Changing Impression

 If I visit traditional place in Japan with my friends who came from other countries and then they pointed to something Japanese and asked me "What's this?"  This will be tough question for me and I may not be able to provide clear answer sometime.
Visual Anthropology of Japan gave me oppotunities to rethink about Japan. When we see films about one aspect of Japan like Kokoyakyu, Tokyo popculture, etc. I felt lile reviewed what I knew but through listening to international students' opinion I learn another perspective from different points of view. I thought this experiences were also anthropological in a way. Sometimes I knew how different idea they have by experience same things while we have similar idea by same experience.
Now Japan, a small island country and western world rapidly get closer each other. When I walk outside I see many Japanese or people from oversea who are colored hair, using keitai, talking about friends, fashion or love. Except appearance they are like same. But actually there are differences so we have different thoughts or perspective.
I found interest of anthropology to find out subtle key to know culture that I don't know and get better understanding of the culture.
To be honest, Anthropology is mess for me because there are too many factors to be taken up and maybe it's changing as time goes by. I have taken African anthropology class before but it was quite different from Visual Anthropology of Japan even I felt like I didn't have any experience of anthropology.
I felt difficulties sometimes to understand what's going on in the class but I really appreciate this oppotunities to be able to be a member of this class and study with proffesor and classmates.
Thank you very much!

坂本竜馬

I want to touch on a historical person whose name is 坂本竜馬 (Sakamoto Ryoma) in this post.

Recently, 1 year-running histrical drama of NHK that featured Ryoma was finished.

Ryoma is a thinker and an activist of the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate during the end of this period. He was born in low class family and was a victim of bullying. However, through lots of  encounters with people affect his thoughts or mates' death he was becoming to think about the need for end Tokugawa shogunate and launch new system. Finally, Ryoma succeed in ending the shogunate by letting the 15th shogun return political power to the emperor.

So he is really popular because of his life that is like a drama.



Ryoma acted by 福山雅治(Fukuyama Masaharu)
http://stat001.ameba.jp/user_images/20100103/19/firstitpro/20/00/j/o0388033810363332421.jpg

real Ryoma
http://img02.ti-da.net/usr/wokinawa/sakamotoryoma.jpg

This year many things featuring Ryoma has been seen. For example, one of the dolls of Hirakata chrysanthemum festival was Ryoma. You can see the pictures in VAOJ's October 8, post.

Then, I noticed some differences through watching TV drama of Ryoma.

I had read book about his history so I've done some research about him and there was a quite big gap between what I learned and the drama.

It's natural because TVdrama is kind of entertainment but I still feel like unnatural.

His appearance, heroicness and many things were too grate. I would rather say he is failure.

Besides, launching his own company, his plans or dreams almost do not come true.

However, he seemed to be extremely rare type of people in that era in Japan so he deserve to going deep into the study of his life or thought.



A new classical music

program

 On my way to home after enjoying the Disney's Classical music concert I was thinking why I was fascinated by the program.
 Because I had very little interest in classical music few years ago and ,of course, had not thought about going to listen such kind of  concert.
I think this interest may comes from my ミーハー characteristic. ミーハー (I think it's dying word) means trendy in ironic way or that kind of person. Classical music is not new but a popular comic book of music college students was dramatized few years ago which name was のだめカンタービレ.

のだめカンタービレ comics

のだめカンタービレ drama
http://img3.blogs.yahoo.co.jp/ybi/1/ee/1a/dancedancedance001/folder/656686/img_656686_21263165_0?1254367679

It caused quite big boom and lots of ミーハー family go to classic concert or let their childeren go classical musical schoool.
This is a good example of popular manga culture that gives society huge impact. After のだめ dramatized, frequency of exposure of things connected with classical music to media was obviously increased.
In my case, to be trendy was good because I could have interest in that classical concert I enjoyed listening and I was really moved.
While someone got new interest, some children might be dicided their future because of their parents' ミーハー interference.

Becoming same looks, to be differentiated

November 3, more than 30,000 students gathered here, Intex Osaka to participate in the job fair. I was also here to hear some companies presentation or research companies that I don't know yet.

Students are waiting in front of the gate

According to the big number of people here, many students are starting  research for job already. Before talking about my topic I'm going to introduce present situation of job hunting in Japan.

Now industries in Japan are becoming hollow gradually because they seek cheaper workforce in other countries. Besides, a lot of companies strive to empoly fresh graduates and if you spend a year having no job after graduated it will be insanely difficult to find posts of white collar.

And for some more reson, naturally we feel anxiety for our future. But what we, passive, quiet nation do to be empolyed?

