Reaction #1

What makes culture so fascinating are the many different traditions and characteristics that make up that culture into its own unique society. This culture then socializes generation after generation to think, behave and live in similar ways to past generations and to each other. I spent 8 days in Japan in 2007, and this was not an adequate amount of time to absorb much of the Japanese culture. Although I was able to try interesting foods, and enjoy the landscape, staying with an American family, I did not get to truly understand or know the Japanese people. I was unable to experience how they lived, I was unable to familiarize myself with their daily interactions amongst each other, and thus, I could not study their values, societal norms or traditions. However, in this Japanese Studies class, I have learned through readings and through films, many essential aspects of Japanese culture. Now, when I am able to go back to Japan, I will have more of an understanding of Japanese culture and society.

            Firstly, the concept of Uchi and Soto are essential aspects of Japanese culture that have now been explained to me. This concept of “inside” and “outside”, “clean” and “profane” are significant to Japanese lifestyle, and a piece of some of their most important beliefs. This tradition explains, what many people already know, about Japanese individuals taking their shoes off before entering certain spaces. We now understand an in depth analyses of why this kind of norm exists. In other words, the outside is where the strangers and germs exist, and these elements should not be brought into the clean home.

            Additionally, Tatemea and Honne are extremely important notions. Different from Western behavior, there is extreme emphasis put on how an individual behaves in private versus in public interactions. This concept of “protecting inner feelings” from outsiders is essential to their culture. As stated in Understanding Japanese Society, “it is in choosing the appropriate ‘face’ or ‘wrapping’ for a particular occasion that one is able successfully to fulfill one’s social role in the world.” (45) This shows that through daily interactions amongst Japanese people in society, their culture is exceptionally unique. This societal custom shows the way in which individuals interact and see society, which seems to be viewed very differently than the way we interact and participate in our daily interactions. While in Western society there are particular situations where our feelings must be suppressed because it is simply inappropriate to express them at a given time, there is not this stress of deviance in sharing our emotions with others, but rather, it may even be promoted and rewarded. These kinds of societal norms are essential to the way the Japanese people are socialized and the way in which they go about living their lives.

            There are just a few of the topics discussed in the readings that I found to be essential to Japanese culture and society.