Religion

I think its interesting how much Buddhism and Shinto overlap in Japan. Having (or following) 2 religions is okay here, something I'm not used to people being okay with...

In a statistic that was mentioned in class, a huge percentage of Japanese people do not consider themselves religious. I thought this was odd, considering religion is one of the things about Japanese society that I find is extremely visible. Shrines and temples are littered everywhere across the landscape (especially in this area, being so close to Kyoto), and it's not hard to find traces of Buddhist or Shinto thought in everyday life in Japan. So what's the deal? Are Japanese people really not all that religious, given how carefree and non-strict the attitude that most Japanese have when it comes to religion (esp. compared to the west and it's religions)? Or are Japanese people SO religious that religion is just an expected part of everyday life? For example, religion is so far ingrained into Japanese society that a simple ritual or religious tradition is something you just DO?

This is an question that I've been pondering. Western religions and their integration in society are a huge contrast to what I've experienced in Japan thus far. Visiting temples and shrines is one of my favorite things to do here, but I have yet to find a concrete answer. I probably never will.

Gender Issues

Men and women in Japan have equal rights, just as men and women in other developed countries do. Each gender has a role that is not clearly defined, but is present. These roles can be broken, but social stigmas and expectations can make this difficult. This can be true of any country.

One thing I noticed before and after coming here is that I've never heard of a powerful Japanese woman in the world of business. You see the typical salarymen (both old and young) everywhere, with their suits and briefcases. I read articles on the richest people in Japan. All dudes...(or at least the top 20 were, I got sick of clicking through pictures of old businessmen.)

Thing is, I've heard of a perception in Japan that once women get married, they are pressured to quit their jobs and become full-time housewives. Nothing wrong with being a full-time mom, but I would imagine it would make things harder for women who actually want careers with upward mobility (and aren't just waiting to find the right man to settle down with and become dedicated mothers.) I've seen way more women in certain jobs, like teaching, food services, etc. and men more so in business (there's lots of young female secretaries, though they probably won't ever become the company president.) It's interesting to see the gender lines when it comes to employment. Big business is still a man's world in Japan, it seems.

Japanese Sports-Baseball

I will admit it upfront: I'm not the biggest fan of sports. I occasionally will watch the World Series, because it's the only baseball games that I find somewhat interesting. I grew up in Cooperstown, NY- the supposed "Home of Baseball", complete with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Dreams Park. Every summer, tourists flood in from various places and overcrowd the downtown area with their white sneakers and baseball uniforms. I worked a couple of summers during high school as a sales clerk in a few baseball stores. I hated it. Baseball pervaded everything about my town, so I tried my best to ignore it. It's not that I disliked the game itself-it's fun to play, and as I said before, I don't mind watching the World Series sometimes. But, the oversaturation I experienced because of my hometown has trained me to ignore it, becuase I found the whole sports scene irritating.

Of course, the Japanese love baseball. I could not ignore this, because this was the first time that I've seen another country besides the US actually giving a crap about this sport (the rest of the world seems to like soccer a whole lot more, heh). From the little I've seen of the KG team practicing as I pass the athletic fields on my way to class, they already look like they put in more effort than my high school team ever did. However, this could be because they're a college team. The movie we watched in class, Kokoyakyu, definitely showed the amount of work and dedication that high schoolers here put into their sport. This is something that was a stark contrast to my own high school-sports were important, but the effort (at least to the extent that the Japanese kids had) wasn't really there.

Also, from what I've seen of Japanese baseball games, they seem to have a different atmosphere than the few I've experienced at home. I don't know how to describe it, but it seems "friendlier", if that makes any sense. If I get the chance, I hope to go to one someday and see for myself how different it really is.