9 months in Japan

 After living in Japan for nine months and having a flight back to Sweden in the end of June I have mixed emotions. I feel that I have learned  so much by living in Japan, not only about Japan as a country but about myself as well. I have seen some of the differences between Japan and my own country, like the pace of doing things. In Sweden people tend to rush not things and take time to do the task, whilst in Japan people seem to do the opposite.

But on the other hand, Japan has such great  service wherever you go, and I would not say that it is at the same level in Sweden. I guess both countries and cultures comes with it´s one plus points.

However, by being in Japan I have discovered  what I would like to do with my life. I think this comes from a mix of missing thing in Sweden and learning about new things here in Japan, to have had the chance to experience a new culture and living within it has truly been eye opening for me. One of these things that clearly comes from my time here is that I realized how lucky we are in Sweden where there is still so much open landscapes, something that is not so common in Japan.

But after all, Japan would not at all been the same thing without all the people that I have met here and made this such a beautiful experience. I have certainty felt very welcomed here and been able to see and feel so much. My life would not have been the same without this time in Japan.

Since it is hard to choose appropriate pictures for this kind of topic I decided to choose pictures that make me happy and remind me of my time here.

Small men with aprons

When I visit temples in Japan I always see the small stone carved men with aprons and got very curious about them. The connection to Buddhism is obvious but why do they really where the small aprons and hats?

Not to surprising the aprons and hats is connected to old Japanese beliefs, that does not only stretch to Buddhism but also to the Japanese Shinto religion. There are several deities that seem to be connected to the color red and then also wear red clothing, in Buddhism there is Binzuro, Jizō Bosatsu and Kannon Bosatsu for example. In Shinto there is Shishi Gate Guardians, The Fox and the Monkey. Several of these deities wear red clothing. According to the Japanese folk traditions the color red is for "expelling demons and illness" and the association was made in between 552-645 A.D. when the Yamato court created a ritual revolving a fire god to send illness away from the land and in to another world.

But some deities do not only wear red clothes but in various different colors. This has its most likely origin in the legend of children limbo "Sai no Kawara". The legend tells us about what happens to children that die prematurely, they are sent to Sai no Kawara as a punishment for causing great pain on their parents. Where they stack small stones while praying for salvation in hope of building a high enough stone tower to be able to climb up to paradise. But sooner rather than later, the hell demons come to destroy the towers and beat the children with iron clubs. This is when the deity Jizō Bosatsu comes and rescues the children by hiding them in the wide sleeves of his robes.

This is most likely the reason for the high number of aprons, hats and other clothes covering the Jizō Bosatsu. Parents, families or concerned others give clothing to the deities in hope that he will have more cloth to hide the children in. And in this legend you can also find the answer for why there is so may pebbles stacked on one another close to or on top of the Jizō Bosatsu. Sorrow stricken parents stack stones as to help their child escape the Sai no Kawara and reach paradise.

I do find all these traditions interesting, though the legend about the children limbo scares me. I also find it memorable that Japanese people still follow these traditions in such an extent. There is not only a few old clothes on the statues, they seem quite new to me, and they must exchange them at some point to have them looking as new as they sometime does. I tried to find some kind of counterpart within the western world but could not really find something connected with religion that so many people do by themselves whiteout doing it within an already established environment like church. It is a very interesting phenomena and it makes for some great pictures as well.

Nature and Asphalt

One thing that I find particularly interesting with Japans cities is the lack and surplus of nature. Almost all the ground is covered by something, may it be asphalt, concrete, houses or stone. There is not really much open grounds. But the people living in the cities usually make it green even if there is nothing to work with on a ground level. Many fronts of homes are filled with potted plats that contain lush flowers, greenery, vegetables and I have also spotted a few smaller trees growing from larger pots. Because this, Japanese cities are indeed green, at least if you look in the suburbs and away from the cities cores, but even in the cities there is vegetation in some areas.

But why do the Japanese keep putting these plats outside theirs houses then? I would hint that the answer is obvious, probably this is to keep a connection to nature and to lighten the feel on the otherwise sparse cities. The Japanese people seem to have a real love for nature even though many nowadays are disconnected from it. Take the Hanami (Sakura Flower Viewing) process for example, at this time people from all ages are going out and viewing the cherry blossom threes in bloom. And there is also and example of this in the traditional Japanese gardens. There is several gardens in the traditional style all over japan and I do not doubt that many of the houses with high walls that I walk pass while walking to school usually contains something similar. I get the feeling that nature in all is forms is highly appreciated, just take the Ryoan-ji (Rock Garden) for example. Here people flock to see rocks, which might seems strange to outsiders but I think that perhaps the Japanese see them as a part of nature that also could be appreciated just as flowers or other plants. And that might also be why the Japanese gardens have such different themes of what we are used to in the west. Not only does the garden contain vegetation, but rocks, ponds and bridges also take an big part.

