Changing Impressions

As I am getting more and more used to the environment after these several months, I cannot really say that my impression has changed dramatically since I first arrived. The natural scene is still beautiful to me and I keep discovering more of it on my train when my train passes the very country-like area between Chushojima and Kuzuha station, as well as when I go into the night of Osaka and Kyoto. The beauty of urban and rural (if it is a correct term for it) areas are not in a big contrast, instead from time to time they tend to appear somewhere in the middle of each and not seem to disrupt the whole feeling. There is a feeling of unity in Japan.


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Is Japan disabled-friendly? I don't know. I also don't know if it is going to help: the Braille inside the outer product box.

However there are certain assumptions have been cracked as I getting more "truth" from the reality in front of me. Take the example of recycling. When we were still in the seminar house, each unit has several recycle  bins with English instructions of what should be put in each of them. As we were asked to do so, we may assume that Japanese are very strict about this and they require everyone to follow this environmental friendly action. and at the same time we were troubled by the fact that it keeps so long to do the correct decision of which the garbage should be put in. We may say it is a elaborate fact of Japanese culture. After I moved in to home stay, then everything changed. The only thing my host family recycles are cans and glass bottles, and at the beginning I believe I threw some of my PET bottles to that bin. When at one time I was collecting garbage and ask them for a special bag for the many PET bottles, they replied as "just put them with the garbage", “大丈夫”. So what I can do is just put all my PET bottles in to the garbage bag, and watch it brought out of the house put at the side of the road. 
As similar things keep happening, I have to think over what I have perceived before as the "absolute" knowledge about Japan. The truth is just as simple as at the first glance, individuals are so different, and how stupid it must to put stereotype on people just for what you think you know.

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Coins inserted for luck in Miyashima Itsukushima Shrines, the Red Shinto Gate. 

After all, it is a good experience to break the assumptions, what is even more important, is to break what I think I already know what I know. The truth is floating somewhere out there, we just trying hard to get close to it, and that is all.


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Another false sign. The English is OK while the Chinese is not...

The People who Love Beauty

Sometimes I see drawing exhibitions in trains. Theses pictures hanging in the trains are mostly drew by young kids especially elementary school students, some of them have themes and some not. I have seen recently a series of drawings of Keihan trains. I am always interested in looking at them and at many times I am even surprised by some of the drawings with their rather sophisticated drawing skills in spite of the very young age. Japanese people generally seem to be having a good taste and unstoppable pursuit of beautiful things. Although there are both high art and low art, it is  indubitable that this ability and pursuit is quite general among Japanese society. 





Japanese history parade in Kyoto

 Red leaves sight seeing

(http://solane.photo-pt.org/index.php?job=category&seekname=13)

This time of the year is a good season for red leaves sight seeing, and it will be ending very soon as the winter is coming. It was amazing how many the places you can go and how many advertisements tourist information you can see on the streets or on the trains during the past two months. People are driven by the earning of being in the beauty of natural, and are willing to go into the mountains and shrines and temples to see the scene only at this time of the year. It is an evident activity approving Japanese people are emphasise the motion of "beauty". 

Visual Kei band member

(http://photo.renren.com/photo/221460299/photo-4206943202?curpage=3&t=&albumpage=0)



However the "beauty" in which Japanese people is pursuing if more broad than what other people would think. It seems like in Japan "beauty" does not necessarily associated with "good", sometimes it can be "bad" but still as beautiful. The visual rock bands members often appear as dark, mystery and evil, but the details of their outfits and make-up are not as wild and harsh as what we might see in American Gothic bands. Japanese people added more femininity to the figure and consider nothing like rebel masculinity but a beautiful touch of the dark concept. I think this might also be a result of Japanese people being over attentive and solemn, always adding a beautiful sense to whatever they want to do or make. This might also explains at certain degree why do they developed things ikebana (flower arrangement) and sado (tea ceremony): due to the sense of beauty, they felt the necessity of investing attention and giving a beautiful atmosphere in making flower arrangements and cups of tea.

