Archive for September, 2007
The world does not live together as one in Los Angeles.
It looked to me like ethnic minorities rented land in Los Angeles in hopes of a richer life or a better political environment and an improved society. Seemingly, many of the minorities weren’t concerned with finding individual freedom since they retained their cultures, which often gave very little room for such autonomy.
An Indian girl [...]
The definition of human rights in Japan is a little different from the Western definition
The idea of “human rights” came from the Western world around the end of the 19th century in Japan, but it was after WWII that the idea began to affect the people’s daily life. Even today, the definition of human rights in Japan is a little different from the Western definition because individual freedom is [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Group animals – Japanese people
“The Japanese are group animals, and each person belongs to some kind of group. The Chinese gain ground via the family or blood relationships, but they act individually outside them.” Peter’s schoolteacher said. Upon hearing these words, I understood immediately.
A Japanese graduate student I met in San Francisco said, “I got a job, but [...]
Difference between other Asian countries and Japan (3) – Asian Identity -
( The U.S. in 1998 )
During the time I lived in Cerritos and attended the adult school, I began to feel that Japan’s idea of Western culture was much different from that of other Asian countries, which were once colonized by the Western world. Japan welcomed Western culture, introducing it positively and becoming westernized in [...]
America, proud of its multiculturalism, might even regard the Korean male-dominated culture as one of its own subcultures?
( The U.S. in 1998 )
While in the United States, I met two Korean women who had been forced to marry because they’d reached an age where Korean women were expected to marry. Due to their circumstances in Korea, they had fled to the United States. This made me think prejudicially, that Korea was a [...]
Japan and Taiwan don’t know each other well
(The U.S. in 1998)
I heard from many Taiwanese people that the custom that permitted schoolteachers to be violent toward students came from Japan during Japan’s colonial period. Many Taiwanese seemed to be under the impression that even now, Japanese schoolteachers are permitted to be violent toward students. I knew it was true that students were [...]
Difference between other Asian countries and Japan (2) – Education -
( The U.S. in 1998 )
There was an Indian woman in my TOEFL class who was a medical doctor and was preparing to enter graduate school at the University of Southern California. One day in class she asked, “What is the Renaissance?” after noticing it in a practice book for the TOEFL. It was unbelievable [...]
Origin of difference between the West and the East
In East Asia, people traditionally have built relationships through blood relations or through agriculture. Many people lived with their parents until they married and started a new family. People had to consider their family member’s opinions and help their families. To make a living in agriculture, people had to work with a big team [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Can the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Japan by the U.S. be considered an act of terrorism?
A Canadian female once said to me that the atomic bombing of Japan by the U.S. in 1945 was an act of terrorism, what’s your opinion on that?
There’s a famous story that goes like this: After WW II a young woman killed her father. The woman had had several children from the relationship with [...]
A Canadian hostess girl in Japan, 19 years old
When I stayed in a guesthouse just after I returned to Japan from the U.S., I met a 19 year old Canadian girl illegally working as a hostess in a Tokyo nightclub. She was gentle and well-mannered and I came to like her. She originally came to Japan as an assistant language teacher of [...]
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