I have been in Tokyo for three weeks now and so far, adjusting to life here has been a difficult experience for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not homesick; I'm actually really happy here. I have seen a lot of cool things, met some great people and had a lot of interesting adventures thus far. However, I am discovering that I don't persay like Tokyo very much. Perhaps I was never meant to be a city person, I miss trees a lot, but I think Tokyo is different from a lot of American cities I've seen.
First of all, sometimes Japanese can be really obnoxious. I don't feel welcome at all when 10 high pitched girls all yell "irasshaimase" in sync whenever I walk into a shop or restaurant. And, sometimes I feel like all the flashing lights and are going to give me a serious headache. Crowds are pushy and everyone seems very hurried and impersonal. I have noticed though that when you talk to people here that impersonal manner vanishes instantly and everyone I have met here has been incredibly helpful and friendly.
The buildings, for the most part, are pretty ugly. I think that Ritchie would agree that the Japanese like their structures to be highly functional. Aesthetic consderations often seem to be secondary. For example, the triple highways you see everywhere are huge and gray and very displeasing to look at. I can see why things like triple highways and clearly marked footbridges are useful but it would be nice if they could be prettier. I think the impermanence that Ritchie discusses is based in this functional approach. Once a building is not being ultimately purposeful it is torn down, and a new, more useful structure is erected. The subway is a perfect example of the Tokyo mindset, perfectily on time and spotlessly clean. This city functions like a well oiled machine.
Of course, there are the places in Tokyo I love, delicious restuarants you can only find by going six flights up, my little neigborhood which strikes a perfect balance between a big city atmosphere and wonderfuly quaint, and the shrines and temples you come across whenever you're walking around. I love that there is always more to see and more new places to explore. Even on my walk home from school I see new things everyday. And perhaps by living here I will begin to see the differences between places. Tokyo was founded, after all, not as a cohesive city but as a group of small neighborhoods. One day I will be able to distinguish the tall buildings and bright lights from each other and start to see the different areas of Tokyo for their individual characteristics and charms. I think on that day, the meaning of this city will change for me and I will begin to feel like I truly live here.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
1st Project Visit #3
I just returned from my 3rd and most interesting visit from the shrine. Today my goal was to interact with some people at the shrine and I had the idea of buying “omamori” from the stand there. Omamori are essentially Shinto good luck charms. There is omamori for all different sorts of wishes. Safety while driving, scoring well on entrance exams finding a partner, and happiness are just a few examples. Today the shrine was almost completely empty and I was surprised to see so few people there. The big fire that I had seen the last two times also wasn't there. I went up to the stand and asked the woman working there what the different kinds of omamori meant. She was wearing big flowing orange pants and a white top. I chose two types of omamori, one for my boyfriend who is visiting right now and came to the shrine with me and one for myself. Mine is little and shaped like a monkey and wishes for happiness. His wish is for safety while driving as he recently got in a fairly bad accident. The woman seemed happy to explain the omamori to me and was very helpful. I took a few pictures of the stand after asking permission. In addition, rather than just watch people pray at the shrine, today I too walked up the steps to the offertory, threw my coin in, rang the bell and said a short prayer.
To be honest, before I went to the shrine I thought that doing that would be a good level of interaction to have for today’s assignment. However, as I was walking around a man approached me and completely changed my experience. He started by asking me in English where I was from. I told him that I was from America and we got to chatting a little about basic introduction type stuff. When he didn’t understand something I said, I repeated in Japanese and once he realized I could speak well we started conversing in Japanese. We had a long conversation, I would estimate about a half and hour and we talked about so much. He started out by saying that he was Shinto and that he was very interested in Japanese culture and he was greatly saddened by the decline of religion and traditional culture in Japan. He told me that a lot of Japanese don’t know very much about Shinto anymore and it’s upsetting to him. For example, you’re not supposed to take pictures in shrines because it angers the gods. I apologized to him because right before we had begun talking I had been snapping away. He said he wasn’t upset at me because I was a foreigner and have no way of knowing these things but Japanese should at least know their own culture. He also said that you’re not supposed to walk down the middle path in shrines because that is reserved for the gods, yet everyone walks down that path nowadays. He explained some things about Shinto to me, which was really helpful because I had been wondering these things every time I went there. Shinto has over 10 million different gods. Apparently this shrine is dedicated to the mountain god and for this reason there are monkey statues all around. Monkeys live in the mountains and are considered these gods helpers. They are also good for fertility, which is why many of the monkey statues are holding children. The water you wash your hands with outside the shrine has to do with the first man and first woman who were created from drops of water.
