[Hiking Trip Preparation] 登山準備

I made a sign up by mistake for a hiking at my 13-year-old's school last Friday. Everyone would have to meet together at the foot of the mountain 2 DAYS LATER. She didn't know how to get there on the trains by herself, so I took her there last Saturday. It took two hours to get there from home.
Mommy said "Why did you do that!!?" but our 13-year-old said, "Don't take that too hard, Dad. I really wanted to join this, even though mommy said no. I'm glad you made a mistake."

[My 13-yr-old girl practicing a song on YouTube]

Popular from "Wicked"


Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to this video nor do I claim to be the original singer/songwriter. This was done for fun and non profit purposes only.

[Japan's Globalization Activities Long Ago & Today] 日本のグローバル化活動: 今と昔

It is generally said the history will be repeated. Then how? Is there anything for us to learn from that?

I'm not about to talk about the aggression of the Japanese army around the time of the World War II. I want to write out some important historical events because I am wishing to learn & be noted about the path that was taken until they became isolated from other countries. Many people say "Stop war and love one another." It is so easy to say it. Nobody wishes to be isolated, disliked, or misunderstood.

I will also write some brief notes on the history of Japanese-Americans. It is interesting to know that Japanese citizens in Japan and Japanese Americans seldom interact each other. The both parties are so different. There is a significant gap between them in terms of thoughts, ideas, and perceptions. - Some while ago, I watched a Japanese NHK TV program where the Japanese Business Federation and a Japanese American delegation were having a discussion. A Japanese American asks "I would like to ask you to look around in this room. How many women are there? How many women are on corporate boards? How many foreigners?" and he appeals to the Japanese in the congress that they should be more diversed. - Watching the program, I was able to find that there was a huge gap between them. "Be diversed" was said a couple of times from the Japanese American side, but I thought the both parties have different things in their heads about that word.

I still remember when one of the Japanese side said something like this in English. I got itchy all around my body. I felt uncomfortable. I personally had to be disappointed with it, although I come across this type of thing quite often. That is what that Japanese gentleman of a high position had to say.
"We both share the same blood. As you know, we Japanese have very unique DNA. We have to do something together with our special traits."
They say this kind of thing very politely and humbly, beacuse they really think it is perfectly true. - There should be no question about it.

Getting involved with global activities can cause misunderstanding, miscommunication, conflicts, or isolation; and it is true even now today. With this extending globalized economy, Japan would be one of the countries that most likely has to face these problems. As I look around in the internet news, there are misunderstandings or even confilicts taking place between a Japanese company and a non-Japanese company. Some of them are widely reported on the news. I personally feel a cultural gap whenever I see the perceptions of Japanese side and another are often misinterpreted, misunderstood, or overlooked. Oftentimes, important factors on both sides are left unrecognized. It is not just about a language or IQ. There are millions of people with high IQ in Japanese companies. These things (different behaviors, perceptions, spoken words, written words, etc) can be observed even when walking outside during a lunch break or holiday. Being bilingual means being conscious of that sort of thing at all times (especially when you are in a homogeneous community, such as here in Japan).

I do hope I might be able to work even more as a cultural bridge, so things will be better on both sides. That's what I can do, and that's who I am.

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[0-1] Background of Japanese in Japan
The Japanese economic presence and political interest in Manchuria had been growing ever since the end of the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). The Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the war had granted Japan the lease of the South Manchuria Railway branch (from Changchun to Lüshun) of the China Far East Railway. The Japanese government, however, claimed that this control included all the rights and privileges that China granted to Russia in the 1896.

[0-2] Background of Japanese immigrants to the U.S.
Significant numbers of Japanese migration started with the 1868 Meiji Restoration (明治維新), when there were political, cultural, and social changes. Particularly after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, immigrants from Japan were sought by industrialists to replace the Chinese immigrants.

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[1] 1929: The Great Depression
The depression originated in the U.S., starting with the fall in stock prices. This began around September, 1929 and became a worldwide issue with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929 (known as Black Tuesday). It quickly spread to almost every country in the world.

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[2-1] 1931: The Japanese Army & The Manchurian Incident
In September, 1931 a small quantity of dynamite was detonated by Lt. Kawamoto Suemori close to a railroad owned by Japan's South Manchuria Railway near Mukden (now Shenyang). The Imperial Japanese Army accused Chinese dissidents of this act, which responded with a full invasion that led to the occupation of Manchuria. Japan established its puppet state of Manchukuo six months later. - This incident has widely been said that it was what the Japanese Kanto Army had plotted.

