First Foreign Geisha

by | Dec 23, 2007 | Thoughts

Check out this short article about a non-Japanese person who’s become a part of a very-Japanese part of society:

Japan Today – News – Japans first ever foreign geisha debuts

The interesting thing to me is that it says she’s spent half of her life in Japan, and yet the article’s title still calls her a foreigner. It’s interesting because of what it says about Japan’s attitude toward foreigners: no matter how long a person’s been in Japan, and no matter how integrated they become in that society, they’ll always be considered a foreigner if they weren’t born there (or if they were born in Japan but aren’t Japanese racially speaking). Now, to be clear, I’m not saying that they’re racist or anything; just that it’s such a homogenous society it’s nearly impossible for an outsider to become an insider. Even the Japanese word for foreigner — gaijin — itself carries the connotation of being an outsider.

Kudos, though, to Sayuki the Geish, for becoming more of an insider than most of us could ever dream of.

So how does a skinny, white, English-speaking, Canadian boy like myself get “in”? I love Japan, its culture and its people, but no matter how long I’m there I’ll always be gaijin. It may be a frustration I’ll just have to live with.

Tokyo Drum Machine

by | Nov 18, 2007 | Etc.

Click here to check out a fun little flash animation. Starts out a little slow (especially if you have a “semi high speed” connection like I do) but it’s pretty cool once it gets going.

Weekly Re-Cap

by | Nov 16, 2007 | Weekly Re-Cap

It’s been a pretty good week. Regarding my TESL studies, it hasn’t been as productive as I’d have liked, but I’m hoping to make up for that today by finishing this big assignment I’ve been slowly working through and thus wrapping up module 3. On the support raising front, I’m still having trouble connecting with new contacts, but the support is still rolling in. In fact, I now have less than $9,000 to be raised! Check out the Support Info page for the details.

I’m pretty amazed at how much new support has come in just lately. It seems like all the seeds I planted for the past year and a half are finally starting to bear fruit. I guess that’s how it works, though. People are usually reluctant to commit to something on the spot (and I can’t blame them). And with church budgets, meetings are required before commitments can be made. So it’s taken time for some to jump on board, but jumping they are! Also, churches who couldn’t support me in last year’s budget have started to support me in this year’s budget, and some churches who have been supporting my ministry have increased support.

So… stuff’s happening. It’s looking totally possible that I could have my support raised by December, and maybe even be in Japan by the new year. I just hope the COE and visa processing don’t hold me back when the support’s raised and HQ gives me the go ahead. Let’s pray the timing’s right.

And that’s a wrap for this week. See you next week.

Anime and Japanese Culture

by | Nov 7, 2007 | Thoughts

I saw a short documentary recently on the history of anime (Japanese animation). Some may think that cartoons are not a real view into the culture of a country. But I think that pop culture as a much a part of culture as more traditional forms of art. They give us a glimpse of how history and religious belief influence people and the arts even in modern times.

Here are some bullet points I took away from the documentary. I think it’s interesting how the differences between Japanese and American animation show some of the differences between the cultures at large.

  • In American animated film making, the emphasis is on “animated”. In Japan, the emphasis is on “film”. In other words, animation is just another tool used in making films and telling stories, so the kinds of stories one can tell in animation are not limited as they usually are in the west. That’s why Japanese ‘toons aren’t always “kid-friendly”.
  • Anime is often post-apocalyptic because Japan itself is post-apocalyptic.
  • Manga (comics) and Anime took off in popularity soon after World War II because there was a “hole” in culture for entertainment.
  • Budget limitations early on in anime led to the development of certain styles, which are still part of anime today even though the budgets are bigger (for example, panning the camera across a scene — one picture — to give the illusion of movement where no actual animation is taking place).

There are also elements of Japanese religious tradition that show up in anime. Paul Nethercott has an article HERE pointing some of these aspects out. The fact is that there is a different story-telling sensibility in Japanese animation, and in film making in general. If you’ve watched any, you’ve probably noticed this, and may not have understood some things. As THIS article points out, an understanding of Japanese religion and other aspects of culture is needed to fully understand and appreciate many of these works.

I would add, too, that knowing about Japanese tradition, religion and, yes, even pop culture is important for those of us seeking to build bridges with Japanese people. People are a product of culture as much as culture is a product of the people.