The man I met also talked about a lot of rather unrelated things that I found pretty surprising. He faulted the decline of religion in Japan to Teddy Roosevelt who believed Japan would be too difficult to manipulate if it had a strong religious core. I told him that I come to this shrine often and always see plenty of people here so why do people still come if they don’t believe properly. His response was that he wasn’t sure but he believed that Shinto was embedded in Japanese DNA. A sort of odd response but I let it slide. He talked about the Russo-Japan War and Japan’s defeat in World War II. He believed that Japan lost, in part, because farmers became soldiers and were not subject to the intense training of the samurai and therefore not as well prepared to fight. At this point, I realized he is probably a pretty intense nationalist but he was interesting so I didn’t try to argue or cut him off. He reiterated his interest in Japanese culture and said that it is sad to him that kimonos are not handmade in Japan anymore. He told me that he has kimonos that are over 80 years old in his house and you just can’t buy good kimonos anymore.
Overall, it was a very strange encounter but an interesting one at least. I was grateful to have someone explain some aspects of Shinto to me and hear an opinion about the role of Shinto in the lives of regular Japanese. Even his tangents were interesting although I was confused as to why he told me so much. In the end though, I feel lucky he approached me because I would not have known nearly as much about the shrine without him.
To be honest, before I went to the shrine I thought that doing that would be a good level of interaction to have for today’s assignment. However, as I was walking around a man approached me and completely changed my experience. He started by asking me in English where I was from. I told him that I was from America and we got to chatting a little about basic introduction type stuff. When he didn’t understand something I said, I repeated in Japanese and once he realized I could speak well we started conversing in Japanese. We had a long conversation, I would estimate about a half and hour and we talked about so much. He started out by saying that he was Shinto and that he was very interested in Japanese culture and he was greatly saddened by the decline of religion and traditional culture in Japan. He told me that a lot of Japanese don’t know very much about Shinto anymore and it’s upsetting to him. For example, you’re not supposed to take pictures in shrines because it angers the gods. I apologized to him because right before we had begun talking I had been snapping away. He said he wasn’t upset at me because I was a foreigner and have no way of knowing these things but Japanese should at least know their own culture. He also said that you’re not supposed to walk down the middle path in shrines because that is reserved for the gods, yet everyone walks down that path nowadays. He explained some things about Shinto to me, which was really helpful because I had been wondering these things every time I went there. Shinto has over 10 million different gods. Apparently this shrine is dedicated to the mountain god and for this reason there are monkey statues all around. Monkeys live in the mountains and are considered these gods helpers. They are also good for fertility, which is why many of the monkey statues are holding children. The water you wash your hands with outside the shrine has to do with the first man and first woman who were created from drops of water.
The man I met also talked about a lot of rather unrelated things that I found pretty surprising. He faulted the decline of religion in Japan to Teddy Roosevelt who believed Japan would be too difficult to manipulate if it had a strong religious core. I told him that I come to this shrine often and always see plenty of people here so why do people still come if they don’t believe properly. His response was that he wasn’t sure but he believed that Shinto was embedded in Japanese DNA. A sort of odd response but I let it slide. He talked about the Russo-Japan War and Japan’s defeat in World War II. He believed that Japan lost, in part, because farmers became soldiers and were not subject to the intense training of the samurai and therefore not as well prepared to fight. At this point, I realized he is probably a pretty intense nationalist but he was interesting so I didn’t try to argue or cut him off. He reiterated his interest in Japanese culture and said that it is sad to him that kimonos are not handmade in Japan anymore. He told me that he has kimonos that are over 80 years old in his house and you just can’t buy good kimonos anymore.
Overall, it was a very strange encounter but an interesting one at least. I was grateful to have someone explain some aspects of Shinto to me and hear an opinion about the role of Shinto in the lives of regular Japanese. Even his tangents were interesting although I was confused as to why he told me so much. In the end though, I feel lucky he approached me because I would not have known nearly as much about the shrine without him.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
1st Project Visit #1
I am here at the shrine near my dorm in Akasaka as the first part of my first Neighborhood Narratives project. The assignment: bring nothing but a journal and record your observations in a local neighborhood. I came to this shrine last Sunday, and, as the New Year's celebrations were still in full swing, the place was packed. On this Sunday evening, there are no where near as many people, although the place is by no means empty. However, today there are no stands of merchants selling takoyaki or other concessions you would expect to find at a fair. People are here by themselves, or in groups of twos and threes. Lots of couples and a few families with small children.
My first impression as I arrived at the shrine was that this must be the Shinto version of those American Christian Protestant mega-churches. It is set in the midst of tall buildings containing very important businesses and the tori gates, rather than being red and wooden, are massive and completely made of grey granite. There are about a million steps leading up to the shrine and an escalator along the side for those who don't feel up to the hike. Next to the shrine is a restaurant that looks rather nice. As I enter the main shrine grounds a number of things strike me. First, is the smell of woodsmoke and the large fire that is going on. In front of the sight is a big white sign with black characters. I write down the characters and vow to look them up later. Ther other strange thing is the chicken coop at the front entrance full of mostly sleeping chickens. Unlike last weekend, only one stand is open today selling the white pieces of paper and wooden plaques that people write prayers and messages on. I know almost nothing about Shinto and I find myself wishing I understood what was going on.
