Had a priceless moment the other day. After this semester's completion ceremony, around 110 of us decided to head off to a bar for a good old-fashioned 飲み放題(nomihoudai), "all-you-can-drink party." The best part of this is that most of this group was exchange students and because we have no idea where we're going, we decide to all head in a massive pact of about 50 people to the local bus stop. When the bus comes, we were surprised to find that there was not a single person on it. Luckily, that means all of us could find a seat. So we all seat down, taking up every seat on the bus might I add, and at the next stop, a few Japanese students get on. They look as if they've just seen a ghost. "Where on earth have all these foreigners come from? And why do they all know each other?" Those were probably their thoughts as we joked around, and had a general good time for the next 40 minutes of our bus ride.
When we got of the bus, we walked to the bar where we would be meeting all of friends. We're waiting outside the elevators to get on, when the elevator doors open. Unfortunately, it's full, but that doesn't mean we didn't have a bit of a laugh first. It went something like this:
Doors open.
The Japanese people inside let their jaws drop and stare at us like we're some kind of crazy foreign being. One guy goes "How-how 何と言う("how do you say it?") How do you do?"
The guy next to him sees our British friend and goes "Harry Potta-"
And then the doors close.
We board the next elevator and go up to the fifth floor where the bar is.
Doors open.
Small band of middle school children stop dead in their tracks and wonder what on earth is going on.
Our friend goes "How do you do children?"
Children look terrified.
We enter the bar and have a great night.
Oh, the fun of being a group of 50 people in a foreign country.
Michelle
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
外人 vs. 外国人
外人 (gaijin) vs. 外国人 (gaikokujin). What's the big difference?
Since it came up again the other day, I thought it'd be useful to truly explain the difference to anyone who is not familiar with the terms. Kanji tends to be pretty literal, so sometimes you might miss the little implications of a word. Both gaijin and gaikokujin mean "foreigner," but the meaning depends on where one is in Japan, who they're talking to, and what age the person is in relation to oneself. Let's take a quick look just for a linguistic point-of-view.
A gaijin is literally a "foreign person." Some Japanese will find it not to be offensive, and they'll use the word frequently. It's shorter, easier to say, and you do hear it quite a bit in daily conversation. However, I feel that the majority of people would still label this a discriminatory term. Oddly enough, there seems to be this weird trend among foreigners to use this term to refer to themselves. If they make a mistake, they'll say something along the lines. "Oh, it's ok because I'm a gaijin." There's even a phrase that has popped up called the "Gaijin Smash." Used by foreigners, it refers to doing something that one knows is frowned upon or illegal and getting away with it due to the fact that one is foreign. For this reason, the Japanese are somewhat at a loss. Even though many of them feel that it's discriminatory, they can't seem to get rid of the term because the people who should feel discriminated against keep using it to refer to themselves.
On the other side of the argument is gaikokujin, which means "a person from a foreign country." Across all boards, this word is considered more polite, but it's also considered more formal.
So, there's a problem. Which to use? The one which is considered a form of 差別 (sabetsu), discrimination by many? Or the word which many will agree is more polite, but sounds a little formal between friends? It's up for debate, but this writer's opinion is for using 外国人, gaikokujin.
Since it came up again the other day, I thought it'd be useful to truly explain the difference to anyone who is not familiar with the terms. Kanji tends to be pretty literal, so sometimes you might miss the little implications of a word. Both gaijin and gaikokujin mean "foreigner," but the meaning depends on where one is in Japan, who they're talking to, and what age the person is in relation to oneself. Let's take a quick look just for a linguistic point-of-view.
