紫式部のインタビュー

紫式部という女は日本歴史の上でとても有名で、本当に大切な人です。たくさん詩の作品を書きましたが、「源氏物語」の作家として知られています。たいてい紫さんは他の人と自分の人生について話すのが好きじゃありませんが、今日はインタビューされることに合意しました。

私：紫さん、自分の人生についてちょっと教えて下さいませんか。例えば、出生地や仕事や結婚することです。

紫：はい、いいですよ。９５３年に京都の藤原一族のところで生まれました。子供の時から２５歳ごろの時に内の父の家で住んでいて、宮中の侍婢になりました。大人の時に私のはとこと結婚しました。

私：すみません、「侍婢」というのは、何という意味ですか。

紫：英語で「レディ・イン・ウエーテイング」ですよ。私は毎日皇后の世話をして、皇后のために何でもしました。

私。そうですか。侍婢の仕事はどうでしたか。

紫：実は、私にはとても面白くなかったですよ。つまらない仕事でしたので、いつも中国語を勉強して、ロマンチックな物語をよく読みました。その時、女を中国語や書くことを勉強するのがちょっとダメでしたが、私の身分は高かったので、大丈夫でした。

私：そのことをよく知りませんでした。ところで、紫さんのご主人が好きでしたか。どんな人でしたか。

紫：結婚しました前に私の夫はたくさん妻や子供がいましたよ。結婚しました後でまだ他の女と関係があったと思います。とてもちゃらい人でしたので、ちょっと好きじゃありませんでした。娘がいましたが、２歳の時に夫は亡くなりました。

私：そうですか。本当にすみません。今時間がちょっとありませんので、紫さんの作品について相談したいと思います。

紫：いいですよ。

私：どうして「源氏物語」を書きたかったのですか。

紫：私の皇后と一緒に琵琶湖に定住しました後で、毎晩月の光で石山寺を見ていました。そのシーンは本当にきれいでしたので、ロマンチックな物語を書きたいようになりました。

私：いいですね。どうして紫さんの物語はとても人気になったと思いますか。

紫：私の作品は本当にロマンチックで、冒険がよくありますので、誰でも好きだと思います。たいてい人生はとてもつまらないから、人は面白い本をよく読みたいんです。もし頭の中に面白い世界を作れったら、嬉しくなるかもしれません。だから、私の物語は人気になったと思います。

私：私もそうと思います。では、インタビューをするために本当にありがとうございました。紫さんはとても上手な作家で、面白い人です。

紫：いえいえ。インタビューは楽しかったです。ありがとうございます。

images: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murasaki_Shikibu

Disaster Stories

An article I found (see link below) depicted the stories of two disaster survivors – one man, and an 85-year-old-geisha. Not only did Matsumoto Shigeki lose his home and his entire village, but the tsunami also swept his mother out to sea, and her body was never found. Each day following the disaster Matsumoto would search through the debris in hopes of finding even a piece of her clothing or a shoe, but it seems the powerful force of the tsunami swept all trace of his mother away in just a few moments.

Fujima Chikano, the last geisha in her home town, was forced to leave behind her priceless kimonos, obi, and shamisen, as well as her only apprentice who was also swept away by the tsunami. Fujima taught dancing and shamisen playing, but without her necessary supplies and venue, her talent could be lost to the region forever. In addition to this significant cultural loss, Fujima will suffer significant economic losses as well. Without any insurance, money, or valuables to her name, Fujima must start over again with nothing, and she is at a complete loss as to how to begin piecing her life back together.

Never in my life have I experienced such a devastating event, and honestly I can’t even begin to think how these people can learn to overcome this trauma and return to a normal life. If Matsumoto never finds a trace of his mother, how will he ever be able to live in peace? How can he stop thoughts of his lost mother from haunting him day after day? As for Fujima, with her remaining years dwindling, how will she find the time to completely rebuild her life, and how will she ever overcome her devastating losses? It is said that time heals all wounds, and so perhaps with time, support from close friends and family, and psychological and economic assistance these two survivors can return to a “normal” life, but I feel that their memories and grief will always remain with them no matter what they do. Young people are fortunate that they are so resilient, but while they can more easily move away, create a new life for themselves, and move on, older generations have fewer opportunities to escape their misery, and their lives may always be left in broken pieces. In my opinion, at least for these two people, they will never truly overcome the trauma of this disaster, and their lives will be tainted with a sadness that can only be removed through death or a truly miraculous circumstance.   

