Now that's expensive!

Living in a foreign land usually involves using foreign currency. In Japan the currency is yen. 

It is often hard to take yen seriously because compared to American money because it looks like monopoly money. This is a problem because it's easy to spend it like it's fake money. Our dollar to the yen is usually weak but the recent economic crisis has made it worse. Great time to study abroad, it is so expensive to live here.

 To give you an idea about how expensive it is, I bought a six pack of 160z crap ass beers for 1640 yen. Seeing that I have a tattoo on my left wrist that says, "Do the Math," you would think I would've stopped dead in my tracks before making this purchase. Why? Well, 1640 yen is $17 American dollars. If I am paying that much for a six pack of beer it better be good. Sadly, it is not. It's the equivalent of Budweiser.

Issues.

I forgot to mention that a couple weeks ago I saw four mormon dudes on bikes near my school. I remember thinking too myself, "good luck with trying to convert a Japanese person to mormonism." Today, as I was waiting for the bus, I saw two of them walking towards me, bibles in hand. I do what I always do when I want to avoid someone, especially when it comes to someone who is on a mission to convert me, I pick up my phone and act like I am receiving a very important phone call. This always deters people. However, every once in a while the person(s) are completely oblivious and still try and talk to me. Then I say, "um, can't you see I'm on the phone?" I don't care if that's rude, I am on the phone and you're still trying to talk to me? Now that's rude. Leave me alone! 

When it comes to religion in Japan, almost 90% of Japanese people follow either Shinto or Buddhism. The other 10% is a mix of atheists, non-religious groups and religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism, bear in mind these are minority religions and their numbers are rather small. I was approached by Jehovah's Witnesses when I was in Hiroshima. And it seems as if the Mormons are trying to establish themselves here as well. Japan does allow religious freedom but it's interesting that most people do not convert considering how small the minority groups are.

The fact that this isn't a Christian country can account for some of their beliefs that foreigners, particularly the West, might have trouble with. One example is abortion. It's simply not an issue here. Birth control wasn't legalized until 1998 in Japan but even now it's rarely used. The most common form of birth control is abortion. The abortion debate in other countries is based off moral beliefs, i.e. religious beliefs. In Japan abortion is not a moral dilemma, it's just birth control. I'm all about "it's a woman's body and it's her choice" but using abortion as a form of birth control cannot be good for your body, especially if it's a common occurrence. Most Japanese people don't understand why abortion is such a heated issue in the West, especially in America.

On the other side of it because safe sex is not preached and rarely practiced, Japan is the only industrialized nation with a steady rise in HIV cases.  A lot of men do not use condoms here and the women don't seem to question it. Why would they? They aren't really educated about the risk of STDs or pregnancy like we are in the states. If they get pregnant they either have the kid or have an abortion, adoption is rarely an option. In Japan people have held a deep aversion to adoption because so much emphasis is put on blood relations so for some Japanese, another persons child would never feel like your own. Also, surrogacy is illegal. Someone cannot carry a child for you, which I think is completely wrong and is an example of the 'state' basically being in your bedroom. Too close for my comfort.

Another thing that is not an issue here like it is in the West is being gay. Like abortion, most people argue that the bible says it's wrong so therefore it's wrong, end of story.  Marriage is between a man and woman and blah fucking bullshit blah. Being gay is not an issue here morally, however culturally it's not something you talk about. The common attitude is, if your gay then your gay but just keep it to yourself. This may not be that much better than the states but at least here someone isn't going to hold up a sign that says, "God Hates Fags" or "You will burn in hell!" which by the way is one of the reasons I despise most religions. 

I am all about religious freedom however what gives anyone the right to think they can tell anyone how you should live your life and who you can sleep with or better yet who you can marry? Are you fucking kidding me? That is such a violation of the so called "freedom" Americans pride themselves on having and is why they think America is the best country in the world. These people are so full of hypocrisy and shit it makes me sick. Why can't people just live their lives they way they choose without being judged by someone who assumes that their religion and their beliefs are right?  

