That conservative Westerners don't get Japanese culture might explain why they and their counterparts in Japan want to ban lolicon and that anime where a 12-yr old boy cross-dresses to please his older sempai.
Yeah, yeah, I know calling the pedophile older man "sempai" is totally unacceptable. The closest I can get to what the old guy might be is by referring to him as Oji-sama (honored uncle), but that's disrespectful of Japanese culture. Even if he added the honorific, -chan, to the boy's name, it's more likely he would also add -kun to his name when doing the ritual master-disciple routine.
Am I suggesting that Japanese society is run like that? No, only the arch conservative parts of Japanese society are run exactly like that. Though a yakuza member would view his boss as "oyabun" and the boss would consider his underlings "kobun", which is a highly ritualized and symbolic master-disciple relationship which younger members of a group (disciples) defer to the leader of their group (the master). Considering their sense of justice, they would deal with pedophiles harshly.
However the oyabun/kobun relationship between a master and his disciples is based on sociopolitical structures common throughout most of East Asia.
Due to the ignorance about Asian culture, the West does not get the master-disciple shtick at all. So when Obama accidentally bowed too low to the Emperor of Japan, the American right wing conservatives went ballistic, crying that "American does not submit to any nation, not even the conquered nation of Japan."
Talk about misreading the situation.
Even though America honestly admits to its economic imperialism before, during and after World War 2, it's never going to submit to Japan, even though some of us in the West love their anime and culture.
As far as nation-states are concerned, all of them are created equal, though some countries are more equal than others. ;)
Even so, otaku of the West who love anime and manga are not traitors of the West. All we are are people who live, breathe and eat Japanese culture.
I should talk though. I sure love me cod and chips.
Originally posted on Jun 19, 2014 at 5:22 PM PDT
Reference:
Otaku: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku
Lolicon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolicon
K=Yakuza: organization and activities: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakuza#Organization_and_activities
Sociopolitical organization among East Asians: http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/East-Asians-of-Canada-Sociopolitical-Organization.html
Presidential Bows, Revisited: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/presidential-bows-revisited/comment-page-3/?apage=4&_r=0
American imperialism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_imperialism
Showing posts with label Japanese culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese culture. Show all posts
20140821
Accidental Childhood Poisoning (satire)
When I was a little boy I had a nasty experience with fuel oil. This experience falls under the category of "accidental childhood poisoning."
My family was visiting friends, and I decided to check out the outside of the house. After spotting a hose attached to a big metal tank behind the house near the kitchen window, I thought, "Oh, there must be water at the other end of this hose."
To my surprise, as I sucked in less than a mouthful of fuel oil, I felt it burn my mouth — the oil probably also temporarily damaged my stomach and intestines. At least, it gave it a good cleansing from the inside out!
Within 48 hours of ingesting the fuel oil, my poo turned green for a day. The major traumatic experience was especially heightened while my mom was scolding me.
Of course, I was a stupid little boy who accidentally poisoned himself, but I survived the experience. It's great being really young, and having a body that is growing. It can shake off being poisoned by a mouthful of oil.
Do I worry about the risk of kidney and liver cancer due to exposure to a toxic petroleum product? No, I see no need to worry about cancer since the stress caused by worrying is much more dangerous on the short-term by causing forgetfulness, depression and mood changes.
Today, I don't even have nightmares about this experience which happened to me over 40 years ago.
Here is what I learned from this experience:
Never suck on a hose attached to a big tank near a house, thinking it contains water. That's not water; that's fuel oil.
A child's body can shake off a mild poisoning. However, there might be unforeseen psychological effects due to child neglect that will have to be worked out with your parents.
Even so, this is a case of accidental childhood poisoning and possible child neglect, for the reason why my family was visiting family friends was due to my father being invited to socialize over a couple bottles of beer.
Within Japanese culture, drink is important to loosen the tongue so that the drinker can relax and unwind while forming social bonds with friends. Unfortunately, most people who drink sometimes do not exercise moderation in their drinking by not setting a limit to how much they drink. At the time, my father was a social drinker and waited until he is sober before the return home.
Quite possibly, I was unsupervised by my parents and wandered off to encounter the childhood poisoning incident.
Whenever my family visited this family friend, I liked exploring their property which had a creek flowing through it, which used to have fish in it. Today, a part of the property was converted into Kiyo Park in Surrey, BC. The creek still flows through the property that became the park.
So I am thankful that I remember this experience today because childhood stupidity led to this near-poisoning.
Instead I take responsibility for that wrong action of mistaking fuel oil for water because it makes it easier to take my parents off the hook and then take myself off the hook. The incident is so old that my mind has buried it deep, having resolved it decades ago.
This incident stays in the pot of my traumatic life experiences because it is so old only I remember it. My father has passed away so he is absolved of his part in the incident, and my mother is 85 and does not need to be reminded.
References:
Overview of petroleum product poisoning: http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/toxicology/petroleum_product_poisoning/overview_of_petroleum_product_poisoning.html
Cancer due to petroleum product: http://www.ag.ny.gov/environmental/oil-spill/what-are-health-effects-exposure-petroleum-products
Stress and its effects: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050
Japanese drinking culture: http://www.savoryjapan.com/learn/culture/drinking.etiquette.html
My family was visiting friends, and I decided to check out the outside of the house. After spotting a hose attached to a big metal tank behind the house near the kitchen window, I thought, "Oh, there must be water at the other end of this hose."
To my surprise, as I sucked in less than a mouthful of fuel oil, I felt it burn my mouth — the oil probably also temporarily damaged my stomach and intestines. At least, it gave it a good cleansing from the inside out!
Within 48 hours of ingesting the fuel oil, my poo turned green for a day. The major traumatic experience was especially heightened while my mom was scolding me.
Of course, I was a stupid little boy who accidentally poisoned himself, but I survived the experience. It's great being really young, and having a body that is growing. It can shake off being poisoned by a mouthful of oil.
Do I worry about the risk of kidney and liver cancer due to exposure to a toxic petroleum product? No, I see no need to worry about cancer since the stress caused by worrying is much more dangerous on the short-term by causing forgetfulness, depression and mood changes.
Today, I don't even have nightmares about this experience which happened to me over 40 years ago.
Here is what I learned from this experience:
Never suck on a hose attached to a big tank near a house, thinking it contains water. That's not water; that's fuel oil.
A child's body can shake off a mild poisoning. However, there might be unforeseen psychological effects due to child neglect that will have to be worked out with your parents.
Even so, this is a case of accidental childhood poisoning and possible child neglect, for the reason why my family was visiting family friends was due to my father being invited to socialize over a couple bottles of beer.
