Changing impressions

Although this is the 2. time I live in Japan, I always find something new and interesting things or events in Japan, which I did not know about from before.

My fall semester in Kansai has been rich of experiences and good for my future way of thinking.

China Town in Kobe

The thing which really fascinates me, is that where you live in a country, can make a big difference. Although this is my second time in Japan, the feeling I have about living here now is totally different from last year. The feelings I had last year were filled with depression, and the realization that I never wanted to go back to Japan ever again. I really did not like the area I lived in, and neither the people- as I had some difficulties with finding friends in Tokyo area.

A Japanese person taking pictures of  Autumn leaves.

Now my feelings have totally changed. I can imagine living in Kansai area for several years, if I had the possibility. The Japanese people here are warm hearted and interested in meeting you, and listening to your stories. I can really feel the difference between Kansai and Kanto area. It is so strange that there is such a big difference between two areas in the same country.

Osaka

I've also learned that all the things people say about Japanese people is not necessarily truth. I do see people kissing and holding hands here, although that it's not very common. Also people do talk a lot about their feelings- which is said to not be very Japanese. It might also be the fact that Japanese students at Kansai Gaidai gets influenced by the foreign students, and changes a little from the general Japanese people.

Capsule Hotel in Osaka

It is very hard to come to think of how my impressions of Japan has changed, as I take every thing of Japan in to my heart and accept it, and don't think much about it. I do love Japan more than I ever did before. And from being a horrible experience, I now feel that Japan is a wonderful place on earth- with it's irritating rules and way of thinking. But that is what makes Japan to Japan.

Wasabi ice cream.

The population that loves diett.

2 weeks ago, I did a research and asked 20 Japanese girls about diet. They were all between 19-22 years old.

If you ask people all around the world, they would say that Japanese people are one of the people which eats healthiest in the world. Which might be true, considering that their food contains a lot of fish and soy products.

Tofu with soy sauce

However, I have lived in Japan for a while, and I have seen these skinny girls and men eat a lot of not healthy food. Including cakes, daily trips to MC Donalds and other similar- not healthy food.
Although their food is healthy is does consider some few things which are not that good for your body. They fry a lot of their food, although their oil is said to be healthier than any other parts in the world. They also eat a lot of food like potatoes, rice and food containing salt, which is not very good. 

Macarons

However, they are still very skinny. And although they are this skinny, they consider themselves fat when Americans and Europeans don't consider them fat at all. So if you take a look in the magazines in Japan, you will find that almost every magazine contains articles about loosing weight. So I asked these Japanese girls how many times they had been on a diet.

7 of the 20 girls had been on a diet 3 times. 3 had been on a diet 4 times and one girl 5 times and another one 7 times.
I also asked what kind of diets they had heard about, where they said; water-diet, tofu-diet, morning-banana, don't eat after 6-diet, don't eat rice-diet, don't eat dinner-diet, don't eat breakfast-diet and apple-diet. Only one person mentioned working out and being active as a good diet.

It's very common to find all kind of food
and drinks, which have less calories.

 

 

 

I'm am trying to understand the need for being around 45 kilos when you already look healthy at 50-55 kilos (considering your height of course).
It seems like the men does not want to be big, they want to be skinny. Then again, the girls does not want to be bigger than their men, so they do some drastic dieting to be as skinny as possible, according to my 36-year old Japanese friend.

Sweets Paradise- Eat as much as you want.

Also, my friends sisters child calls her mom, which seems skinny to me, fat. Because all the other mothers at school are thinner than her mom, which made my friends sister stop eating breakfast and drinks some kind of shake in the morning instead.

I ask my self, is that a happy life? To always starve yourself to look this skinny? It seems like Japanese people are obsessed with being thin. Yes, they look great- until they take of their clothes- because they lack of muscles (and yes, I have seen Japanese women naked when going to onsen.)

It is very good to think about being healthy as in not being overweight, but does not the meaning of being healthy (when you are skinny) disappear in their unhealthy ways of dieting? My personal opinion is that you should not go on diets unless it's necessary for your health due to overweight. And if you choose to go on a diet, it's not good to stop eating or similar diets like above mentioned.

Ghosts in Japan

The past weeks I have spent my time on asking Japanese people if they believe in ghosts or not.

Compared to Norway, it seems that the Japanese people believe in ghosts more than the Norwegians do, as in Norway now, hardly anyone has the opinion that ghosts exist.