Beautiful Japanese sweets in cherry leaf

Red leaves sight seeing reminds me of the whole cherry blossom tale I have heard before I came to Japan. It is not the season of cherry trees yet and I have never been to Fuji mountain or other places which are famous for cherry blossom, I still think I can already tell how much people love the cherry blossom. I received some Japanese sweets wrapped in leaves. I though I should remove it before eating, but was told that the leaf should be eaten along with the rice cakes. Is the leaf necessarily tastes good? Not at all. I felt like a bunny when chewing it, but as the leaf is from the beautiful cherry tree and the whole rice cake becomes a piece of food art, it is important that I do not disrupt the beauty of it but to eat them as a whole. The rice cake itself tastes fantastic and maybe I have already felt its beauty, only I was probably

focused too much on the leaf.

Cute fish-shaped sweets

Beauty may be a blurred notion, and somehow it can only be acted out in order to be acknowledged. But as Yeats said, beauty must be a exit to the web we are trapped since we are born. Perhaps Japanese culture can be seen as an illustration of that kind of thinking, and carry out the notion by making beauty an important yet common theme which can be applied to almost every little detail in everyday life. It can sometimes seems to be too much, but the aspiring of beauty is never a bad thing for people.

End of year, Kyoto

It is amazing to see Kyoto at this time. The main street at Gion-shijo station is even more crowded and everyone and every building is immersed very much in a holiday atmosphere. Christmas decorations caught my eyes as well as all the sale signs you can see from the outside of the stores, which are all very catchy and exciting. If there were snowing, I might almost think I am again in Canada.



Kyoto street, crowd and Christmas lights

Before dinner, my host parents went to a booth to buy a ticket-like stuff. The personnel inside placed numbers of tickets and my host parents asked me to pick one. It was a lottery booth. My Japanese friend told me later that it was a special at the end of year, as the amount and chance of winning are much higher so people always treat themselves with a little bonus before the new year come.

Lottery Booth with advertisement

In my family, a small Christmas tree is also set up. This reminds me of my childhood Christmas time back in China, we always had a Christmas tree at my grandparents', and we as little kids did not think much of the meaning and culture of it but only took it for granted and consider it as another chance to get gifts beside new years and birthdays, and perhaps the adults did not think much as well. I am not sure if it is the same in Japan, but obviously Christmas in Japan is more for couples than families. I have heard about how Christmas here is regarded as the second Valentine's day in the year. However it might not be so true: Valentine's day is more of a confession day in Japan, and Christmas is truly a day for the couples and somehow it is more mature in terms of age. In this sense, it is actually the biggest "Valentine's day" in modern Japan.



Christmas decoration made of the product.

Almost for any place of the world where celebrates Christmas, the holiday is made to be a big buying day. People shops for others as well as themselves more than any other times in the year, simply because of the promotion that is taking place in every possible store. The shop owners are always smart in getting people to spend. Even the prices are not reduced as dramatically as in north America, it still seem to be a good time for shopping and I am already tempted by the whole holiday feeling, and feel like I have to go there to be a part of this Christmas and new year celebration.

The invisible society

An early morning train passing Fukakusa.

Japan is often considered a society of rules. From time to time we are likely to hear such comments on Japan, and even Japanese people will admit it as a fact. In the past two months, even tiny little details are constantly reminding me of one of the fundamental and widespread idea of Japanese society: responsibility. Due to the responsibility especially when it relates to one's profession,  the society at it very surface appearance is maintained by everyone in the society.

 In the washroom of CIE building.

             The image of the well maintained society  is  firstly  showed through the public services. It is certain that almost everyone who firstly come to Japan will be impressed by the public toilets. It is very rare that the toilet will be out of toilet paper or liquid soup. In Kansai Gaidai's toilet, even the newly replaced toilet paper are especially folded as in the style of hotel toilet. The personal who is in charge of this cares even the details, which shows a great sense of consideration. Some extra toilet paper are often placed on the board inside the stall, not only inside school but also in some department stores that I went.