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/18/japan-earthquake-stories-disaster-zone

Swamped and Shaken in Japan

Having lived in Hawaii for many years, my mom still reads Hawaiian newspapers online such as the Star Advertiser, and so I decided to look there first for an article on the 3.11 disaster. Given that Hawaii is much closer to Japan than any of the other states in America, I assumed that their coverage of the disaster would be much more sensationalized and would heavily depict the worries of the people regarding the spread of nuclear radiation to the islands. As I searched through the articles related to Japan, however, I found that almost all of the articles were written in a matter-of-fact sort of way with little exaggeration, even on the days directly following the disaster. In one particular article that was written just one day after the event (see link below), the writer clearly expressed the severity of the situation while still giving accurate information, which contrasted many of the sensationalized articles I read from other American sources. Being a person with family members in Japan/a person who was planning to study abroad in Japan shortly after the disaster took place, I feel that I was extremely involved in reading articles online and watching the news, and it was extremely frustrating to be surrounded by so much contradicting and plain ridiculous information. While various American sources depicted Japan as a complete wasteland and spouted unrealistic worries about radiation terrorizing the states, this author of this article seemed calm, collected, and well-informed, which is very refreshing. Perhaps the close vicinity to Japan allowed this newspaper to gain more reliable information or maybe the Hawaiian mentality is just less dramatic, but either way I really wish there were more articles such as this one available to the people during this time of crisis. I understand that fear sells, but if the Star Advertiser can provide accurate articles without losing readers or going bankrupt, then I don’t see why the rest of the world can’t do the same.

“Swamped and Shaken in Japan”

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110312_swamped_and_shaken_in_japan.html

Setsuden and "Living Eco"

I believe people have show more willingness to conserve energy rather than to “live eco” because turning off lights and electronics is simple as well as instantly-gratifying. No one wants to be seen as non-eco-friendly, and so by merely turning off the air conditioner, faucet, or desk lamp, people can avoid the guilt associated with being wasteful and feel that they are making a difference in the world, however minute. Also given the fact that “living eco” is a vague term and is typically portrayed to the extreme, people feel that they are incapable of adapting to this lifestyle, or become unmotivated to try and determine how to do so. When I hear the phrase “living eco”, I can’t help but automatically think of a hippie sort of person who lives off the land, wears clothes made out of hemp, and abstains from all use of electricity, but “living eco” most likely does not have to be defined in such an extreme way. If more people are to start “living eco”, they must first be provided with straight-forward concepts as to what “living eco” means and how one can lead an eco-friendly lifestyle (i.e. by saving electricity, etc.).  

In regards to Japan, I believe this shift has been influenced greatly by the recent disaster. By placing various ads, showing TV commercials, and shutting down certain electronics (hand-dryers, escalators, etc.), the higher-ups have played on Japan’s notion of group mentality by encouraging each individual to do their part and contribute to the greater good of the country as a whole. Even as a foreigner I oftentimes find myself feeling proud when I take the stairs when escalators are shut off, endure the train in the dark, and forego using hand-dryers since such acts backed by these ads make me feel as if I am making a difference alongside thousands of other Japanese people. Although the United States might be perceived as being more independent and stubborn compared to other countries, I have a strong belief that if a disaster such as 3.11 were to occur in the US, a similar shift would be observed. National and moral pride is something that most people enjoy experiencing, and so campaigns such as the setsuden campaign are very effective in changing the actions and mentality of the ads’ target audiences.

Although it’s fantastic that so many people have been encouraged by the setsuden ads and commercials, I worry that saving electricity may just be a sort of fad that will pass as time goes on. I was not in Japan before the earthquake and so I can only speculate, but I have a feeling that before the disaster the government and people of Japan were not quite as gung-ho about energy conservation. Perhaps the Japanese people feel guilty about the disaster and the people it has affected, but time has the power to mend all negative feelings, and so eventually more and more people will start to forget the impact of this point in history. As for climate change, I feel that until global warming starts to affect people in a tangible way (similar to how the 3.11 disaster directly affected the Japanese people), the global community as a whole will not feel particularly motivated to work toward saving energy and “living eco”. Once climate change begins to affect our daily lives I’m certain many eco-campaigns will be launched, but by then it will most likely be too late.