I have asked a lot of Japanese people if they believe, and 8 of 10 said yes. Around 2 of 10 claimed to have seen a ghost, while 4 of 10 told me they had not seen but felt a ghost or spirit.

Picture taken at Halloween, outside Kansai Gaidai.

It is said that Kyoto is a city with a lot of ghost. No body could answer why Kyoto in particular is a ghost city, but my friend's host mother guessed it could be because there is a lot of graves, temples and shrines there. When people told me this, I asked about Hiroshima and Osaka as well. In Osaka there is not a lot of stories of Ghosts, but Hiroshima was also said to be place where you could find a lot of ghosts.

Kyoto

My friend told me that his friends and he, had gone to a so called "ghost spot", and the day after being at the ghost spot, both of their cars had been broken. They had not seen anything there, but they both believed that it must have been a ghost that was the reason for the broken car.

A ghost a like appearance called, Zashikiwarashi is believe to bring good luck. You can read a little about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zashiki-warashi

The Ring-inspired photo.

 

 

 

 

If I were to make a guess, I think that Japanese people believe in ghost because of their religion. It seems like Christians at least, don't believe in ghosts as much.

Half Japanese

I have decided that this post is to be about half Japanese people, as that always have been a very interesting topic for me. So I figured that this was the time to ask half Japanese people about how their life really is.

I have gathered 6 different people, where everybody is half Japanese, and the other half from another part of the world.

Yoshi

Yoshi is half Japanese, and half Korean. He grew up in Japan, but speak fluently Korean and Japanese. His mother is Korean, so as far as Yoshi could tell me, his parents are quite strict compared to other Japanese parent. Aparently in Korea education is very important, so they are very strict with this. And his mother wants him to focus on studies and not on girl- as she does not want to be a grandmother yet. 

Yoshi is one of the few Japanese people who still has curfew. If he get a bad score in his test, he is not allowed to hang out with his friends after school. At the moment he is having a curfew until December. 

Yukimi

Yukimi is half Japanese and half Philipino. Her mother is Philipino. She could tell me that the biggest difference between Japanese and her was that inside their home, she could witness display of affection such as hugging and cuddling, that was not usual in the outside. Which was a little hard for her, since Japanese people refrain from that. 

Other than that, she has other rules when it comes to boyfriends. You are not supposed to have a boyfriend, which in Japan, is normal. In the Philipines you are supposed to get married, and not have boyfriends. 

Other than that, it was some small language differences, since she spoke Philipino at home.

Yoshiko

 Yoshiko is half Japanese, half Korean. She grew up in Japan. Yoshiko could tell me the same about Korean mothers as Yoshi did; They are stricter than the Japanese mothers and very concerned about education. This was about the only difference for Yoshiko.

Ray (this picture belongs to Ray)

 This is Ray. He is half Japanese and half American. As far as he could tell me, he has not noticed any big differences from him and his Japanese friends. He did have the experience to live some of his years in America, with his father.

The fact that he is very good speaking English, and in addition to that is Japanese, makes him attractive for Japanese employees, as the lack of English speaking people.

Frode (Foto: Miina Lervik)

This is Frode. He is half Japanese, half Norwegian and grew up in Norway. His mother was Japanese. He has the opinion of being more Norwegian than Japanese, but he did have some other things to tend to which his fellow Norwegian friends did not have. Every Saturday he had to go to a Japanese school, to learn the Japanese language, for 9 years.

Tim

 Tim is half Japanese, half German. He grew up in Germany with his family. Tim's mother, which is Japanese, tried to teach Tim and his brother Japanese when they were young, but the boys did not want to speak Japanese since the German society in the countryside did not yet accept foreigners. So to blend in with half of them selves they refused to speak Japanese and only German.

Other than that, Tim had to learn how to play the piano. He told me he hated to play the piano, but his mother made it a rule that Tim and his brother had to play the piano at least for 30 minutes everyday. Today of course, Tim and his brother are very skilled when it comes to playing the piano.

Tim's mother had and has the opinion that education is very important. So that has been a goal for Tim in his life, reaching high up, as fast as possible. In Germany, as well as in Japan it is normal to work hard, and since he is a mix of both, he really gives everything he has. Which means, working 170%  in his job in addition to do his masterthesis when he gets home. Usually he goes to work around 7.30 am, and returns around 8.30 pm, then he works with his master thesis till around 11.30 pm. So you can notice the Japanese part of him here, and when it comes to being polite.
Now he is finished with his masterthesis, but I am sure of that he still is as busy as always. 

