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Comments on Things Japanese Culture, Life and LanguageFriday, Ocotober 10, 2003 Gaijin vs. gaikokujin II Another point was brought up by Fooky. He is correct when he said that Koreans in Japan are called Chenjin. But they are still gaikokujin--as they are required to carry their gaikokujin tokusho (alien registration card)--not gaijin, I think. Now this may seem like a lot about nothing. Indeed, I once thought that these terms were a reflection of traditional and historical usage, and so did not imply a condescending attitude--Americans are foreigners, so they are outsisders, gaijin. Its just a linguistic thing. What's the big deal? But I have come to think differently. Words carry different--sometimes derogatory--connotations for different people and I don't want to ignore this. Can you imagine people using the term "colored" for African Americans today? It's traditional/historical, is not an intrinsicly racial "slur" and the user may not necessarily harbor a malicious agenda, but the African American who hears it will certainly be offended. Should we ignore this? I think not... There are other racist terms as well, as Fooky pointed out. The term Chenjin is used as a derogatory term by many. Indeed, the word bakachon is a perfect example. The term was born during the early generations of Instamatic cameras, those that required little fuss to operate. The simplicity of its use was relfected in this term: even a baka (idiot) or a Chosenjin can use it. Many have tried to convince me that the chon meant the sound of the camera, or some other likely story. But the effect is the same. Koreans I know have told me that they hate the word bakachon because of its connotation. The fact that the term is no longer used publicly in the media suggests that it indeed implied something derogatory. But really, I get exhausted writing about race. It is, for me, an emotional topic--being beat up for being a jap/chink/gook during the formative years will do that to you. I need to take Nefarious' advice and talk about... what did you say? Strip bars? Hmm... Maybe tomorrow... I love this girl... Tursday, October 09, 2003 Gaijin vs. gaikokujin 外人と外国人....Njel wrote about the term gaijin 外人. Okay, gaijin IS a racist term because its usage is based on race, but not in the way Jap, or Gook or Kike or the N word is used in English. First of all, it is not an abbreviation of gaikokujin 外国人. These are two separate words. As you know, gaikokujin is used to mean "a person of a foreign country". In contrast, gaijin is "outsider" or perhaps in a more familiar, official term in the English: "alien". But it's usage is race-based, because the term is used mostly for non-East Asian people. I am Japanese American and when I go to Japan they usually refer to me as gaikokujin, not gaijin. However, a black friend of mine is BOTH a gaijin and gaikokujin. They often refer to Koreans and Chinese as gaikokujin as well, not gaijin. Indeed, I cannot recall a singel occasion when the Japanese refer to Koreans born and raised in Japan with Korean citizenship as gaijin, just gaikokujin. (If someone know differently, please let me know.) Conversely, a naturalized citizen of Japan might be considered a gaijin (non-East Asian) although not a gaikokujin (foreigner). So the words are not, in most contexts that I am aware of, interchangeable. It is sad that the Japanese feel the need to make this distinction. Paiky mentioned that in America, initial perception is based on how we look, and it seems that it's the same in Japan, as well. Didn't I mention recently that I would ease up on "race" for awhile. It is an exhausting subject for me because it hits close to home and I get heavily involved with it. I guess its just a part of who I am and so need to comment on it. Thursday, October 02, 2003 Koreans in Japan Piratechan: while the sushi talk is making my mouth water, i got stuck on how a "North Korean" who is "Japan born and raised" can be "North Korean". Isn't this partly what NLUTE is all about? Where you are born and live is a greater shaper of your culture than your ancestry? Many of the parents and grand parents of my friends were brought over from Korea during WWII. When Japan colonized Korea, the Japanese govt. went to great lengths to have both citizens "intermingle." Many Japanese went to Korea and Manchuria--the govt. provided incentives, I think. I presume the J-govt. thought that by populating these countries with Japanese, it would somehow make these occupied areas look and feel like "Japan". My grandparents, in fact, went there, and