Someone just banged on what sounds like a very very big drum. I can feel the echo of the boom on the ground under my feet. It's kinda scary!
There is a short line up to the main shrine area and people take their turn ringing the bell, throwing in a coin and clapping their hands twice. No one else seems phased by the booming and, as it continues, I'm getting used to it to. It's 5 o'clock now. Some people are starting to leave, I'm beginning to think they might be closing. Do shrines close? The stand of trinkets is still open so I think I might be OK for a few more minutes.
I write down the name of the shrine in kanji, just so I won't forget it. I've noticed a lot of things about shrines in Japan that all seem to be the same. There are the big red flags with the names of local business sponsors. There is the wall of big tubs filled with sake. I think the sake is dedicated when the shrine first opens so this sake must be very old. But, come to think of it, I have no idea how old this shrine is.
Religion in Japan strikes me as being very different than religion in America. Some of the difference I think stems from the nature of Shinto and some of it from the nature of Japanese. Although, perhaps I don't know enought about either to make that statement. The people I see at the shrine look very relaxed. Coming here is a very natural part of their lives. It also looks very personal to me. Rather than being very loud and outspoken about their beliefs, they almost goes without saying. The people I'm looking at look like they are having normal, everyday conversations unrelated to their visit to the shrine. They could just as easily be shopping or going to eat. Little kids are running around, playing. However, something about the atmosphere of this place has an effect on people. They are slightly more reverant perhaps.
Those who work at the shrine are dressed in religious-looking clothing. Big white flowy pants and solid colored pants. I only see men that are dressed like this.
I'm curious to see what this place looks like on a weekday. I've only been here on Sunday and there's always been plenty of people here. Are there any times when there are no people around?
As I leave, I'm immediately thrown back into reality. I am in Tokyo and the streets are loud and busy and full of lights. It seems strange that this peaceful, reflective place can exist in the midst of all of this. Religion and everyday life seem to co-exist so naturally in Japan. I'm curious about this maybe a few more visits here will help me understand better.
My first impression as I arrived at the shrine was that this must be the Shinto version of those American Christian Protestant mega-churches. It is set in the midst of tall buildings containing very important businesses and the tori gates, rather than being red and wooden, are massive and completely made of grey granite. There are about a million steps leading up to the shrine and an escalator along the side for those who don't feel up to the hike. Next to the shrine is a restaurant that looks rather nice. As I enter the main shrine grounds a number of things strike me. First, is the smell of woodsmoke and the large fire that is going on. In front of the sight is a big white sign with black characters. I write down the characters and vow to look them up later. Ther other strange thing is the chicken coop at the front entrance full of mostly sleeping chickens. Unlike last weekend, only one stand is open today selling the white pieces of paper and wooden plaques that people write prayers and messages on. I know almost nothing about Shinto and I find myself wishing I understood what was going on.
Someone just banged on what sounds like a very very big drum. I can feel the echo of the boom on the ground under my feet. It's kinda scary!
There is a short line up to the main shrine area and people take their turn ringing the bell, throwing in a coin and clapping their hands twice. No one else seems phased by the booming and, as it continues, I'm getting used to it to. It's 5 o'clock now. Some people are starting to leave, I'm beginning to think they might be closing. Do shrines close? The stand of trinkets is still open so I think I might be OK for a few more minutes.
I write down the name of the shrine in kanji, just so I won't forget it. I've noticed a lot of things about shrines in Japan that all seem to be the same. There are the big red flags with the names of local business sponsors. There is the wall of big tubs filled with sake. I think the sake is dedicated when the shrine first opens so this sake must be very old. But, come to think of it, I have no idea how old this shrine is.
Religion in Japan strikes me as being very different than religion in America. Some of the difference I think stems from the nature of Shinto and some of it from the nature of Japanese. Although, perhaps I don't know enought about either to make that statement. The people I see at the shrine look very relaxed. Coming here is a very natural part of their lives. It also looks very personal to me. Rather than being very loud and outspoken about their beliefs, they almost goes without saying. The people I'm looking at look like they are having normal, everyday conversations unrelated to their visit to the shrine. They could just as easily be shopping or going to eat. Little kids are running around, playing. However, something about the atmosphere of this place has an effect on people. They are slightly more reverant perhaps.
Those who work at the shrine are dressed in religious-looking clothing. Big white flowy pants and solid colored pants. I only see men that are dressed like this.
I'm curious to see what this place looks like on a weekday. I've only been here on Sunday and there's always been plenty of people here. Are there any times when there are no people around?
As I leave, I'm immediately thrown back into reality. I am in Tokyo and the streets are loud and busy and full of lights. It seems strange that this peaceful, reflective place can exist in the midst of all of this. Religion and everyday life seem to co-exist so naturally in Japan. I'm curious about this maybe a few more visits here will help me understand better.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Welcome to my blog!
I am creating this blog for my Neighborhood Narratives class at Temple University. I am studying abroad here in Tokyo for one semester and am going to attempt to keep a journal of my activities and whereabouts. Enjoy!
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