And a little side note; this man is 1.98 meter. That's surprising when being half Japanese. 

 *
So what is my conclusion about being half Japanese in all of this? Maybe it's not that special as I thought. I'm not sure what kind of answers I wanted, but it is very interesting to get to know about the differences between how the rules within the rules are. By that I mean; When Japanese people have so many rules in their homes and society, how does other cultures and foreign people affect the rules in the homes? And how is it outside Japan?

I guess it really depends from person to person, but one tendency I see is that if the mother of the half Japanese person is not Japanese, she is Asian. So the influence from Europe and the West does not seem to affect the houses of these people, as in Asia the mother seem to make the rules and not the men.

I am still questioning my self how I would raise my half Japanese kid, with Norwegian background, living in Japan, if I were to get a life here. I do not think I would be as the Japanese mothers, nor the other Asian women. So when my rules, and opinions are so different from the Japanese, how would that affect my child in a society as this?

Well, I won't know the answer to that for at least a 10 years time- I hope.

Annie Leibovitz and James Nachtwey

These past few weeks in the Visual Anthropology class, we have spent time watching films about Annie Leibovitz and James Nachtwey. We got to hear their stories about how they had struggled towards becoming great and famous photographers, and how this had affected their lives as well.

We started watching a film about Annie Leibovitz who first studied art and later on understood that she had a thing for photography. She got the chance to work for Rolling Stone, which really helped her promote her photography. She took a lot of pictures of celebrities.

In one period of her life, Annie understood that she had to push herself harder, and reach places she hadn't reached before. She started to challenge herself and think a new from her older pictures, which led her in to taking pictures which was choreographed or had a fixed setting. This was the time her pictures really started to get a very well recognizable signature. 

Annie Leibovitz, picture from Google

Picture from google

When I saw the video about Annie, it made me remember how important it is to refrain from taking easy solutions, and how much it pays you off, if you work hard and put your whole soul in to the things you are doing. It was so fascinated to see how much she put every tiny little part of herself in to her pictures, and the out coming result. This really makes me want to work as hard as possible with my goals, and stop taking easy solutions. 

James Nachtwey is a professional photographer, who one day realized that he wanted to become a war photograper. He is always among where all the violence happens, and he manages to catch the moment and sorrow among the people he is photographing. He also works in a very calm way which makes the people around him accept him and like him.

When he takes his photos it's like the persons don't notice that he's there. It's like he is allowed to enter a world where no one else can enter. He's is really catching the moment, emotions and feelings where he is. He always show respect to the people he takes photos of which makes them really trust him, and let him get that close to him. 

James Nachtwey, picture from Google

 

Picture from Google

It is so amazing how this man manages to be among all this suffering and not turn crazy himself. This means that he must really be in contact with himself, and have great self control and insight in himself.  How he has managed to not be shot, is also a mystery, since he is one of the photographers who pushes the limits for the sake of his pictures, and puts himself in the middle of where all the bad things happens. 

When you look at both Annie and James, you see how hard they have struggled and still are struggling to reach their goals and to be where they are today. The inspiration you receive from listening to their words, seeing their pictures and understand how these people are, makes you really want to put you heart in to everything you do. It also makes you understand that giving up on things you really wanna do, is never a solution.

Japanese People

This week I have spent a lot of time searching for a Japanese person, which I don't know, who let's me take a picture of him/her.

It did take me a while, and I didn't know what I was looking for either. And I started to believe that I wouldn't find anyone I wanted to take a picture of. But then, one day in the cafeteria I found this Japanese boy with a piercing in his nose, which fascinated me.

In Norway you hardly find boys who has pierced their nose. So this man was my choice.

I asked him if he thought it would be alright if I took a picture of him for my blog. And he said yes at once, without any questions. I had to take him away from his friends, and outside the cafeteria to find a good background.
I thought this was very awkward for him, so I asked if he was okey with everything, and he still said yes. I on my side, felt uncomfortable, because I'm not very used taking picture of strangers. And I was very afraid that he was going to get too embarrassed, so I tried to be as quick as possible. 

He did not seem very nervous, although I could sense that his smile wasn't as real as I wished it would be. But of course he must have felt that this was a bit awkward.

He was very proud of all his piercings as
he had done them himself. All of them.

 

 

When we were finished I forgot to show him the pictures I just had taken of him, and we just went in to the cafeteria again, but since I do understand Japanese, I heard him say to his friends that he thought it was embarrassing. So although he told me he was totally fine with everything, he thought it was embarrassing after all. His friends then, asked me what he had to do, and why, which he in his way tried to answer.

