Author Haruki Murakami says nationalism over Japan-China
dispute is like ‘cheap liquor’
http://japandailypress.com/author-haruki-murakami-says-nationalism-over-japan-china-dispute-is-like-cheap-liquor-2813718/
Internationally renown Japanese author Haruki Murakami has
shared his point of view on the China-Japan territorial dispute over the
Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. As Beijing and Tokyo continue to argue at the U.N.
General Assembly in New York, Murakami shows he has the same feelings as the
rest of us with level heads; that the nationalism spewed by politicians in
nothing more than cheap liquor. The author of best-sellers Norwegian Wood, The
Wind-up Bird Chronicle, and Kafka on the Shore spoke out through an editorial
in Japan’s
Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
Murakami feels that territorial disputes are an inescapable
consequence of dividing humanity in countries with national borders. He says
that disputes over land stop being a practical issue when they are viewed
through “nationalist sentiment,’ and become dangerous situations with no exit.
That national sentiment is just like cheap liquor, he explains, it gets you
drunk quickly, act hysterical, say things loudly you normally wouldn’t say, and
act in ways you wouldn’t normally act. And in the end you are just left with a
headache and the mess you created the next morning. This “drunken hysteria”
over the uninhabited islands in the East China Sea
isn’t even over yet, and I think majority of both Japanese a Chinese already
have headaches.
While Japan
has controlled the islands for decades now, calling them the Senkaku, China has also
laid claims to the territory it refers to as Diaoyu. Japan’s
recent purchase of the islands from their private owners has enraged China, which
feels the act is an attack on their sovereignty. Just over a week ago, China was
overrun with anti-Japanese sentiment, resulting in sometimes violent protests
and demonstrations involving the destruction of Japanese property and the
burning of Japanese flags.
Murakami closed his argument against nationalism, and cheap
liquor, by saying that politicians and critics who lavish the people with it
should be avoided. A wise idea, but too bad Shinzo Abe, the most nationalist
candidate, was just elected as leader of the opposing Liberal Democratic Party.
Murakami has earned commercial and critical success with readers around the
world, and also enjoys a strong following in Asian countries like China, South Korea
and Taiwan.
The view of tattoos in Japanese society
http://japandailypress.com/the-view-of-tattoos-in-japanese-society-295623/
The topic of people having tattoos in Japan caused
quite a commotion among the headlines in the last few weeks. Well, more
specifically, it was Toru Hashimoto, the mayor of Osaka, and his views about people with tattoos.
Hashimoto launched a controversial campaign against employees of the city who
had tattoos, requiring them to fill out paperwork and document exactly what the
tattoo was, and where on their body it was located. Not only did this stir up
questions of privacy, but it also brought some criticism from western countries
where tattoos have become more and more acceptable. But before we continue on
that topic, let’s talk a little more about how tattoos are seen in Japan.
Despite the popularity of Japanese art and imagery among
tattoo artists and enthusiasts in the West, even the most beautiful piece of
body work done by the most talented artist will result in disapproving looks
and negative comments. Not only that, but even the smallest, most insignificant
tattoo will get you thrown out or prohibited from entering certain public
places. Even that little one on your ankle or wrist, or the one on the inside
of your forearm that no one can really see unless you raise your arm straight
up.
There are prominent, clearly labeled signs at establishments
like fitness gyms, public swimming pools, and especially at Japan’s renown hot
springs, that state anyone with irezumi, the Japanese word for ‘tattoo,’ are
banned from entry. “That’s fine,” you may think, as those are places where you
generally remove or wear less clothing. But if you have a much larger tattoo,
or one that is easily visible, say on your neck or one that runs the length of
your arm, it is not unheard of to be asked to leave establishments like
restaurants or stores. And don’t think you can get away with it just because
you’re clearly recognized as a foreigner. You probably won’t be asked to leave
food establishments or shops, but those public places like pools and hot springs will
definitely apply the same rules to you as they do everyone else.