Within Japanese culture, drink is important to loosen the tongue so that the drinker can relax and unwind while forming social bonds with friends. Unfortunately, most people who drink sometimes do not exercise moderation in their drinking by not setting a limit to how much they drink. At the time, my father was a social drinker and waited until he is sober before the return home.
Quite possibly, I was unsupervised by my parents and wandered off to encounter the childhood poisoning incident.
Whenever my family visited this family friend, I liked exploring their property which had a creek flowing through it, which used to have fish in it. Today, a part of the property was converted into Kiyo Park in Surrey, BC. The creek still flows through the property that became the park.
So I am thankful that I remember this experience today because childhood stupidity led to this near-poisoning.
Instead I take responsibility for that wrong action of mistaking fuel oil for water because it makes it easier to take my parents off the hook and then take myself off the hook. The incident is so old that my mind has buried it deep, having resolved it decades ago.
This incident stays in the pot of my traumatic life experiences because it is so old only I remember it. My father has passed away so he is absolved of his part in the incident, and my mother is 85 and does not need to be reminded.
References:
Overview of petroleum product poisoning: http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/toxicology/petroleum_product_poisoning/overview_of_petroleum_product_poisoning.html
Cancer due to petroleum product: http://www.ag.ny.gov/environmental/oil-spill/what-are-health-effects-exposure-petroleum-products
Stress and its effects: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050
Japanese drinking culture: http://www.savoryjapan.com/learn/culture/drinking.etiquette.html
20140816
The Lady With No Legs (satire)
Recently I've had dreams so real that I'm almost convinced that during sleep my consciousness crosses over to another dimension that only exists in my mind.
Probably it's a side effect of my brain transferring my daily memories that have emotional meaning into long term memory.
One memory of my childhood is of an Asian woman who reminds me of my mother except she is floating and has no legs because she is a ghost. I had this dream when I was nine. The thing is, that's how ghosts are depicted in a few Asian ghost stories.
However, I never watched Asian ghost stories but read about it within the past five years. So how does a nine year old Asian kid dream about a ghost from his culture's mythology?
Maybe that's because the ghost might be an ancestor. About that time, my grandmother on my father's side was influencing my mother negatively, a subtle form of mental abuse which in Japanese culture is accepted as a social norm.
Yesterday I visited my mother, and she told me about my father's grandmother, and my father's uncle, his mother's brother, who is my great-uncle. He was close to his mother even after she ran away with a lover. This is because of a younger child's love for his mother.
Perhaps the ghost I dreamed about is my great grandmother. She never said anything to me in the dream. Why would she? Perhaps she appear in my dream because my grandmother couldn't get over my great grandmother's abandonment of her daughter and her son. For my grandmother was old enough to resent her mother abandoning her.
To avoid scandal, my great grandfather got adopted into a rich family's. My grandmother grew up privileged, yet she married a farmer in Canada to get away from her mother, due to the shame my great grandmother brought to the family.
Perhaps this explains why I don't care if a person is rich or poor, as long as they promote respect of other people, regardless of social status. It might even explain why I never got married.
In recent years I've never dreamed about Asian ghosts in my dreams anymore because I sleep lightly.
Reference:
"A yūrei's hands dangle lifelessly from the wrists, which are held outstretched with the elbows near the body. They typically lack legs and feet, floating in the air." & mdash; Yurei: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%ABrei
Probably it's a side effect of my brain transferring my daily memories that have emotional meaning into long term memory.
One memory of my childhood is of an Asian woman who reminds me of my mother except she is floating and has no legs because she is a ghost. I had this dream when I was nine. The thing is, that's how ghosts are depicted in a few Asian ghost stories.
However, I never watched Asian ghost stories but read about it within the past five years. So how does a nine year old Asian kid dream about a ghost from his culture's mythology?
Maybe that's because the ghost might be an ancestor. About that time, my grandmother on my father's side was influencing my mother negatively, a subtle form of mental abuse which in Japanese culture is accepted as a social norm.
Yesterday I visited my mother, and she told me about my father's grandmother, and my father's uncle, his mother's brother, who is my great-uncle. He was close to his mother even after she ran away with a lover. This is because of a younger child's love for his mother.
Perhaps the ghost I dreamed about is my great grandmother. She never said anything to me in the dream. Why would she? Perhaps she appear in my dream because my grandmother couldn't get over my great grandmother's abandonment of her daughter and her son. For my grandmother was old enough to resent her mother abandoning her.
To avoid scandal, my great grandfather got adopted into a rich family's. My grandmother grew up privileged, yet she married a farmer in Canada to get away from her mother, due to the shame my great grandmother brought to the family.
Perhaps this explains why I don't care if a person is rich or poor, as long as they promote respect of other people, regardless of social status. It might even explain why I never got married.
In recent years I've never dreamed about Asian ghosts in my dreams anymore because I sleep lightly.
Reference:
"A yūrei's hands dangle lifelessly from the wrists, which are held outstretched with the elbows near the body. They typically lack legs and feet, floating in the air." & mdash; Yurei: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%ABrei
20140717
The Buddhist Mormon (satire)
Today, I Googled "Buddhist Mormon", and discover this gem called Mormons and Buddhists: Overcoming the Language Barrier, which is one of three articles that inspires me to write this blog entry.
In both Buddhism and Mormonism, unconditional love is their common ground. For unconditional love is another word for charity and loving-kindness, which is known in Buddhist as metta.
As the basis of all forms of charity and loving-kindness, it could be said that unconditional love is the spiritual language that both Buddhists and Mormons speak. They just say it in different ways.
Therefore, it is possible to be both a Buddhist and Mormon.
As the author of the Mormon Matters article How Mormons Are Buddhist and Vice Versa writes, "the beauty of true Mormonism is that when we find truth in another religion, we have no obligation to reject it, but rather, are encouraged to embrace it."
Indeed, the religious pluralism of Japanese people who are spiritually inclined is why they are "born Shinto, marry Christian and die Buddhists."
At the root of all of this is unconditional love.
There is so much that Mormonism and Buddhism have in common that dialogue between a Buddhist and a Mormon is enlightening.
Here is the passage in the article that impressed me a lot:
The Rev. Hirano explained that one of the ideas he wants to change is about mourning in Buddhist funerals. “We want to be sad, we want to feel the pain of the loss of that person. That’s why we wear black. I know that we will be together again in one place, that I will be together with them again, but I’m still here and it hurts.”
Sister Takasaki remarked that she had never heard it put that way and concurred about acknowledging the pain of loss.
Through dialogue and study of both Buddhism and Mormonism, it is possible to realize that both faiths share in their common root in unconditional love.