It's no wonder that Japan sometimes looks at the West with confusion when it comes to social and moral issues. The idea of an abortion doctor being murdered or members of a church standing outside of the cemetery of a gay Army soldiers funeral cheering his death saying it was God's punishment on America for tolerating homosexuality is just as perplexing as adopting or carrying someone else's child.  And at the same time the West looks at various social and moral issues in Japan with the same question marks above their heads. It's good to be critical and even better to vocalize it but it's also important to realize there's no right way to do things, there's just different ways. Even you don't always understand or agree with it, shouldn't you at least respect someone's right to do it differently?

I wonder...

How different my experience studying in Japan would be if I was between the ages of 18-20. I hate to make age such an issue. I always believed it didn't make that much of a difference, with most things, but after this experience I have to say that age does matter. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, for example if you go through a lot of shit at a young age you're usually a head of the rest but at the end of the day what it comes down to is this: No matter how smart we may be, in general it's our life experiences, good and bad, that are supposed to make us smarter, stronger people. We build from these learning experiences, hopefully, and become better people. 

The shit these kids are going through here I cannot relate to at all. Yes, I went through similar trials and tribulations but that was ten years ago. I don't relate to the person I was ten years ago, at all. It's just been hard not being able to relate to people here. I am the type of person who can find a common ground with anyone but I guess that's because I am not usually hanging out with 19 year olds who are spoiled and have never had to endure anything in life except for when their Japanese girlfriend, who they dated for 2 weeks, breaks up with them over a text message or even better, their rich parents told them no about staying in Japan this summer. 

I'm not trying to be harsh but seriously people, there are bigger concerns in the world but I guess not when you're 19. I know it's easy for me to say all of this knowing what I know now but I was never this spoiled or clueless when I was their age. There are a few people here who make the time here better so I guess I should just be thankful for them. I can't wait to come home. Made it three months, one more to go. This has been hard but its been amazing. I have learned so much about Japanese history and that's what I came here to do. 

DISCLAIMER: I'm not saying every 18, 19 and 20 year old is like this or is stupid, just a lot of the ones I have met in Japan. 

Fun, excitement, danger lurking around every corner...

well not really. Although on the way home from school today I did see some kids run out of a clothing store, which by the way is across the street from the police station, with a basket full of clothes they did not buy. One of the employees, who was a tiny little girl, ran after them right past me. I was in arms length of the thieves and thought about making an attempt at tackling them to the ground, but I figured this wouldn't help my ankle heal any faster. Then, this random dude on a bike sees what is happening and goes after the culprits. They turned into the park and I limped as fast as I could to see the action. By the time I got around the corner all I saw was the dude on the bike holding the basket of clothes talking to the employee but the thieves were no where to be found. I thought about yelling, "I've been to a Japanese prison, it's not worth it!" but I stopped myself. This was exciting seeing how nothing ever happens here. 

The city I live in has to be the most boring city in all of Japan. Seriously. There is nothing to do here except for karaoke and that gets really old real quick. I mean, I am good and all but even I get sick of hearing my own voice. There's not even a local bar to drown your sorrows in. If you want to drink it has to either be in the park, at karaoke or illegally in your dorm room. This is fine considering that I don't drink much here anyways but still. If I was a local business owner, I would open some type of bar in this neighborhood because it would attract hundreds of students. 

But the again maybe that wouldn't be a good idea seeing that more than half of the students here are between the ages of 19--21 and cannot hold or handle their alcohol, at all. The ones from the states are the worse because the drinking age is 21 so they haven't been tainted yet but all of the other students are from countries where the drinking age ranges from 16-20 so a lot of them have already pickled their livers. Nonetheless, if they're seasoned drinkers or not, this school is full of idiots and any amount of alcohol makes it worse. There are a handful of people that are an exception but you wouldn't believe some of these people. It's real disheartening sometimes especially when they are sober and in class.