Of course we need to be aggressive and we do so. It is kind of ironic that many students who are educated to be shy and obedient try to appeal themselves speaking loud and saying their opinion in front of several people who they first meet.

Students listening and taking notes

Also, as you can see, many students wear black suits though there is no designation of dress. I think it comes from our Japanese characteristic "everyone do so I do" and/or do not want to be outstanding.

I know we look all same ...but are we really want to be same as other people and do parsonnel managers want to employ person who have nothing special?

It's okay to be same as others now but finally we are going to be interviewed and screened. There is no advantage to be same as others. We need to appeal what only we can contribute to the company.

Our strange culture, job hunting is already started.

Great Talent, Annie Leibovitz and James Nachtwey

I've never seen certain photographer's pictures consciously before watching two films about Annie Leibovitz and James Nachtwey in the class. The common lesson I learned was that consistent styles of  taking photo seemed to exist.

For example, both Leibovitz and Nachtwey become invisible to be a part of their subject's world so it appears what the subject really is.

Mick Jagger by Annie Leibovitz
http://www.flickr.com/photos/annulla/428897352/sizes/m/in/photostream/




photo of Afghanistan by James Nachtwey
http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/

 
 However, as these two photographer's types of title, their works are quite different. Leibovitz , a portrait photographer takes lots of celebrities' pcitures for magazines, ads, etc. the photos are all sophisticated and enchanting as if she could find the moment of the peak and cut it.

Antoinette by Annie Leibovitz
http://bealencastro.tumblr.com/post/196745051/antoinette-photo-by-annie-leibovitz



Jamie Foxxby Annie Leibovitz
http://www.egodesign.ca/en/article.php?article_id=323

On the other hand, Nachtwey, a war photographer's photos remind me what is happening in the differnt places on the Earth. There are the scenes that I could not stand watching without pain in his photos. A photo of survivor of genocide in Rwanda was especially impressive for me. Personally, I research on conflicts in Africa and thought I'm understanding what is going on there. But seeing this photo my images for conflicts became more serious and real.



Survivor of Hutu, Rwanda by James Nachtwey



Totally different kind of photos are taken by these two photographer but they also have some common features. They obviously show respect for subjects and love their job. I learned what taking photo is through two films. I'm glad to be able to know these great photographers and want to take more techniques in my own photos.

What I learned from foreign students

 What I think about foriegn student.

They have strong mind to do something they are interested in. They study alot and aquire skills a lot.
It may be just my stereotype of foreign student but still I can't stop to think so. I often see my Japanese friends sleeping in the class. But how about foreign student?
They listen what teacher and/or other student say and have their own opinion.
I was surprised when I saw student say their opinion and then other student make a counterargument to the student.
I could learn many things studying with foreign students.

Here are two pictures of two guys from U.S.
Jake and Andrew.



Jake



Andrew

They studied Japanese when I come to them and they both spoke Japanese really well even I thought no need to convey what I think in English.
I was afraid to talk to them when I approached to them because I could be strange Japanese student who wnats to take their picture.

taken by me with Andrew's iPhone(my camera's battery was dead)

But they nicely invite me to their table and hear what I was doing.
We talked for a while and I admired their attitude to studying. Jake also can speak Spanish but his major is science. I haven't seen Japanese science students interested in language even it's highly required in business now.
I thought I shoud practice my English more and more not to be ashamed to say my major is English.

Neighborhood Izumi

photo taken in my house by me. I live in fifth floor of the apartment.

Izumi, the southern suburb area of Osaka is where I live in.
Specifically, I live in Tsuruyamadai where is constructed by cutting part of a hill so people live here cannot go almost anywhere without going down a slope.
Conversely, in summer, I have to be covered with sweat by going up a slope to get to my house.

one of the longest slope I go along everyday to go to school

But, I can see nice view spreading at the bottom of a hill.
Through about 20 years life here, almost no sight changed.I guess one characteristic of this area is the huge number of apartment. Each have 5 floors and mass small area. I live on the fifth floor of the apartment that is the sea side of this area so when it's clear sky we can see Awaji-sima, island of Hyogo prefecture, that is beyond the sea.



It's not clear though...

 Although such a small area, more than 10,000 people live in here but usually I don't see so many people when I'm wandering about my hometown.
It's relatively calm to contain so many people so it's hard for me to image such a number of people live in here.


but actually more than 100 apartment here. about 40 to 80 families live in each of them.

 I found interesting film on Youtube that a person takes my hometown.
He walks almost same way to my house from the station.