But from my personal viewpoint, even if there are vegetation even here in the outskirts of Osaka, I still miss real nature. During my time here, I have only been to the populated parts of Japan, and before I go home again I wish to travel to the real countryside. Where there are still fields, gravel roads and non concrete ditches.

Japans Cuteness

It is springtime in Japan and it is truly a wonderful time, the air is full of life and the sakura threes are in full bloom. The parks are full with people doing the popular Hanami (flower viewing) and relaxing with food and drinks under the trees. And everybody is taking part, the young, the teenagers, the adults and the seniors. It really feels like an ageless activity and the Japanese people also seems very proud of their sakura and the act of Hanami. My thought is though, might the sakura have something to do with the cuteness trend that is a big part of Japan today?

Since the activity is widespread and the flowers are admired by probably most Japanese it might be possible that the amongst other thing, the color of pink might have been popularized in a way that it would not have been without the sakura. And since the sakura are admired by all, adapting part of the sakura feeling of lightness, small petals and soft feeling has been going on for a long time. The sakura have been popular motive in art, on bento boxes or on other items that are usually decorated here in Japan. It would it the be to strange to say that perhaps this has had an affect on the cuteness trend, it might not have created it. But it would have opened up the mind of the Japanese people to let this ideas get ground and stick easier that otherwise. But off course, this is only speculations and I do not have anything to back up this idea though it might be an interesting one.

People

I have always had trouble shooting people, I prefer not moving object with a good composition. But it´s really the people photos you remember. They can trigger memories, sadness, happiness, give you a new view on what is happening far away from you and much more. This post is supposed to compare the two photographers Annie Leibovitz and James Nachtwey that both have a very separated styles of capturing the world and what goes on in it.

Annie Leibovitz has a direct approach and is in a big way taking part in the actions she herself is portraying. When James Nachtwey on the other hand is standing calmly on the outside trying to capture the sadness and roughness of war. But with both photographers I get the feeling of crossing the line of peoples barriers. It sometimes gets to close and personal for what is considered ok, but since they are accepted by the people around them they can be there and take those up close photos that really catch your heart.

I tried the early Annie Leibovitz method on one of my friends, "trying to take a lot of photographs until you they kind of forget that the camera is there". I only did this for one day with her, so I could not really see any difference in her behavior or in the photographs that came out of it. But when I instead take photographs of my fiance, he dose not even look at the camera or change his body language when I take his picture. I would assume that this is because I have taken photographs off him in the past to the extent that he is perfectly at ease with the camera. Is it then a benefit to be able to catch people in their actions without them being affected by the fact that a camera is present? I do not really know, I think it depends on what you want to catch in your photographs. Do you want the image that someone puts up for you to put on print or do you want to catch the naked truth? The answer might surprise you.

先生

This assignment goes under the title Portrait of a Japanese Person and when I started thinking about whom I would like o photograph it did not take very long to come up with my answer. Off course I wanted to take the portrait of the Japanese person that has had most impact on me and my life in Japan and my wishes for the future. This person is my ceramics teacher, who has the ability to make clay dance under his skillful hands.

Sensei (先生) has the ability to make you think you can do anything if you just practice and he never says that something is impossible. If you want to try something new, he tells you how to do it without coloring it with his own thoughts or views of how thing should be. He usually have his hands full with work, but some how always manage to take the time to help out when asked. All in all, I consider Sensei to be one of the best teachers I have ever had and I am very grateful to him, for teaching me how to change a little bit of clay and minerals in to whatever form.

When I asked him if I could take the portrait of him he wondered what it was for and I told him that it was for a class assignment, he seamed pleased with the answer. When I later told him that the picture should reflect him as a person he only said "as you like" the same answer that he says when you try to explain an idea that you want some advise on regarding pottery so it was a little bit hard to figure out the best way to take the portrait properly. But at the actual portrait taking day, I had my friend who is much more skillful in Japanese that I by my side and she could convey the "your personality" to Sensei in Japanese and then he said that it might be good to show him working, and I agreed. Since it is the work part of him I know, I figured that it is this side of him I want to show.

I am very pleased by the picture, since it shows Sensei with a small smile that you usually get when you talk to him sometimes, or ask ridiculous questions like "can you mix clay and glaze to make the clay waterproof?" which I am sure he enjoys. This is a salute to my teacher and I can only hope to one day be on his level of skill and knowledge.