There are so many times when I am class when one of the little pip-squeaks raises their hands and a collective sigh is heard throughout the room. The shit that comes out of their mouths is mind-blowing. My history professor, who I have for three classes, tries to just ignore their hands being waved in his face hoping and praying that either they will take a hint or maybe their hand will just fall off. Neither of them happen and we're often blessed with their stupid comments. I usually want to slam my head into the desk or better yet, slam their heads into the desks but I refrain. I'm not just saying this because I am older or because I think I am better, it's just that they are seriously lacking in common sense and some brain cells. I am not sure where the brain cells went, if some traumatic event occurred or if they were just born stupid but its alarming. 

My professor has addressed these concerns with me one day so I know I am not being too critical or judgmental. "If this kids are the future, we are in trouble," he said to me one day with his hands in his head. To make matters worse, the people I am talking about are always from the United States, besides this one girl from Canada who thinks she is 100% French and knows everything about France (even though she's never been there) because she's from Quebec. It's Canada not France, sorry not the same. The United States, as you can imagine from the great amazing job G.W. Bush and his administration did, is not looked upon in a positive light by a lot of the world. These imbeciles only add to people's negative views of America. 

I am constantly getting into conversations about how 'bad' America is and if you are from there you must be 'bad' too. This of course is not true. I love living in America but does that mean I agree with the decisions the government makes on behalf of the American people? No. In fact, since the beginning of our 'great' nation I would say I disagree with a lot of policies, foreign and domestic, adopted and implemented by the government. But that's a right I have as an American, the right to disagree and vocalize and even write about it without being persecuted and in the case of some countries, lose my life over it. 

There's a couple guys here who love Japan so much that when the America bashing starts they happily join in. My problem with this is, you can be critical, in fact I encourage it but if you really hate living in America so much, then fucking move because I guarantee there is someone who would gladly take your place. Do I think that America is the best place in the world?  No, but it has a lot to offer. It has many flaws but what country doesn't? Name a country that has equality for all of its citizens, doesn't have internal and external conflicts or corrupt politicians. If there is such a place, let me know so I can move there. It doesn't exist. Every country has its good and bad sides, you just have to pick what side you want to be on. 

Some more of your favorite subject...History!

       Japan’s march towards modernization and imperialism was done with remarkable speed. They went from a little island to the East to a world power in forty years. Like most people in positions of power, the Japanese government and military became overconfident an had an insatiable desire to dominant Asia, no matter what the cost. The crimes they committed against the people of Korea, China and Taiwan, to name a few, are horrendous and despicable. For six weeks in 1937, after the invasion and takeover of Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, the Japanese military destroyed the city, raped women, brutally killed civilians and prisoners of war with no mercy. The number of people massacred is debated amongst historians but it's around 300,000. That is more casualties than both of the atomic bombs used on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945 and is why a lot of victims of Japan's aggression have the mentality, "so what," when it comes to Japan being victims of war. 

     In Korea and Taiwan, the Japanese military were not as brutal physically, meaning it wasn’t an all out massacre, but inflicted just as much damage. They forced Koreans to learn Japanese and adopt it as their official language, take on Japanese names and dispose of their traditions, culture and national identities. They enforced a strict policy of kneeling down every morning facing the East and bowing to the emperor, who was in Tokyo. If you did not participate and often even collaborate with the military, even if meant turning against your neighbors, you and/or your family would feel the repercussions, which sometimes meant do or die. Women were forced into prostitution, referred to as comfort women, who provided services to the Japanese military. Japan enforced a lot of these policies in Taiwan as well.  

       With the success Japan had achieved with it's attempt at modernization, which led the way for their imperialist goal to rule all of Asia, they felt there were untouchable and could take on any "enemy" both large and small. To understand Japan's brutal path towards imperialism and their eventually demise one has to understand why they justified their imperialistic march.

       Considered one of the founders of modern Japan, Fukuzawa Yukichi did not discriminate against the Chinese and Korean people when it came to his view on Sino-Japanese relations, but was very critical of their governments and their failed attempts in joining Japans path to modernization. Fukuzawa believed that in order for Japan to distinguish itself from a backward Asia they must enact strong policies against their Asian neighbors. He believed the war against China really stood for a war for civilization, professing, “a country which is trying to develop civilization and a country which disturbs the development of civilization.” He wanted to instill a sense of personal strength amongst the people of Japan and hoped that by modernizing they could build a nation that would rival all others. He wrote often about what it meant to be civilized and believed that civilization furthered education and knowledge.  

