Blog #15

One thing I learned about Japanese culture that stood out to me was how the Japanese  have a strong sense of moral for loyalty and harmony,especially to those in their group. Bushido was the most interesting concept to me because the loyalty and devotion to one person is a deep bond between a lord and vassal. Bushido shows morals of having personal honor. to obtain this concept you must be completely devoted to duty,even if it results in losing ones life. 

Japanese and American culture are very different but one thing that they both have in common is the mass influence of the entertainment and media industry. They both place emphasis on film and video as a form of entertainment. From anime, animation and fashion, they all impact the cultures in their own way. entertainment and fashion has such a huge influence on both cultures that even the other cultures have taken notice and have adopted certain things. Japanese adopted western fashions like jeans and t shirts, while Americans adopt Asian fashions like harajuku. 

Japanese culture has made a huge influence on me. i have gained insight on the discipline, loyalty, politeness and sometimes indirect customs of the Japanese culture. i have learned that every culture is not the same and just because someone does something differently than you, doesn't make it weird or wrong. Being American while taking this class has made me confirm that we are a culture driven by individualism and greed. This class has influenced me to even adopt some of these customs and concepts, like Wabi Sabi, Shudan Ishiki, and Nemawashi.With these new customs mixed in with my own culture i feel as though this will help me flourish in the American culture and society. 

Blog #14

1. One is celebrating the life and the other is more consumed over the fact of death. they say it is a religion like a tree with many branches. It can contradicting but many don't find a problem with it. they know when to use Shinto and when to be a Buddhist.

2.The stone was considered a private gift that was not as important. it had no value but had extreme meaning.

3. Nokanshi is a professional encoffiner. he prepares the corpse for the funerals. The perception of this job in the film is that it is unclean and a haunting, gross job. Daigo, at first did not know what the job consisted of but once he did he was sick and thought he couldn't do it but once he realized he was actually good and he say that he was bringing families happiness and some closure for their love ones passing. his wife was totally against him being an encoffiner. when she found out she was pregnant she was scared thing that the school kids would much fun of there child because their dad works with dead people. Once Mika attended the funeral of the owner of the bathhouse, she realized that her husband was doing a good thing and how he helped family move on.

4. The biggest difference from Japanese funerals verses the ones i been to is that Japanese customs the wash the bodies and prepare the body in front of all the family while the funerals i have been to they are already dressed, made up and in the coffin when the body is able to be viewed.

5.The stone was important because his father gave him the stone. he was told that you were to give the stone ti someone on the mood that you were in. Smooth means your happy, rough means your upset.

6.Yes, Daigo was able to meet his father. his father died and the was able to prepare his father body for encoffinment.

7. Honne toTatemae was used with the wife Mika she privately felt as though it was not a good idea to move to Daigo hometown but she agreed to move with her husband. Sempai-kohai was in the film when Daigo was preparing a body and a dad at the funeral ran up to the boy that was attending the funeral, they boy said some thing to the father and the father ran up to the boy and starting hitting hi repeatedly. he did not sing back on the man he knew to just take the punches and to not hit a Sempai.

8. This taught me that even dealing with the deceased that the Japanese treat them with the utmost respect and even when preparing the body, the audience was not shown the deceased flesh.i enjoyed the film, it was sad but overall entertaining.

Blog #13

      My after discussion reflection is i enjoyed hearing everyone's ideas and thesis statements for their papers. I feel that since it was an animation, we were able to have many different scenarios and could be interpreted a little differently. With the guest being there, i saw how sensei spoke to the guest, it was very formal. it was a Sempai-kohai relationship.

Ryosaikenbo
"Boys like to play outside in a lively way; on the other hand, girls like to play quietly in the home.(180)."
          As an American, this was a stereotypical custom from back in the day. Just like Japan, it was programmed in us at a young age; blue for boys, pink for girls, pants for boys and skirts for girls. The separate roles that were engraved from a young age was that the man work and is out in the world. while the woman stays indoors and do housework. "Good wives and wise mothers" is a saying that shows that without females, the world would not produce and run smoothly.

Zoto
"Sending seasonal card gifts is considered a duty for most Japanese because they are very important in Japan for maintaining relationships (234)."
      Speaking for myself, i feel as though i wouldn't based my relationship on gifts, in the Japanese culture, the person who receives the gift is obligated to return the favor or be in debt to that person. If i choose to not give a seasonal gift to someone, i would not loose sleep about not giving the something.

Soshiki
"They believed in guardian gods the most. these guardians were the souls of ancestors who had brought the land under cultivation and were accorded considerable respect (202)."
       In Japanese culture, it is said that they respect and honor their ancestors. most Japanese houses has a ceremony room for their ancestors. they believe good vibes would bring good fortune.in american culture, most families do not hold on the fact that our ancestors paved the way for us. we are aware of their cultivation and that they watch over us but we don't have our ancestors on our every thought.