References:
How Mormons Are Buddhist and Vice Versa: http://mormonmatters.org/2008/03/12/why-mormons-are-buddhists-vice-versa/
Mormons and Buddhists: Overcoming the Language Barrier: http://thebuddhistmormon.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/hello-world/
Mormonism and Buddhism in dialogue: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865599471/Mormonism-and-Buddhism-in-dialogue.html?pg=all
In both Buddhism and Mormonism, unconditional love is their common ground. For unconditional love is another word for charity and loving-kindness, which is known in Buddhist as metta.
As the basis of all forms of charity and loving-kindness, it could be said that unconditional love is the spiritual language that both Buddhists and Mormons speak. They just say it in different ways.
Therefore, it is possible to be both a Buddhist and Mormon.
As the author of the Mormon Matters article How Mormons Are Buddhist and Vice Versa writes, "the beauty of true Mormonism is that when we find truth in another religion, we have no obligation to reject it, but rather, are encouraged to embrace it."
Indeed, the religious pluralism of Japanese people who are spiritually inclined is why they are "born Shinto, marry Christian and die Buddhists."
At the root of all of this is unconditional love.
There is so much that Mormonism and Buddhism have in common that dialogue between a Buddhist and a Mormon is enlightening.
Here is the passage in the article that impressed me a lot:
The Rev. Hirano explained that one of the ideas he wants to change is about mourning in Buddhist funerals. “We want to be sad, we want to feel the pain of the loss of that person. That’s why we wear black. I know that we will be together again in one place, that I will be together with them again, but I’m still here and it hurts.”
Sister Takasaki remarked that she had never heard it put that way and concurred about acknowledging the pain of loss.
Through dialogue and study of both Buddhism and Mormonism, it is possible to realize that both faiths share in their common root in unconditional love.
References:
How Mormons Are Buddhist and Vice Versa: http://mormonmatters.org/2008/03/12/why-mormons-are-buddhists-vice-versa/
Mormons and Buddhists: Overcoming the Language Barrier: http://thebuddhistmormon.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/hello-world/
Mormonism and Buddhism in dialogue: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865599471/Mormonism-and-Buddhism-in-dialogue.html?pg=all
20140616
An Otaku View of Mormon (satire)
At the temple yesterday I remember explaining the difference between -sama and -kun to a fellow Japanese Mormon, who's been a Mormon for over 40 years.
I also kidded him and said he'd be like my sempai since this is my third time at the temple.
Even so, the only thing that "got" me was Mormon cosmology, which is almost like Buddhist cosmology except it skips the Six Realms of Desire and the Pure Lands, and presents this false concept of immortality.
This is why I think of eternity as a finite time period of an exceedingly long length, and immortality as a life of an exceedingly long length that still will end when a person is reborn in a new realm --- because if God was once man in a previous life, then a person who might become a god in the next, might again be reborn in a new realm.
If the above is confusing, it appears being born again might be a part of a long cycle of rebirth.
I'm not sure if not desiring to get into the priesthood as a way to break that cycle is something I'd share with the pair of elders, though.
Sometimes I think my adventures with the Mormons would make a great manga. However, I am more interested in turning the cosmology into manga.
I also kidded him and said he'd be like my sempai since this is my third time at the temple.
Even so, the only thing that "got" me was Mormon cosmology, which is almost like Buddhist cosmology except it skips the Six Realms of Desire and the Pure Lands, and presents this false concept of immortality.
This is why I think of eternity as a finite time period of an exceedingly long length, and immortality as a life of an exceedingly long length that still will end when a person is reborn in a new realm --- because if God was once man in a previous life, then a person who might become a god in the next, might again be reborn in a new realm.
If the above is confusing, it appears being born again might be a part of a long cycle of rebirth.
I'm not sure if not desiring to get into the priesthood as a way to break that cycle is something I'd share with the pair of elders, though.
Sometimes I think my adventures with the Mormons would make a great manga. However, I am more interested in turning the cosmology into manga.
20131018
Safe Drinking for Women (satire)
In Japan though, there is is a safe venue where women can be encouraged to binge drink but never be raped.
It's called #hostclubs
We actually need a safe venue where women can drink until they drop but never risk rape because the men know it's bad for business.
That Western culture has no such place suggests to me that bars and clubs are unfit for women, regardless of what the promoters suggest.
Even so, the truth is, when intoxicated, a woman who consents to sex still is at risk to rape because inebriation means she is not competent to give consent.
In short it is rape even when she consents to sex while inebriated. That is what the law says.
What really needs to be taught is education geared towards men that being drunk gives them no right to have drunk sex with a willing partner, and that it is rape.
It needs to be stressed that being a rapist will ruin a man's life forever
This is why I feel that Western society has need for host clubs as a safe venue for women to get drunk by men hosts who know that safe drinking is good for business.
Western culture's lack of such venues shows how sexist bars and clubs actually are.
It's called #hostclubs
We actually need a safe venue where women can drink until they drop but never risk rape because the men know it's bad for business.
That Western culture has no such place suggests to me that bars and clubs are unfit for women, regardless of what the promoters suggest.
Even so, the truth is, when intoxicated, a woman who consents to sex still is at risk to rape because inebriation means she is not competent to give consent.
In short it is rape even when she consents to sex while inebriated. That is what the law says.
What really needs to be taught is education geared towards men that being drunk gives them no right to have drunk sex with a willing partner, and that it is rape.
It needs to be stressed that being a rapist will ruin a man's life forever
This is why I feel that Western society has need for host clubs as a safe venue for women to get drunk by men hosts who know that safe drinking is good for business.
Western culture's lack of such venues shows how sexist bars and clubs actually are.
20130312
Rethinking my life
September 8, 2004: I know when it becomes dysfunctional: when I'm in the hospital, recovering from a concussion. In walks my mother and sister with her two nieces.
After telling them what happened to me, my mother proceeds to claim that karma is the reason I'm in the hospital i.e. my attitude prior to getting assaulted at a job site. Not one word about the fact that i survived it and am still alive. How cold!
Meanwhile my sister's unwarranted fear gets a hold of her, and she starts blathering about getting a gun to deal with future assault.
My response to that comment was to state that such violence is inappropriate.
When I had some time alone to think about it, i made my employer my next of kind contact, because my ex-girlfriend would be inappropriate since she has a new boyfriend. As well, I requested that if my mother called, that she not know when i get out of the hospital.
Two weeks later, my mother calls and doesn't mention her inappropriate remarks. The next time she calls, I don't call back. The reason why I don't wish to forgive her is because I am tired of the dysfunctional behavior.