my unlce was born in Korea. This was okay if you're Japanese, I suppose, but many of the Koreans were froced in to labor in Japan. From what I understand many of these Koreans never really wanted to remain in Japan--indeed, this is the argument that many right wing Japs and stupid foreigners always bring up: If you don't like Japan, go home, reminiscent of our own redneck expression, "America: Love it or leave it". Unfortunately for these Koreans, if they went home they had to deal with the brewing Korean war, the subsequent communist regime, and the ultimate economic and social failure of No. Korea. How were these Korean's going to go back? It would have been going to certain hardship and suffering. Who would go? How could Japan send people back to such a situation when it was them who brought the Koreans to Japan in the first place? No compassion... Also, no citizenship. I believe the J-govt. offered citizenship to Koreans, but they had to turn "Japanese". Unlike the "melting pot" of America where we try to promote diversity and celebrate different cultures within the American culture, Japan demands total immersion. They could only go to schools approved by the Japanese Ministry of Education. This means that Koreans would no longer have the opportunity to learn their own traditions... but then I don't remember getting Japanese history lesson in elementary school. But I did get Japanese language lessons. If these Koreans went to regular J schools, there would be no Korean language at all. And if they go to Korean schools? Since they are not approved by the MOE, the diplomas they earn will not be recognized by universities, and so cannot gain admission. Perhaps most significantly, they would have to change their name. I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I have been told by many--Japanese and Koreans alike--that those who "naturalized" took names that were similar to their Korean ones. The name Kim, for example, is read Kane in Japanese, so names such as Kaneko, Kaneyama, etc. find their roots in Korea. But really, I could never imagine having to change my name to Smith or Jones, or--closer to Onigiri--Oneill. The Koreans-in-Japan (KIJ) situation might be similar to my own life as described in NLUTE. Many of the KIJ are a true hybrid in everything except their passport. Language and customs are blurred. My friends son--Matt I'm lookng for the business card of her restaurant--is incredibly Japanese in attitude and behavior. His Japanese is impeccable as is obvious. He talks to his mother and sister in Japanese. The only time he speaks Korean is when his father is around--you know those old school East Asian males. But if asked about his cultural heritage, he would adamantly say he is North-Korean, even though he has never been there, doesn't really want to go there, and everything from his language to taste in music is far more Japanese than Korean. To make it worse for him--in my opinion--is that he looks like the Japanese. I and my JA/AA buds look distinctly different from Mr. White America. They see us approaching, we know we are being watched. We do not melt into the background--unless your in Chinatown, J-Town or K-Town. But he looks no different than anyone else in Japan, and yet if and when he decides to go to college or get a job, he will have to confront the kind of discrimination reserved for us AAs here: Yeah, you're smart, you capable, but you're just not one of us. (I might mention that my step-son is half North Korean--Musubi-chan's late husband was North Korean, and Unagi-kun looks llike any other FOB from Japan.) I wait for the day when we can all be equals. There are many young white people indeed who want this to happen--Capt.Gaijin certainly has been open about his opinion about this. But this is not the reality. Even now. And there are certainly many young whites who show no desire to change the status quo, and there are many young Japanese in Japan who don't even realize that there's a problem. As for me, I am an American. I know that without a trace of doubt or regret, as I have tried to convey in NLUTE. But I still have to deal with the situation, the reality of our current society. Just as my Korean friends who struggle for recognition in Japan must face theirs. Sunday, August 24, 2003 : Japan : How thee frustrates me, let me count the ways
I have read a number of Xangas of people who will soon be going to Japan. Some are excited, but surprisingly, some are going unwillingly... Well, as one who wants to go but can't afford it, let me express some reasons why I would be more than happy to take your place...
