I read my last entry and now I wonder...is it a simple mindset?
I mean the same is applicable back home right? The same advice I give to first timers in Japan is applicable to anyone living anywhere in world.
I think the main difference as a person who tries to evoluate is that you do not have (or should not have) the pressure to fit in since a foreigner is by default an outcast in Japan. And since noboby expects nothing from you, it is okay for you to really try anything you want. That we admit it or not there is a certain mold we all have to fit in in our respective countries.
Someone told me once: I hope you find what you are looking for in Japan...
I have found a lot...And i am now sure that by the time I leave my town, i will definetely find what I am looking for.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Whatever you are looking for in Japan, you will find...
I came to Japan not really knowing what I was getting into. I am totally being honnest here. But being the person that i am, I truly wanted to tak full advantage of the situation although it was not the greatest most of the time at the beginning. After a year being here I realized one thing that turned out to be quite important for my overall experience here. I even said it to many first timers in Nippon. ''Whatever you are looking for in Japan, you will find...guarantee!'' The only BUT is that it takes time....and lots of it. so patience is key. This is why I believe so.
Yes, Japan is extremely rigid in its structures and hierarchy. It is also quite conservative when it comes to interpersonal relations. Yet, one can easily find these pockets of people that are interested- I would even add obsess most of the time- about a particular thing or hobby. Japanese are extremely dedicated to anything they do even if it is a simple hobby. For us, westerns a hobby is not an obligation: we do a bit of it and if we have an heavy schedule or that our interest changes, we simply dont do it. But for Japanese there is no such thing. There schedule is made to suit their hobby...and usually they all have this ONE thing they excel at. Ask a japanese: ''what is your hobby?'' I know for us it is such a weird question...it takes reflection time to figure out what we do out of work, school and chilling with friends. But all japanese have a hobby and a hidden passion...and they all excel at it. Really! You just have to found out who and what.
I spent a couple of months last year trying to find places to dance. And I found exactely what I was looking for. In Takayama, about an hour north of where I live, there is ballroom and hiphop. In nagoya and gifu, about 2 hours south, there is pretty much anything you could look for. But who would have believed that there is dance in MY town as well since it is so small. I found a samba community, a hip hop intructor, and a hawaian dance instructor. Thats just an example... And this is how I have been dancing salsa here and building on the basic I knew from home. Yes !!!! Japanese CAN dance. If you teach a japanese anything they will learn it. and very well!
Now...I was looking for scuba dive, they have it. Sky dive: they have it. Motorbike communities: they have it. Reggae parties: they have it...tons of it. Horse back riding: they have it. I even found a cowboy community..really! They dress like cowboys straight out of a western movie and are very serious about ''looking and acting right''.
To extrapolate, I was also looking for peace of mind...And as much as Japan can give its share of headaches to a foreigner trying to fit in, it can also provide moments where an individual feels this deep sentiment of oneness. I must admit that my surroundings leads to this feeling since i live surrounded by mountains. When I climbed mount Fuji last year, I never felt such a powerful feeling in my life...after one taste of it, now im addicted.
So...you are coming to Japan? 1.Keep your mind right open. 2. Be extremely patient 3. You need a copious amount of humor ....and from there I can promise you: ''whatever you are looking for in Japan you will find".
Yes, Japan is extremely rigid in its structures and hierarchy. It is also quite conservative when it comes to interpersonal relations. Yet, one can easily find these pockets of people that are interested- I would even add obsess most of the time- about a particular thing or hobby. Japanese are extremely dedicated to anything they do even if it is a simple hobby. For us, westerns a hobby is not an obligation: we do a bit of it and if we have an heavy schedule or that our interest changes, we simply dont do it. But for Japanese there is no such thing. There schedule is made to suit their hobby...and usually they all have this ONE thing they excel at. Ask a japanese: ''what is your hobby?'' I know for us it is such a weird question...it takes reflection time to figure out what we do out of work, school and chilling with friends. But all japanese have a hobby and a hidden passion...and they all excel at it. Really! You just have to found out who and what.
I spent a couple of months last year trying to find places to dance. And I found exactely what I was looking for. In Takayama, about an hour north of where I live, there is ballroom and hiphop. In nagoya and gifu, about 2 hours south, there is pretty much anything you could look for. But who would have believed that there is dance in MY town as well since it is so small. I found a samba community, a hip hop intructor, and a hawaian dance instructor. Thats just an example... And this is how I have been dancing salsa here and building on the basic I knew from home. Yes !!!! Japanese CAN dance. If you teach a japanese anything they will learn it. and very well!
