Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Blog #12

1.When they are asked about their religion, most Japanese answer they are Shinto and Buddhist. Why do they belong to two religions at the same time?  Why don’t they think it’s contradictory?  Cite more than 2 times from the textbook and explain why you think so.

They don't believe it is contradictory because Shinto and Buddhist believes are not mutually exclusive like they are in western religions. "Of importance for Japan is the fact that Shinto contains no absolute sense of values, such as the "words and rules of God" in the Judeo-Christian tradition." (P 128). This allows the traditional Shinto religion of Japan to welcome and embrace other religions such as Buddhism. However it isn't always so easy. When Buddhism first came to Japan it conflicted with the emperor system. "In the sixth century, the Japanese encountered a more sophisticated religion, Buddhism. With time, however, people noticed that if they believed in Buddhism, the emperor system would be denied."(P 128). This was eventually overcome by Prince Shotoku managed to find a way for all the systems to coexist he stated that, "Shinto is the trunk, Buddhism is the branches, and Confucianism is the leaves" (P 128).


2.What is iitokodori? Cite once from the textbooks and explain what it is. Choose the scene from this film in order to explain the negative effects of iitokodori. 

Itoki-Dori is the ability of the Japanese to adopt and improve on foreign culture. A good example given in the text was the example of the Tomioka Factory. "In 1868 Japan adopted a new spinning technique from France, and in 1873, a model factory in Tomioka was built. everything was imported, not only the design and the machines but also the bricks for the buildings, desks, chairs, and so on. In addition, French technicians were employed, and the Japanese workers copied them." (P 129).
3.Daigo was a cellist, but his orchestra was dissolved, and he takes a job as “Nokanshi.”  What kind of job is “Nokanshi”?  From the film, what is the general perception of this job? How does Daigo feel about his job? Describe the transition of Daigo’s wife perception toward his job.

Nokanshi means casket-er in English. This casket-er will prepare the body in a ceremony that will help the spirit move on to the next life. From the film it seams as though the job is frowned upon and not considered a proper job. Daigo is apprehensive at first but finds an appreciation for the work and has respect for his boss who helped him learn the trade. Daigo's wife is grossed out and humiliated at first and leaves but latter returns and sees Daigo preform the ceremony for the bath house lady and his own father and comes to respect his new profession. 
4.Japanese funerals have many rituals and customs.  In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between the Japanese funerals you saw in the film and the kind of funerals you have been to?

The biggest difference is the way the body is cared for. In an American funeral no one touches the body during the viewing, we come up to the casket to pay our respects and give our last good by's. Their is nothing quite as elaborate as the ceremony performed in the movie in American funerals.
5.Movie---What does the stone that Daigo has mean?

It probably means that his father loved him very much.6.Movie--- Was Daigo able to meet his father? What kinds of situation was it?

Yes but his father had already passed on and it was the first time Daigo had seen him in over 30 years. 7.What other Japanese key concepts do you see in this film? Explain what and why you think so.

Another key concept i saw in the movie was the idea of the Do spirit. When Daigo first started his job at the Casket-er company he witnessed his boss performing the cleansing ceremony. As he preformed the ceremony you could see that all the movements he made were meticulous and well practiced much like a martial art or flower arrangement skill. Much like an apprentice martial artist learns from a master Daigo had to learn casket-ing from his boss. Daigo literally learned the way of Casketing. 


8.What did you learn about the Japanese culture through the film?  What do you think about the movie 
overall?

I learned that the Japanese can accept may religions and roll modern western and eastern traditions in with their own ceremony's. overall i liked the film, it was a nice look at how the Japanese treat their dead and the respect they have for them. 

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Blog#11

Nemawashi-  Nemawashi refers to a type of groundwork done before a business decision can be agreed upon. "Nemawashi was originally a gardening term meaning "to dig around the root of a tree a year or two before transplanting it".(P 159). This idea of getting work done before it is time to make a decision is very important in Japanese business. This is because a Japanese business meeting is very different from a western meeting. in the Japanese meeting it is rude to voice a strong opinion on something unless you have support from the majority of the decision makers and any one of the decision makers can vote down an idea for any reason even if its made up. therefore one must meet with all the individuals involved in the decision making and make sure you know where they stand before the meeting. "Japanese tend to make most decisions before discussing them at a meeting because people attending the meetings often feel uncomfortable being too open and forthright or find it difficult to state their opinions frankly."(P 161). 

Sempai-kohai - This refers to the vertical relation of people in the Japanese society most notably in school or business. The Sempai is the older and more experienced of the two and usually refers to some one who entered or graduated earlier form the same school, or a older member in the same job as you. "Kohai is the opposite of Sempai: Ko meas "latter" or "after words," and hai signifies "fellows" or "mates."(P. 188). So just like it sounds the Kohai are the juniors to the Sempai and have entered the same school or job after the Sempai. A good example of the Sempai Kohai relationship is that of school interactions. "For example, third year students have great power in junior high and senior high schools, and especially in clubs, these relationships are important. It is common in sports clubs for kohai to clean the rooms, collect balls, and manage the equipment for sempai". (P 191)

Ryosaikenbo - The term literally means "good wife and wise mother" and denotes a kind of unconscious concept of how women are supposed to be in Japanese society. The concept originated during the Edo period, "In the Edo period, the upbringing of females was designed to develop "good wives" who could be responsible for the household and produce many children."(P 179). Although the term didn't originate until the Meiji period when standardized education became mandatory. Now wives were also responsible for the education of their children. This standardized education was for both boys and girls, because it was felt that in order for mothers to be able to teach their children they must also be educated themselves. "As a result, women played a significant role in the Japanese people becoming a well-educated and cultivated people, and is widely believed that schooling for females was an important factor in Japan achieving such rapid industrialization."(p 180).

Reflection
During our reflection of the last film the part that has stuck in my head is when we talked about how hard it was on all the geisha after the war had ended. their whole way of life was turned upside down in an instant. They had once been these elegant walking works of art who were well respected for their talents but after the war ended any random could put on a kimono and act like a geisha and get away with it since the occupying U.S. troops didn't know the difference. How humiliating it must have been to see that.