Thursday, August 21, 2003 : Response : to Comments to Suicide Bombers 2 below Piratechan: Isn't it a pretty universal concept that "soldiers die for their country and all it stands for"? Whether or not soldiers actually think that, the country using them generally uses that stand to get them to join up in the first place in times of war. Get 'em revv'd up and idealistic, and send them off to do "right". Sleetse: Ah dont take my comments so seriously, I'm a tainted/perverted American. : Suicide Bombers 2: Japanese Identity
Sleetse's comment--besides suggesting that he is more than just the sarcastic wise-cracking leader of Japan II--indicates that the Japanese were fighting for there loved ones... Now, I don't doubt this a bit... I too believe that they "believed" that it was for their loved ones. But it has to be more than this. Think about it. What would really make them go to die? Their loved ones? What is the logic in that? Will the family itself profit or gain honor? The only honor they gain is through prestige as reflected through their identity not as individuals, but as Japanese. No? And that, I believe, is the crux of the Japanese identity dilemma. They are so bound to their identity as Japanese, that they have trouble detaching themselves from it. Even as the people of today want to express their individuality, it is always tied somehow to being Japanese, to being special. How many of you have heard a Japanese insinuate that only Japanese chefs can truly make good sushi. I have personally heard many say this. In general terms, this means that those things that the Japanese identify as culturally Japanese (sushi) can only be appreciated and reproduced by Japanese. It is a part of their identity and they are not about to let it go. This facile logic suggests that every Japanese chef who cooks spaghetti can't really do it justice because they are not Italian. (Did I write about this before?) Of course, I do not refer to all Japanese, particularly those who have lived here for a few years and spent their youth here. They have probably been "tainted" with American ideas of individuality... I admit, I used to be one of these people. I thought the Japanese were special. The genius, Ian Levy--who left me high-and-dry during my graduate work--convinced me that identity, Japanese or otherwise, was a state of mind. He was not speaking of the Japanese race, but the culture: language, thought, attitude. He wrote a novella in Japanese, Seji no kikoenai heya, that was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize in Literature and won the Noma New Writer Award, and in it he reveals his thoughts of what being Japanese is for him. But I'm getting off point. Basically, the Japanese during WWII were closely tied to their identity as Japanese particuarly with the J-education system as it was: highly censored, highly controlled. As such, they probably didn't have to state it for people to know it. They probably didn't have to write it explicitly in letters or diaries. They didn't die for their military leaders or because of the orders they were given. They died for their loved ones, they died for Japan. Please note that this is a personal opinion--actually, as I read it over, it sounds more like rambling or ranting--based on an intertextual conglomeration of experiences: about ten years of my adult life living in Japan, the rest living with and among Japanese in the US, Japanese books too many to list here, hundreds (if not thousands) of J-movies and J-TV shows, etc. This commentary has nothing to do with any class I have taught or may teach in the future... Wednesday, August 20, 2003 On Thursday, August 14, I wrote my thoughts on the JAJournal about the History Channel special on the Kamikaze, Divine Wind, the suicide attacks by Japanese pilots against the allied fleet during WWII. I received a comment from Capstew and present both sides in the form of a dialogue, with additional responses from me inserted... Go to JAJournal for the original post... Onigiriman: Sleetse reminded me of the Kamikaze special on the History Channel this weekend. Although I'm an alledged "Japanese expert" I was suprised to learn that the Japanese had kamikaze torpedos--ningen gyorai, in Japanese. It had never occcured to me before, but watching the desperation of these Japanese militarists conjured images of the suicide bombers in Israel, Palestine and of course the WTC, vicitim of a 747 kamikaze attack. Capstew: Wait, so you think the ningen gyorai did it voluntarily rather than under extreme duress? O-man: Well, the similarities are unnerving to me: They did anything to save their land from occupation; they did anything to try and stop an enemy that was obviously superior in power and technology; they did anything in the name of religion and their religious leader, Hirohito: as emperor, he was the leader of the Shinto faith, the foundation of Japanese history, ideals, and identity at the time. Cap: One difference I see between the Japanese and the hijackers and suicide bombers is that in Japan the State mobilised their propaganda machine and cut off all means of dissent. So the young men might have been flying off to their doom "voluntarily" but evidence such as their diaries written prior to their missions suggest it was a forced voluntarism. O-man: True, the extant documentation--diaries, letters--suggests that they were reluctant to die, but nonetheless they went. Were they simply feeble lambs unable to voice their opinions? Or did they believe in something that compelled them to follow orders without question, a belief in some vague national policy? Cap: Japan's colonization policies were not all that popular with Japanese people for quite some time, mostly as it was so costly and provided hardly any benefits except for international prestige--not as important if you are starving and having to sell your own daughters into prostitution--which indicated that the people did not necessarily agree with the govt's foreign policies. O-man: Indeed, but I was referring more