Since my mother can't change, I'll have to change my own behavior, even when it means being cut off from dysfunctional mother love.
Update March 12, 2013
Today, I have stopped overreacting to my mother when she uses shaming to control me. Instead, I let her words into one ear and out the other ear, like mental floss. >:)
It is becoming so easy to ignore her, but to still thank her for preparing a wonderful dinner afterwards.
All it takes is a lot of patience and love to bear the brunt of her aggression with aplomb. All I have to do to prevent forgetting boundaries, is to practice patience and love as a son.
Though, when she becomes relentless in the insults œmdash; yesterday it was the "you have a horrible body odour" broken record, which is actually a hallucination on her part because she'd never be able to smell my body odour.
Just before she started talking like this, she told me that I messed up the couch I sat on and "stinked it up" despite the fact that I had showered before I came.
According to her, since I am not capable of keeping myself clean according to her arbitrarily high standards, it follows that I need to wash good.
Before I left, she offered me another bar of soap. Gee, it looks like I was actually getting brainwashed regarding "perfect hygiene and cleanliness!"
So I declined the offer of soap, since I have yet to use the one she gave me two weeks ago.
Original post: September 8, 2004 2028H
Update posted: March 12, 2013 0651H
After telling them what happened to me, my mother proceeds to claim that karma is the reason I'm in the hospital i.e. my attitude prior to getting assaulted at a job site. Not one word about the fact that i survived it and am still alive. How cold!
Meanwhile my sister's unwarranted fear gets a hold of her, and she starts blathering about getting a gun to deal with future assault.
My response to that comment was to state that such violence is inappropriate.
When I had some time alone to think about it, i made my employer my next of kind contact, because my ex-girlfriend would be inappropriate since she has a new boyfriend. As well, I requested that if my mother called, that she not know when i get out of the hospital.
Two weeks later, my mother calls and doesn't mention her inappropriate remarks. The next time she calls, I don't call back. The reason why I don't wish to forgive her is because I am tired of the dysfunctional behavior.
Since my mother can't change, I'll have to change my own behavior, even when it means being cut off from dysfunctional mother love.
Update March 12, 2013
Today, I have stopped overreacting to my mother when she uses shaming to control me. Instead, I let her words into one ear and out the other ear, like mental floss. >:)
It is becoming so easy to ignore her, but to still thank her for preparing a wonderful dinner afterwards.
All it takes is a lot of patience and love to bear the brunt of her aggression with aplomb. All I have to do to prevent forgetting boundaries, is to practice patience and love as a son.
Though, when she becomes relentless in the insults œmdash; yesterday it was the "you have a horrible body odour" broken record, which is actually a hallucination on her part because she'd never be able to smell my body odour.
Just before she started talking like this, she told me that I messed up the couch I sat on and "stinked it up" despite the fact that I had showered before I came.
According to her, since I am not capable of keeping myself clean according to her arbitrarily high standards, it follows that I need to wash good.
Before I left, she offered me another bar of soap. Gee, it looks like I was actually getting brainwashed regarding "perfect hygiene and cleanliness!"
So I declined the offer of soap, since I have yet to use the one she gave me two weeks ago.
Original post: September 8, 2004 2028H
Update posted: March 12, 2013 0651H
20130119
"The country in which you live is divine, no matter where you live."
"The country in which you live is divine, no matter where you live."
This is the essence of Japanese thought, though nationalism and radical right-wing thought corrupted this essential Japanese sentiment.
Likewise, according to legend, the ancestry of all Japanese is divine. We are all descended from the gods (kami), and sometimes the kami can be whimsical. Hence eccentric Japanese who hole up in their parents' homes could just be touched by the gods.
This is why the Japanese born in the Americas are loyal to the countries in which they were born, especially so in Brazil where they became Brazilians to the point of assimilating into the culture.
This is also true of Peru where a Japanese-born Peruvian became head of state.
However, if you are Japanese, once you study Japan, then Japan becomes the only divine land. This is not always the case, and could be why Japanese right-wing nationalists look down upon the Japanese diasphora born in other lands.
And I seriously doubt that if a person of Japanese origin was born in a country other than in Japan, who rose to prominence, would be ignored in Japanese news today.
This is the essence of Japanese thought, though nationalism and radical right-wing thought corrupted this essential Japanese sentiment.
Likewise, according to legend, the ancestry of all Japanese is divine. We are all descended from the gods (kami), and sometimes the kami can be whimsical. Hence eccentric Japanese who hole up in their parents' homes could just be touched by the gods.
This is why the Japanese born in the Americas are loyal to the countries in which they were born, especially so in Brazil where they became Brazilians to the point of assimilating into the culture.
This is also true of Peru where a Japanese-born Peruvian became head of state.
However, if you are Japanese, once you study Japan, then Japan becomes the only divine land. This is not always the case, and could be why Japanese right-wing nationalists look down upon the Japanese diasphora born in other lands.
And I seriously doubt that if a person of Japanese origin was born in a country other than in Japan, who rose to prominence, would be ignored in Japanese news today.
Ancestor Worship Forgotten by Japanese Diasphora
In Japan, ancestor worship shows respect not only to your ancestors and the recently departed, but to the family kami if one's family has one.
A family kami is the first male ancestor in your lineage, or he may be the village kami if you have a home village. If the latter tradition is present, then your first male ancestor is Chinese.
In Canada, this heritage is forgotten. If you mention it amongst your relatives, they either mock you or change the subject.
Ah, we Japanese-canadians are too assimilated! We're so assimilated we blend in.
Yet there's an awkward moment when an Asian person talks to me, and I have to reply in English, "Sorry I don't speak Chinese/Korean/Taiwanese."
Though I can still speak Japanese but badly.
A family kami is the first male ancestor in your lineage, or he may be the village kami if you have a home village. If the latter tradition is present, then your first male ancestor is Chinese.
In Canada, this heritage is forgotten. If you mention it amongst your relatives, they either mock you or change the subject.
Ah, we Japanese-canadians are too assimilated! We're so assimilated we blend in.
Yet there's an awkward moment when an Asian person talks to me, and I have to reply in English, "Sorry I don't speak Chinese/Korean/Taiwanese."
Though I can still speak Japanese but badly.
20110125
The Polite Punk of Judy and Mary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_cXKdhMzGo
Judy and Mary are a JPOP group which is the polite version of punk.
Indeed, the lyrics are outrageous and impolite in the ears of genteel Japanese.