[2-2] Japanese Immigrants Resisting Discrimination
Post-World War I nativist activists pressured states to pass laws prohibiting Japanese immigrants from leasing or owning land. The Issei (1st generation) also sought to retain their rightful place in communities. One discriminatory legislation prompted a 30 percent decline in Oregon’s Japanese population by 1928.

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[3-1] 1932: The Japan Withdrew from the League of Nations
In 1932, Japan withdrew from the League of Nations, as did Germany, Italy, Spain, etc.

Initially the Japanese scored major victories in Shanghai and by the end of 1937 captured the Chinese capital of Nanking. The Chinese central government moved to Chungking in order to resist.
By 1939 the war had reached stalemate after Chinese victories in Changsha and Guangxi. The Japanese were also unable to defeat the Chinese communists forces in Shaanxi, which performed harassment and sabotage operations against the Japanese.

[3-2] 1920s-1930s: Cultural Activities of Japanese-Americans in the U.S.
Some Japanese Americans raised funds, established social supports, as well as sports activities. They also sought to educate neighbors to ease discrimination in a friendly manner. Some Japanese-American groups sponsored numerous cultural and diplomatic events.
The Nisei hoped to realize their immigrant parents’ dreams to find success in the United States through American citizenship and its benefits.

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[4-1] 1941: The Pacific War
It is generally considered that the Pacific War began in December 1941 with the Japanese invasion of Thailand for the invasion of British Malaya, and the attack on Pearl Harbor of Hawaii in the United States.

[4-2]1942: Removal of Japanese-Americans to Concentration Camps
On the other hand, there had been Japanese Americans trying to settle in the U.S. They had been trying to prove their “Americanness” in order to counteract the prejudice they were facing. But with the onset of the Pearl Harbor attack, both Nisei (2nd generation) and Issei (1st generation) were targeted in the anti-Japanese hysteria.
On February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 was issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which ordered the relocation of 120,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast to 10 inland concentration camps. - Two-thirds of those interned were American citizens.

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[5-1] 1945: Unconditional Surrender of Japan
Japan surrendered in 1945.

[5-2] Courageous activities by Japanese-Americans
A number of Nisei challenged the constitutionality of the curfew and evacuation and were imprisoned.

The 442nd Regimental Combat team, made up entirely of Japanese Americans, became the most highly–decorated regiment in the history of the United States armed forces, including 21 Medal of Honor recipients.

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Reference:
1. "日本人はなぜ戦争へと向かったのか"(上)　(NHK取材班 編著/NHK出版)
2. "Japanese Americans In the Columbia River Basin" (Washington State University Vancouver) http://archive.vancouver.wsu.edu/crbeha/ja/ja.htm

[A Zen Buddhist Sutra Translated by a Christian] お経の英訳

I am not going to discuss anything religious here in this page. I wanted to pick up this Buddhist sutra (scripture) because I am hoping to share some deep & serious Japanese writings with my translation in order to better understand their cultural background. See how different it appears compared to the Western Christianity. - I do not want to think this Eastern stuff and western stuff are just two different things. I want them to be connected in order that they will be one thing or let them coexist. I think it should be a good approach to see the differences in order to make it happen. That's what a bilingual or bicultural individual can pursue in his or her career. I personally feel I do not belong anywhere, but I'm so proud that I am able to stand between one culture and the other. With the globalized economy, the number of people with a bicultural (multi-cultural) background will even increase, and I think such people should be treated more importantly than ever.

To those of you who are interested in Zen, this time's post might be good to read.
This scripture, Shushogi (修証義) was published in 1890 which was intended to offer a simple & authentic digest from “Shobogenzo (正法眼蔵)” written by Dogen (道元: 1200-1253), who is the founder of the Soto sect of Buddhism in 1233. The original writing by Dogen was too huge & profound a masterpiece to be understood by the public, so only the essence was selected and regrouped to make it more familiar. Dogen, as the founder of the Buddhist sect, pursued his way with a Zen approach toward Buddhism, so his writings have a lot to with Zen perceptions. – This time, I have quoted only the first chapter of the sutra. (There are five chapters in total.)

I don’t know how this would work for a better business relationship but I felt this translation is worth trying in order to understand the Japanese of now today. I know most Japanese say they have no religious faith and they don’t even know much of this sutra, but I still think this idea or perception might have had some influence upon the Japanese in general on the deepest level.

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[1] 第一章　総 序　
生を明らめ死を明らむるは仏家一大事の因縁なり、生死の中に仏あれば生死なし、但生死即ち涅槃と心得て、生死として厭ふべきもなく、涅槃として欣ふべきもなし、是時初めて生死を離るる分あり、唯一大事因縁と究尽すべし。

[1] Chapter 1: Introduction
Having a clear understanding about life and death is one great achievement for all Buddhists. If you view the life and death with an eye of Buddha, there is no distinction between these two things. With a tranquil spirit, there is nothing to detest against the life or death. Nor is there any need to long for the tranquility of what death implies. It is at this moment that you will be free from life and death for the first time. So always seek after the chance to make it happen.

