt, they have become ashamed of such past treatment. Although some discrimination does still persist among other minority groups, this is mostly hidden from daily view. Unless one is a member of that group and they are in particular parts of the country, the likelihood of encountering discrimination has faded. Of course, it would be wrong of me to say that it has vanished altogether. It is the same with my home country. It is true that things are gradually improving, but there is still a long way to go.
Michelle
Burakumin roughly translates to "the sect(ion) of fallen people." These are descendants from Japan's feudal outcast group. Like in many traditional caste societies, the lowest group was compsed of the 穢多 (eta), or those who worked with animal carcasses. These people were therefore tanners, butchers, etc. People with severe diseases such as leprosy could also be put into this group sometimes. They were often segregated from the cities since their work was considered unclean. This therefore led to the stigma that they themselves were unclean.
Interestingly, the Buddhism perpetuated this myth. Although Buddhism normally promotes acceptance of all people, and especially encourages those to feel sympathy toward and help those of lesser status, the case was different for the burakumin. This is because Buddhism, along with Shintoism holds the belief that killing anything will cause a sort of stain. These people therefore were condemned to wander from place to place, separated from the rest of the "clean" society.
The burakumin have been discriminated against in multiple ways. Beside being forced to live in buraku settlements, they were also discriminated against when seeking employment or marriage. When applying for a job, individuals are required to submit their koseki, which in the past was a history of the family lineage, but now just includes the immediate family and the address of the household. Based on the address, employers could check to see if their potential employee was a burakumin or not. If they were, they would immediately be dropped from the prospective employees. The same could be said for marriage investigations. If the individual was found to be a burakumin, the marriage would be cancelled.
In 1871, the burakumin caste system was abolished, and the burakumin were officially freed. Since then, it has been made illegal to discriminate against someone based on whether or not their ancestors were burakumin. Still, even today it was rare for someone to admit to that past. Although things have changed much from their past, that social stigma is hard to forget, so many will keep it a secret.
Although much of the social stigma has faded, it is still an uncomfortable topic for many Japanese. Without a doubt, they have become ashamed of such past treatment. Although some discrimination does still persist among other minority groups, this is mostly hidden from daily view. Unless one is a member of that group and they are in particular parts of the country, the likelihood of encountering discrimination has faded. Of course, it would be wrong of me to say that it has vanished altogether. It is the same with my home country. It is true that things are gradually improving, but there is still a long way to go.
Michelle
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Of Job Hunting
Well it's a new week and a new blog post. I apologize for the delay. Things have been a little busy around here. Tests all the time, some nonsense with my home university, and other such things. But this blog is not about that, so onto a little news and then a light-hearted topic (cause it's been way too long since we've had one of those).
News:
1. North Korea is still being crazy. Nothing's solved yet. The US and South Korea are still holding drills. China is still "managing" the situation, and Japan is monitoring it.
2. Tokyo's been having earthquakes, but not Kansai. So it's a little sad. No worries though, seems like everything's fine.
And now for the main topic of this blog: Job Hunting. I admit, it's still not the most light-hearted topic, but it is interesting, and it is phenomenally important, especially for those of you considering working in Japan.
For those of you familiar with Japanese, the word for job hunting is 就職活動 (shuushoku katsudou), or 就活 (shuukatsu) for short. I've been talking to a lot of the Japanese students here, and this job-hunting process seems to be pretty involved, even when it is compared to other countries. For example, the Japanese job-hunting process begins around November of your junior year. At this time, you gather information and decide on the companies that you are interested in, and then you give your resume to them. Typically, the apply to 50-60 companies. You then attend numerous company presentations and job fairs to show that you are interested. During these times, you must be infinitely punctual and wear nice clothing (suits, ties, etc.) So far, nothing is really different.
But here's where things change. You will be asked by the company to attend a series of interviews. You start out talking to the lowest people in the company and advance your way to the highest tiers of the organization. You will have anywhere from 5-10 interviews per company, which means you can easily attend 100 interviews during your job hunting process. As you advance through the system of interviews, eventually you will attend something called a "pressure interview." Basically, this is you and a selection of the highest individuals in the company; they will question the choices you've made in your life and how you plan to continue. From what I understand, this is the most intense part of the process, since you are essentially being interviewed by the CEO of the company for an hour. If you manage to pass this, congratulations.
Interestingly enough, just for kicks and giggles I've included a stereotypical question. Let's say you have the following situation. You are driving a car when you see your best friend, a beautiful woman, and an elderly person who needs to go the hospital at a bus stop. What do you do? Only 2 people can be in the car at the same time.