I brush a little against
Those hated freckles, and give a single sigh
My heavyweight love splendidly
Dissolved along with a sugar cube
With a "tick", the thorn stuck
in my thin chest hurt more than before
Even a horoscope couldn't have predicted that
If we could have been together
Until we had gotten further, hey
Just that would've made me happy
More of the lyrics at: http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/kenshin/sobakasu.htm
This is the first song in the Samurai X animé music CD called Rurouni Kenshin - The Best Theme Collection.
I found these in their ripped Real Media format on an unnamed animé website. If you have any kids who are punk'd in their fashion statement, then they know about manga and animé.
And no, this is not a deviation from the norm in youth culture worldwide.
Its growing demographic is now so large a fanbase that a successful animé convention happens once a year during the summer (August), originally at UBC and now at the Vancouver Trade Centre near the Waterfront Skytrain terminus.
This is a growing trend, and animé is a great way to meet new friends and do cosplay i.e. dress up as an animé character.
For they rule their own little worlds, all of them, even the Naruto kids and the Pikachu players! ;)
Judy and Mary are a JPOP group which is the polite version of punk.
Indeed, the lyrics are outrageous and impolite in the ears of genteel Japanese.
I brush a little against
Those hated freckles, and give a single sigh
My heavyweight love splendidly
Dissolved along with a sugar cube
With a "tick", the thorn stuck
in my thin chest hurt more than before
Even a horoscope couldn't have predicted that
If we could have been together
Until we had gotten further, hey
Just that would've made me happy
More of the lyrics at: http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/kenshin/sobakasu.htm
This is the first song in the Samurai X animé music CD called Rurouni Kenshin - The Best Theme Collection.
I found these in their ripped Real Media format on an unnamed animé website. If you have any kids who are punk'd in their fashion statement, then they know about manga and animé.
And no, this is not a deviation from the norm in youth culture worldwide.
Its growing demographic is now so large a fanbase that a successful animé convention happens once a year during the summer (August), originally at UBC and now at the Vancouver Trade Centre near the Waterfront Skytrain terminus.
This is a growing trend, and animé is a great way to meet new friends and do cosplay i.e. dress up as an animé character.
For they rule their own little worlds, all of them, even the Naruto kids and the Pikachu players! ;)
20101231
One crazy dream
I woke up with this nagging feeling that the dream I had was a cultural one.
Certainly my computer may have a setting to display in kanji, hiragana and katakana; but I had this confusion where my mind had a "setting" to "think" in Japanese whilst dreaming, and that I had awoken before setting it back to Western.
There was also a memory from the dream where I had dreamed other dream sequences, and was reminded of them.
If this had happened whilst awake, then they'd be a psychotic break.
Now that I am totally awake, I know them to be a dream.
However, one thing I am certain of is that sleep confusion is similar to a psychotic break in that I don't know if what is real and what is not real.
But as I awaken, I know what is real and attribute the confusion to coming to consciousness.
Furthermore, dreaming whilst awake could appear to be a psychotic break.
For me, though, the use of psychiatric terms is to delineate between waking and sleeping states.
Also this is the first time I had a cultural dream like this where it had a strong Japanese flavour to it, which "switched off" when I awoke.
Yet I don't remember if there were any conversations in it.
Certainly my computer may have a setting to display in kanji, hiragana and katakana; but I had this confusion where my mind had a "setting" to "think" in Japanese whilst dreaming, and that I had awoken before setting it back to Western.
There was also a memory from the dream where I had dreamed other dream sequences, and was reminded of them.
If this had happened whilst awake, then they'd be a psychotic break.
Now that I am totally awake, I know them to be a dream.
However, one thing I am certain of is that sleep confusion is similar to a psychotic break in that I don't know if what is real and what is not real.
But as I awaken, I know what is real and attribute the confusion to coming to consciousness.
Furthermore, dreaming whilst awake could appear to be a psychotic break.
For me, though, the use of psychiatric terms is to delineate between waking and sleeping states.
Also this is the first time I had a cultural dream like this where it had a strong Japanese flavour to it, which "switched off" when I awoke.
Yet I don't remember if there were any conversations in it.
Trauma in My Life
I believe that my first traumatic experience is related to adapting to Western culture, and the byproduct of it are these weird dreams.
I feel insecure in life because Western culture puts no pressure on me to conform, yet unconsciously social pressures to conform are present.
This is a kind of schizophregenic double-bind. Indeed, I feel that society generally is the root of schizophrenia. This is not a paranoid feeling, but a rationalization to explain my state of mind.
I feel insecure in life because Western culture puts no pressure on me to conform, yet unconsciously social pressures to conform are present.
This is a kind of schizophregenic double-bind. Indeed, I feel that society generally is the root of schizophrenia. This is not a paranoid feeling, but a rationalization to explain my state of mind.
20101205
Revisionism about My Japanese Ancestry
Regarding my ancestors 20,000 years ago, they were passing through Central Asia as nomads.
10,000 years ago, they had settled throughout the Japanese archipelago and Korea.
4,000 years ago, another strain of my ancestors were being fended off by the Chinese.
2,000 years ago, they were slaving away at the behest of their Korean overlords who went on to become the royal and noble families.
700 years ago, the ruling class had reinvented their history, occluding contributions to the noble houses by Paekche culture from Korea when they were defeated by combined Chinese and Silla forces circa 500-600 BCE.
Since that time, the Paekche lineage was absorbed into the Japanese imperial family. Yet the Japanese mythological past was rewritten in the 1300s CE.
At that time, most Japanese were peasants, with a Polynesian ancestry in the south (Okinawa), Ainumushiri throughout Japan from Kyushu through Honshu and northwards to Hokkaido, and a growing number of immigrants from China and Korea.
After the 1300s, the official mythological history stated that the people of Japan were descended from gods, which in this case does not mean divine beings.
Rather, this revision of their mythological history might have occurred because it would be politically unwise to admit to Korea being their ancestral homeland. As well, admitting to the harsh acts the Japanese aristocracy did to Ryukuan and Ainu peoples would undo unification of Japanese as one nation, one people.
By stating that Japanese people are descended from gods, their mythological history tries to imitate the Korean mythology about their ruler being descended from a god. The purpose of this myth is to establish divine rule by royalty, which worked until the peasants revolted during repeated famines which affected Japan prior to the end of the feudal period in the 1850s CE.
Yet through it all, the ancient Japanese spirit is echoed in the saying "shigata ga nai", which means "It can't be helped". A similar saying is "shigata no nai" which means "it's inevitable".
Yet Japanese political activism has been empowered by going against "shigata no nai", by daring to do something to help save the environment, empower the people and do what is morally right.
Thus "shigata ga nai" is a setting sun kind of sentimentality which only ensures patriarchy's hold on the People through the State.