Gaidai Festival.

           During the Gaidaisai festival this year, the decoration was everywhere in the campus. The different booths had to take some space for the preparation of the food. It looks like a mess, but underneath everything, there were boarder lines in between: as seen as the plastic sheet that the students put under everything. After the festival took place, everything was cleaned and took way as nothing has ever happened in there.

Gaidai Festival.

          One thing that recently impressed me is the bench in the Fukakusa train station that just got repaired. I sit on the same bench almost every time when I was waiting, but in that particular morning  some wood stripes were replaced with some new ones. In Canada, things got repaired very slowly. It takes time for someone to notice the problem as well as the actual repairing, and unsurprisingly you can always know they are doing so because there is always a notice sign. However, things in Japan are done unnoticed. I remember only one time seeing a cleaning worker in Kansai Gaidai's washroom, and at most times they remain invisible while the job is never delayed.

A construction site beside Gaidai. Clear plastic boards are used for the protection. 

          There seem to be an invisible plastic sheet for everyone in Japan. They clean after themselves as carrying the garbage with them due to the fact that there is not many rubbish can on the streets; They do their job very quickly and care even the most unnoticeable details. Somehow this image of Japan shows at the same time a caring for the others and a carelessness for the others. It sounds ridiculous, but it seems to be the only way for me to explain what I perceived in my daily life in Japan. The people are taking care of the own business, with full responsibility and the most considerable attitude, while when it comes the time when they are doing things only depending on their own opinion, they are unlikely to do it.

( The title of this blog is taken from the film 2046, directed by Wong Kar-wai in 2004. It is a dream-like story about a man using wrting to deal with memories of different people. I took the film's title out of a personal favor and the wish to use the blog to document my experience in Japan. )

Keihan for a 门前町

This Keihan train station is called Yawatashi (八幡市). The station itself does not look very big and exciting, but as I went through the station and got to see what was outside, I was so surprised how much there is to see.

The only opening entrance of the station. Right outside are a small square and restaurants serving simple meals. To the right is the calbe line to Otokoyama.

            From the train schedule, it is easy to see that the station is not major - only local and sub-express train stop at here. The explanation for it, I guess is that the Keihan train line's Limited Express (特急, Tokkyū) and Rapid Express (快速急行, Kaisoku Kyūkō) are made for a faster transportation among the major stations between Kyoto and Osaka. Those trains and other trains which have "Commuter" before their name are mostly for the commutation of students and office workers. The neighborhood of Yawatashi station is neither a concentrated area of companies nor schools, or even a residential area of many residents. It is a station specially built for tourism.

               From Yawatashi train station, there is a sub-line of Keihan. Unlike the train line, it is a funicular called Otokoyama Cable (男山ケーブル), which goes from the Yawatashi train station to the  mountain Otokoyama, where the Iwashimizu shrine is located. It is a special cable line which was designed only for a tourist site, but still operated by Keihan Electric Railway. On the square outside of the train station, there are bus stops and taxi waiting spots. All the transportation are made convenient for the visitors to the shrine.

Signs from tourism information office.

                  The composition of the residents makes the area quite peaceful. From the billboards and posters in the station, I figured those commercials are made mainly for the elders. It is not only showed trough the signs with elders(老人) written on, but the many commercials for activities and living goods. There are furniture store commercial classical and music concert poster,  as well as the different art displays held in nearby cities like Kyoto. 

Inside Yawatashi station. Signs of art and cultural activities, tourism.

              The most important element of the site is Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū (石清水八幡宮) . Founded in 859 and the main buildings rebuilt in 1634, this ancient shrine is considered the third biggest Shinto shrine in Japan. Yawatashi is a town named after the Hachiman-gu - a different reading but the same kanji in Japanese. The town is a outgrowth of the shrine, as Japanese call it Monzenmachi(门前町).  Monzenmachi is usually refers to a town that is formed by the business which serves the monks and the visitors, and it only happens to major and popular temples and shrines.

