The blue elephant

Mascots, they are everywhere. Have you ever noticed the vast amount of mascots to be found in Japan? Having a mascot is not a particularly Japanese thing, as they also are to be found in other parts of the world. The very special thing about the Japans mascots is that they are for all and everything.

A cute blue elephant found in Akita

As I browsed the internet on the subject, I came across a very interesting article about Japan’s mascot mania from CCNGo. According to this article it does indeed seem that Japan has a special love for their mascots. I Japan mascots are not only for children, but for all. So even high authority groups as the police and the Defense Ministry in Japan has its own character. The Defense Ministry in Japan for example has Prince Pickles, who even has his own cartoon, as their mascot.

And mascots really seem to have an effect as in 2008, Hikone Castle in Shiga prefecture benefited from their mascot when it achieved a 61 percent jump in visitors thanks to Hikonyan, a plump white ¨samurai cat, according to the CNNGo article.

Why Japan has such a fascination with the mascots and cannot seem to get enough, Matt Alt, co-author on a book about the subject, explains: (the mascot is) a modern manifestation of animistic traditions that go back centuries and millenia, in which it was believed that many sorts of inanimate objects possessed souls.[1] The Mascots can therefore be seen as a modern Yōkai (a ghost or demon) or a type of nature god that has already been part of Japanese culture for a long time. And this seems quite fitting, as most are representatives of brands, products or company, so in their own way they are gods of money and profit - Or gods of fortune on the sports field.  

A Buddha like mascot from Nara, created to celebrate Naras "birthday"

Next time you see a little cute blue elephant stomp down the street, try to see the religious culture behind, and experience a newborn respect. Mascots do have both an effect and a story – they are an embedded part of Japanese traditional culture – believe it or not.  

Read more:

Japan's mascot mania | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/life/japans-mascot-mania-812276#ixzz1M92n1vOQ

http://altjapan.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/03/prince_pickles_.html

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[1] Japan's mascot mania | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/life/japans-mascot-mania-812276#ixzz1M93dLgOH

温泉*

*温泉 (onsen) is Japanese for hot springs.

Japan is a volcanic island, and as a benefit of this fact, Japan is rich on hot springs. According to the web page Tokyo Tomo (tokyotomo.com), there are about 150 hot spring sites in Japan. And the Japanese seem to love hot springs so much that they even have public bathes in places without real onsen. But why?  Two explanations come to mind.

The first is religious. This might not sound logical, but if one takes Shinto (the Japanese folk religion) to mind, it makes sense. Shinto is focused on ritualistic cleansing of body and mind, so the popularity of onsen might be part of the religious background of the people of Japan.  This would make the act of going to onsen, an act of social cleansing.

The second reason for the popularity of onsen is quite simple; to be naked. Almost all onsen and public bathes are gender divided, so it has nothing to do with sexiness, but it has everything to do with status. Japan is a very status oriented society. But in the onsen, very body becomes equal.  Onsen is a place where you can relax and forget all stress.

So why do the Japanese people go to public baths and onsen, even though all homes at least have a shower? First going to the onsen might be consider as a social cleansing ritual, second it could be to get a break from the strict social hierarchy of the Japanese society.   But then it might just be because it is fun.

For a little information on the tricky onsen etiquette and more about onsen sites here is some links:

http://www.tokyotomo.com/search_onsen/how.htm

onsensoaker.blogspot.com

http://kansaionsen.blogspot.com/

 

SPAM

To all living things food is something universal. We all need it. But how we prepare it, eat it and what is considered as delicious varies from country to country. Even though I knew this, I was still surprised when I the Japanese concept of spam.

                        

To me spam is something from the Monty Python sketch – something a little weird that you get served at odd diners – or the unwanted mails. And indeed to me spam is equal to trash. So it was a surprise to meet spam here in Japan.

It seems that here spam is a true delicacy. The way it is sold in the import food shops as an exotic delicacy. Often it seems to be sold by statement of their exotic origins – such as my home country Denmark. But as it is with everything ells that comes to Japan, the Japanese transform it into something Japanese – thus behold spam-sushi! To me this is nothing but an evidence of the wide spread globalization that tours through our world.

For more information about spam: http://www.spam.com

Truth and vision

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I feel this is true as I watched the documentaries’ about two very different photographers - Annie Liebovitz and James Nachtwey - who both take the most wonderful pictures.

Cover photographer Annie Liebovitz and war photographer James Nachtwey  

(Left picture is borrowed from jsj.dk/blog and right picture from nationalgeographic.com)

They both seem very aware of the fact that a picture can tell a story, and that in this case the photographer is the author. While Liebovitz tells a story of hidden potential and fairytales, Nachtwey cuts to the core of danger to portrait the truth of war and poverty. They both have a message to tell and a picture to sell - and they know how their audience tick.

One common thing that strikes me as common ground is respect. Both Liebovitz and Nachtwey expressed how they respect the individuals they photograph. And one can see this respect as a silent act of communication between the photographer and photographed. When it comes down to the very base of picture taking there is the two respect and communication.  

Picture by Nachtwey (borrowed from nationalgeographic.com)

Picture by Nachtwey (borrowed from treeatwork.blogspot.com)

Respect and communication is one of the most important common grounds for Liebovitz and Nachtwey, but to compare the two photographers is like to compare fire with water. One might be compelled to think that Nachtwey, with his calm and focused search for the truth, is a more significant person then Liebovitz.  And that might be true, but Liebovitz’ pictures are also significant. She passionately captures the small and big details of the changing society – and the people in it.