to the policy of Japanese identity, of their "special" place in the world, their belief in their "uniqueness" and their direct relationship to their gods. Couldn't this belief--it was national policy to propagate this identity through education--have influenced their worldview, and hence their decision-making mechanism despite the presence of an understanding of morality or decency? Cap: I would argue it was the military leaders who felt desperate at the end, especially as some of them realized from the beginning that Japan could never win in a conflict with the U.S. from whom they received money, fuel, scrap metal etc that financed a great deal of the colonization process to begin with. Maybe the ningen gyorai were a symbolic act of desperation knowing the State was about to be humiliated. O-man: But according to the History Channel (and I realize that we shouldn't consider them to be the end all of historic knowledge), at least one pilot of a suicide torpedo was a technician who designed the ningen-gyorai. He was neither a military leader or a politician, but he insisted that only he was able to pull it off successfully, according to the History channel, that is. Of course, there is no doubt that he felt pressure beyond just his identity... Cap: The hijackers obviously were under severe duress to act the way they did but it was not the action of the state that made them that way. O-man: You're right, of course, but I believe their actions are guided by their identity, like in Japan; that they must act in a certain way under prescribed circumstances. In Japan, this identity was developed and nurtured through the state--i.e. education. In the Middle East, their identity is developed through religion, and nurtured through certain sects of Islam into characteristics that can lead to violence and hatred. And the connection between religion and state is not as clear cut as it is in the West. This perspective could alter my perception of the Middle East situation... Cap: How exactly has your view of the Middle East situation changed? O-man: Well, I've always had an empathy for the Japanese people of WWII, mostly because I'm Japanese, or at least that's how I thought. But, now, I'm beginning to think that perhaps it's because the Japanese were trying to compete with the West, that they felt inferior and were desperately trying to be "as good" as them, as I try to be "as good", "as acceptable" as my non-Asian American counterparts. Do citizens of the Middle East see themselves as inferior? In terms of technology and material lifestyle, I would think that they would have to. But they also probably see themselves as superior in other abstract forms related to their identity: spirituality and race. Kinda like Japan in WWII, or to a degree maybe even today? To be frank, this kind of makes me feel uneasy, 'cuz I had mostly thought of suicide bombers as ignorant maniacs... I think I have to re-evaluate this particualr notion... Not that I agree with their actions, or even sympathize... But further thought might help me grasp the underlying reasoning for their action, and this will hopefully promote better understanding. Well, a guy can hope, right? Thursday, August 14, 2003 Sleetse reminded me of the Kamikaze special on the History Channel this weekend. Although I'm an alledged "Japanese expert" I was suprised to learn that the Japanese had kamikaze torpedos--ningen gyorai, in Japanese. It had never occcured to me before, but watching the desperation of these Japanese militarists conjured images of the suicide bombers in Israel, Palestine and of course the WTC, vicitim of a 747 kamikaze attack. The similarities are unnerving to me: They did anything to save their land from occupation; they did anything to try and stop an enemy that was obviously superior in power and technology; they did anything in the name of religion and their religious leader, Hirohito: as emperor, he was the leader of the Shinto faith, the foundation of Japanese history, ideals, and identity at the time. This perspective could alter my perception of the Middle East situation... To be frank, it kind of makes me feel uneasy... Peace, everyone... Wednesday, July 23, 2003 Why is Nihon called Japan? A Continuing Series of Useless--Yet Inexplicably Interesting--Information
This is the question I posted before I went to sleep last night. While the West
refers to France as France, and America as America, it calls a country, known
to its citizens as Nihon, Japan. This morning, Takunishi,
that man steeped in all things Japanese, responded to the above query by
telling me that the name Japan came from the word Zipang, likely Portuguese,
meaning perhaps the "Land of Gold." And indeed, according to the Wikipedia,
"Zipang, Zipangu or Jipangu (where the ending -gu （国） means
"country") is the archaic name for Japan, from Portuguese. That was
first introduced by Marco Polo's book, with spelling Cipangu.�
But the question is, where did this Portuguese word come from? Why did they call it Zipang, instead of Nihon or Nippon? I don't really know why, but I've created my own story after studying Chinese.
In Modern Chinese--Mandarin, to be precise--the characters for Japan 日本 are pronounced,
ri-ben. Now, this doesn't look anything like the word Nihon or Japan, except
for the fact that it has two syllables. But the interesting thing is its
pronunciation: 'r' as represented in pinyin (modern Chinese represented
phonetically in roman letters) is similar to the sound 'j' or 'zh' as
represented in English. Further, 'i' in pinyin--and only after certain
consonants--is pronounced in a way that would sound similar to 'er' (as in 'her')
to the American ear. One more thing: 'e' in certain combinations is pronounced
'u' as in 'up'. (Amazingly, some scholars actually believe pinyin is the perfect
romanization for Chinese.) Consequently, the Chinese pronunciation of 日本--transliterated
for the average English speaker--might look more like "jer-bun." (Chinese
scholar, Cult of Dizzo,
may have a different opinion, of course.)