A gaijin is literally a "foreign person." Some Japanese will find it not to be offensive, and they'll use the word frequently. It's shorter, easier to say, and you do hear it quite a bit in daily conversation. However, I feel that the majority of people would still label this a discriminatory term. Oddly enough, there seems to be this weird trend among foreigners to use this term to refer to themselves. If they make a mistake, they'll say something along the lines. "Oh, it's ok because I'm a gaijin." There's even a phrase that has popped up called the "Gaijin Smash." Used by foreigners, it refers to doing something that one knows is frowned upon or illegal and getting away with it due to the fact that one is foreign. For this reason, the Japanese are somewhat at a loss. Even though many of them feel that it's discriminatory, they can't seem to get rid of the term because the people who should feel discriminated against keep using it to refer to themselves.
On the other side of the argument is gaikokujin, which means "a person from a foreign country." Across all boards, this word is considered more polite, but it's also considered more formal.
So, there's a problem. Which to use? The one which is considered a form of 差別 (sabetsu), discrimination by many? Or the word which many will agree is more polite, but sounds a little formal between friends? It's up for debate, but this writer's opinion is for using 外国人, gaikokujin.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Valentine's Day and White Day
I really apologize for the delay in blog updates lately. I've been swamped with exams, papers, and tests, so I haven't had the time. But I'll make it up to you in the coming months. The first semester is officially over, and I only have one more report to write. I'm doing it on Japan's problem of 高齢的 or an aging society. There's a ceremony tonight which I'll be going to to show everyone off and then we're all going to a 飲み会 (nomikai), which is really just a really big drinking party.
Since it's been so long, this post will be a light-hearted and yet cultural one. Congratulations.
It's nearing that time of year as we all know. The time when hearts pop up everywhere, things mysteriously become pink, and the stores start selling chocolate like it's going out of style. Yes, it's almost time to think about Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day is pretty much the same world round. Hang out with your special someone, give them a gift or two, and spend your time in blissful love. So I'm sure, you're asking, "Michelle, why are you writing this post?" And you know what? Hold your horses. I'm getting there.
Valentine's Day in Japan is special too, which is why this post exists. Contrary to the States, in Japan women give men chocolate and gifts. Imported around the late 1950's, there are three main types of chocolate giving.
If one feels particularly close to a person, then a gift of some kind normally accompanies the chocolate. This is particularly true of 本命チョコ (honmei-choko).
Of course, except for 友チョコ (tomo-choko), women seem to be left out of this mix. But fear not, for a month later, the men return the favor. This happens on ホワイトデー (White Day), which was said to be brought to Japan by a marshmallow company, therefore giving the day it's name. Set a month after Valentine's Day, on March 14, men send women that they're interested in or by obligation a gift. However, they are not required to return a gift to all the women that sent them chocolate. If it's chocolate or sweets, the color white is preferred, though other gifts are acceptable. These gifts are either equal in value or priced slightly higher it seems.
Michelle
Since it's been so long, this post will be a light-hearted and yet cultural one. Congratulations.
It's nearing that time of year as we all know. The time when hearts pop up everywhere, things mysteriously become pink, and the stores start selling chocolate like it's going out of style. Yes, it's almost time to think about Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day is pretty much the same world round. Hang out with your special someone, give them a gift or two, and spend your time in blissful love. So I'm sure, you're asking, "Michelle, why are you writing this post?" And you know what? Hold your horses. I'm getting there.
Valentine's Day in Japan is special too, which is why this post exists. Contrary to the States, in Japan women give men chocolate and gifts. Imported around the late 1950's, there are three main types of chocolate giving.
- 本命チョコ (honmei-choko) - Literally "true feeling" or "genuine sentiment" chocolate, this is the chocolate you give to your loved one. This chocolate can be bought, but it's tradition to make your own. Normally this is elementary, middle, and high school children, but university students also participate. This chocolate can be anything from your standard type chocolate to things which are chocolatey like cookies, cakes, muffins, pastries, etc. Heart shapes are suggested though.
- 義理チョコ (giri-choko) - Called "obligation/duty" chocolate, this is the chocolate that you give to your boss, male friends, or anyone that you feel doesn't have a girlfriend and therefore deserves to get chocolate out of pity. Your goal is not to let any man feel left out. This does not need to be anything extravagant but it is required to fill the obligation.
