What Turned Me Japanese-y

As mental preparation for my imminent trip to Tokyo, something that both excites and terrifies me, I thought it would be good to reflect upon my current view of Japanese culture.

Our personalities are shaped by the interests that we have, many of mine are often what many in a Western culture to be obscure. Things like anime, video games and popular internet images (known as memes) are often dissmissed as being geeky. Often in order to partake in these interests I need to actively seek out this subculture as it isn't prevelant in everyday life. I have been to London Comic Con in the past and will be attending this year's Hyper Japan; two examples of events that allow me to express my passions and meet others with similar interests. Many of these geeky franchises seem to originate from Japan, which has built a keen interest within me to experience the culture.

This is the type of merchandise I hope to find in Tokyo,
although my wallet hopes I don't

 Despite this, I am aware that what I have experienced so far as Japanese culture goes is only a snippet. Indeed, even my trip is limited to a ten day burst in Tokyo. I will not presume to have experienced all of the culture when I return - merely a brief glimpse of city life in Japan's capital. This will surely be an eye opener to me nevertheless, and my image of what Japanese life is like will change. Right now, my view is of a city not too dissimilar from London - filled with bright lights and loud traffic. Only with an abundance of all things 'kawaii' and geeky. My mind paints a picture of brightly painted anime characters dancing outside vast stores devoted to technology. Whilst I know that these places do exist, in reality they will only be in certain districts (such as Akihabara) and not scattered everywhere.

An example of Tokyo's bright city life.

Like many modern childhoods, my Saturdays began with sugar-coated cereal and morning television. Growing up, my favourite shows to watch were Pokémon, Cubix and Digimon (all of which I still have a slight obsession with). They all depicted the lives of Japanese children, which struck a chord with me. The towns they lived in seemed much simpler and yet more exciting than my own. Cubix especially, as this displayed an image of a robot-obsessed world where it was possible to have your own robot friend. How could my town compare? All it could offer was a musty library and a park that got burnt down every few months.

When these shows weren’t on I indulged in video games and, once again, often my preferences were  brightly coloured offerings from the East. Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog games were my first introductions to the gaming world. Many weekends were spent playing Mario Kart with my brother on our N64, and these are some of my fondest memories. It's little wonder then that I embraced an idealistic view of the land they originated from.

This sums up my childhood.

Due to my enjoyment of crafting, I also developed a keen interest in origami, the Japanese art of paper folding to make objects. I am quite proud of my origami skills; there is something about watching the precise folds turn into amazing creations. I find it calming, and that it creates a sense of real accomplishment.   

Even circumstance seem eager to encourage my ever-growing obsession with Japan. In Primary school, we started to learn Japanese in year three. Now, it seems odd to me for our school to expect young children to be able to take on and understand a language that is so alien to our own. Yet, reflecting on this, I can remember really enjoying learning the language and displaying a certain aptitude for it. One which weirdly I haven’t been able to replicate, demonstrated by how I am currently struggling to learn little bits that will enable me to get by during my trip. I recall learning numbers from one to ten, how to write my name and memorising the alphabet (I am unsure if what we were taught at the time was Kanji, Katakana or Hiragana, Japan's three main alphabets).

Some of my origami creations

The highlight of these lessons came when we took a visit to Canterbury University, where the students had put on some form of Japanese experience day. I remember walking round their campus revelling in the examples of culture around me. Getting to try katsu chicken kebabs, making delicate kites small enough to fly using a desk fan, being introduced to haiku and painting our names onto thin parchment using  a brush called a fude. It appeared I had a certain knack for the latter, as my attempt won me a book of haikus. I felt so proud of myself and treasured both the book and the poetic form of haiku. To this day, despite a certain lack of enthusiasm to all things poetic (especially non-rhyming ones) I still love haiku. I enjoy reading these for their seemingly simple structure, and the contrasts they create.

More recently in life, I have continued to be drawn to Japanese culture. I have recently developed a passion for amigurumi (a form of crochet to create soft toys, often game or anime characters), which I hope to be able to sell on Etsy. I was also very fortunate that I have found a like-minded partner - my amazing girlfriend, Amy. I don't doubt that anyone else would deem me too insane to give the time of day to. But not her, oh no. Instead, she showed an equal obsession and introduced me to all things ‘kawaii,’ and taught me what the word actually means and how to spell it. I in turn have taught her some origami and together we rediscovered haiku. We also enjoy exploring Japanese cuisine together. Whilst we are both hesitant towards sushi, we never shy away from a good yakisoba (pan fried noodles) and I fear that an argument over the last mochi or dorayaki (traditional Japanese sweet treats) could be the thing that may eventually separate us!

Some examples of my amigurumi projects.

Overall, my life seems to naturally deviate towards certain aspects, probably the ‘geekier,’ ones of Japanese culture. I realise in reality that anime, video games and cute critters isn’t what Japan is about. There is also a rich, spiritual culture, evident in the many festivals and shrines they have. I hope to immerse myself in these during my stay. In highlighting my presumptions in this post, I will hopefully be more inclinded not to focus too much on what I want to experience in Tokyo, but instead seek out new experiences as well. Indeed, whilst I am there people will be celebrating Obon, a summer festival devoted to remembering ancestors.

I hope my trip will be eye-opening. and allow my love for Japanese culture to flourish. I also want it to enrich the knowledge I have of the culture in a way that will give me a greater understanding of it and my own interests.


Merchandise image from illustrators lounge, Tokyo image from The Telegraph, Nintendo image from Theology Gaming