japanamericana
weill in japan: day 16
Classes are as mundane as ever, and morale is low among the students.
Many of us feel that we aren't learning anything in class, and that attitude
makes the new material much harder to digest. The difficulty level is just
right -- the material is neither too easy nor too hard -- but the presentation
doesn't stimulate any energy among the students. It could have something to
do with the early start time for classes coupled with the fact that nearly
all of the students are in college and are used to college-style time
schedules.
For the past two days, I've been buying my 100-yen cup of espresso from the
vending machine but have found that it has no positive effect on my energy.
Caffeine is a double-edged sword: it often increases energy for a while, but
it can sometimes have a negative effect. Both the positive and negative
effects can be strong. I haven't fallen asleep in class yet, but I very well
could. In a class of some 14 people, sleep is not an option.
tourist-friendly
Although the attitude of many Japanese people towards unknown foreigners
is still cautious, Tokyo is still a very tourist-friendly neighborhood. Anyone
who has visited a big city or tourist attraction in America will undoubtedly
have seen the large groups of Japanese tourists stereotypically associated
with Japanese travel abroad. While American groups traveling to Japan have
not been as visible so far, I've taken a ton of pictures. I haven't tried
it yet, but I get the idea that Japanese people do not like to be photographed
by people whom they do not know. Far more often in Japan than in the U.S.,
people being interviewed on television news broadcasts are shown with their
face obscured and their voice drastically altered. For this reason, I haven't
taken pictures of anonymous Japanese people. When taking pictures of buildings
or other points of interest such as a 5-foot-tall Colonel Sanders figure
outside a KFC, many people will suddenly stop rather than enter the frame of
my picture. While a friend of mine took my picture today with the Colonel,
no fewer than three businessmen stopped dead in their tracks to avoid being
in the picture. I was pretty impressed; in New York or just about any
other city I've visited, passersby wouldn't think twice about staying on their
course. It's almost as if the tourist is respected here in Tokyo.
Tourists can also get help from the koban, or police boxes, located
near train stations and elsewhere throughout the various neighborhoods in
Tokyo. They provide maps, lend out bicycles and umbrellas, and can help with
many other things that you wouldn't expect the police to do. The high
police presence is not at all oppressive, and Japan's low crime rate helps
the situation.
engrish in sight
English, particularly American English, is commonly regarded as "cool" in
Japan. Many TV and radio stations will use a mix of Japanese and English
announcements even though their regular programming is exclusively in
Japanese. For this reason, little thought goes into the English used for
promotional purposes. Enter Engrish, a
term which gets its name from the lack of difference between 'l' and 'r'
sounds in the Japanese language. Today, I made my first sightings of Engrish
firsthand.
After arriving back at Ogikubo station, I decided to go shopping in another
of the many shopping centers near the station. There, I found three t-shirts
for only about ¥1000 ($8.60) each. They say, in English:
- Best of power comes out of consciousness
- CITY-BRED: Air is polluted... but not altogether bad.
- We must not forget to love and cherish the nature. Because the nature
gives us peaceful time. We are a piece of the world for peace.
Right. One of them is for me; the other two will find their way to
friends and family back in the U.S. These three weren't the worst that
I've seen so far. Many shirts and bags have entire paragraphs written
in poor grammar on them.
As if right on cue, I saw a drink vending machine as I left the store.
This "Seibu Box" machine bore the slogan "See You Time." I guess I will!
who wants to be an $86,000-aire?
Tonight at 7:00 PM, I caught the Japanese version of "Who Wants To Be A
Millionaire?" on television. Being a lifelong fan of game shows, I wanted
to see what adaptations were made for Japan. Japanese game shows tend to
stress outrageous stunts and prizes instead of trivia questions. Think
"Fear Factor" without the forced trash talk.
The show's main premise remains largely unchanged from the original
British formula: answer 15 multiple-choice questions to win the top prize of
¥10,000,000 (about $86,000). That's not a lot of money, but people are
still very excited. Lifelines are still available, although the phone-a-friend
actually involves calling a group of friends who can collaborate on the answer
on camera. Dramatic pauses after the "fainaru ansaa" are further
elongated by commercial breaks. The questions are still fairly difficult,
although my host family parents were able to answer many of them. Some
personalities backstage also provide their thoughts to fill the time.
To try and compete with the frenetic pace and crazy action of the typical
Japanese game show, some cuts were made from the 55-minute show. For
example, the fastest-finger competition is almost entirely skipped, with
the winner being announced before his or her qualifying question is shown in
retrospect. All questions up to the first lifeline are also skipped,
meaning that as many as nine questions out of the 15 could be skipped in
this manner. A brief biographical introduction shows video filmed at the
contestant's hometown, with explanations of what he or she wants to do with
10 million yen.
Many comedy, variety, and game shows feature subtitles, provided more
for entertainment value than for the aid of the deaf. These titles, added
in post-production, are brightly colored and vividly animated. Sometimes,
words are crossed out and corrections appear in the subtitles to indicate that
a speaker is mistaken. For people still learning the language, this also
provides an opportunity to easily recognize words and characters.
Even though the quiz show allows contestants to stop at any time if they
would rather not risk losing money, most contestants will take a wild
guess. Money is something of a taboo in Japan. While spending large sums on
lavish gifts is a common occurrence in the summer and winter time, accumulating
money is usually done in private. Humility is a big factor. Because of this,
quiz shows like "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" are not very popular in
Japan. Instead, shows like "TV Challenge," which last Thursday featured
various challenges testing contestants' knowledge of ice cream, are much more
well-liked.
politeness has its limits
Japan is typically known as a very polite nation. On the Japanese
version of "Millionaire," contestants bow as they leave with their prize
money. People in cars and on the phone will bow out of habit in situations
when it is logistically absurd. The other person can't see you bow on the
phone, for example.
In fast-paced Tokyo, the limits of politeness are tested every day. On
trains, people silently cram themselves into each car. People push, poke, and
step on each other, but this is not considered an insult unless it is done
deliberately.
Today, I saw a time when even these limits were surpassed. A man on a
bicycle sped through an intersection, forcing a car to stop short. The
bike also stopped, as the rider feared he would be hit and wanted to reduce his
momentum. The driver of the car looked at the bicyclist. The bicyclist looked
at the driver.
Their glance lasted only a second. In a show of deference to the driver,
the bicyclist leaned towards the car...
...and gave the driver the finger.
I love this place.