- 友チョコ (tomo-choko) - This is what we call "friend" chocolate. Basically, girls are sad that they don't get any chocolate on Valentine's, so they send chocolate to each other.
If one feels particularly close to a person, then a gift of some kind normally accompanies the chocolate. This is particularly true of 本命チョコ (honmei-choko).
Of course, except for 友チョコ (tomo-choko), women seem to be left out of this mix. But fear not, for a month later, the men return the favor. This happens on ホワイトデー (White Day), which was said to be brought to Japan by a marshmallow company, therefore giving the day it's name. Set a month after Valentine's Day, on March 14, men send women that they're interested in or by obligation a gift. However, they are not required to return a gift to all the women that sent them chocolate. If it's chocolate or sweets, the color white is preferred, though other gifts are acceptable. These gifts are either equal in value or priced slightly higher it seems.
Michelle
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Of Christmas & New Years Part II
Well, it's that's time again. The time when I keep my promise and write part II of my adventures over the holidays. Because I'm supposed to be studying for a test, writing essays, and preparing for exams, and instead I'm procrastinating with this blog, you all should feel very special. No worries, don't feel guilty. Just special. I'm enjoying the procrastination as much as you are.
December 31st, also known as New Year's Eve, is a pretty relaxed day in Japan. People continue to make their New Year's foods, osechi-ryouri (おせち料理), but these are just the final preparations. Once the clock hits about 8 or so, the real fun begins. I can only really describe it as in the States during the Macy's Day Parade on on New Year's when we sometimes have singers as they count down to the New Year, there's that sort of thing here. Put on by NHK, top singers from around the country are invited. Depending on their gender, they are put into either the red (female) or white (male) team. They then compete with their top song of the year, and people vote for one or the other at the end. The event, which is called Kouhaku (紅白), goes on until 11:45. Almost everyone watches it, and although there are times when you're sleepy, I admit that it is pretty fun.
At 11:45, all programs switch to the New Year's celebrations, which means that they go to temples and such. At midnight, bells around the city can be heard. These bells, which will be rung 108 times to signify the 108 earthly temptations/desires that one must overcome in order to reach nirvana (enlightenment) in Buddhism. It's tradition at this time to all get back in normal clothes, and trek to the neighborhood shrine. Once there, you make an offering and a wish/prayer for the new year. (At this point, I was the only foreigner in the temple, so it was a little interesting.) After this, a nice gentleman walks up and hands you amazake (甘酒), literally "sweet sake/rice wine." It's called sweet for a reason, and I don't recommend drinking a lot of it, but somehow I seem to have had 3 to 4 glasses of it that night. Luckily, it's not very strong, so there were no bad effects. Amazake is only drunk at the New Year though, so families will make their own, and you end up drinking a ton of the stuff. When you're done drinking amazake, or maybe while you're drinking amazake, you eat soba (おそば), which is a type of thin noodle. On New Year's Day though, it's called toshikoshisoba (年越しそば), literally "End of the Year Soba."
The next day, you wake up and deliver a round of "Happy New Year!" (明けましたおめでとうございます) to everyone you meet. You partake in a little bit of sake, literally a drop, giving thanks and welcoming the New Year. At this point, we went to another shrine and took some arrows with us. Used to ban evil from the household, you throw these away and get new ones for the new year. We also got omikuji (おみくじ), which is a sort of fortune. They can either be good or bad. If they're good, you take them home with you. If they're bad, you tie them to a tree or rope and leave them there so you won't bring the bad luck home with you.
After we returned home, we finished preparations and then ate dinner with the extended family. It was a great night, and I seem to remember more amazake, sake, whiskey, wine, and beer being passed around. Otoshidama (お年玉) was also given, which translates as a New Year's monetary gift that you give children.