Articles on “the new setsuden culture”, etc.:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20110515a2.html

http://blog.highwaterfilters.com/setsuden-japanese-innovation-helps-country-to-conserve-energy/

http://martinjapan.blogspot.com/2011/05/setsuden-not-teiden-cry-from-japan.html

Here is the blog of a person who has collected many pictures of setsuden signs and acts of setsuden around Japan:

http://tokyotombaker.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/major-japanese-buzzword-setsuden/

Effects of the Disaster on Nihonjinron

Although I am not a native Japanese and can only speculate on the Japanese national identity, personally I believe that this identity has not changed after the disaster, and in fact the general beliefs of the Japanese as I understand them may have actually become stronger. Most texts reffering to the nihonjinron focus on the the interdependent relationships between Japanese people and preferance for a group rather than individual mentality. If this is in fact true, then I feel that such a large disaster would cause people to rely on others more than ever and become motivated to work as a group to alleviate this horrific situation. Rather than lash out against the government and give individual opinions, I think it's quite possible that instead the Japanese people might keep their thoughts to themselves and eventually work toward finding a solution together in order to help prevent disasters of this magnitude in the future. In an article I found called "Japan nuclear plant workers' dedication to common good a national trait" (see link below), the author emphasizes how the workers' desire to help the nation as a whole before helping themsevles reflects the Japanese belief in putting the group first. Also rather than complain, loot, or flee the country, the people of the damaged community felt strongly about helping others and working toward rebuilding the area. In the article one woman states: "As much as I'd love to escape, the group is more important than your own concerns, which follows for most Japanese", which further reflects this ideal.

Clearly the Japanese have accepted and received aid from people in many different countries, and although they might be required to increase economic ties with foreign countries in the future, I do not believe that this will dampen Japan's nationalistic values. If anything this disaster could contribute to the country's perference of using group mentality to solve difficult situations and ensure peace across the nation - the fact that the nuclear aspect of this disaster was caused by a company whose primary concern was making money rather than preserving the safety of the population could further influence the Japanese to believe that chaos will ensue if each and every person doesn't work toward the greater good of the group. 

Although the article "Selves, Cultures, and Nations: The Psychological Imagination of 'the Japanese' in the Era of Globalization" states that this view may not accurately represent Japan's national identity, until the "average Japanese person" and their beliefs and practices can be identified, I along with many others will continue to consider the ideals I mentioned above as a representation of the general Japanese population. This being said, based on what I believe to be true about the Japanese people, the disaster has strengthened rather than altered their belief in selflessness and group mentality.

Article:

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/earthquake-disaster-in-japan/japan-nuclear-plant-workers-dedication-to-common-good-a-national-trait-1.138125 

Volunteering to Me

To me, volunteering means donating my time and effort on my own accord to help anyone in any way, whether directly or indirectly. Although I really do want to volunteer (especially during this time of crisis in Japan), I have to admit that my previous experiences in volunteering often deter me from doing so more. Back in middle and high school there were two groups called the Junior Honor Society and the National Honor Society – even though I didn’t know most of the people in the groups and I didn’t want to be forced to do 50 hours of community service each year, given that these organizations are somewhat prestigious and look great on a college application, my mom forced me to join. Each week I would go to the meetings and sign up for various volunteering events, but due to my nervousness and the overbearing personalities of some of the members, I would often get forgotten about, and end up standing around doing nothing. Also, in order to make sure I got my 50 hours in and wouldn’t be kicked out, I would often look for menial jobs (i.e. typing for people, babysitting) that most likely don’t even count as volunteering, and I would sometimes exaggerate my time spent “volunteering” on paper to avoid the wrath of the group (and my mom). Out of all the hours I spent “volunteering”, I wonder how big of a difference I actually made, or how much time of my life and other’s lives I wasted.

