Shoes

If there is one aspect of Japanese culture that I didn't think would phase me it was taking on and off your shoes when you entering and leaving a building. This practice has been deeply ingrained into Japanese culture for centuries. At first it doesn't sound all that different from how we live in the states. I don't really think about it, but I do take my shoes off when I enter my house. I don't, however, put on a pair of indoor shoes. This is a practice that it is sometimes difficult to remember to honor. When entering a Japanese house it is polite to take off your shoes in the entrance hall and don a pair of indoor slippers. If you are visiting a house that is not your own there will usually be slippers available for guest to use. Japanese people do not walk around barefoot, either outdoors or indoors.

This concept may not necessarily seem very foreign but it is one to keep in mind if you travel to Japan. For example, I tried on a shirt at a local Hikone mall. The dressing room was slightly elevated and enclosed by a curtain. Before entering the dressing room I had to be reminded by a shop assistant to take off my shoes and leave them outside. In many Japanese homes different slippers are used when you enter the bathroom.

The concept of removing ones shoes can be connected to the Japanese habit of seperating spaces into areas of inside and outside. This pattern occurs in many ways throughout Japanese society. One of the first things a Japanese child learns is the abiltiy to make distinctions and know what is appropriate given the specific social situation. In Japanese society this is an imperative and necessary skill for polite social behavior.

If you click on the title of this blog entry it will take you to a very interesting site that further explains this concept in better words than I can... :)

In other news, today was the Opening Ceremony for JCMU's Academic Year. Many important representitives from the prefecture came to attend the ceremony and all of the students dressed up to receive them as representatives of our respective schools. It was an interesting cultural experience in itself. At American schools we do not have an equivalent ceremony at the beginning of each year. Japan has a tendency to have many rituals and ceremonies tied into daily life, and the official opening of the school year was an example of this. Each student formally introduced themselves (in Japanese), speeches were made by the guests of honor, follewed by a reception, toast, and picture.

Now it's time for me to go and continue studying. This week has been a lot of work so far, but once we are finished all of the review work the workload should hopefully lessen. Although it is a lot of work I have also had a lot of fun after class hours. Zyaa... ima benkyoo simasyoo... (Now I shall study)!