Strange Japan

The concept of cultural relativism is, briefly, the understanding of and respect for aspects of another culture in their own context. A place where cultural relativism is most definitely not practiced is a website called weirdasianews.com, a blog updated on the quirky or "just plain sick" fads happening in the East. What's best--or worst--about weirdasianews.com is that users, mostly Americans, can comment and, um, share their insights about the news and images they see on the site ("lol them crazy japanese", i.e.). The Western idea of Japan is difficult to generalize, but one of the notions that exists is that Japanese culture is just strange. Claiming that some part of a culture is "strange" is ethnocentric in that it is usually said with dismissal of the practice or lack of understanding of it.

I admit that these following pictures were taken solely because I thought they were strange. I wanted visual evidence of some differences that may exist between Japan and America, and these hold to that in an entertaining way. It's much more difficult to visually represent the situation for women or the concept of seniority or the "herd mentality" within Japanese business culture. Instead, I can take pictures of statues or people in costume, call them strange, then go home.

This was taken in Himeji. I don't know who the character is supposed to be.


This was taken in Shijo. I, again, don't know what it is supposed to be, if anything.

Japan's Rising Pet Rate

Before I came here, I had an idea of Japan as an animal-less, or at least pet-less, nation, partly due to the lack of green space and tight living quarters. To my surprise, I found dogs everywhere. As the seminar houses are located next to a park ("Gaijin Park" or "Beer Park", as we call it), I often witness Japanese owners walking their dogs, sometimes more than one dog at once. They're not always small dogs, either.


The pet industry in Japan is in fact booming. Over 40% of Japanese homes contain a pet, and animals are being considered "part of the family." They're allowed to stay and sleep indoors, they're dressed fashionably, they're given psychiatric drugs to ease depression, they're given professional massages, etc. This also includes prairie dogs, apparently.

I took this picture in the park in front of Himeji Castle. A man had trained her using whistles, and could make her walk, stop, spin, and stand up on command. After a brief show, he then scooped her up into his bag and walked away.
Many attribute the rising importance of pets in Japan to the declining birth rate. The amount of DINKS (Double Income No Kids) households are increasing, and the void is being filled by pets, who perhaps are considered children whose care is less demanding or career-restricting for women.

I could also conclude that the aging society leaves many widowers craving the companionship of a pet in the home.
The rising prevalence of and focus on pets in present-day Japan reflects wider social change that's affecting the every-day choices of individuals, especially women.

More information: It's a dog's Life, and Japan's Pet Industry

No More Bridges

In reponse to Keiji's blog entry 11/9/2007:

Keiji's blog post entitled "Bridge" expresses concern about the poor condition of bridges in Japan, even asking "Why does the government [do] nothing?" The Japan Times article linked in the post discusses the aging of bridges and how delaying repair could lead to disasters similar to the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota this past summer. Interestingly, the question of the past couple of decades has been "Why does the government do anything?" when it comes to construction within Japan. The Japanese construction state is enormous and terribly corrupt, sucking up large sums of taxpayers' money for useless construction projects that are not tied to public need. According to Jeffrey Broadbent, dirty pork barrel politics maintains the construction state; politicians benefit with votes and financial support for their elections when they exploit the system.
Thus it is curious that the Japan Times article in Keiji's post is concerned about lack of financial resources to support the repair or replacement of Japanese bridges. Many elaborate bridges and roads have been built where none were truly needed, and money has been poured into unsightly projects such as the placement of concrete tetrapods on 50% of Japan's shoreline. The repair of unsafe bridges is necessary and definitely within the construction state's budget. The prevention of future public works projects that serve no social need should be yet another priority.

For more information, please see Jeff Kingston's book "Japan's Quiet Transformation: Social Change and Civil Society in the 21st Century" and the chapter on Downsizing the Construction State.

Lions, Pandas, and Foreigners, oh my!

As discussed in the film "The Japanese Version", many Japanese people view foreigners in Japan like they would pandas: cute, interesting to look at and touch, fun to "play" with. As an American living in Japan, I have indeed noticed the giggles and finger-pointing in my direction. I've also played games with Japanese strangers, like "Let's Speak English" or "Let's Kampai". While it sometimes feels like admiration, it also makes me feel a sense of unbelonging. I will remain an outsider, or a panda, to Japanese people as long as it says on my birth certificate that I was born in America.


At the Gaidai Festival this past weekend, many school clubs formed their own fundraising booth to sell a certain food dish. Walking through the human highway between booths, festival attendees are bombarded with questions and marketing pleas. To international students, it's in broken English: "Excuse me. Are you hungry? Please try udon!" It is very difficult to refuse such a thing without regret, and for me my Japanese is too poor to convey a reason why I would not want udon at that moment. The photo above showcases this exact occurence, and actually features a fellow Visual Anthropology student (the tall panda in yellow) who was likely unaware of my camera.


This photo was taken in mid-September at the Danjiri Festival. We, as obvious pandas, were personally picked out of the crowd and rushed to the Tourist Information office where we were dressed and shuffled together with other young Vietnamese tourists, without any explanation. After the photo opportunity, we were escorted around the festival by Otoosan, the lovely Japanese man on the right, who led us to the best spots to view the Danjiri floats. With red and white ropes tied around our heads, we were directly marked as pandas to attract even more attention to our cuddly selves.

To be an outsider in Japan can be difficult even when just dealing with awed strangers. There is always a sense of discomfort being an "Other", though of course any outsider treatment I receive is not nearly as severe as that which many outsiders face on a daily basis in America.
Pandas are welcome in Japan--as long as they remained unarmed.

American man in panda mask for Halloween, posing with Japanese man in a white face mask.

Trick or Treat or New Cultural Practice

A Japanese friend once told me what he “kind of” misses about America, where he spent a year studying: the homes (couches and fireplaces, more specifically) and also the holidays. While Japan is rich in seasonal or religious festivals, the amount and ways of holiday celebration trails behind America, at least in the commercial market and also seemingly in spirit. Granted, the “spirit” of American holidays may be exaggerated by the commercial market, but there is often some hype around a certain holiday almost every month.

In Japan, the celebration of Halloween manifests itself in very few places outside of Tokyo Disneyland—where it is said to have started just two decades ago—and Kansai Gaidai. With the encouragement of Westerners and alcohol, however, some Japanese are willing to partake in costume wearing and candy consumption.

A restaurant called "The Lock-Up" in Shiji has adopted some familiar American Halloween customs for the special night: ghouly masks set up on shelves, blacklights, animal costumes, people banging on walls and screaming, and pop reggae playing overhead (well...). It is interesting to think about the transfer of such traditions from one culture to another. If Disneyland can play such a large role in bringing (at least) the material aspects of a major holiday to a different nation, that proves that there are definitely "sell-able" parts of culture. Halloween in America is hardly tied to the Christian religion anymore, but what Japan took of it is even more generic, the scrapings off the top. Maybe I'm making this a bigger issue than I should, but it's fascinating to witness how cultures influence each other in such small ways outside of economy, religion, gender roles, family structure, etc. You physically see it on the bodies of the people: