Changing Impressions

It has been almost 4 months that I am living in Japan. It is my first time travelling abroad from Brazil; I can say as an inexperienced traveller person that I have learnt a lot.
In this post, my last post for my Visual Anthropology course, I will try to describe some of my experiences living here during these months.



Two of my first pictures...



My first fear, was of my future roommate, who I would live with for 4 months. Now at the end of the semester I can talk a little about my Kenyan friend: Barbara. I will not take too long but she is a person who has travelling experience, and besides the fact that she is four years younger than me, she helped me to learn how to live outside my hometown, far from family and friends. To my joy here her friends, become my friends.



Above my Kenyan friend “teaching”” African dance.

Below my friends and me and their Japanese boss who speaks very well Portuguese.



A topic that I would like to learn before come to Japan is japanese educational system. Fortunately I had an opportunity to be part of a group that presented about English Education in Japan. So we visited an elementary school and a junior high school. I observed that english classes are supposed to be fun, to motivate the students, with games and group acitivites, to study a foreign language. In contrast the music class that I watched, the students demonstrated special atention to the teacher, in silence, showing discipline, listening to the teacher, they perfom to us, the observers. It was a beautiful class.


English class in Elementary School and Music class in Junior High school.



In March, I went to Hiroshima, and it was an unforgettable experience. We met a woman who survived the atomic bomb. The victim described the sad happening and touched the audience. She described how difficult it was to find her friends and her parents.As well as the consequences of the radiation to the victims. For example, bias in society. To people who will study in Japan, or visit I recommend they visit the "City of Peace".

Painting showed at the survivor speech:


This photo was in Osaka Castle, I was alone so a Japanese person took a bunch of mine photos. It was a good experience; they costume you of Japanese warrior.



Last not the least, I can not forget how much I learned at school, including to writing and reading one component of the Japanese writing system, called hiragana (there are two others Katakana and Kanji).

Street Art

Today I will post about street art, specifically graffiti.
"Graffiti (singular: graffito; the plural is used as a mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property.(...) In modern times, spray paint, normal paint and markers have become the most commonly used materials.”


Japanese Graffiti


Brazilian Graffiti (http://www.fotolog.com/plantiocrew)




I could see here a street artist work, who paint listening to electronic music that he mixes in his radio.



His paint can be some image that he is seeing at that moment.



Interacting with the audience, this paints someone from de public start it and then he finishes the painting.

Graduation of Japanese students

On March 20, on Saturday in the afternoon I went to the Japanese student’s graduation ceremony at Kansai Gaidai. I could see how they dress and how they relate with other students, including the international students. And finally how happy the Japanese students were about their graduation. I will try to describe some of this experience here.

Before came to Japan I thought that would see everyday women, young, adults, olds, wearing kimono. Now that I live here for few months I know that it is not what happens. I can see sometimes one or another but not as I saw at the graduation. Most of the graduate students were wearing kimono, each one with some kind of detail, or accessory that distinguish their style.



When I arrived with my friends, an American and a Kenyan, it was the beginning of the ceremony. First we went to the cafeteria and there were a bunch of tables with food, which everyone who was participating could eat. This was the first time of interaction between international students and Japanese people, including professors. There were sandwiches, strawberries, cakes, chicken, etc. After we service our self we went to a small ‘’hill’ and eat.


From this ''hill'' I could take some pictures.

I observed that the most of male graduated students were with flowers, probably to give to the female graduates.

The other part of interaction with Japanese students was at the group photo.


We were taking pictures of them, and they invite us to participate of the collective picture.



Few days after this day, a Japanese student met me on “facebook” and I found some pictures of the graduation day on her album.

Sumo

I had a great opportunity to watch the final sumo of National Tournament, in 28 March at Osaka Gymnasium, and learning a little about this traditional sport in Japan.
When I bought the ticket I received a pocket book explaining the origin and rules of sumo, as well as the sumo ranking ("banzuke"), and ceremonies. I will try to resume some of these aspects here.


According to Japanese legend the very origin of the Japanese race depended on the outcome of a sumo match. The supremacy of the Japanese people on the islands of Japans was supposedly established when the god, Takemikazuchi, won a sumo bout with the leader of a rival tribe. Apart from legend, however, sumo is an ancient sport dating back some 1500 years.
The origins were religious; the first sumo matches were a form of ritual dedicated to the gods with prayers for a bountiful harvest and were performed together with sacred dancing and dramas within precincts of the shrines.


The sumo ring is called "dohyo" and takes its name from the straw rice bag wich mark out different parts. The greater portion of each bale is firmly buried in the earth. The "dohyo" is 18 feet squareand 2 feet high and is constructed of a special kind of clay. The hard surface is covered with a thin layer of sand.