Despite all this, once I entered college, I decided to participate in my school’s volunteer organization in hopes that I would have a better experience. Each year HAVOC (Hamilton Association for Volunteering, Outreach and Charity) hosts two major volunteering events, where hundreds of students are shipped out on buses to various locations to perform all different kinds of work. In contrast to middle and high school, these events were actually fun since I was able to participate with my close friends or other interesting people, but oftentimes I still felt unneeded and that I wasn’t actually making a difference. I appreciate HAVOC’s effort in organizing all these people and events, but given that the number of volunteers typically exceeded the actual demand for help in our community, I don’t believe that our time was used wisely. I hate feeling in the way and as if the leaders of the soup kitchens, YMCAs, etc. are running around trying to find work to entertain us with, and I hated sitting around waiting an hour or two for the bus to come pick us up again. I still plan on going to these events since they’re fun and a great way to get off campus and explore, but whether or not I’ll actually feel good about myself and what I’ve done afterward, I can’t say.

I feel pretty terrible for not volunteering often, but I’m tired of participating in half-assed events and then trying to convince myself that I’m helping people in order to make myself feel that I’m a better person. If I’m going to volunteer, I want to make a noticeable difference in at least one person’s life, even if the impact I have is somewhat small. Although I am not able to go and volunteer up north directly (my mom would probably go insane with worry – I’ve already caused her enough grief by coming here), I really want to participate in some sort of event to help indirectly. For once I want to volunteer in something I believe in (not something that I’m forced into), and I actually want to use every moment of my time in that situation to help. To me, that’s real volunteering, and I really hope I can have a “real” volunteer experience while I’m here in Japan. 

Response to Editorial

With all the talk that has and will be going on in the classroom about volunteering, I thought it was only appropriate to respond to this article, entitled “How you can help Japan, and why you should”:

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2011/03/28/op-ed-how-you-can-help-japan-and-why-you-should/

This article basically covers which sort of relief organizations are out there working to help the affected area, what they do, and which organizations would make the best use of our donations. Immediately following the disaster, I donated some of my money to the American Red Cross, only to be yelled at by my mom. As the head of a non-profit organization, she is appalled at how much money the directors of the Red Cross get paid each year, and has sort of been against them despite what they do. Looking back on it now, I realize I should have done more research on the various organizations and what they do rather than donating to the most obvious/available choice. I agree with this article that local organizations “on the scene” have a better understanding of situation, and therefore would most likely put the donation money to better use than other organizations. It’s fantastic that so many people had it in their hearts to donate, but I wonder how much of our money is used effectively given that large groups such as the Red Cross have to deal with overhead charges and must pay fuel costs when sending over people and supplies. It also never occurred to me that these smaller local organizations will be on the scene long after the Red Cross and other groups are gone, and so it is important to fund these groups to ensure that the relief effort can continue and be effective as long as necessary.  As the article states: “By knowing as much as you can about the organizations to which you donate, you can ensure that your money will be sent to those with the greatest need and with the greatest efficiency”, and I really appreciate that the author(s) took the time to investigate such agencies and make them better known to the public. This article was extremely informative and I wish I would have read it or similar articles when I was first donating after the crisis.

On another note, I had never thought about how a country’s resources and level of development could affect how donations are used and how effective the donations are. Although I wouldn’t wish a disaster of this magnitude on anyone, I am curious to see how lesser-developed areas would distribute and utilize large monetary donations during a time of crisis. If an area is devastated, for example, but they do not have skilled doctors, access to markets/stores to purchase supplies, or necessary equipment, how would the money be used? How would the country care for its injured people, and how would they work on rebuilding the infrastructure of a large area? The money could possibly be used to immediately help displaced people (i.e. provide food, clothing, etc.), but I wonder to what degree the donations would benefit the nation in the long-run. Perhaps in this scenario using donations to fund skilled physicians, construction workers, etc. and the purchase of advanced machinery to send to the affected area would be more practical. The north of Japan has suffered a great tragedy, but luckily the rest of Japan and its skilled people, along with people from around the world are here to support and rebuild the affected area. Recovery may be slow, but I am confident that one day not too far in the future Japan will be restored to its original glory.