Okay, so my story goes like this: To establish its sovereignty and legitimacy
to its neighbors, the land of Yamato
China accepted Japan as a sovereign land and subsequently referred to it by its
official name, albeit using their pronunciation. When some visiting Europeans
asked what lies to the east, the Chinese responded with the word that became
the basis for the West's name for
Now, I'm sure you're thinking, "Yeah, right." And I'd be the first to
admit that modern Chinese cannot be pronounced exactly as it was during the Tang
or Ming dynasty, although I'd bet that they would be similar. And certainly,
this is my "fairly tale", not an exercise in critical methodology.
But interestingly enough, there was a man from Venice named Marco Polo who
published his experiences in China in a book entitled Le Merveilles du Monde
(that's "Marvels of the World" to you and me) at the end of the 13th century.
In it, he also mentions a "land of gold" that the Chinese spoke of, a
group of islands to the east of China that he introduced to the West as... (drum
roll, please)... Jipang, the alternate spelling for English speakers representing the Portuguese pronunciation of Cipangu.
Note: the 'g' or 'gu' is from the Chinese pronuciation of 国 'guo'.
For more, see: Marco Polo's Asia; an introduction to his
"Description of the world" called "Il milione." Wednesday, July 09, 2003 Today's Japanese culture class--toilets (WARNING: don't read if you are offended by toilet talk): I told them there were a number of things involved, including bunching your pants around the knees. If you drop 'em to the ankles, you'll crap into you pants. Also important is direction: most of us sit facing away from the wall. but if you do that on a squatter, there is no hood to catch the splatter when you piss--Yes, ladies, guys can take a leak and crap at the same time. Anyway, I should know about the splattering. I was squattin' the wrong way and thinking, "how do I prevent this?" as I was trying to find a point on the inner wall that would offer the least amount of resistance to a stream of... never mind.
In case you've never been to Japan, don't fret. Virtually all modern homes have western-style toilets. What you have to worry about is the bidets. But if think you'll find yourself in a dorm or old housing, practice your catcher's squat. It just takes practice. After a year or so, I even started to take the newspaper with me. Saturday, June 21, 2003 I am teaching first year Japanese this summer, Ugh. I have to remember to explain to my class: Why do most direct objects take the case particle This is really an easy question, but most people don't know the answer, including many Japanese teachers and most native Japanese speakers� until you explain it to them.
私はさしみを食べる。 (I eat sashimi)
私は日本語がわかります。 (I understand Japanese) This goes a long way
in explaining why some particles change when different suffixes are attached. 1. さしみを食べる。 (I eat sashimi) 2. さしみが食べたい。 (I want to eat sashimi) 3. さしみが食べられる。 (I can eat sashimi) 4. さしみが好きだ。 ( I like sashimi) One's likes or
dislikes indicate stativity. We should remember
that not all verbs that seem to be stative are stative. Case in point: 知る This verb is commonly
used with the verb いる to indicate "knowing". 5. 私はあのことを知っている。 (I know about that) This is because the
verb by itself doesn't mean "to know" but "to get to know" or "to learn" as in
the following sentence. 6. あのことを昨日知った。 (I found out yesterday) This verb is used to suggest the acquisition of knowledge,
not its existence, so it is understood as an action verb rather than a stative
verb, and hence requires いる. 5 might actually be rendered "I learned about
that and exist with that knowledge." Of course that is rather cumbersome, but
the concept is along those lines. I realize that there are exceptions. Many people will use 殆o- with the desiderative or the potential, particularly young people, and the grammar will likely change ultimately. Indeed Japanese grammar changes constantly-- it's a living thing. But if my students keep this simple rule straight, chances are they will make few mistakes regarding |
Speaking of direction: I've heard a couple of old stories about elderly Japanese who didn't know how to use western toilets. One was amazed at American toilet ingenuity: a flat top to a tank so you can sit there--facing the wall--and peruse the magazines stacked there, or even maybe write a letter as you did your business. Once I went to a hot spring in the boonies, and discovered directions using stick figures on how to use western toilets. Laughing, I told my grandpa, and he told me in all seriousness that there once was someone who marvelled at "the balance that white people seemed to have." "Huh?" 
"I stepped up onto the seat and tried to squat but it was slanted inward and I couldn't keep my balance. I put the seat up, but the rim was so narrow, I could barely keep my balance. How do they do it?" 
(ga)
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