Me and my friends arrived very early to get the tickets, thus we watched the amateurs first in the morning and the professionals in the evening. Most of the people arrived only for the latter’s matches. Therefore we could sit in other places ant took pictures very close to the ring and see how people ritually prepare the place.


Sumo has managed to survive with formalized ritual and traditional etiquette intact making it unique among sports. Nowadays, world companies, including Western Corporation manage this very popular sport in Japan. This photo can represent the "modern aspects" insert at the matches.



One example of ritual that we watched many times before the “makuchi” match is the colorful “dohyo-iri” or “entering the ring” ceremony:

Annie Leibovitz and James Nachtwey

James Nachtwey borns on March 14, 1948, he is an American photojournalist and war photographer, who worked for newspapers, like Albuquerque Journal. Then he documenting wars, conflicts and social issues in Kosovo, South Africa, Afghanistan and other countries from the world.
Annie Leibovitz borns on October 2, 1949, she is an American portrait photographer who worked for the magazine Rolling Stones for years and made a number of famous portraits wich includes a portrait shooting of Queen Elizabeth II and John Lennon with his wife.




South Africa, 1992 - Xhosa young men in rite of passage
"The way you do your job determines how people understand the reality"
(James Nachtwey)



Kosovo, 1999 - Ruins of Djacovica, destroyed by Serbs.

"I have been a witness, and these pictures are
my testimony. The events I have recorded should
not be forgotten and must not be repeated." (James Nachtwey)

The photographers Nachtwey and Lebovitz are contrasting in the way that the pictures can be interpreted. The latter’s pictures shows what her audience want to see: beauty, sophistication, art, elite cultural, fashion, and celebrities. This as a whole represents a fantasy that most people find admirable and would like to be in.
Whereas, Nachtwey’s photos represent some kind of reality wich her audience are probably not used to seeing; poverty, war, injustice, genocide and tragedy.




But both represent: culture
What is culture? It is difficult to define or explain what it means, but it is something that most people talk about, recognize and know have acquired.
For example, I am from Brazil and now I am living in Japan, if some behavior of mine is different from a Japanese person, we would both understand that is its from our respective culture. Even though the cultures contrast. With time, it can be easier to understand more of a culture and comprehend different aspects. Like in this case, both photographer’s do field work in order to be part of the cultures they represent in their photos.





We can use ``culture’’ to justify injustice, war, colonialism, imperialism. And we can use “culture” to admire, comprehend and respect the differences.


Culture is ‘’an ordered system of meaning and symbols…in terms of wich individuals define their world, express their feeling and make their judgments’’.
(Clifford Geertz, 1973)



Source:
(http://media.photobucket.com)
(http://www.jamesnachtwey.com)
(www.camilaiberofoto.blogspot.com)
http://rubendariobuitron.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/

Nihon---Portrait

One meeting Japanese people the first impression sometimes can be serious...


but once they loosen up they can be funny people and have greats moments with them...


or maybe the first impression can be just a polite expression...

but with time spend with them become more confortable...



The first photo is a Japanese friends, his name is Yutatsu. He studies at Kansai Gaidai University, like me. I took this photo in his place. That day we played videogame and ate pizza, with others students friends (japanese, quenian and brazilian).
The second person is Yukko. She is an exchange student in Korean from Kansai Gaidai.
She was here on holiday and we went out to dinner with others international students friends (one french, and two quenians). This photos were in two restaurants, one in a Indian restaurant and other in a Japanese fast food in Hirakata City. This photos of her can represent how much she eats, which is a lot!

Neighbors

This place is close to my home on my way to the market.
Its nice being watching the houses, the gardens the way japanese people take care of their houses.

I took this photo when I was trying to get Hirakata Station. It was my first month here in Japan so I get lost.
But, get lost here can be a good opportunity to find out new landscapes and places.

This photo represent the view of my window. This day there was an international student playing guitar and singing on the roof at his place.

In Japan there are conventions or not conventions places to play, sing and dance.
This photo was close to Hirakata Station its a place where people met each other to play this activities and expresses themselves, alone or in groups.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

First Impressions of Japan

Upon arriving at Kansai Gaidai University my first observation was the structure of the buildings. The big spaces for sporting activities or to just sit and relax. The facilities are adequate for different purposes. I feel the conditions here make me confortable and stimulated to be in University. As well as the hospitality the people have shown me here, especially with language barrier.

This photo was in a club in Hirakata. This is a kenyan friend dancing with her japanese friend.
My first time at a club here was an opportunity to observe the different way in which young people of my age interact. Each one has a unique kind of style, for example in their clothing, dancing, behaviour. As well as similarities.
Despite the differences everyone shows respect for one another.