Now...I was looking for scuba dive, they have it. Sky dive: they have it. Motorbike communities: they have it. Reggae parties: they have it...tons of it. Horse back riding: they have it. I even found a cowboy community..really! They dress like cowboys straight out of a western movie and are very serious about ''looking and acting right''.
To extrapolate, I was also looking for peace of mind...And as much as Japan can give its share of headaches to a foreigner trying to fit in, it can also provide moments where an individual feels this deep sentiment of oneness. I must admit that my surroundings leads to this feeling since i live surrounded by mountains. When I climbed mount Fuji last year, I never felt such a powerful feeling in my life...after one taste of it, now im addicted.
So...you are coming to Japan? 1.Keep your mind right open. 2. Be extremely patient 3. You need a copious amount of humor ....and from there I can promise you: ''whatever you are looking for in Japan you will find".
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Here we are in autumn and how we change without noticing...
It has been already 5 months since my latest update. So now it has been more than a year that I moved to this other planet called Japan. Am I settled? I can say say. Do I understand everything? Oooooh no! lol I understand a lot more than before but I found myself being baffled by my surroundings.
Summer went by so fast...I did not even see it coming and leaving. And as usual, fall came sneaking behind the doors and all of a sudden I just remember trading my shorts and thang tops for sweaters and hoodies.
The same way the seasons slowly changes in Japan without one's notice, the same way I found Japan's culture sloooooooooooowly integrated my mind and subconscious. It is not like a parasite that lives off another being. No....it is more like an alien organism that gets into your system without you even feeling one single difference. But than one day you wake up to realize that you have morphed into something else...or could it be evolution? Is it still me with a zest or someone else? Am I losing myself or gaining myself? Or am I just a cameleon adapting in any environments I found myself in and consequently adopting the mannerism of a world I did not even know a year ago. Here is what happened to trigger all these thoughts.
Last week end, I met with a local lady at an event in my town. We have had the chance to talk to each other several times in the past. When she saw me, she walked straight up to me, looked at me straight in the eyes and started talking. 2 things happened immediatly. First I must explain that we are all familiar with the concept of the bubble which is a bit less than an arm lenght in western societies. In Japan, this bubble is about one full arm and a half. Really! This woman was about the same as what would consider appropriate back home. I IMMEDIATELY backed off. And she stepped closer to me again making me feel...weird. Second, when she looked at me in the eyes, which is one of the ruddest things to do in Japan, I looked down. That woman grabbed my face and forced me to look at her. I was in shock! First I realized that I have been losing the ways of ''home'' and second this woman was NOT acting japanese at all. After asking her, she told me she was brazilian but has lived in Japan for many years...
And this is how this Brazilian woman gave me a wake up call about what was happening to me in Japan...which also triggered all the thoughts and questions I was asking earlier.
Summer went by so fast...I did not even see it coming and leaving. And as usual, fall came sneaking behind the doors and all of a sudden I just remember trading my shorts and thang tops for sweaters and hoodies.
The same way the seasons slowly changes in Japan without one's notice, the same way I found Japan's culture sloooooooooooowly integrated my mind and subconscious. It is not like a parasite that lives off another being. No....it is more like an alien organism that gets into your system without you even feeling one single difference. But than one day you wake up to realize that you have morphed into something else...or could it be evolution? Is it still me with a zest or someone else? Am I losing myself or gaining myself? Or am I just a cameleon adapting in any environments I found myself in and consequently adopting the mannerism of a world I did not even know a year ago. Here is what happened to trigger all these thoughts.
Last week end, I met with a local lady at an event in my town. We have had the chance to talk to each other several times in the past. When she saw me, she walked straight up to me, looked at me straight in the eyes and started talking. 2 things happened immediatly. First I must explain that we are all familiar with the concept of the bubble which is a bit less than an arm lenght in western societies. In Japan, this bubble is about one full arm and a half. Really! This woman was about the same as what would consider appropriate back home. I IMMEDIATELY backed off. And she stepped closer to me again making me feel...weird. Second, when she looked at me in the eyes, which is one of the ruddest things to do in Japan, I looked down. That woman grabbed my face and forced me to look at her. I was in shock! First I realized that I have been losing the ways of ''home'' and second this woman was NOT acting japanese at all. After asking her, she told me she was brazilian but has lived in Japan for many years...
And this is how this Brazilian woman gave me a wake up call about what was happening to me in Japan...which also triggered all the thoughts and questions I was asking earlier.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
