Changing Impressions

I wrote in my initial post that my biggest impression of Japan was how different it initially appeared. I then ended with the statement that I was starting to see more similarities; I could see myself settling into a routine in Japan.

And that is exactly what happened. Sometimes, I stop biking, look up to the sky, and think, “Wow. I’m in Japan. I’m on an island, in the Pacific, miles from home, in the country I have aimed to visit since my High School days.” It boggles my mind and it’s sometimes hard to believe.

            In the beginning, I would look at the differences and exclaim, “Wow! Look at the differences! The culture and history is so different, exciting, and alive!” But now, I look at the temples, I look at the old style buildings, the tourist areas, and it sometimes seems forced. In certain areas, the old-style buildings and small temples flow into the cityscape. Certain events, like the koto concert I attended, feel natural. In a way, I’ve become so accustomed to things that aren’t ‘American’ that it feels natural. So when I see those temples blocked off for display, such as the golden temple at Hiraizumi, or the relics in a museum, it feels detached. It doesn’t feel like ‘Japan.’ It feels like those photos I can pick up at home.

            And that is where I feel my impression has changed the most. In America, my view of Japan was those old-style buildings, the temples, the tourist attractions, the sites that were unique and a blast from the past. Now… Now, Japan to me is where the past streams seamlessly into the present so it becomes indistinguishable. I bike down the street in the morning, company employees sweeping leaves off the sidewalk, old wooden buildings with a shrine nestled in between as cars fly by it, students running by with yellow hats or matching backpacks… And I don’t bat an eyelash. It’s natural; it isn’t given a second look. I go to the World Heritage sites and it’s so detached because of seeing so many pictures in America; it strikes me as feeling more like home or ‘international.’

Politics

I have never been a big fan of politics, but it is impossible to avoid. In Japan, it’s easier because the lack of the vocabulary required makes it hard to know when it’s being discussed. But even then, politics becomes hard to avoid.

The biggest example of politics I have experienced during my stay was when prefectural elections were happening. There are specified boards with areas for politicians to pin their campaign ads. These quickly filled during election week. There were also election ‘vehicles.’ These cars, vans, and other modes of transportation made their way through the city, waving with their white gloves to passerby, announcing over loudspeakers mounted on the top various campaign slogans. This, I did not understand. I found it to be annoying. The Japanese I talked with always called it annoying and to be quiet. Why would you vote for someone you found annoying? I asked my host mother, but my response was laughter and, “I don’t know.”

I did learn from my host mother that she liked the American system of elections. She said that though Japanese get to vote for local offices, the heads are picked by those in office and the general public gets little say in who leads them. When she asked if it was true that everyone in America got to vote for the president, her response was a sigh and an いいな〜. And honestly, with the information that their constitution was heavily based off ours, I was surprised that Japan didn’t have this; I guess I was naïve. I would like to sometime view farther into their constitution.

It is also interesting to see politics from different countries on Japanese news. In America, besides some local news and the latest upheaval over the president or congress, it’s rare to see another country unless it’s dealing directly with ours. And then, it’s dealing with our presence in that country. In Japan, it’s not uncommon to see Obama on TV, interviews with those participating in ‘Occupy Wall Street,’ the riots in Greece, the slow fall of the Euro and others. I was really surprised when I learned that South Korea’s president had visited the U.S. in late October. Where did I hear it? Not the American news (online or visual media), but from Japanese TV when they showed the two leaders shaking hands. Then I had to look for it and find it. On CNN, it was just a few small articles on the matter. I wonder if it was broadcast at all on the American news channels.