Alt title: Balancing Act
A common story you hear from Americans travelling internationally is culture shock. It can be hard to fathom just how woven together culture, tradition, and everyday life is abroad (America’s understanding of culture is, like, FREEDOM… CHRISTMAS… HOT DOGS… but ends somewhere around there).
As for me, I came into studying abroad with what I call “open brain mode.” I mentally prepared to be surprised and challenged by a new place, rather than just expecting more of what I know. And it worked wonders! Instead of culture shock, my experience has been more like “culture seepage.” I’ve slowly come to understand some things about Japan that make it so different from America… And why that’s so cool.
Japan largely stresses formality and respect. This, you probably knew. However, what you might not have known is the cultural perception of time that governs how we each experience the 24 hours of the day differently: Generally, it all trends towards timeliness here. Classes regularly start a bit early, the buses always run on time, and meals are served at very specific hours. Living here has challenged me to be more conscious of the clock (And as a result, I feel soooooo productive!).
These non-physical manifestations of culture are much more interesting than the little facts (Did you know there are lots of vending machines? Who knew!) you so often hear. The role of tradition is where these nonphysical displays of culture meet the physical ones. Unlike in the states, where that term so often signals religious zealotry, there’s a different understanding of it here… Shinto and Buddhist practices in Japan have grown alongside mainstream culture for so long that the two are basically one-in-the-same. Even nonreligious Japanese pray for good fortune. Today, being the Tanabata, I wrote a wish for peace on a Tanzaku and tied it to a bamboo tree.
Tradition isn’t all sunshine and rainbows… (Yasukuni Shrine is a good case study for further reading). But there’s an important line to draw: Japan as a nation and Japan as a people. Both of them are performing a critical balancing act between traditions and modernity. For what it's worth, I have the utmost faith in the people (At least those I’ve met) in upholding this balance. Like Kanto's Myogi, it takes a great deal of effort to ensure a prosperous Fall.