U.S. Military presence in Okinawa

The U.S. Military presence is a hot subject in the news of today in Japan. With over 90,000 people participating in a protest on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa on April 26th, the fight to close the base is gaining momentum. The bases have been on the Island since the end of WWII when Japan unconditionally surrendered to the U.S. The reasons for the protests are many, such as noise, pollution, rapes, and many other frictions between the troops and civilians. The Japanese people, particularly the Okinawan people, have made it clear that they do not want the bases to remain on Okinawa. This comes as a bit of a shock to U.S. government officials who thought the issue had been resolved in 2006, when it was decided the U.S. would move the base to a less populated area. However, even this is now being rejected by the Japanese people. This issue is highly debatable from both standpoints. On the one hand the U.S. is responsible for the security of Japan, and in continuing security in the East Asian realm. With China (a threat to Taiwan), and North Korea (still at war with S. Korea), the U.S. needs to remain in the area as a stabilizing factor. From the Japanese standpoint it has been over 60 years since the end of the war and they feel it is time for the U.S. to leave their own security to the Japanese. Also used for evidence of the need for the U.S. to leave the islands is the constant problems the military imposes on the local population. Such a decision could have huge implications for the relations between the U.S. and Japan. However, if sovereignty is the question at hand then Japan should be the country to decide what will happen to the U.S. bases on its territory.

Website used:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gLRnNiAm-F0NcPziTNjL2RDGrjtg

Still rolling sushi: Women in Japan/Outer space

Japanese women are pushing the limits of traditional behavior. From not having enough children to working more and marrying less, Japanese women are changing the status quo. One women in particular has recently changed traditional family roles greatly while also bringing her nation much glory and fame, her name is Naoko Yamazaki. Yamazaki is the first Japanese mother to ever go into outer space, and only the second Japanese women ever to leave this planet. The roles in this women’s family have changed with Naoko’s husband being the one who raises their child at home. This shows that although the changes with women in Japan seem devastating in this male dominated culture, the country can continue on and see as a role model this young Japanese family.
The story of this Japanese family is one that is maybe starting to become more and more common not only in Japan but around the globe. The wife has to spend more and more time with her career, while the husband has to sacrifice his own ambitions to take care of the children. In this case it nearly drove Naoko and her younger husband Taichi to divorce. He was forced to give up his career and look after their daughter, when his wife left for Russia, and the U.S. to train. This left the young man in a state of shame and depression for some time, and the couple even nearly filed for divorce. However, they started anew and he now fully supports his wife a hundred percent. It shows that through this mans sacrifice his wife was able to accomplish great things not only for her country but for women all over the planet also. Now the couple is “calling for the creation of a society that does not require one partner to sacrifice his or her dreams for the other.”( IKEUCHI, SAITO, Jpntimes). This call for change could be just what is needed to turn Japans demographic woes around, and allow the country to grow strong once again. Also while she was on board the International Space Station Yamazaki along with another Japanese man made the traditional food Sushi, and Naoko also wore a kimono. It just shows that Japanese culture is so widespread it can even travel into space.

Sources:http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100417f3.html
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100416a8.html

Hagakure- The Book of the Samurai

The Hagakure is called the book of the samurai. It is supposedly a book dealing with the proper forms of behavior amongst the samurai warriors, but the first line of this famous book states that the way of the samurai is in death. This would be dealing with one of the themes in which it describes that in being a samurai one should behave as if one is already dead, and dying for ones master is the goal in life. In Hagakure we can see some other major themes that come through. One theme that is specifically harped upon would be that of Loyalty. In this virtue the samurai should devote himself entirely to the will of his master. One cannot be selfish and be a samurai, selflessness and being one with your master were necessary. Since this was for warriors, it is a way of following orders in a form of military code.
This book also harps on the fact that the older samurai were much more virile and the older samurai were more masculine. This is referring back to a time when the samurai were a much needed warrior class, and they were used much more and this supposedly made them better samurai. It even states in the book that the samurai’s pulse has now slowed down to that of a woman. However, this book is more than just a military code, it is also good for the day to day social life’s of the samurai. It tells of the need to speak your mind, listen attentively, and have respect and compassion. One should not make enemies, and one should not die while others are thinking badly of you. Actions were favored over words, so as to keep others perceptions in good standing. Gender was also a subject in the Hagakure, and women were also expected to have loyalty, usually with the example of a wife’s loyalty to her husband. Overall we can see that this book gives us the modern reader an amazing example into the values and daily lives of the samurai.