Reference:
Paekche and Japan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baekje
Korean lineage in Japanese aristocracy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudara_no_Konikishi
Korean ruler descended from a god: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangun
Shigata ga nai: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikata_ga_nai
10,000 years ago, they had settled throughout the Japanese archipelago and Korea.
4,000 years ago, another strain of my ancestors were being fended off by the Chinese.
2,000 years ago, they were slaving away at the behest of their Korean overlords who went on to become the royal and noble families.
700 years ago, the ruling class had reinvented their history, occluding contributions to the noble houses by Paekche culture from Korea when they were defeated by combined Chinese and Silla forces circa 500-600 BCE.
Since that time, the Paekche lineage was absorbed into the Japanese imperial family. Yet the Japanese mythological past was rewritten in the 1300s CE.
At that time, most Japanese were peasants, with a Polynesian ancestry in the south (Okinawa), Ainumushiri throughout Japan from Kyushu through Honshu and northwards to Hokkaido, and a growing number of immigrants from China and Korea.
After the 1300s, the official mythological history stated that the people of Japan were descended from gods, which in this case does not mean divine beings.
Rather, this revision of their mythological history might have occurred because it would be politically unwise to admit to Korea being their ancestral homeland. As well, admitting to the harsh acts the Japanese aristocracy did to Ryukuan and Ainu peoples would undo unification of Japanese as one nation, one people.
By stating that Japanese people are descended from gods, their mythological history tries to imitate the Korean mythology about their ruler being descended from a god. The purpose of this myth is to establish divine rule by royalty, which worked until the peasants revolted during repeated famines which affected Japan prior to the end of the feudal period in the 1850s CE.
Yet through it all, the ancient Japanese spirit is echoed in the saying "shigata ga nai", which means "It can't be helped". A similar saying is "shigata no nai" which means "it's inevitable".
Yet Japanese political activism has been empowered by going against "shigata no nai", by daring to do something to help save the environment, empower the people and do what is morally right.
Thus "shigata ga nai" is a setting sun kind of sentimentality which only ensures patriarchy's hold on the People through the State.
Reference:
Paekche and Japan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baekje
Korean lineage in Japanese aristocracy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudara_no_Konikishi
Korean ruler descended from a god: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangun
Shigata ga nai: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikata_ga_nai
20101009
Full Moon Arises (Poem)
Beautiful sun
on the horizon's edge -
soon evening
brings night...
Oh! Full moon arises!
Utsukushii hi
Suihei-sen no haji ni -
Sugu ni yoru
Yoru ga motarasu...
Ā! Mangetsu ga hassei!
美しい日/
水平線の端に -
すぐに夜/
夜がもたらす ...
ああ！満月が発生！
on the horizon's edge -
soon evening
brings night...
Oh! Full moon arises!
Utsukushii hi
Suihei-sen no haji ni -
Sugu ni yoru
Yoru ga motarasu...
Ā! Mangetsu ga hassei!
美しい日/
水平線の端に -
すぐに夜/
夜がもたらす ...
ああ！満月が発生！
20090219
Why Korean and Japanese are Similar to Each Other
The main reason why Japanese and Korean are similar is because of the ties between Baekche and Japan until the combined Silla and Tang Chinese forces defeat it circa 7th century CE.
Then all the Baekche royalty beat it to Japan, where their colony had grown into a distinct country through interaction with Okinawans (they kept the Koreans and proto Japanese at bay off Kyushu) and the Ainumushiri.
It was the Ainu whose language influenced and shaped Japanese vocabulary, because the people of Wa needed women to propagate the species.
So when a Japanese is taught he is "descended from the gods", it means he is heir to Baekche and mainly Korean ancestry.
After 700 CE, Korean had Chinese loanwords absorbed into their language due to Tang influence.
Then all the Baekche royalty beat it to Japan, where their colony had grown into a distinct country through interaction with Okinawans (they kept the Koreans and proto Japanese at bay off Kyushu) and the Ainumushiri.
It was the Ainu whose language influenced and shaped Japanese vocabulary, because the people of Wa needed women to propagate the species.
So when a Japanese is taught he is "descended from the gods", it means he is heir to Baekche and mainly Korean ancestry.
After 700 CE, Korean had Chinese loanwords absorbed into their language due to Tang influence.
20081209
The Japanese Religious Mind is Natural and Holistic, Being Both Spiritual and Material
In my mind, the material and spiritual are as one. I can no more separate them than I could keep a cup of water poured into my cupped hands.
Because the material and spiritual are as one, then God and man are not separated by sin, for sin has been cleaned away by the mercy of Oyasama (Amida Buddha). Yet Oyasama, though savior, is not God's intercessor, for he was originally a king who vowed to become Amida Buddha.
Yes, it is true that I utter Oyasama's Name, out of gratitude, not to ask for a boon or an answer to my prayers.
For prayers have a way of being answered when one least expects it. At least when I say the Name out of gratitude, I have but my gratefulness to offer to Oyasama. This is known as uttering the Nembutsu.
As for ethics, it all depends on the situation. Were I to adhere to a code of ethics that ignored the specific situation, then it's just part of a rulebook and could easily be codified into law.
For what kind of freedom is offered by rules? And how free are we when some of those rules become law?
Though limitations on our freedom may liberate us eventually, those limitations should be natural, not man-made.
That the spiritual and material are as one is the realization of what truly liberates us, because both the spiritual and material are natural, originally untouched by man.
This is why cleanliness is important to us, though it is up to each of us to determine how to keep clean, not one man's rules nor one society's laws.
I hope this explains the Japanese culture from the religious aspect to the gentle reader.
Because the material and spiritual are as one, then God and man are not separated by sin, for sin has been cleaned away by the mercy of Oyasama (Amida Buddha). Yet Oyasama, though savior, is not God's intercessor, for he was originally a king who vowed to become Amida Buddha.
Yes, it is true that I utter Oyasama's Name, out of gratitude, not to ask for a boon or an answer to my prayers.
For prayers have a way of being answered when one least expects it. At least when I say the Name out of gratitude, I have but my gratefulness to offer to Oyasama. This is known as uttering the Nembutsu.
As for ethics, it all depends on the situation. Were I to adhere to a code of ethics that ignored the specific situation, then it's just part of a rulebook and could easily be codified into law.
For what kind of freedom is offered by rules? And how free are we when some of those rules become law?
Though limitations on our freedom may liberate us eventually, those limitations should be natural, not man-made.
That the spiritual and material are as one is the realization of what truly liberates us, because both the spiritual and material are natural, originally untouched by man.
This is why cleanliness is important to us, though it is up to each of us to determine how to keep clean, not one man's rules nor one society's laws.