I just realized then, while listening to the conversation, that I had forgotten to show him the pictures. So I went over to his table again and showed him and all his friends the pictures. The girls around the table giggled and said he was very good looking on the pictures, while he himself didn't say that much. He was only smiling.

What I've come to learn about with this experience, is that, when you take a picture of someone you don't know, you have to be all calm and don't freak out. Or else you will do mistakes as I did. Forgetting to show the pictures you've taken, or you forget how to interact. And although you want to be finished as quick as possible, try to relax so you are sure that the pictures will be of good quality.

Neighbourhood Hirakata

My neighbourhood, in Hirakata, is a mix between Japanese people and the so called aliens- The foreigners. My Japanese neighbours may not like the fact that we are here, but we all live together as neighbours. One way or another.

The foreigners had some trouble understanding the
value of umbrella, when they first got here.

 

 

 

Japan is a place where a lot of people live, in small houses. So as you can imagine, you can find buildings and houses all around you. It's even hard finding a spot where there is not a house or something like that, although those places do exist.

Taken from my kitchen window

Taken from a bridge near my apartment.

 

 

 

 

 There is one street, which among us foreigners, has a lot of different names. It has been called by the suicide street, the rape street, the traditional street, and the really narrow street. You can't for certain know if everything which is being said about this street is true, but just by looking you can admit that it is narrow, it is dangerous, it is beautiful and traditional and I've also met some really strange Japanese men there, trying to get my cell phone number. 

A house in the street I mentioned above.

 Although you almost get hit by a car, and there's is a possibility for getting killed almost everyday, I think I must admit that it's worth taking this road, because you really feel that you are in Japan. It's almost like going on an adventure every morning you bike through this area.

Love that they have their own automate outside their house.

Not every house is old fashioned though.

I pass this place every day,
it looks so fantastic!
But what is it?

Is it a place where someone lives?
Maybe a samurai family?
Although they don't exist anymore.

Is it a place for kids, or where kids are
forbidden to enter? 

So while standing there, taking pictures of this mysterious place, a man appears in the doorway, sees my camera and invites me in to his garden. 

Some plants he's is working with growing.

As far as I understood, my neighbour spends a lot of time, taking care of his beautiful garden. This makes me wonder, are people in my neighbourhood rich? This would be expensive in Norway, as far as I know.

The owner of the garden

The reason why I'm so fascinated by my neighbours house is because I love nature itself. Trees, flowers, green. But the gardens of my neighbours aren't the only places that is rich of nature. Outside my apartment we have a park as well. 

Which is also called the Beer Park.
By the foreigners of course.

Right beside the park, is a liquor store.
Very popular.

As you might have understood, it's mostly foreigners who choose to love this park and this store. You see the automate? You can buy alcohol here until 12 in the evening. And it's quite cheap too. Our poor Japanese neighbours though, does not like this. Because the foreigners can't keep quite when drinking. So we have a little neighbour conflict here, which is not good. 

But this neighbourhood is fantastic and I love living here. 

Early impressions of Japan

As this is my third time in Japan, I can't remember very well what my first impression of Japan was 3 years ago. The thing I do remember though, was the overwhelming feeling of being an total alien in Japan, and how Japan in itself was Alien to me. 

 This picture was taken in Tokyo, the day after surviving the jetlag and the big shock. 

This sight was for me amazing, as in Norway you hardly have tall buildings.

 I found the endless shopping malls in the undergrounds.

I saw fruit which looked as it was handmade. 

Too perfect, and no bad fruit wherever you looked.  

 

I saw a man which actually were a fake doll. 

I found it terrifying how people were staring at me. I couldn't read their face expressions either. So was I hated or was I fascinating for the Japanese people? 

Of course, after a while I understood that to see people with white skin and blue eyes in Japan was a rare sight. As I found my self having a hard time finding them as well. 

  How to describe a country which is total alien for you? 

Where the girls wear so much make-up and dress so nice that the girls called "Bimbo" back home, 

are never considered "bimbo" ever again?

 And where the boys are so feminine that you believe they are gay,

but they really aren't?

 Where they have one of the fastest trains in the world,

but the bus seems to be pulled out of a 80's movie?

I bet you think this is a girl's gym? What if I say I've only seen boys here?

And what if I even tell you that these machines don't have weights,

but air pressure, where the highest level feels like 25 kg's?

 Japan is Alien, and indescribable. 

It must be experienced.