Let's think about this for a minute. You could take the elderly person to the hospital yourself and leave the other two at the bus stop. This is a fair answer. However, the answer that companies often look for is the following: You give your car to your best friend. He then takes the person to the hospital for you. You wait at the bus stop with the young woman, and then you get your car back from your friend later. Why? This shows that you are thinking of the group, and that you can cooperate with others. By willing to lend your car to your best friend, it shows that you trust him, and that you can form that kind of relationship, a valuable asset in any company. You also get the person to the hospital in time, definitely a bonus.
So, let's say you've decided on the company, and then for the next several months (particularly January-March) you attend job interviews. Different companies conduct their interviews during different times. For example, large corporations may conduct them earlier, foreign companies conduct a little later, and other small companies may be later than that. It all depends on what field you want to go into. On April 1, or around there, companies release their choices. If you receive offers, you then choose your company. If not, you continue job hunting.
Assuming you were given offers, and after you have made your choice, you will attend numerous company bonding experiences with the intention of making you a loyal company employee. Your boss will take you out drinking for example, he will inquire about your family, and you will grow closer. In exchange, you work hard for the company. Although companies are moving away from this idea, the idea of human relationships within the company is still very strong. By destroying any of those relationships, or by failing to form them at all, you will jeapordize not only your position in the company but also the company's standing in the economy.
When you first join a company, you will often be moved to a distant branch office for a year or two to gain experience. After the company has decided that you are of some use, they will move you back to a more prominent branch.
If you have any other questions or comments, feel free to post below.
Michelle
News:
1. North Korea is still being crazy. Nothing's solved yet. The US and South Korea are still holding drills. China is still "managing" the situation, and Japan is monitoring it.
2. Tokyo's been having earthquakes, but not Kansai. So it's a little sad. No worries though, seems like everything's fine.
And now for the main topic of this blog: Job Hunting. I admit, it's still not the most light-hearted topic, but it is interesting, and it is phenomenally important, especially for those of you considering working in Japan.
For those of you familiar with Japanese, the word for job hunting is 就職活動 (shuushoku katsudou), or 就活 (shuukatsu) for short. I've been talking to a lot of the Japanese students here, and this job-hunting process seems to be pretty involved, even when it is compared to other countries. For example, the Japanese job-hunting process begins around November of your junior year. At this time, you gather information and decide on the companies that you are interested in, and then you give your resume to them. Typically, the apply to 50-60 companies. You then attend numerous company presentations and job fairs to show that you are interested. During these times, you must be infinitely punctual and wear nice clothing (suits, ties, etc.) So far, nothing is really different.
But here's where things change. You will be asked by the company to attend a series of interviews. You start out talking to the lowest people in the company and advance your way to the highest tiers of the organization. You will have anywhere from 5-10 interviews per company, which means you can easily attend 100 interviews during your job hunting process. As you advance through the system of interviews, eventually you will attend something called a "pressure interview." Basically, this is you and a selection of the highest individuals in the company; they will question the choices you've made in your life and how you plan to continue. From what I understand, this is the most intense part of the process, since you are essentially being interviewed by the CEO of the company for an hour. If you manage to pass this, congratulations.
Interestingly enough, just for kicks and giggles I've included a stereotypical question. Let's say you have the following situation. You are driving a car when you see your best friend, a beautiful woman, and an elderly person who needs to go the hospital at a bus stop. What do you do? Only 2 people can be in the car at the same time.
Let's think about this for a minute. You could take the elderly person to the hospital yourself and leave the other two at the bus stop. This is a fair answer. However, the answer that companies often look for is the following: You give your car to your best friend. He then takes the person to the hospital for you. You wait at the bus stop with the young woman, and then you get your car back from your friend later. Why? This shows that you are thinking of the group, and that you can cooperate with others. By willing to lend your car to your best friend, it shows that you trust him, and that you can form that kind of relationship, a valuable asset in any company. You also get the person to the hospital in time, definitely a bonus.
So, let's say you've decided on the company, and then for the next several months (particularly January-March) you attend job interviews. Different companies conduct their interviews during different times. For example, large corporations may conduct them earlier, foreign companies conduct a little later, and other small companies may be later than that. It all depends on what field you want to go into. On April 1, or around there, companies release their choices. If you receive offers, you then choose your company. If not, you continue job hunting.
Assuming you were given offers, and after you have made your choice, you will attend numerous company bonding experiences with the intention of making you a loyal company employee. Your boss will take you out drinking for example, he will inquire about your family, and you will grow closer. In exchange, you work hard for the company. Although companies are moving away from this idea, the idea of human relationships within the company is still very strong. By destroying any of those relationships, or by failing to form them at all, you will jeapordize not only your position in the company but also the company's standing in the economy.
When you first join a company, you will often be moved to a distant branch office for a year or two to gain experience. After the company has decided that you are of some use, they will move you back to a more prominent branch.
If you have any other questions or comments, feel free to post below.
Michelle
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