       In Fukuzawa’s editorial, “Datsu-A-ron,” he compares the spread of Western civilization to the spread of an epidemic. Although nothing can be done to prevent it he asserts that people should promote it so that they may enjoy its benefits. He felt strongly that Japan should disassociate itself with the rest of Asia rather than embrace it, thus creating a new ideology. He points out that although Japan, Korea and China were very similar to each other, their unwillingness to modernize would essentially lead to the demise of their nations. Japan wanted to gain equality with the West and Fukuzawa felt that they could never do so if their neighbors didn’t share their same aspirations. Korea and China were seen as weak. They were in no position to further Japan’s enlightenment, in fact Fukuzawa believed their stance could hurt Japan’s progress and could even affect Japan’s image with the West. 

Japan’s modernization likely came from the fear that if they didn’t they would be colonized by the West. Fukuzawa took the same stance towards Korea and China and help implement these policies in Japan. He felt Japan would have to deal with its uncooperative neighbors in the same way as the West, which helped fuel Japanese imperialism. Fukuzawa was not only a propagator of ideas on public policy but he sets up the climate for war giving an ominous prophecy of what was yet to come. With this ideology, their victories over China and Russia and their successes as colonizers, Japan felt they could take on the West-and win. 

How about some Japanese history!

       When Japan began to modernize in 1848, the West was aware of their attempt at modernization however no one took them seriously until they defeated both China and Russia.  The Sino-Japanese and the Russo-Japanese wars can be viewed as turning points because they produce victorious outcomes for Japan, elevating their international status.  After the Sino-Japanese war Japan becomes a colonial empire and after the Russo-Japanese war Japan becomes a world power. 

In the eyes of the Japanese, their victory over China was evidence that they were successful in their attempt to be the first non-white, non-Christian, non-Western power to modernize. This would put them on the road to imperialism changing political policies both internally and externally. The victory over Russia was viewed as impressive because they were able to defeat the largest land power and managed to reclaim territory and power that they were forced to give up earlier. The outcomes of these wars justified Japanese expansionism and imperialism. The elite preferred to conform rather than take a principled stand on new policies and personality became more important than character. The road to China and Russia make the road to Pearl Harbor much easier.

       Japan’s government was dominated by the military who was hell bent an establishing an autonomous empire. They embarked on the project of building an empire and the Meiji Restoration that began in 1868 helped pave the way for these goals. China saw Japan heading towards modernization and they feared that if they didn’t befriend their neighbors then Japan might side with the West. China’s unwillingness to change moral, institutional, political, familial and intellectual authority patterns would only hinder modernization in China and fueled Japan’s belief that if their Asian neighbors didn’t join them in modernization they would be colonized. China’s inability to modernize was due to many factors some being the lack of effective leadership, political weakness and corruption and no stability economically, setting the stage for rebellion and setting up the climate for war. 

Japan’s real interest lay in China’s tributary, Korea. Japanese policymakers, in both wars, believed that dominance over the Korean Peninsula would ensure their national security. Although Japan was considered a  “little weak country” and China a “big strong country” the Japanese were able to achieve success due to position, preparation and the “dash and willingness of the commanders to take risks.”  Japan’s victory over China did not earn them first class membership in the concert of powers but they were recognized as a rising world power. Their days of being colonized were over and they took the position of territorial imperialists.

        Japan’s modernization brought sweeping changes through the country. The overthrow of Tokugawa feudalism gave way to new institutional changes on the basis international example and national tradition. Unlike their predecessors, the Meiji leaders had no problem in reaching out to the West and felt that learning had to be sought “throughout the world” and not just limited to China. Japan sent many government leaders to Europe, Russia and the United States to learn the ways of the West. What they saw and experienced while they were abroad solidified their belief that they had a long way to go before the West would even considering revising their position on the unequal treaties that plagued Japan. 