Mountain Door Town

I live in a small part of Hirakatashi which I like to call the Mountain Door Town (because you could read the address kanji like that). The neighborhood is quite small and as I find it to be a family and student area (but it also has some sketchy spots). I base this on the fact that the people I have talked to is usually students living in the small apartments or family's living in the traditional Japanese houses that you also find here. There is also kids playing on the streets almost everyday in this area and across to my apartment house there is a traditional japanese house and every afternoon I can hear a Japanese boy coming home from school and calling out "Tadaima" to his family.

The local supermarket is a hotspot in the neighborhood, and why would not it be, we all need to eat right? Usually I see women doing the shopping and rarely men, this would indicate that most of my neighborhood is a tradition bound area where women take care of the house and the men bring home the cash. But nothing is ever for sure, I would only assume that this is the case. But one thing to back up my logic is the woman I sometimes run in to when I am doing my grocery shopping. She speaks English with me and talks about her life, which goes in the line of what I earlier described. I have not asked if I could use here stories for this assignment since it was awhile since I last ran in to her so I will sadly leave the details out. But the supermarket is not only a place for shopping, it is also a place for talking with friends and catching up on the neighborhood gossip. I see people coming to the supermarket and spending a long time talking to friends and then only buying something small that you might have gone without for one or two days more.

Another thing that ties the Mountain Door Town together is the small farmers market that is crammed in between two houses on my street. The market is not open everyday nor every week, yet it seems to have some kind of schedule that everybody in the neighborhood except for me have the hang of. But when I occasionally pass by when it is there I always see a lot of people coming to indulge themselves in what I presume is locally grown vegetables, but I have also seen the small market selling flowers and the range has been changing with the seasons and this would indicate that it is in fact locally grown. The people I see going there is again usually females, but in a higher age group and everybody seems to be well acquainted with one another and stand by the market to talk just as at the supermarket.

There is also agriculture going on in the middle of the neighborhood which I am very fascinated by. People that in this "modern time" in a way continues with a tradition we humans have had since we settled down and stopped being hunters and gatherers. It must be a hard task to grow good crops in the middle of an urbanized area and I can only start imagining the hardship they must deal with regarding pollution and other effects or their crops. But it is one way in the right direction of saving this planet so I would just like to say "keep up the good work"!

I think that the neighborhood inhabitants have a lot that connects them together and I can only assume that there is a lot going on beneath the surface that I haven´t been able to penetrate since I am a foreigner and have a lack of understanding, connections and language skills to be able to take an active part in the society.

Cultivation in the end of my street

Just missed another small farmers market

Five months in Japan

I have learned so much since I arrived here the 23 of August last year. Not only about the people here, but I have also realized a lot of things about my self and what I want out of life. I find that most Japanese are friendly and I have most of the time felt very welcomed here. I do though have some argument with the amount of plastic that is used by the Japanese, even if recycled it is crazy.

During my stay here I have had the opportunity to stay with two different Japanese families over the holidays and I almost felt a little bit too welcomed. I was not allowed to pay for anything by myself and breakfast, lunch and dinner were always served with me waiting at the table and even though I offered my help on several occasions, it was not accepted (except for one time, when there was other guests in the house, then I could join in wiping the dishes). This actually made me shorten my plans for staying since I just felt so spoiled even though some part of me also enjoined it. The Japanese certainly have certain expectations on hosts and guests.

I also realize that I would have had a tough time if I hadn´t known people in Japan already when I came here, without the support of my friends here I think it would probably have been a lot harder. Even around my neighborhood people are friendly and really make me feel at home here, there is a lady that I sometimes run in to at the supermarket that used to study English at Kyoto University and we usually talk in mixed up English and Japanese together, and in the beginning she also helped me find different items at the store that I would have had a harder time tracking down. I also think this relates to the Japanese sense of community, I really do feel a strong bond among the neighbors here and people are keen to talk to one another when passing by, even if it is only small talk about the weather.

And I have learned a lot since I came here, and not only in school at Kansai Gaidai University but also about my self. I now appreciate things that I earlier had taken for granted, such as heated houses and easily accessible nature. Coming from Sweden a country with only 9,4 million people and a size bigger that Japan, it is very easy to go for a walk surrounded by trees. There is also a lot of things I have found here in Japan that I could not have found at home, such as delicious foods or my surprising passion for pottery. This has also helped me several times to start up a conversation, since Japanese people seem to treasure the art of ceramics very much and are delighted to talk about it.

All in all, I am very happy that I am able to have the experience of living and studying in another country. I learn something new almost every day, regarding Japanese life, my self and my wishes for my future.

My friend Chihoyo found me a record store!

Ohh pottery, what would I do without you?