I hope this explains the Japanese culture from the religious aspect to the gentle reader.
20081203
Memoirs of a Geisha: Reactions, Reflections and Research
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click here to view the post.
20080112
Beni: Music to My Ears
When I visit Vancouver, sometimes I hang out at a coffee shop to guess which city a certain group of Japanese women are from. At times I even get bold enough to go up to them and ask in Japanese, "Where are you from?" just to see if I am right.
From my scanty research so far, I've determined that the girls who frequent Granville establishments like Blenz or work at the Japanese restaurant on the street (Yamazaki?) are not from Tokyo but from near Kobe and Nara, which are older parts of Japan. IMHO I don't think Tokyo people have the time to vacation or do ESL vacations. Perhaps they are too busy trying to make a good impression at home on the tourists.
IMHO it too may be rare to have visitors from the Inland Sea area (Shikoku) and southern Japan because they tend to prefer Europe or Hawaii. As well, the insular nature of Shikoku-jin may tend to make them seem shy, though I can imagine the few Catholics would be hooked on Rome.
Getting back to accents, in Japan, the accents are called -beni ie Tokyo-beni, and are due to influence and intermixing of Korean and Chinese and even European languages on Japanese in a given area.
E.g. Kagoshima-beni has adopted European and English words. As well, various adverbs, verbs and suffixes are distinct to a region, city or district. Part of this was to done to code-talk so villagers would discuss matters openly in front of their overlords who spoke the same language as their masters i.e. a Shogun born in the southern region would speak in southern dialect at home but speak in court language in Kyoto. If he wanted to discuss something personal with one of his loyal retainers, then he might switch to beni, provided that the Emperor did not employ spies from the same village as the Shogun to eavesdrop.
As well, there is a variant of Tokyo-beni that the kids there are rapidly evolving into a dialect distinct from standard beni. Over here, we call it "street slang", and the roughest equivalence would be "gangsta talk". One of its endearing qualities is almost every phrase sounds like a challenge because of the sentence ending: wakari-masu ka? (do you understand?) becomes wakaru de ya? or wakaru de yo? Also, English words are incorporated, sometimes in amusing ways foreign to Westerners. Indeed, the swear word "fuck" does not have the same emotional impact on Japanese ears as it does on Westerners sensitized to its meaning.
Anyways, after modernization (1853), dialect no longer determined where the average Japanese will end up as it did 2000+ years previously, prior to seclusion in the 17th Century. Though, Tokyo gossips will still pretend Kagoshima beni is incomprehensible and the people rude, ignoring the fact that it's easy to distinguish a Tokyo rube in Nagasaki from a native when he opens his mouth.
Overall though, it's all music to my ears, and I take special joy in enjoying the music of beni-shaberu (colloquial chatter) when travelling to and from the city.
From my scanty research so far, I've determined that the girls who frequent Granville establishments like Blenz or work at the Japanese restaurant on the street (Yamazaki?) are not from Tokyo but from near Kobe and Nara, which are older parts of Japan. IMHO I don't think Tokyo people have the time to vacation or do ESL vacations. Perhaps they are too busy trying to make a good impression at home on the tourists.
IMHO it too may be rare to have visitors from the Inland Sea area (Shikoku) and southern Japan because they tend to prefer Europe or Hawaii. As well, the insular nature of Shikoku-jin may tend to make them seem shy, though I can imagine the few Catholics would be hooked on Rome.
Getting back to accents, in Japan, the accents are called -beni ie Tokyo-beni, and are due to influence and intermixing of Korean and Chinese and even European languages on Japanese in a given area.
E.g. Kagoshima-beni has adopted European and English words. As well, various adverbs, verbs and suffixes are distinct to a region, city or district. Part of this was to done to code-talk so villagers would discuss matters openly in front of their overlords who spoke the same language as their masters i.e. a Shogun born in the southern region would speak in southern dialect at home but speak in court language in Kyoto. If he wanted to discuss something personal with one of his loyal retainers, then he might switch to beni, provided that the Emperor did not employ spies from the same village as the Shogun to eavesdrop.
As well, there is a variant of Tokyo-beni that the kids there are rapidly evolving into a dialect distinct from standard beni. Over here, we call it "street slang", and the roughest equivalence would be "gangsta talk". One of its endearing qualities is almost every phrase sounds like a challenge because of the sentence ending: wakari-masu ka? (do you understand?) becomes wakaru de ya? or wakaru de yo? Also, English words are incorporated, sometimes in amusing ways foreign to Westerners. Indeed, the swear word "fuck" does not have the same emotional impact on Japanese ears as it does on Westerners sensitized to its meaning.
Anyways, after modernization (1853), dialect no longer determined where the average Japanese will end up as it did 2000+ years previously, prior to seclusion in the 17th Century. Though, Tokyo gossips will still pretend Kagoshima beni is incomprehensible and the people rude, ignoring the fact that it's easy to distinguish a Tokyo rube in Nagasaki from a native when he opens his mouth.
Overall though, it's all music to my ears, and I take special joy in enjoying the music of beni-shaberu (colloquial chatter) when travelling to and from the city.
20070709
The Japanese Way
Out of all the Asians, I feel that Japanese wouldn't do getting psychotherapy from a non-Japanese who doesn't understand the culture.
IMHO it would worsen whatever is bothering the person. It's also a form of colonization, since psychiatry is a European form of social control.
In short, an Asian would become assimilated with all the risks that brings.
In Asia, psychiatry is just a form of social control. In Japan, the average stay in a mental institution is about 407 days. Outpatient service is usually with a psychiatrist and if he finds you are worse for wear, then it's not talk therapy. He will give you a shot of a typical antipsychotic, which will have nasty side effects, all the ones the typical Asian will get, guaranteed.
However, the psychiatrist profession in Japan denies the existence of schizophrenia. In their eyes it is an invention of Americans since American manufactures most of the older antipsychotics.
Japan's answer was to have Otsuka Pharma make Abilify, which is an antypical antipsychotic that appears to relieve most of the psychosis without the side effects. However, therapy with Abilify is expensive. The drug costs about $100-150 a month.
In Canada, your GP and pdoc have to justify its use because other drugs do not work. This means your Pharmacare file has to have a history of prescribing you antipsychotics before you even get Abilify. Some patients don't get lucky, and their lives have been ruined by thorazine. Other patients get seroquel, sleep all the time, and have diabetes.
Otsuka is the same company that makes Pokari Sweat and Calpis. Pokari is the earliest energy drink. Calpis is a flavoured yoghurt drink. Despite my lactose intolerance, I had no problems with it -- though my lactose intolerance is hit or miss. Last night, I had a clam chowder with no side effects. Maybe the wasabi pills are working.
