11/19 Show and Tell

After viewing the documentary on Geishas in Japanese society, I became extremely interested in the subject and decided to research more on the topic. Before this class, I was unaware of the status, roles and responsibilities of a Geisha in Japanese culture. After researching, it is clear that Geisha girls are performers, entertainers and servers for high- class citizens hired in extremely formal situations and environments. Geishas will perform at “ryotei” or high-class traditional Japanese restaurants. Additionally, there are specific Geisha districts in which these kinds of parties occur called "ochaya", or banquet houses where Geishas can entertain various customers.

            I was unaware of the particular roles and responsibilities of a Geisha previous to this research. The terms “entertain” and “serve” may give outsiders the wrong impression as to what a Geisha’s true responsibility is in carrying out her job. The movie “Memories of a Geisha” did not necessarily portray an accurate depiction of the current traditional rituals and roles of these women. A Geisha may often be thought of as one who is sold by her family into a life of something similar to glamourized sex slavery. Such accounts even include young girls being sold for their virginity to a high bidder. Although in some instances this has been the case in the past, these kinds of practices in the Geisha world have been abolished. I think it is important to understand the current tradition and position of the Geisha girls in Japanese society to better understand not only the life of a Geisha, but also to understand Japanese culture, ritual and tradition as a whole.

            After reading about the Geisha girls and after watching the documentary in class, it seems that the Geishas are highly respected and well taken care of. They seem to have strict daily schedules and many members of their community to watch out for their well-being. Not only do they have trainers and leaders, which create rules and regulate their time, but they also have big sisters as guardians and role models. It seems as though this kind of environment is anything but unhealthy and far from any stereotype that history and the media has created for these women and their jobs. 

Becoming a Geisha: Movie Reflection

The film “Becoming a Geisha” allowed me to gain insight into the lives of the Geisha girls. This film gave information that I was completely unaware of before, and I am truly fascinated by the culture. The life commitment, attention to detail, and overall culture and tradition of the Geisha is extremely interesting.

            Firstly, it is amazing that the Geisha trainees are required to leave their families and are forbidden to have any contact with them. This is described and shown as being difficult for the girls, and often, because of this strict rule, girls will drop out of the training program and return home. In one scene, Yukina is showing the viewers various pictures of her friends and family. We can see that it is very hard for her to be separated from her family, and after two months in training, she has become lonely.

            The life commitment of becoming a Maika is also extremely important and interesting. It is described that they must drop out of school, and that every day is a part of training. Although this may be seem as though they are giving up everything in their lives, it is explained that after they have become a Geisha, they will receive many privileges such as access to the best restaurants and a chance to meet very important people.

            Throughout this film, the attention to detail that the Maika’s must learn during their training is fascinating. The way in which they hold a trey, the way they walk, the way they play the drums, is all taught and assessed according to the smallest movement. In one scene, we see Yukina must practice walking into a room with a trey multiple times as her instructor believed that the first time she did it, she walked too fast and did not hold the trey in the precise proper manner. Additionally, when Yukina goes to pick out her Geisha name, her name is chosen according to the amount of strokes it takes to write that name. They chose 15 strokes for her because they believed it would appeal to customers. It is amazing that such small details cause have such a great influence.

            Another important aspect of this film that I noticed is that Yukina’s mother did show concern about her pursuing this career. Her mother feared she would act more as an escort for men, and be forced to participate in sexual favors. Yukina’s teacher reassured her mother that Yukina would not be forced to participate in anything she did not feel comfortable with or want to do. She explained that Yukina had the right to say no to customers. However, we later learn in part 2, that Yukina’s “older sister” was forced to drink with clients. Her “older sister” was described as recovering from a late night with clients in which they forced her to drink an abundance of wine. She explained that she did not enjoy wine at all, and did not get drunk easily, but this simply meant that the clients would make her drink more. Although she did not seem to mind, and said this in a humorous manner, I am slightly confused by a Geisha’s role now. Is this occupation mainly about entertaining men? And how much control do women have in deciding what they will and will not do without offending the clients?

            Lastly, it seems that the Geisha girls are almost viewed as celebrities in their community and in the larger Japanese community. While I was viewing the film, I saw many people on the street staring at the Geisha girls in interest. Also, listening to Yukina and her “older sister” discuss parties, watching their weight, and being called beautiful regularly reminded me of this kind of celebrity values and culture in the United States. 

Movie Reaction

The movie Departures touches upon some of the most essential aspects of Japanese culture, specifically regarding their values and beliefs. This film depicts the struggles of a man who is shunned by his friends and family for his new career. Diago hesitantly begins a job preparing the deceased for an afterlife. Throughout the film, the rituals and specific steps in which the dead are groomed and appreciated are depicted. It is clear that Diago’s job is extremely important as he is in charge of cleaning the body, dressing the body, painting makeup on or shaving the face of the deceased, and then placing the body into the coffin. All of this is done in front of the family, so it must be done in the most respectable and careful of ways.  It is clear that this event is an essential way in which the family members of the dead can grieve and get closure. Additionally, it is clear that the reason the dead are so carefully groomed is because it is believed that if they look physically beautiful before they are placed in the coffin, they will be eternally beautiful or clean.

            Firstly, it is important to understand the reaction of Diago’s family to his career path in regards to the Japanese culture. Diago’s wife so disapproved of his choice to continue in the job, that she left him, only to return when she became aware of her pregnancy. Even after she returned to her husband, she eagerly begged him to quit his job because she did not want her future child to have a father with “this kind” of position. Clearly, the job is socially rejected. After studying some aspects of Japanese religion and culture, it is apparent that for many, death is viewed as “unclean” or “impure”. Possibly, this kind of belief would lead to a stigma of this particular job as well. In other words, it is an “impure” or “polluted” career path.

            Also, it is interesting to see the cross-cultural differences between funerals that I am familiar with and the events that are portrayed in this film. Family and friends do not normally witness or participate in the preparation of the body in many funerals in the United States. Professionals prepare the body for burial or cremation privately, and family and friends will view the body only in the case of an open casket. However, many do not choose to have an open casket as only the casket will be revealed to those attending the funeral. Personally, it was shocking for me to see that family and friends gathered in a private home to spend such an extended period of time with the deceased individual. At the funerals that I have attended, the casket is placed at the front of the room, and family and friends can approach the casket to say some final words and pray.

            I think this was a very important movie to view in our class because there are so many differences in the ways in which families and friends say goodbye to their loved ones in Japan versus the United States. Through viewing funerals specifically, we are able to see a broad range of rituals, beliefs and societal norms apparent in Japanese culture.