Probably the most sought after Japanese tattoo artist in the
world is Horiyoshi III. He is recognized for his stunning, intricate full-body
‘suits’ that can take many years to complete. These are the kind of tattoos
that are synonymous with the yakuza — the Japanese mafia, or criminal
underworld. This isn’t the glamorous, or honorific lifestyle that is sometimes
portrayed, the yakuza are involved in everything from drug sales, prostitution,
and gambling, all the way to up the crime in the white-collar world, like
loan-sharking and personal or political blackmail. And everyone in Japan knows
this. When they see or hear about yakuza and their world, the know it’s
dangerous.
Horiyoshi III openly admits that he used to be involved in
the criminal lifestyle, although he gave it up long ago to focus on his craft.
He hopes that one day his work can contribute to a change in the perception of
tattoos for Japanese people, and bring an end to what is sometimes seen as
discrimination as people with tattoos. I think Horiyoshi III explains it best,
that the perception Japanese people have of tattoos, at its most simple, core
level is this: People see tattoos and that equals yakuza, yakuza means
criminal.
This is central to what happened in Osaka and led to Mayor Hashimoto’s campaign.
A local resident went to city hall to conduct some business, and when they were
communicating with the employee, they got a glimpse of the person’s tattoo. It’s
not exactly clear where it was on their body, it could have been as simple as a
covered chest piece but the collar of their shirt dropped down just low enough
to get a peek. But it was enough for the resident to complain, and once that
instance was repeated a few times more, it was enough for Hashimoto.
The goal of the mayor’s campaign was to ensure the trust of
the local people in their government. If people were exchanging with city
employees who had visible tattoos, it would reflect badly on the city and its
leaders. It doesn’t matter if the employee works in a top office position, or
if they were a simple garbage collector, the public should not see any
employees with ink on their skin. It was considered that those who admitted to
having tattoos, whether they were easily covered during working hours or not,
would be transferred to positions out of the public eye, or worse, even
terminated. Those who refused to take the survey were told that their pay would
be cut and also threatened with possible termination. Hashimoto publicly stated
that if people had or wanted to get tattoos, they should find other lines of
work.
Now, being from the U.S. I will admit that personally I
feel Mayor Hashimoto was taking things a little too far, but that’s because I
don’t have the engrained aversion to tattoos that the culture of Japan does.
Think of it this way, what would you never expect someone working for the city
or in some kind of service industry to get away with? I know this is a poor
example, as most piercings have become just as acceptable as tattoos in America, but
you wouldn’t expect a bank teller or hostess at a nice restaurant to have a
large ring through the septum of their nose would you? Now, that is just an
example of something people would maybe find along the lines of inappropriate,
it’s not really equivalent to the fear or uneasiness that Japanese people feel
when they see tattoos.
Here’s another example: In 1999 there was a tragic incident
at the Columbine High
School in the U.S.
state of Colorado.
If you’re not aware of this, two students armed with guns embarked on shooting
spree at their high schools and killed over a dozen people and injured more
than 20 others. This incident shocked the nation and was talked about for
months, and even years afterwards. When the two students conducted their
attack, they were wearing long, black trench coats, with their weapons tucked
inside, inspired by a well-recognized scene from the movie The Matrix. In the
months following that incident, any young, high school-aged person who fit the
portrayal of being a “social outcast,” and was wearing a long, black coat gave
people a reason to pause.
That association went away, obviously, but we were only
inundated with the imagery of the attackers in black trench coats by the media
for a period of months. Imagine growing up in a culture where not just the
media, but the culture as a whole is taught that tattoos have a direct
association with a criminal lifestyle. Is it another example of Japan’s
dangerous tendency towards group-think? Sure. But that doesn’t make Japanese
people’s fear any less real or legitimate. There is a deep, culturally
engrained reason why tattoos are not taken lightly in Japan. When one
culture gradually finds something more acceptable over time, it isn’t always
the same for another.