In the next few days, we went to Kawasaki Daishi (川崎大師), a really famous temple. We ate dinner off the street vendors there, and I got to have my favorite baby castella (べービーカステル) for dessert. Taisuke bought them for me, and I got an entire bag for only 500 yen! It was the best 500 yen a person has ever spent. I don't need nice things, just baby castella for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, I was pretty stuffed at this point, so I ate a few and put the rest inside my jacket for future snacking. Some people hide keys or rings or useful things in their breasts. I hide baby castella. Every five minutes, I'd unzip my coat, take them out, and eat one. Then, I'd put them back where they'd be nice and warm. I got some strange looks from the Japanese people around me, but it was worth it. They just didn't understand my joy.
Finally, we went to the Rice Bowl, which is the biggest football event in Japan. The top university team plays against the top company team. The company teams are basically the Japanese equivalent of the NFL. This year it was Ritsumeikan Panthers against the Obic Seagulls. The Seagulls won, but it was still a lot of fun.
We also went to DisneySea, which is the only DisneySea in the world. It's owned by a Japanese company actually, and everything is centered around the volcano in the middle. It's not so much focused on the rides as it is the scenery, so we had a great time.
I should probably get back to studying, so I'll update again another time.
Michelle
December 31st, also known as New Year's Eve, is a pretty relaxed day in Japan. People continue to make their New Year's foods, osechi-ryouri (おせち料理), but these are just the final preparations. Once the clock hits about 8 or so, the real fun begins. I can only really describe it as in the States during the Macy's Day Parade on on New Year's when we sometimes have singers as they count down to the New Year, there's that sort of thing here. Put on by NHK, top singers from around the country are invited. Depending on their gender, they are put into either the red (female) or white (male) team. They then compete with their top song of the year, and people vote for one or the other at the end. The event, which is called Kouhaku (紅白), goes on until 11:45. Almost everyone watches it, and although there are times when you're sleepy, I admit that it is pretty fun.
At 11:45, all programs switch to the New Year's celebrations, which means that they go to temples and such. At midnight, bells around the city can be heard. These bells, which will be rung 108 times to signify the 108 earthly temptations/desires that one must overcome in order to reach nirvana (enlightenment) in Buddhism. It's tradition at this time to all get back in normal clothes, and trek to the neighborhood shrine. Once there, you make an offering and a wish/prayer for the new year. (At this point, I was the only foreigner in the temple, so it was a little interesting.) After this, a nice gentleman walks up and hands you amazake (甘酒), literally "sweet sake/rice wine." It's called sweet for a reason, and I don't recommend drinking a lot of it, but somehow I seem to have had 3 to 4 glasses of it that night. Luckily, it's not very strong, so there were no bad effects. Amazake is only drunk at the New Year though, so families will make their own, and you end up drinking a ton of the stuff. When you're done drinking amazake, or maybe while you're drinking amazake, you eat soba (おそば), which is a type of thin noodle. On New Year's Day though, it's called toshikoshisoba (年越しそば), literally "End of the Year Soba."
The next day, you wake up and deliver a round of "Happy New Year!" (明けましたおめでとうございます) to everyone you meet. You partake in a little bit of sake, literally a drop, giving thanks and welcoming the New Year. At this point, we went to another shrine and took some arrows with us. Used to ban evil from the household, you throw these away and get new ones for the new year. We also got omikuji (おみくじ), which is a sort of fortune. They can either be good or bad. If they're good, you take them home with you. If they're bad, you tie them to a tree or rope and leave them there so you won't bring the bad luck home with you.
After we returned home, we finished preparations and then ate dinner with the extended family. It was a great night, and I seem to remember more amazake, sake, whiskey, wine, and beer being passed around. Otoshidama (お年玉) was also given, which translates as a New Year's monetary gift that you give children.
