Why Japan and Managing differences
Why Japan?
This culture
closely aligns with my personal identity. My mother’s side of the family is from
Japan and lived there for generations. While traveling the world, my mother met
my father, who is an American living in Europe, and she raised my brother and
me with the same cultural expectations that a family in Japan would follow. The
only difference between our development and my mother's was how my brother and
I grew up in America, with different economic advantages and disadvantages.
That said, there is a difference between growing up in Japan, getting cultural
formation second hand, and then living in America, which is a completely different
cultural environment. Acknowledging these differences is highly important to me
because they are part of my family’s history.
For me, when engaging in a deeper dive for Japan, not
only will it help me understand
my family history, but it will also
be beneficial to my understanding of those differences in raising my future
kids in this cultural environment. I also believe that his deeper understanding
will make me more effective when interacting with people from Japan, rather
than going in with an assumption of what I think Japanese culture is about. When
thinking of Japan, I primarily think of festivals and the attire worn to these festivals,
also known as Yukata. A Yukata is more of a robe worn with various designs;
they are typically less formal and usually worn to festivals. On the other
hand, we have the Kimono, these are usually worn with more formality and more
elegance. So, what's the biggest difference? Kimonos are more traditional and
worn with more layers, best for the wintertime, while Yukatas are worn with
fewer layers, meant for the summertime.
That being said, the most popular place to wear one of
these attires is the festival also known as Matsuri, which is not only for
entertainment but is also to bring the community together and appreciate the
cultural aspects of Japan. Festivals are usually held at shrines, which are
very sacred monuments in Japanese culture. Each and every shrine in Japan
individually has its own prophetic meaning. Every shrine is unique, and each
has its own unique history and spiritual meaning and is the gateway to speaking
to God. A fun aspect of going to these festivals is the amount of food and/or
souvenirs at these festivals. Some of my personal favorites that I highly
recommend are: Takoyaki, Bento, Peko-chan, and Konpeito!
There’s definitely a ton of misconceptions about
Japan. The people I talk to about Japan quickly associate Japan with Anime and
are also quick to sexualize the race itself. To explain the quote, from how we
were raised and how our social norms are embedded into our lives, tends not be
the same social norms as in other cultures. This can make us think that things
like bowing instead of waving are weird or sitting in a chair and not a cushion
on the floor seems uncomfortable or strange. We all have different cultural
views, and it shapes us into the people we are today. Just like how older
individuals in the rural areas (also known as Inaka), are particularly fixed on
the idea that Americans should not be in Japan.
To make sure I don’t get any bias in my research, I
will be gathering more of my information through people from Japan, like
journalists and citizens, as well as getting my information from several
resources. As said above, there are a ton of misconceptions about Japan, and so
watching interviews by Japanese citizens rather than others who are travelling
to Japan for a vacation is very crucial.
Managing differences
When considering the difficulty of
living in Japan, which would be within the one-to-two-week range, I initially
thought it would be easier for me since I know how to speak, understand, and
write in Japanese at a basic level, but that’s when I realized I can’t read
Kanji. Kanji is a huge part of Japan; everywhere you look, you will see Kanji,
especially if you’re in areas that are not populated with younger generations
or not tourist areas. Considering this, I think it depends on where you want to
stay in Japan and how deeply you want to learn about Japanese culture. If you
want to live in Tokyo, it should be easy, as most of the residents there will
know how to speak English, and there are usually signs that are in English,
since Tokyo is turning more western by the day, with English being the
secondary language on flyers and signs.
To live in Japan for one year or
more usually hints at having to have some sort of income unless you’re rich,
but assuming we’re not, living in a foreign country for more than a year, we’d
need to have some sort of income. When working in Japan, being able to
understand Japanese work culture is important, as well as verbal and nonverbal
communications, being the biggest challenge. For instance, the ability to greet
someone is very important, the etiquette of saying the right term for hello
depending on the time of day, and then assessing their superiority above you,
could be age or ranking at your job. After gathering these queues, it is
important to articulate this while greeting in a formal way. This is different
from Western culture, where we get off with just saying “Hello” or “Good
morning.” There is no formality when saying these when compared to Japanese
greetings. For example, in the morning, you would say, “Good morning, boss,
I’ll do my best.” When it comes to nonverbal cues such as greeting, apologizing,
and thanking, the bow is used. Respect is always shown in Japanese culture but
depending on how much respect you want to show, the degree of the bow is
important. A 15-degree bow is a little but still prominent amount of respect
that is usually shown when greeting your neighbor or a stranger. The 30-degree
bow is more respectful, usually for co-workers or classmates, and the 45-degree
bow is the most respectful, usually to a boss, significant partner, or as an
apology.
The components of intercultural
ethics that I will apply in future intercultural exchanges are verbal and
nonverbal communication. Knowing how to speak a little bit of Japanese shows a
huge respect for Japanese culture, even if you’re not pronouncing it correctly.
Learning how to say a few phrases is an important component in future
intercultural exchanges. In Japan, nonverbal communication is also very
important, as we use nonverbal cues almost every day. Being able to interact
with others to create harmony and community is part of using nonverbal cues;
simply bowing to one another significantly influences the community's harmony. Learning
when and how to bow, as well as knowing how to gesture to indicate a location
with the full hand, and not pointing, shows respect to the other party.
When I think of ways to stick with
my American cultural values, what Dr. Carter mentioned about getting excited to
go to Denny’s was a good example. Other examples include Starbucks and
McDonald's. That’s not all, as long as you stay in Tokyo, there will be a ton
of foreigners just like us who came to visit Japan who are most likely who are
English speakers. Using this as an advantage, sticking to tourist areas is also
an effective way to stay culturally close to back home. Another example is
renting a car. In Japan, the main way of travel is by bus or train. It can get
hectic if you’re not from Japan, so to stay close to your cultural values,
renting a car would be something I might do to stay closer to my values.