This motivated Japan to speed up its process of modernization where they implemented campaigns for the expansion of the military, universal education, nationalism, and political participation from the masses. A Meiji Constitution in 1889 was the finishing touch to the institutional reforms sweeping Imperial Japan. All of these reforms changed the political climate in Japan, who were trying to maintain Japanese spirit with Western technology. Even with all the blatant evidence of change that Japan displayed to West, it still was not enough to force the West to budge of the unequal treaties, making Japan’s eastern neighbors the outlet for their frustrations, which led to Japanese expansionism in East Asia.

      Although the Sino-Japanese war helped Japan expand their overseas empire by acquiring Taiwan and the Liaotung Peninsula, Russia, Germany and France forced them to give back Southern Manchuria to the Chinese, “for the sake of the peace of Asia.”  This infuriated the Japanese but also made them more determined to not back down from the challenge of the West.  When Russia began to menace Northeastern China and Korea, Japan saw this as a way to take back their territory and power they felt was taken from them years before. When Japan went to war with Russia in 1904 they still hadn’t gained full membership in the inner circle of world powers but they desperately wanted to be. It’s safe to say that most people saw a Russian victory so when Japan defeated Russia, it sent a sensation across the world. Japan had finally grabbed the attention at the world stage and achieved equal status with the West. A non-white nations defeat over a Western nation was shocking to the West. 

Japan was determined to never feel the humiliation they felt in 1895 at the Triple Intervention and this probably motivated them for a swift victory over Russia, it was a narrow defeat however. Japan was able to regain power and territory, first from China and now from Russia, expanding her Northern borders and leading the way for Japanese control over Korea, without interference from the West. Although Japan wouldn’t be free of the unequal treaties till 1911, the victory over China and Russia was pivotal in shifting the world’s view of Japan as well as Japan’s view of itself.  The defeat over Russia also gave Japan a huge boost of confidence in the power of their nation’s capabilities but also to power of their military. It seems Japan became a bit overconfident and “too big for their britches” so to speak paving the way to Pearl Harbor.       

Capital Punishment in Japan

The death penalty is only handed out for murder and treason however it's rarely handed out for a single murder. Most people in Japan support the death penalty but the amount of executions per year are low, especially when comparing it to the U.S. Just to give you an idea of how many people have been executed in the last five years:

2004-two

2005-one

2006-four

2007-nine

2008-eleven

2009- four, so far

In the U.S. three people are scheduled for execution in the month of April.

Death row can't be a desired place in any country and Japan is no exception. They're kept in detentions centers and there are seven of them in Japan. The inmates are not considered prisoners by the  Japanese justice system since they are awaiting death and therefore they cannot be held in prisons, hence the detention centers. They are treated much harsher than prisoners. They are kept in solitary confinement and are only allowed out for exercise twice a week. They are rarely, if at all, allowed visitors and are not permitted to read books, watch television or talk to their fellow inmates. The length of time an average inmate is on death row is five to seven years, a quarter of the inmates have been on death row for over ten years and some for over thirty.

The executions are carried out by hanging. But you never know your date of execution, it's kept a secret till the morning of your execution. You wake up everyday not knowing if this is your last day on earth. That alone is part of your punishment. Can you imagine the torture of waking up everyday of your miserable life and not knowing if you'll see tomorrow? Then again, life is so bad on death row maybe they don't care about dying, I wouldn't. They tell you in the morning and before lunch you are allowed to pick your last meal. They inform your legal representatives and family members after you have been executed. 

As for as the execution goes, in order for the guards carrying out the execution to have a clean conscience, at the same time two of them push a button that releases the floor beneath the inmate. Therefore neither knows who actually carried it out easing any guilt. It seems like Japan scares the shit out its citizens from committing crimes and it seems to be one reason why crime is so low. I feel safer in Japan than I do in the states but I'd much rather go to prison in the states than in Japan.