Blog #7

After Discussion Reflection:

I feel that the discussion went very well. There were many different opinions being shared and I feel that is always a very positive thing when looking at an in class discussion. One thing that sticks out to me was the discussion on the different thoughts on how the ending of the movie went. To many they saw it as a very sad ending, however I feel that the ending was perfect and despite the gore, a very happy ending. Magoza, by committing sepuku, finally felt like he was in his place in the world. He had fulfilled his obligations to his leader and finally could have an honorable death, that he was denied many, many years ago. I feel if you take this into account, the ending becomes a bit happier.

Hedataru to Najimu:

a) "According to Hall (1970, pp 169-170), 90 centimeters is the limit for physically controlling others, or the distance from which one can maintain personal negotiations. Therefore, sanjyaku is the most appropriate distance for master-subordinate relationships. SImilarlyk, to step on one's shadow indicates and infringement of one's personal space. For example, Japanese dhildren often enjoy playing a game called kage-fumi 9i.e., stepping on one another's shadows)..." pg 110

I find this concept to be very interesting. I know that in American culture compared to European culture we are considered to have a much larger personal space bubble. The fact that there is a culture that has even a wider range of well established personal space is very fascinating. While once you look into the reasoning behind why this came to be, it starts to become very clear, the idea still is a little bizarre. It seems to come up again and again that old traditions in Japanese culture seem to die very hard, while in American culture we seem to be a little more fluid with our way of life.

b) "There was an important convention in Japan that only disappeared recently whereby women were supposed to show their obedience to their husbands by walking a certain distance behind them. This practice may seem archaic to many Japanese today, but Americans who visited Japan right after the war were known to have commented on this custom." pg 110

This idea of showing your love and obedience to your husband by walking a distance behind your husband seems very strange to me. In America, if there is any equivalent to this in anyway, walking with your husband or partner side by side would be considered as more of a sign of love and devotion. However, it's not held the same equivalence as being obedient in a sense but rather just showing you care about your partner and want to be near them. This show others that you and your partner are close. I honestly can't see why this practice would have any practical use, and it seems modern Japan is showing similar feelings, since this is a "archaic practice."

Shudan Ishiki:

a) "These three categories, two uchi and one soto, are said to be formed by one's twenties and seldom change. The Japanese strongly distinguish uchi from soto and are said to be poor at getting along with those who are soto." pg 196

I feel that this would never be the case in an American culture. I remember once hearing that you never can look into the future and love the same people, things, or ideas. We are a culture where we are always expanding our views and the people we interact with. I know for a fact that the people that I would've considered my "uchi" are definitely not the same to this day and some would even go under the category of "soto." However, looking into the idea that many Japanese have this very ingrained idea of group think and the need to establish those groups at an early age, just when you are coming into the world as an adult makes sense.

b) "There is no doubt that the harmony of a group is vitally important in Japanese society. People often think and behave as a group, and what benefits the group is mostly regarded as the correct thing to do." pg 196

I feel this way of thinking can be very dangerous. Most Americans would classify this as a almost cult way of life and can lead to very bad situations. The book itself goes on to talk about how this has at times been very instrumental in some of the most notorious downfalls of the Japanese people. One that comes to mind for me would be the Rape of Nanjing, which has a horrific event that can definitely be attributed to this way of thinking. However, it has also led to the ability of Japan to become such an economic and industrial power in the modern world. It is very interesting to see how this has played out through the years.

The Do Spirit of Japan:

a) "Then there are patterns or forms to follow, practice is repetitive, and moves must be repeated thousands of times and perfected before new techniques may be learned. The purpose of such discipline is not only to learn new skills but also to build good character and a sense of harmony in the disciple." pg 76

I know that I would never be able to follow such devotion and time into learning an art. I feel that we as Americans want to learn the next step after we have an idea of the beginning in order to help us understand the whole concept holistically. I would be very impatient with this concept of learning, but then again I guess it would help with building a better character. Understanding this definitely gives me more insight into Jiro and his ways of practicing teaching his subordinates on how to make sushi. Overall, it allows us to understand the Japanese way of teaching in a better sense.

b) "Teaching is kept simple, inflexible, and strictly controlled, and involves imitating the movements of a master rather than a detailed and analytical verbal explanations.

This is very different than the teaching styles in the United States. Our system seems more of a give general over-site and allow the students to learn themselves. This, in my opinion, allows you to better understand what you are doing, and if you are making mistakes what exactly you can do to better yourself. I feel that you don't really learn by just watching and repeating what is being said. However, I can see how this would play into the Japanese culture of group think, for it doesn't allow for original thought but one more what is already established.

Haragei:

a) "Thus, people depend on the sensitivity of others to understand the real messages in social interactions. The Japanese also count on the passing of time to help resolve problems in communication." pg 104

I feel like I would go insane under such a system. I like things to be very black and white and I hate having to try and understand if someone is trying to convey a different message. I think this can be seen in American culture when you look at relationships between couples. A partner may say one thing but be trying to convey a whole entire message. I know that I go crazy in such situations and I can't imagine having to deal with that with every single interaction. Once again, this goes into the idea of Japanese people trying very hard to keep harmony within a group by not being straightforward.

b) "In a high-context culture, like that of Japan, people tend not to ask many questions and value silence. they are patient with regard to vagueness. On the contrary, in low_context cultures, such as those of the West, people often ask question to try to make everything clear, because they are less tolerant about ambiguous situations." pg 105

I completely agree with the second part of this citation. We in the West definitely value directness over this idea of ambiguity. I know personally, as I stated before, that I like things to be black and white, and have no doubt on what is being stated towards me. Also, as stated before, I can see why this is valued in Japanese culture, in order to keep harmony within the group. I feel that this analytical outlook on the two cultures definitely allows me to have a better understanding into the differences in communication between those under such pretexts.