Tale of Genji

The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu.
The Tale of Genji is a novel set during the Middle Heian Period of Japan. In the Novel we are given a firsthand account of what life was like during the Heian period, at least from the point of view of the Elites of that time. We can see that during this time for the elites it was a very sophisticated and proper society. From the descriptions of the clothing we find that only the finest robes and garments were considered proper. People used carriages to get around. Overall what we read does not describe in great detail the rulings in place, but we can find that this would have been the life for the ruling class. The few times it mentions commoners it is only to describe their lack of fashion.
Gender is another area of distinction in the novel. Being written by a woman, Murasaki Shikibu, we have a gendered perspective on the writing with a lot of feeling coming from the female point of view. But judging by the fact that a woman could have written such a novel at this time reveals much of women’s place in Heian society. Religion is also a very important aspect of this work. Many times the author mentions Karma, and the workings of bad spirits. We also are given a glimpse of a Shinto purification ceremony with the ascendance of a new Ise Virgin.
One subject that seems to still be relevant in modern Japanese society is Mono no Aware. A direct translation tells me that it is “an objects possession of misery”. This can best be described by a Japanese person, but it is my understanding that it has something to do with the emotional truth that things are not permanent in nature. This kind of example can be seen with all living things, but especially with the Cherry Blossoms in the spring. This is a generally sad truth if I understand it correctly, but there is always hope that this truth will continue again with the next generation. This text can give us a very real picture of life in the height of the Heian period, a time when Europeans were still in the dark ages. This along with the fact that it is considered to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, novel in history. The text reveals an incredible amount of similarities even with the modern age. We can see then why this text would be used when discussing Japanese history.

Readings from first two chapters of Mikiso Hane's book

The Writings of Mikiso Hane inform us a great deal about the area we know call Japan. We are shown the history of this group of Islands before they held any kind of identity. Japan, like many parts of the World, has a long history of human occupation. Artifacts have been found estimated to be around 200,000 years old, so we can see that Nihon has been inhabited for quite some time. We can fallow the development of the people on the islands by their objects they left behind. The Jomon Period (4500-250 B.C ) was a time of elaborately decorated pottery. After this period Japan received its most precious gift from the Asian continent, Rice. Rice agriculture came around the 3rd century B.C., this period was known as the Yayoi culture. The people of this time period probably migrated from the Korean peninsula. Japan lay at the end of the invention curve of Asia. Being an isolated island most of its culture and inventions would come from Asia(mainly china). This would for a time leave Japan as a backward and uneducated land, but with the arrival of many immigrants from the mainland Japan would rise quickly in Asian prominence. It would be in the fifth and sixth centuries that Japan would be influenced by Chinese civilization on a massive scale. Writing was one of the most important cultural aspects that the Japanese received from China. With this the Japanese would go on to write such important works as the Kojiki and the Nihongi. Buddhism also came to Japan around this time, and with it came new art and architecture. Slowly but surely Japan started to adopt a more centralized seat of power similar to China, and with it came an aristocracy by the government officials. Women held a equal status with men during this time and often owned land and property. Slaves also existed in pre-modern Japan, but appear to have been treated fairly well. At one point a large war was raging on the Korean Peninsula, with Silla and T’ang Chinese controlling the area. The Silla pushed out the foreign Chinese and made encroachments on Japanese Islands. This struck fear into the Japanese Emperor and soon a large military with many forts was set up in northern Kyushu.