[2] 人身 (にんしん)得ること難し、仏法値ふこと希なり、今我等宿善の助くるに依りて、已(おのれ)に受け難き人身を受けたるのみに非らず遇ひ難き仏法に値ひ奉れり、生死の中の善生 (しょう)、最勝の生なるべし、最勝の善身を徒(いたず)らにして露命を無常の風に任すること勿(なか)れ。

[2] It is a rare opportunity to be born as a human, as well as to learn about the teaching of Buddha. Let it be known that encountering with a Buddha’s precept like this comes from your karma, and is a rare opportunity. This should be the greatest encounter you can expect. So you shall not live your life with idleness because a life can be compared to a single drop of dew.

[3] 無常憑 (たの) み難し、知らず露命いかなる道の草にか落ちん、身已に私に非ず、 命は光陰に移されて暫くも停め難し、紅顔いずこへか去りにし、尋ねんとするに蹤跡なし、熟 (つらつら)観ずる所に往事の再び逢うべからざる多し、無常忽ちに到るときは国王大臣親 (じつ) 従僕妻子珍宝たすくる無し、唯独り黄泉に趣くのみなり、己れに随い行くは只是れ善悪業等のみなり。

[3] Everything is transient. We do not know how this single drop of dew will go extinct. Our bodies are not in control of ourselves. The life goes on and will not remain at the same place. It does not even wait for one moment. Power of youth will disappear without a trace. There is nothing you can find, although you try to get your youth back. Ponder, and you will know that you cannot repeat the past. There is nothing to avoid it even if you ask the king, the prime minister, a servant, a housewife, a child or a treasure. You will approach the death with nobody to accompany with you except for your deeds – both good and bad - during the lifetime.

[4] 今の世に因果を知らず業報 (ごっぽう) を明らめず、三世を知らず、善悪を弁 (わき)まえざる邪見の党侶 (ともがら)には群す べからず、大凡因果の道理歴然 (れきねん)として私なし、造悪の者は堕ち修善の者は陞る、 豪釐 (ごうり)もたがわざるなり、若し因果亡じて虚しからんが如きは、諸仏の出世あるべからず、祖師の西来あるべからず。

[4] You shall not get along with wicked people who do not care about what they do and its consequences, or do not believe in the three-phase lives (previous life, present life and next life) without caring about what will be followed by good deeds or bad. Nobody can avoid this law of cause-and-effect. A person of bad deeds will fall, while a person of good deeds will be exalted. Every single hair is counted for this law to be applied. If this law were not true, there should have been no Buddha nature to exist, and Bodhidharma would not have needed to sacrifice himself to bring the teaching of Buddha all the way from India.

[5] 善悪の報に三時あり、一者順現報受(ひとつにはじゅんげんほうじゅ)、ニ者順次生受(ふたつにはじゅんじしょうじゅ) 、三者順後次受(みつにはじゅんごじじゅ、これを三時という、仏祖の道を修習(しゅじゅう)するには、其最初より斯三時の業報(ごっぽう)の理を効(なら)い験(あき)らむるなり、爾あらざれば多く錯りて邪見に堕つるなり、但邪見に堕つるのみに非ず、悪道に堕ちて長時の苦を受く。

[5] There are three patterns for a consequence to be manifested. One is a consequence of your deed that will be manifested in this present life. Two is a consequence of your deed that will be manifested in the next life. Three is a consequence of your deed that will be manifested in the second next life or later. Learning the Buddha’s way is to be enlightened with the rule of these three patterns of manifestations. Without knowing this, many people will be out of the right track. Not only will they be out of the right track, they will fall into a pit of wickedness and suffer a long time.

[6] 当に知るべし今生 (じょう)の我身二つ無し、三つ無し、徒らに邪見に堕ちて虚しく悪業を感得せん、惜しからざらめや、悪を造りながら悪に非ずと思い、悪の報あるべからずと邪思惟するに依りて悪の報を感得せざるには非ず。-- [第一章終わり]

[6] Let it be known that this life cannot be repeated twice or three times. It should be pitied that some have false views to perform evil deeds, thinking that there is nothing bad about it, and let them assume that there will be no pay back from an evil deed. You should learn not to be ignorant of the law followed by an evil deed. -- [The End of Chapter 1]
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Translation

[On Being Humble in Japan] 日本での謙遜とは

I had a conversation with my kid, a 13-year-old American, and she said why her Japanese friend said that way about all that. They are in the same class and are friends each other. I have seen her and her mom once the other day. They were shy people but they were very nice and decent.