Picture by Liebovitz (borrowed from bealencastro.tumblr.com)

Picture by Liebovitz (borrowed from susannekober.wordpress.com)

To wrap it all up in shortness; It is fact that they both document the world that we all live in – and most important- they document the people of thät world. And this fact is one that never must be forgotten: It is all about the people. It doesn’t matter if you are a war photographer as Nachtwey or a cover photographer as Liebovitz, respect for the people is key. To be a good photographer and even a good anthropologist one can learn from Nachtweys calmness and the way he prepares his mind – researches – before he leaves for the war grounds. At the same time there is also much to learn from Leibovitz. Her compassion for the small things that represents her vision of the person in front of her lens and the way she gets under the skin of other people. There is a whole lot to learn from both and a whole lot to learn about the rigth way to see people through a lens.

A portrait + a family portrait

Taking a portrait of a person is something unique.  Suddenly the photographer has the power to define the person in front of him/her. But at the same time taking a picture can be something intimate, a memory of a moment cheered.  As author Susan Sontag wrote back in 1973[1] taking pictures has become a social rite , to connect and cheer, and a tool of power , power in this would where most things only are define by their looks. Both things which I found combined in the act of taking these two exact pictures.

The first picture choose to take, is a picture of my former host mother, Taeko-san, to me only known as Okaasan (Okaasan is Japanese for mother).  

[1] Sontag, Susan: On Photography, 1973, New York, Penguin Books

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I wanted to take it as a sign of affection and in some kind a way of securing our social bounds – and to remember. Five years ago Okaasan (the mother of three grown children, a wife and co-runner of a dry cleaning shop with her husband) was mother for a year. I am amazed, how she helped me through everyday life of Japan, while she still managed to handle full time work and kept to be the center of a large family.  As I thought of this I realized, that I could not simply just take a portrait.

In my perception of Teako-san, she is first of all Okaasan – and there is no Okaasan without a family, and there is no family without Okaasan. So I choose to take first a portrait and then a family portrait. It may seem strange, but to me there will always be something missing if not Okaasan is surrounded by family.  

Post Scribtum: And so I cheered my little moment of Japanese family life, and yes after I took my picture, I myself had to get in front of the camera, to get my picture taken - the social circel is closed.

Picture taken by former host father Yoshiyuki Kamakura

Neighborhood Hirakata - a place near Sanko

The elder of the neighborhood playing Power Golf and a little chatting

Hirakata is a city noticeable for its university and the many, many foreigners that reside here – temporary or long term.  But other than that Hirakata is a rather average city.  As so almost one fourth of the city population has passed the age of 65[1], if it follows the static’s for Japan as a nation.

And as a fact in a little corner of Hirakata, near the supermarket named Sanko and around 15 minutes on foot from Makino station, a group of elderly Japanese men and women gather. It is 8 in the morning and for the next hours or so they will enjoy each other’s company and a game of Power Golf. They meet 3 times a week (among these days is Saturday where I had the opportunity to meet them) and practice for the tournaments, they tell me. It is not a group only for elderly, but it has just become so, one of men says.

The Power Golf group is not the only group of elder Japanese that have close bounds. It seems that the importance of sticking together is still strong among the seniors. My host mother tells me that around 20 elderly men and women live on their own in the neighborhood, but they are never lonely. The youngest of the seniors will go for planed visits once a week. It is no something they are forced to do, but something they enjoy to do. Everybody keeps an eye out for each other in their little network. Even though a man or woman has no family nearby, they still have they neighbors.  Just like the Power Golfing group will keep each other at company, while all the youngsters are studying, working or just out and about.   

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[1] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2010.html

My first impression of the land in the far East

To be frank this is not my first encounter with Japan. In all this will be my third time as a foreigner in the country of the rising sun. It is fascinating, how I seem to find a new Japan very time I am here. But I do very well recall my first impression of Japan: To be lost in translation! My first stay in Japan still marks my impression of the country the deepest.

It is always the simplest things that hit the hardest. The simple fact that in Japan they write and read Japanese is overwhelming. It is the first thing that hits you in the airport “よこそう”, welcome to Japan. (In big contrast to my first stay in Japan, I have now enquired a limited understanding for the Japanese language.  And the difference is immense.) Simple everyday tasks become huge obstacles. Navigating through a world full of signs made up solely by little abstract pictures - it is quit complicated. Simply ordering the right meal is a sudden challenge.  Dare say life is not easy at first.

 

     There is kanji every where! 

The second thing is a pure visual observation of the mass of sameness. To the untrained eye the Japanese seem to be one uniform mass. To me the fact that I now am the odd one out is very new. It kind of gives you the idea that Japan is truly a homogenous country – and as a foreigner you have to learn to live with the “gaijin” (foreigner) mark on your forehead. Japan is very fascinating in deed.

  

This is a picture from my first stay in Osaka, taken at noon

 - the time for the businessmen to go hunt their food.

If you want to take a go on reading some Japanese, this is the link for the japanese version of Kansai Gaidais home page: 

http://www.kansaigaidai.ac.jp/