In the next few days, we went to Kawasaki Daishi (川崎大師), a really famous temple. We ate dinner off the street vendors there, and I got to have my favorite baby castella (べービーカステル) for dessert. Taisuke bought them for me, and I got an entire bag for only 500 yen! It was the best 500 yen a person has ever spent. I don't need nice things, just baby castella for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, I was pretty stuffed at this point, so I ate a few and put the rest inside my jacket for future snacking. Some people hide keys or rings or useful things in their breasts. I hide baby castella. Every five minutes, I'd unzip my coat, take them out, and eat one. Then, I'd put them back where they'd be nice and warm. I got some strange looks from the Japanese people around me, but it was worth it. They just didn't understand my joy.
Finally, we went to the Rice Bowl, which is the biggest football event in Japan. The top university team plays against the top company team. The company teams are basically the Japanese equivalent of the NFL. This year it was Ritsumeikan Panthers against the Obic Seagulls. The Seagulls won, but it was still a lot of fun.
We also went to DisneySea, which is the only DisneySea in the world. It's owned by a Japanese company actually, and everything is centered around the volcano in the middle. It's not so much focused on the rides as it is the scenery, so we had a great time.
I should probably get back to studying, so I'll update again another time.
Michelle
Friday, January 7, 2011
Of Christmas & New Year Part I
So I took a little trip to Tokyo for the holidays. It was a great experience to see people and to also experience a little culture and some traditions as well. Of course, I'd like to post the entire experience here, but it could probably make up a book, so instead I'll do the highlights in a series of posts.
First off, I went and saw a really cool movie called 相棒 (Aibou), meaning "Partners." It was based on a very popular TV series here in Japan, which I believe is on its ninth season now. The series is about a couple detectives, who are extremely smart. In fact, they're despised most of their division because they tend to just take cases they want and never take cases that they are assigned. However, since they always solve their cases, they're never fired. The movie is focused on a hostage situation, and the results that come from it. I'm not going to lie. It was not exactly easy to understand, but it was very good for my Japanese. I did get a fair amount, but by no means everything. Since it was a suspense-type movie, there was lots of plot twists and such, so although I did get most of the key stuff, by no means did I get everything. However, I watched a lot of the TV series after as well, and it was a blast. I'm really happy I got to see it, and for anyone interested who speaks Japanese, I'd strongly recommend it. You can find the movie's website and trailer here: Aibou Official Website.
After that, I went with Taisuke to Yokohama（横浜). Yokohama is really a beautiful port city. Not only does it have a lot of history - for those history buffs out there, you'll remember it as the place where Commodore Perry's Black Ships landed to open up Japan to the rest of the world - it also is extremely modern and a lot of fun explore. We went obviously in the hopes of seeing the ocean, but also to see Yokohama's famous Chinatown. It's the biggest in Japan, I believe. Although it was a little cold, the trip was definitely worth it!
First off, I went and saw a really cool movie called 相棒 (Aibou), meaning "Partners." It was based on a very popular TV series here in Japan, which I believe is on its ninth season now. The series is about a couple detectives, who are extremely smart. In fact, they're despised most of their division because they tend to just take cases they want and never take cases that they are assigned. However, since they always solve their cases, they're never fired. The movie is focused on a hostage situation, and the results that come from it. I'm not going to lie. It was not exactly easy to understand, but it was very good for my Japanese. I did get a fair amount, but by no means everything. Since it was a suspense-type movie, there was lots of plot twists and such, so although I did get most of the key stuff, by no means did I get everything. However, I watched a lot of the TV series after as well, and it was a blast. I'm really happy I got to see it, and for anyone interested who speaks Japanese, I'd strongly recommend it. You can find the movie's website and trailer here: Aibou Official Website.
After that, I went with Taisuke to Yokohama（横浜). Yokohama is really a beautiful port city. Not only does it have a lot of history - for those history buffs out there, you'll remember it as the place where Commodore Perry's Black Ships landed to open up Japan to the rest of the world - it also is extremely modern and a lot of fun explore. We went obviously in the hopes of seeing the ocean, but also to see Yokohama's famous Chinatown. It's the biggest in Japan, I believe. Although it was a little cold, the trip was definitely worth it!