             Around Yawatashi station, there are as many as five temples and three shrines, not to mention the historical sites and beautiful gardens beside. They have a long history and are very much representing the old Japan to the visitors from Japan and overseas through the many relics.

Directions for the tourism and city facilities.

               One thing drew my great attention is that the city office of Yawatashi is quite important for the sight I was seeing. There are many posters for the art and cultural activities organized by the city office, and the city office is also very enthusiastic at founding various welfare for students and elders. All of these gave me a strong sense that the elders here are living an enjoyable life in a very peaceful atmosphere of the shrine.

Bus stop. Signs of supporting human rights and anti-nuclear power by the city office.

A bridge near the train station, connecting the sight-seeing area with the residential area.

           There are also interesting things I found about the surroundings of the station. Among the various ancient temples and shrines, I saw a cross on the top of a building. Apart from the possibility that it is a decoration of the building, I still think it is what it looks like. The contrast is very interesting, which reminds me of one time an elder couple stopped me in front the abandoned house beside my host family house to talk to me, explained in English that they believe in God. They were extremely nice and talkative, and kept telling me that I should read bible. I guess it is somehow the same in the Yawatashi. The historical heritage of ancient religions is getting along with the ones from the west. Again, the elders are playing an important role in getting it more widespread.

A Church not far from Yawatashi station. It is hard to tell that it is Japan in this photo.

Yuka

I had a brainstorm of whom I can take portrait before I get to the working of this post, unfortunately it was not look good for me as I realized that I do not really have many choices. I can count with one hand the number of Japanese people whom I know well enough to write anything about. In the end, I went to my host family members to ask for help.
            As for the host family, there are seven members (including myself): Okaasan, Otoosan, Oneesan and three big dogs. It is such an interesting family as it is not very Japanese sometimes but indeed Japanese in some other times. Maybe it is a complex of east and west, therefore became the way it looks like to me today.

The 12-years-old Aino lying on the couch, with ribbons on her ears.

            The protagonist of this post is my older sister, Yuka. When I ask them, Okaasan pushed Yuka to me and said "I have no make-up on right now so take picture of Yuka!", so I see an indeed need for make-up when photographing which is a very reasonable thing in Japan. Girls on the streets or at school are most likely to be wearing heavy make-ups and never easy on the peachy blushes. Although I know she would not resist, but when Yuka agreed without any hesitation still surprised me as I think no matter what, Japanese people are shy when it comes to being photographed. Yuka was all okay about this.

Yuka in the living room. 

             There are something special about Yuka in the family. Most importantly, Yuka is the one responsible for bringing in the west culture. She has been working in New Zealand for more than four years after graduated from Kansai Gaidai. She came back recently to Japan and started her study at a nursing school. Because of her work, the family had one-year living experience in New Zealand, where they get their lovely New Zealand hound "Fay" and probably adopted some western lifestyles.

Fay and Yuka in the Kitchen.

            Their house looks a little of western style. The decoration are somehow in between as there are still sliding doors as well as regular doors. We do not need to sit on the floor to eat nor I will get miso soup and rice at breakfast. Okaasan always leave me ham, eggs, sausage, bread and yogurt. Interestingly, I sometimes also get things like a piece of sushi or tofu placed beside the bread. I think it is a perfect illustration of the family: the daughter likes western stuff and the parents are also not against, so they work together to put some western feelings to the house but essentially they still keep their Japanese-ness.

Okaasan's beloved Raichi also has ribbons on her ears.



           Okaasan works as a dog trainer so i assume the family are all into dogs, but it is not the case. Yuka told me that she personally do not like dogs and she is more of a cat fan. In fact, Yuka had break many of the stereotype I had towards Japanese. She is neither quiet or shy, nor she obeys to the older generation of what to like or what to do. Instead she just have all the time staring at the cell phone or sleeping on the couch while the TV is still on, which all convinced me this is how young generation in Japan changes foreigner's view of Japanese being over-polite and tame - at least, not at their homes!