Having told you about psychiatry and its effects on the Japanese, let me get to the meat of today's entry.
It is the Japanese way for the woman to rule the roost because Japanese men are no help in raising kids. So even when they marry white boys, the average Japanese woman will pick a man most like her dad, who is usually not the ruler of the nest at all. YMMV
Anyone who knows the Japanese, whether by birth or by marriage, will confirm this truth. If your family isn't like this, then you're either lying to yourself or you actually were born into or married into a good family. Treasure them, cos other families are run by the mother.
I think it's safe to say that's why the mental health system won't give me therapy. They know the Japanese are generally non-compliant and do not respond well to the big horse pills they tend to give us. We do not need over 300 mg of seroquel. 25-75 mg is enough. And why give us that when 50 mg of Gravol is fine?? Forget benzodiazepines; we get easily hooked on them. As for antidepressants, we need a walking buddy. Exercise is the only cure, along with getting out everyday, rain or shine.
As well, the one best therapy for the typical is Karaoke & sake. I don't mean getting drunk and singing Rollin' Stones tunes. What I mean is going yuppontoi and belting out enka classics. These are classical drinking songs similar to blues. None of those incomprehensible JPOP tunes. This is the real Japanese experience.
Yes, for the average Japanese-American (and Japanese-Canadian), the best therapy is to go back to your roots. Why? Cos that's the Japanese way. We were descended from the gods, you know. This is why Americanization is so hard on us, and our elders are dying off from suicide.
However, while you are out there finding your roots, avoid thinking about how you grew up. Wake up from that nightmare, even if you have to learn to meditate and jiu-jitsu. It may even help to become Buddhist, even if it is Jodo Shinshu. But never ever mention family life. Lie about it. Present the positive, hide the negative. Praise your mother!!
For that is the Japanese way.
IMHO it would worsen whatever is bothering the person. It's also a form of colonization, since psychiatry is a European form of social control.
In short, an Asian would become assimilated with all the risks that brings.
In Asia, psychiatry is just a form of social control. In Japan, the average stay in a mental institution is about 407 days. Outpatient service is usually with a psychiatrist and if he finds you are worse for wear, then it's not talk therapy. He will give you a shot of a typical antipsychotic, which will have nasty side effects, all the ones the typical Asian will get, guaranteed.
However, the psychiatrist profession in Japan denies the existence of schizophrenia. In their eyes it is an invention of Americans since American manufactures most of the older antipsychotics.
Japan's answer was to have Otsuka Pharma make Abilify, which is an antypical antipsychotic that appears to relieve most of the psychosis without the side effects. However, therapy with Abilify is expensive. The drug costs about $100-150 a month.
In Canada, your GP and pdoc have to justify its use because other drugs do not work. This means your Pharmacare file has to have a history of prescribing you antipsychotics before you even get Abilify. Some patients don't get lucky, and their lives have been ruined by thorazine. Other patients get seroquel, sleep all the time, and have diabetes.
Otsuka is the same company that makes Pokari Sweat and Calpis. Pokari is the earliest energy drink. Calpis is a flavoured yoghurt drink. Despite my lactose intolerance, I had no problems with it -- though my lactose intolerance is hit or miss. Last night, I had a clam chowder with no side effects. Maybe the wasabi pills are working.
Having told you about psychiatry and its effects on the Japanese, let me get to the meat of today's entry.
It is the Japanese way for the woman to rule the roost because Japanese men are no help in raising kids. So even when they marry white boys, the average Japanese woman will pick a man most like her dad, who is usually not the ruler of the nest at all. YMMV
Anyone who knows the Japanese, whether by birth or by marriage, will confirm this truth. If your family isn't like this, then you're either lying to yourself or you actually were born into or married into a good family. Treasure them, cos other families are run by the mother.
I think it's safe to say that's why the mental health system won't give me therapy. They know the Japanese are generally non-compliant and do not respond well to the big horse pills they tend to give us. We do not need over 300 mg of seroquel. 25-75 mg is enough. And why give us that when 50 mg of Gravol is fine?? Forget benzodiazepines; we get easily hooked on them. As for antidepressants, we need a walking buddy. Exercise is the only cure, along with getting out everyday, rain or shine.
As well, the one best therapy for the typical is Karaoke & sake. I don't mean getting drunk and singing Rollin' Stones tunes. What I mean is going yuppontoi and belting out enka classics. These are classical drinking songs similar to blues. None of those incomprehensible JPOP tunes. This is the real Japanese experience.
Yes, for the average Japanese-American (and Japanese-Canadian), the best therapy is to go back to your roots. Why? Cos that's the Japanese way. We were descended from the gods, you know. This is why Americanization is so hard on us, and our elders are dying off from suicide.
However, while you are out there finding your roots, avoid thinking about how you grew up. Wake up from that nightmare, even if you have to learn to meditate and jiu-jitsu. It may even help to become Buddhist, even if it is Jodo Shinshu. But never ever mention family life. Lie about it. Present the positive, hide the negative. Praise your mother!!
For that is the Japanese way.
20070502
My Dad Died Today
Word up: control your anger or get a stroke. My dad suffered 12 years as a stroke victim. What a winer!
What I learned from observations of my father over the years:
If alcoholism leads you to be anxious in crowds, then it's in your best interest to discuss it with your doctor and find ways of getting backbone other than through the bottle.
Never think retirement means sitting in front of the TV watching sports drinking beer and beating on the wife. It also means that you have to do better than just help your friends. I mean, your wife is your first friend, aint she?
Don't ever make fun of any of your kids, especially the odd one out.
If one of your kid wants to run away from home and be a monk, then you should be honored by his hidden compassion and bizarre wisdom. It really isn't a shame when someone actually cares about the world than what he or she can get out of it.
If you do the "dumb farmer" routine too much, then all those elementary school successes will be forgotten.
If you're pissing against a building in what used to be Japtown, it really impresses the factory worker to turn around and say, "Wanna a piece of me?"
So the WW1 veteran was the only guy in Vernon who 'd take Gramma's money for the new digs after the war? And you guys had to wait until 1949 before they'd let you near the coast? Maybe this explains Clubvibes.
After 30 years of living with my folks, I've learned that whatever the Western world sees as bizarre behavior in the Japanese diasphora is actually the BS of shame, and Japan itself today is living in interesting times, indeed.
My best memory is bawling my head until my mom came out to scold me for waking her up. My dad and I bonded just before he went off to the sawmill to work. That is the ideal memory I have of him. Everything else basically shows how much of a sense of humor God has with the Japanese.
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