Blog #12

1. She leaps back in time for the first time when she was riding her bike and the breaks break and she is sent flying in the air as a train is passing. the consequences at the end is that she runs out of leaps and when her friend Kousuke and a girl is on Makoto's bike instead of her, the same thing happens to them, they get thrown through the air while a train is passing.
2. Makoto prays to Buddha for her wishes.
3. I guess you can view Nemawashi as time leaping a way of cheating. though i don't find it cheating, i do find it to have an upper hand in situations.
4. A scene that demonstrates Sempai was when the little girls was trying to help their friend talk to Kousuke because she was in love with him. she spoke politely and formal and respected him as a superior.
5. No, their relationship is not traditional. Makoto is the eldest but she gets told on and her little eats her food. Makoto is not treated as a Sempai. their relationship is Americanized how the younger sibling constantly tells on the eldest, but its usually out of love.
6. Makoto was asked by Chiaki if she times leaps. she was caught off guard so she time leaped to distract him from asking the the second time.
7. I believe they will see each other in the future.
8. Makoto's aunt i feel like is he sound support system. she is teaching her niece how to be better than her and tell her to not make the same mistakes as she had in the past. she taught her about how girls can time leap but she didn't take Makoto literally. A piece of art can live through time and can be  full of history and Wabi Sabi.
9. Some Japanese concepts that were used in the film were Honne to Tatemae, when Makoto did not want to hear that Chiaki had feelings for her. she ignores him and then keeps on going back in the past to avoid her telling her true feelings about him.
10. Unlike my fellow classmates, i do not watch anime or read manga. i enjoyed watching this film because it shows how you should take risk and don't be so eager to avoid a situation that make you uncomfortable. my opinion has fairly stayed the same.

Blog #11

My after discussion reflection
...was being a discussion leader i paid more attention to the film and the meaning of certain things in the film so i can analysis it. i feel like my fellow students and i have a similar understanding of the movie Memoirs of a Geisha.The key concept: wabi-sabi was displayed the most throughout the movie. As a class, we discussed how Japanese view the sense of beauty. the tradition and elegance of the geisha was viewed as beauty. the wilting of the cherry blossoms is also displayed as beauty to the Japanese.

Wabi- Sabi toward people is reinforced by shudan ishiki because when you are keeping the harmony by being in a group you tend to all have similar interest. If you see someone who have a interest in the beauty of nature or the beauty of season you tend to keep someone like that in your group.

Nemawashi
"meetings in Japan are more like ceremonies, and often, important decisions have been made well in advance through the process of Nemawashi. In contrast, in most western countries, a meeting is a place to discuss matters and reach a conclusion(161)."
        As an American, we come together and brain storm and come to a solution or a game plan because we feel like everyone can throw out ideas and then discuss scenarios we eventually reach a conclusion. for the Japanese, a verdict has already been reached before the meeting is being held. people just go to the meeting and receive information that has been previously decided. they are already prepared.
"Nemawashi is widely used in Japan,but it is often has a dark and negative image since it takes places behind the scenes(162)."
       Being prepared, and knowledgeable of something does not necessary mean it is negative but to non Japanese it can seem sneaky or crafty. some think it is even cheating to know something before everyone else knows.
Sempai-kohai
"In Japanese companies, people put more emphasis on age than ability because the system of wages and promotions is based on seniority rules(188)."
        In America companies, we view those who are older as a liability and not an asset. we feel as though they are not as sharp as the young people so either get forced into retirement or get fired because they don't fulfill the orders required. they may get paid more because they may have been there for a long time but Americans do not view seniority as a greater chance for a promotion.
"The ie or family, had two principles: the father, as chief male, had absolute power in the family, and the eldest son inherited the family estate(189)."
        The father is the Sempai, he is the superior and the wife and kids must obey him, while the eldest son is the kohai the one who will eventually become the Sempai once his dad past. the one who will inherit the estate. In america, we do believe that the man should be the bread winner but in a world like today woman are the breadwinners so they would be the Sempai.
Iitoko dori
"In the sixth century, the Japanese encountered a more sophisticated religion, Buddhism(128)."
       The Japanese was introduced to Buddhism from China who found that religion from India. the religion spread like wild fire. it taught that everyone is Buddha and how living life positively you will come back after death in a better form.
"There are few major religious conflicts among the Japanese; on the other hand, it is often difficult for people to stand up against injustice(131)."
        Even though people may disagree with a religion it is better to keep the harmony. they may be afraid of speaking out individually without a group to back them. they want to stay in the circle, the inner circle. in Japanese culture it is not good to be a Soto; an outsider.