Yokohama's Famous Skyline
We went on a huge pier to go look at the sea, and I snapped this picture
There was also an outdoor ice skating rink. Although I'm really lousy at it, it was a blast! I can't remember the last time I went ice skating, and this is by one of the main monuments. That big red warehouse is famous for being a big red brick warehouse. I don't know why it's famous though.
Chinatown. We had some delicious Chinese food here.
Making mochi for the new year. This is rice that has been hammered into a sticky substance kind of like goo. It's very delicious and is one of the many osechi-ryouri （おせち料理), or one of the traditional New Year's foods.
We also went to Chichibu（ 秩父), a country town outside of Tokyo. It took us about 2 hours to drive there, and it was probably my favorite part of the trip! Tokyo is really a convenient city since it's so big you can find anything and you can get anywhere quickly, but it's also very crowded, especially around the holidays. So, it was really nice to get out of Tokyo and into the country for a little bit. It was my first time in the country in Japan, and I'm so happy I got to go! While I was there with Taisuke and his family, I got to meet his extended family and we also went exploring. Got to love exploring!
We went off and climbed the mountains behind his grandparents' house. It was great to go hiking again and to get some fresh air. We were able to see everything below us, the houses, the scenery, and the river flowing through it all. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful it was!
Some sort of farm. We thought it might be for rice, but rice doesn't grow in the winter, so we're not sure what it was.
Because they had just rerouted the river, we did go and play by it, but it was really cold. So we ended up walking on the original riverbed instead for most of it, skipping rocks in puddles, and playing on the ice patches. It was really interesting to see the original riverbed, since the rocks were worn smooth over time.
In classic Mego style, I realized that I'd never played with bamboo before, so Taisuke and I set off on an adventure to go gather some. Although we saw something that I thought was bamboo, it was only sasa (ささ), which is a type of bamboo, but it's not the big kind. Rather, it's only a thin flexible type that can't really be used for what we wanted. So we hike to where there was a bamboo forest, takebayashi (竹林) ,
in the past, but it had been cut down. Luckily, all of the bamboo was still there, so we sorted through the piles to collect a good one. This piece of bamboo is about 15 feet (3 meters) long. And we carried it down the mountain and back to the house. Taisuke, in his "I can make anything with a pocketknife" attitude, announced that he would teach me how to make cups and chopsticks. While he was at it, he'd make a flower vase for good measure.
in the past, but it had been cut down. Luckily, all of the bamboo was still there, so we sorted through the piles to collect a good one. This piece of bamboo is about 15 feet (3 meters) long. And we carried it down the mountain and back to the house. Taisuke, in his "I can make anything with a pocketknife" attitude, announced that he would teach me how to make cups and chopsticks. While he was at it, he'd make a flower vase for good measure.
The finished product after a couple hours work.
Since it was really very cold, we decided to head back inside to warm up under the kotatsu. A kotatsu is a type of table which has a heater underneath. It also has blankets fastened to it to keep the heat in. Basically, you sit with your legs beneath is, curl up, talk with people, and more than likely, take a nap. I found them absolutely fascinating since it was my first experience with one, so I kept checking underneath to see how it worked. There's a little switch that you flip on, and it heats. There's no worries about getting burned or anything, since the heater is covered, but you definitely stay warm.
The kotatsu and one of the rooms in his grandparents' house. Their house is designed in the traditional fashion, so it's really beautiful. The floor is tatami mats and wood.
Unfortunately, the Chichibu dialect (秩父弁) is extremely difficult to understand, so I felt bad because I couldn't understand everything his grandparents said, but it was a lot of fun, and I'm glad I was to go. Here's a final shot of everyone, excluding his mother because she was taking the picture at the time.
And that's the end of the first few days.
Michelle
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