Yuka: Peace! :=)

Neighborhood Fukakusa

My host family is in Fukakusa in Kyoto, which is 30 minutes away from Hirakata-shi station. Fukakusa is a area under Kyoto-shi, by train it still takes a while to get to Gion-shijo station, a centre station of Kyoto-shi.

           Fukakusa is relatively quiet as mostly it is a residential area. The three-story house of my host family is right next to the Fukakusa station, the trains come about every 5 to 10 minutes, and depending on the speed of the train there are different volume of the noise coming through and vibration passed on the building floors. I have been waking up in the early morning thinking it was thundering outside, and then figured it was a 110/km Limited Express train passing by (Only sub.Express and Local train stop at Fukakusa as it is not a major station). No matter what, I feel lucky to have such an transportation-friendly accommodation. After a month of living beside it, the noise from the trains became less noticeable and sometimes it even comforts me. One thing worth to mention is that the punctuality of the trains, or not only the trains but almost all kinds of public transportation. They also come very often. No wonder not many people here drive to work or even own a car. They just simply do not need to bother maintaining a vehicle while there is such a convenient and fast commute tool.

(Photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Keihan8000-newcolor.JPG)
Salon 8000 series trains serve the Limit Express, operates between Kyoto and Osaka and only stops at some main stations. Some cars are double decked and the seats are very comfortable.

             Interestingly there is a place for people to park their bikes in front of the train station, and there is also a sign beside it telling people where to get their misplaced bikes which are took away by the government. It is strictly stipulated where you can and cannot leave your bike, and if you do not follow the instruction someday and once a while the government will take your bike and cost you a fortune and lots of apology to get it back. It is also not allowed to take the bike on the train as the saved space could be used by more people. So I think there is a basic rule: Bother others as less as possible, and this seems to be very important in Japanese culture.   

By the entrance of the Fukakusa station, machines and bicycles.

             Apart from the train station, another feature of this neighborhood is Ryukoku University. One day at dinner, my sister Yuka told me that there is actually quite many Chinese students live nearby as there is a Japanese language school, and they are in hope to go to Ryokoku University after their study at language school so they do not need to move again. The number of foreign students grows as the founding of new language school, and rental offices are also getting busier than before.

A gate of Ryukoku University with a welcome sign written in English.

Rental agency offices and a Chinese restaurant over the way of the University.

              On one hand, this part of town is an ordinary Japanese dense but quiet residential area. On the other hand, it is also an area where people are gathered by public facilities like schools and transportation. The quiet and peaceful area is suitable for schools, and the relatively dense population requires convenient transportation. There is a interaction underneath all the placidity.

A seemingly shop which I could not tell where is the entrance and how do they sell.

An empty old house near my host family house. It has all the windows shielded and the gate closed all time.

            

              Fukakusa is merely a suburban area of Kyoto-shi, most of the families have been living here for a long time and rebuilding their houses throughout the history. As most of the Japanese residents I saw here were elders, Fukakusa seems to be a place where young generation keeps moving out for big cities while the older generation stays for retirement. I guess the empty house near my host family house is also belonged to a family which suddenly moved out of the area but may still want to save the place and rebuild for later use.
              As the Fukakusa campus of Ryukoku University and the Keihan Fukakusa station were built 50 years ago in fact, so what is the new blood to the area is actually foreigners who work and study here. Each time I went to the nearest and only Fresco in the community, I got to see people from other countries. The interaction taking place here is that, the schools and transportation are mainly responsible for bringing new population, while the new-coming population is also bringing changes to the area, as seen as more and more foreign restaurant (“Café Corolado” and western style live house bar) and Japanese language schools. These changes are not temporary and will continue to live with the community as they are becoming important elements in consisting and shaping the neighborhood Fukakusa.