When Dr C first gave us the map of the subway it was a bit overwhelming, to say the least. Tokyo has one of the largest subway systems in the world and as a person who had only traveled on subway one time in DC it was a new experience. The subway in DC could not compare to the experience in Japan, the amount of people during the morning commute was staggering. Thankfully we were weaned into the process under the watchful eye of Emiko and Dr C. In the beginning our trips were based mostly on blind faith, few of us had any idea what portion of the city we were in or how far we were away from the hotel. Gradually we began to understand the system and by the end of the trip we were visiting the various districts on our own. During the process of growing to understand the subway we also switched from paper ticket to Pasmo, this change made me feel like I was apart of the crowd. The commuters moved so fast in the morning and I felt like we were in that Visa CheckCard commercial when we pulled out our paper tickets, stopping traffic because we are stuck in the past.
One of the first things that I experienced in Japan was the customer service, our first restaurant outing was the first time I saw this first hand. I had heard KJ talk about how polite everyone was and how they bowed at 90 degrees. Everyone knows that bowing is a sign of respect in Japanese culture, but I didn’t to know to what extent they performed this act. At first it was very strange to see a person bow as you left a restaurant or even McDonalds, but soon it became very natural. I felt like when I returned a bow I was responding with respect. It seems that America has lost its emphasis on customer service in certain industries, such as food service. Fast food in Japan has much of this customer service that has been lost in America, it was very strange the first time someone bussed by tray in a McDonalds. This experience was difficult at first because I thought to myself “I can bus my own tray,” but then I thought about how this is something that has been lost in America. It seems that we have become accustomed to the poor customer service and occasional attitude we encounter when dining. It seems that in America we see fast food as a quick meal, where we can fulfill our hunger quickly, but in Japan they focus on service and providing “good food quickly.”
Before arriving in Japan I had heard of Anime, but had never really been interested in it. I had heard of animes such as Final Fantasy Advent Children or Ghost in the Shell, but I had never watched them. I knew that anime was a very popular in Japan, but I had no idea to what extent this media permeated the culture. Manga books are available in many convenience stores sitting on the same shelves as news magazines. Purchasing a manga in the morning is as natural in Japan as buying a newspaper is to us. People of all ages and genders read anime on the train during their morning commute; this showed how diverse the manga audience is in Japan. While anime and manga fans are a small population in America and most people cannot distinguish them from a cartoon in Japan many people enjoy this art form. Anime hasn’t become extremely popular in America, but with the success of Advent Children and Ghost in the Shell it could depending on the popularity of the property.
Filed under: Blog Post | Tags: ceremony, Culture, order, ritual, society, tea
One of the most special experiences was the tea ceremony. The entire setting was perfect, we had a great view from the 65th floor of the tallest building in Japan juxtaposed to the traditional tearoom with its simple elegance. I had a general idea of what a tea ceremony entailed due to my extensive knowledge of Karate Kid Part 2, but the explanation of the importance of the details was great. As with many things it is the attention to detail that makes this ceremony special: the practiced movement, the protocol and the respect for the guest. When I saw the ceremony in the movie I had no idea what the importance of rotating the cup was, it’s to show off the design, or the purpose for the elaborate procedure. The tea ceremony is a very spiritual thing that is an important part of Japanese culture. Japanese culture is built on ritual and order; this need for order seems to permeate to all aspects of their society.
One of the greatest things about this trip was the mix of technology and culture. The Buddhist temples served as a perfect balance to the great technology companies that we visited. The tranquility of these temples also gave us time to slow down and just enjoy Japan, after hectic travel. Miyajima Island was one of my favorite visits and the Daisho-In Temple was one of the nicest temples we visited. Going to the island was quite an experience, it all started with a peaceful ferry ride. While on the ferry we could see the famous O-torii Gate, which is a common gateway to Shinto shrines. Miyajima means “Shrine Island,” this is due to the many shrines on the island. The island houses Itsakashumi Shinto shrine, the national language of Japan, as well as Daisho-In temple, which is a Buddhist temple. The variety on the island made it a great place to see many aspects of Japanese religion, which to my untrained eye appeared the same until I did further research. This is where the culture component greatly expanded the trip. It is very easy to be amazed by the technological advances in Japan, but being immersed in Japanese culture gave us the ability to begin to understand the country.
Another thing that may have contributed to the welcoming atmosphere of Tokyo is the cleanliness of the entire city. Unlike other large cities there is no garbage littering the streets, subways, or anywhere. It was simply amazing to many of us that there was no garbage, or trashcans, on the streets. At first it was puzzling, are Japanese citizens so considerate that no one litters? While traveling around the city we were finally given some incite into what was actually going on, as we watched a man meticulously pick up small pieces of paper from the sidewalk, another time we saw a man scrubbing the sidewalk with a mop. All of this hard work not only makes the city more inviting, but also provides jobs for people that may otherwise be sleeping on the streets. This may also account for the small number of homeless people we saw during our visit in Tokyo. Which may make sense because if Japan doesn’t want its streets covered in litter, they probably don’t want them littered with homeless.
Filed under: Blog Post | Tags: America, corporation, Culture, society, workforce
Japan has a collectivist society that impacts every aspect for their daily lives. In this society framework is very important, meaning that membership in an organization is very important. It is more important to say that you work for a company then what you actually do for the company. This is very different from our individualistic society, where your individual attributes such as occupation, education or degree, are more important. There are aspects of collectivism in our society, such as “Its not what you know, its who you know,” meaning what connections in corporations or family can open doors for you that will not be for others. Corporations in America do not adhere to collectivist ideals of lifetime employment or taking care of many aspects of life, but they do strive to have their employees feel emotionally involved with the company. Many American employees feel connected to their company and that working for a good company makes them a better individual, but do not feel so connected to their corporation that they would not leave for a better opportunity. This is something that would not happen in Japanese society, there is a much stronger bond to the company that takes care of you and your family. This strong emotional connection between the organization and its members does cause problems; once a person is a member you are unable to fire them in a traditional Japanese company. Due to this modern Japanese companies, especially in the technology industry, have began breaking away from collectivist corporate structure.