Blog #10

1. A geisha in Kyoto Gion district is still traditional, the practice calligraphy and learn to play an instrument and still dress in a traditional kimono. a geisha though doesn't want to be a wife, they want the men to find them entirely irresistible but can never be claimed.
2. A moment when I experienced aware is when at the beginning of school, you are aware of the excitement with the new school year with the teachers, clothes and the new people, but the true feelings and deep emotions of when your in school and you see it wasn't all what you thought it would be is when you fully become aware.
3. No, i do not think Memoirs of a Geisha lost ma or aware because it is in English because i still was very traditional and used demeanor that were traditional Japanese. 
4. The event of Thanksgiving, when your with your family around a food filled table will the salivating smells of hearty food.the weather outside is crisp and colorful with all the different colors of fall.If i was Japanese i do feel like i would appreciate the seasons a bit more, because they find real beauty in nature. while Americans tend to always live in the fast lane and do not stop to smell the roses.
5. Chiyo is such a beautiful girl with her blue eyes, but she has so much pain and heartbreak from her childhood, with both parents dead and her sister ran away. she is all alone yet she and others are aware of her beauty.
6. Wabi-Sabi is the simplicity and elegance of beauty. showing a little flesh like having you wrist out shows beauty, sexiness. while in America we are not simple with our beauty or even elegant. taking a picture in a low cut tank top with revealing cleavage or a ton of make up is beauty. it is really not though. 
7. When Chiyo was taught that you are not selling your body, you are selling your skill, your craft. i liked that, it shows that you can still beautiful while being clothed and not being raunchy. Also, when she was taught that showing your wrist show elegance and mystery. 
8. Hatsumomo got kicked out the Okiya because a fire broke out when she was trying to fight Chiyo. her fate is unknown. Her life was good at the end, and they kissed and walked down the street happy and together.
9. Okaasan adopts Chiyo as her daughter and heiress to the okiya. Pumpkin was hurt when Chiyo becomes mothers daughter. so as years went on, she become a escort.
10. Bigaku was heavily used in this movie. the sense of beauty is always being mentioned or   foreshadowing. Gambari was also used to show that even though she didn't want to be a Geisha but being consumed over the chairman she used hard work to be the best geisha and take the number one spot.
11. I liked this film, it shows you can still be respectful and beautiful while still being a lady and     being mysterious.

Blog #9

Bigaku

"Japanese art focuses not on what is logically considered beautiful, but on what people feel is beautiful (37)".

               The Japanese find the changing seasons as beautiful, they pay attention to nature more than Americans do. beauty to them is vivid colors, in a direct, complete and explicit way. cherry blossoms have a large influence on beauty and poetry. As an American, we are drilled by the media and they tell us what we should think is beautiful. you can have your own opinion on what is beautiful. but it is proven that the media has a huge influence on what we think.

Kisetsu

"Cherry blossoms are the national flower of Japan and are seen as a harbinger of spring (155)".

               In Japan, an annual event that is celebrated is "hanami" or flower viewing. a event that people and eats and drinks under the tree while they watch the flowers bloom. In America, we do not have a holiday like this. the only think that i could try to relate to this is Groundhogs day. it is an event where in american tradition, if the groundhog sees his shadow that, that means 6 more weeks of winter/snow. we base something like a plant or an animal to determine how we respond to the season changing.

Otogibanashi

"Japanese folktales portrays two kinds of beauty: one is visual; the other is emotional (171)".

                 The visual is the physical aspect of what beauty may be, while feeling emotions like empathy or heart full of someone who lives a heroic life is also betrayed as beauty. In American culture, folktales display beauty as little girl finding her prince and how she is so beautiful that she has to be a princess. Also,  when someone is a hero they are beautiful and displays a light. while they show the villain to be ugly, and dark and evil, not beautiful.

Wabi Sabi

"People used to live simple lives free from materialism and had the opportunity to cultivate a sense of unity with nature (229)".

                  In Japanese and American culture; as society moves forward our old and formal traditions are disappearing and being something of the past. we are losing how to get back to nature. with technology taking over we are taking advantage of our community, we think that technology and the latest trends is what beauty is rather then seasons, nature and heroism. 

• After Reflection Discussion

My reflection on the discussion is that society enforced in us that World War II was a war that was necessary and how Japan and Germany were the issue. Going to war for the Japanese and Americans, many soldiers were drafted while some were glad to go fight for their country. so while both places are clear across the world both have common feelings.they are fighting for a family, a country, a religion and their life back at home.

• What makes me American......

Growing up in North America, becoming accustom to tradition and culture was internalized at a young age. I, today am a religious liberal. tradition and culture is to worship Jesus and love everyone, but still put yourself first and work to buy anything you want. network and keep your friends close and your enemies closer. so the term of being an "American" means to understand that we got the better end of the deal. other countries are looking at us to industrialize their country. people come to us to have that "American dream". so what makes me American is that i have an easy life and here you are expected to live out your dreams and you can do anything when you put your mind to it.