8/8/2019 The Insights of Japan 1.1
1/2
The Insights of Japan
- Written by Michal Fork, exclusively for the AFS blog, essay
was submitted to Suyin.
What could be more exciting than spending your holidays in a
cooling autumn climate, visiting 3 of
the significantly impressive world heritage sites certified by
UNESCO, touching snow for the first
time, staying in a 5 star hotel and a traditional home in a
foreign land with 3 meals exclusively
prepared, speaking a foreign language that you barely even cared
a few months before the trip but
with immense self-gratification amazed the local people with
every word you speak, being treated like
a Very Important Student in a foreign school, getting to bond
new relationships with people from 14
countries all over the world and having to break into tears
because you got to return to your own
tedious life once again? Forget about the last part, maybe
crying wasnt that exciting, but you got to
pay the price at the end of the day, after you got all the
things for free throughout the 12 days of the
JENESYS Programme. You got it, your price- eye tears.
Japan is a charming country, with many scenic and awe-inspiring
landscapes. If you have not visited
Japan, you may not have seen few of the best creations of God.
Especially in Kyoto, everywhere islike a snap shot perfect for a
postcard. With an architectural design of its own, Japan is
well-known
for its temples and houses made of wood, papers and bamboo. In
the busy city like Tokyo for
example, you will see skyscrapers, the Tokyo Tower and the
Rainbow Bridge, with some of the
modern architectural designs. In an essence, Japan juxtaposes
the new and the old in their structural
designs, very much reflecting their culture.
The food that they consume is well-balanced, with a variety of
vegetables and other dishes. One of the
notable characteristics of a Japanese meal is that the total
serving is quite huge, with small portions of
individual helpings. You might also find yourself falling in
love with the Bento (lunch box) that your
host mother (Okasan) prepare for you in the wee hours of the
morning. Talking about food, sushi is a
luxurious food in Japan. Local families usually go to a sushi
restaurant either once in two months or
for special events. Interestingly,the Japanese delicately pick
up each piece of sushi with their index
fingers and thumbs and place the entire piece in their mouth to
eat. According to the Nihonjin,
through this way, the combination of flavours, textures and
aromas can be savoured. Generally, the
Japanese use soy beans, salt, seaweeds, and green tea (matcha)
as their prime source of flavourings,
and therefore very healthy. Some Japanese snacks that you will
get your hands into in Japan will be
mochi, rice crackers and nuts with different flavours.
The gender role in Japan is distinctively recognised. Men work
while women manage children and
family matters, in addition to keeping the household in order.
Perhaps one of the traditions that would
startle a foreigner in Japan is that there is usually one main
wallet in the family. Men give their entiresalary to their finance
manager and the owner of the key wallet- his wife. This though has
not hidden
the fact of discrimination among Japanese women in the working
arena. Women usually get paid less
than men for the same amount of work.
As a rule, children normally attend elementary school till
senior high school, with some exceptions,
usually due financial constraints dropping off school after
junior high school. Senior high school is
not a part of the compulsory education and students take an
entrance exam before being admitted to
high school. Cycling to school is a common mean of transport to
school; some other options may
include walking, taking a train or being fetched by parents.
More often than not, boys are generally
more reserved than girls. Girls tend to be more sociable and
friendly. High school children typically
stay in school from day-light till night time, focusing a lot in
co-curricular activities after school