But anyways, here's the conversation between the two teenage girls:

My daughter: "It's great you are always taking a highest score at the quiz every time."
Her Japanese friend: "No, I' m not good...!"
My daughter: "Can you tell me how you are studying everyday? Seriously, I am studying too but I don't think I'm getting much better."
Her Japanese friend: "I'm not good, either.... I don't even study at all, you know."
My daughter (In her head): [She is actually very good. Why does she say that...?]

I explained to her it was not because she didn't like you or she was mean, but just because she didn't want to stand out. It's a cultural thing.

I have found an interesting video post on YouTube (I have put it up on the bottom of the post) that is dealing with a similar topic. Look at the place where he's acting two different sets of conversations over their kids. The American parent brags about his kid, while the Japanese says his kid is extremely stupid.

The Japanese have a tendency that they don't want to be distinctly different from others. Even on the Internet, they are extremely negative about showing their names and faces. This is because they have a group-oriented culture. Extending it further, this can create a situation that if there's someone standing out, other people will tell about him or her behind the back. They don't tell it directly to the person who stands out even if there is anything to say. They don't do that because by doing it, he or she will have to stand out and become a target of being told by some others.
They are pretty much sensitive about that ever since they were born. Their "being humble" comes from that cultural background. - And the same thing is true with the case of the conversation between my daughter and her friend.

But it doesn't mean they are always "humble". None of us can stand the situation where we have to deny ourselves for eternity. I hear people bragging about purchasing a very rare baseball player item, or having been to New York or San Francisco to go shopping. - Anyone wants to appear different. That's why people put on nice watches, clothes with cool hair style. They expect others to talk about it behind their back. And this will satisfy their desire of appearing different.

But don't say, "That's a cool watch! Where did you buy it?" They would only say, "I forgot." - They don't like to clarify a thing because it means you will have to stand out. They want to be different but it is not what their community expects them to be. They don't expect others to stand out. - There is always a gap between what they have in their mind and what they say or behave.

On this YouTube video, by the way, he was acting a guy on a job interview, saying he is not good at anything. The Japanese don't do that way. They are taught to be different in that situation. They are taught or trained to "show off what you can do" or "show even bigger than you really are." - This is a moment they will switch to another mode of attitude.

This switch of attitude explains why election campaign cars run with loud voices, yelling, "I am here to ask you for a vote! This is my last day to ask you!" Candidates stand up in front of a station to loudly address their speech: "I'm so sorry to bother you during this busy morning time!! I'm here to ask you for a vote!!" Or if you go out on streets or stores, you will also see shop clerks yelling at passersby. - These are all cultural things and are publicly allowed. That's why they do these unusual things, and they will be switched back to their normal state once they are out of it.

My family and I have discussed this kind of issue all the time. I hope my 13-year-old will learn more and be better than I am. - I remembered as a highschool student I read "The Japanese Today" by Edwin O. Reischauer and I was pretty much impressed by it. I truly wish she might want to read this book when she became a highschool student or something. We might be able to discuss what have been changed about the Japanese, as well as what have been just the same since the time I read this book.

This guy's explanation is really good. I love that. It's even funny.

Translation

[From The Yomiuri Shimbun Newspaper]

From The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper (the Sept. 9th, 2011 issue)

"ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi - The family of an American woman who died in the March 11 tsunami has presented students at a primary school in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, with a collection of 40 of her favorite books.
'I hope you'll read these books, find your dreams and live with courage, like my daughter did,' Andy Anderson, 54, said Tuesday to a group of about 60 students during a presentation ceremony at Mangokuura Primary School.
Taylor Anderson, 24, was from the U.S. state of Virginia. She came to Japan in 2008 and worked as an assistant Engish teacher at several primary and middle school in Ishinomaki.
On the day of the Great Eat Japan Earthquake, she made sure her students at Mangokuura were safely evacuated. On her way home, she was killed by the tsunami...."

The article concludes: "Taylor's family plans to also present books to other six schools where Taylor worked."

I have heard not a few Japanese individuals saying foreigners (including Americans) have no kindness or consideration toward others, so I want to pick up this newspaper article, so it will help us realize we are actually sharing a lot (whether good or bad/ happy or sad), and interact with each other.

I want to say that this action Taylor's family has been taking is something that Japanese are most unlikely to do. But this, of course, doesn't mean the Japanese are not kind or considerate. They are very warm-hearted and mindful in different ways. One noticeable virtue they have is they show kindness in a reserved way, which often doesn't involve with direct actions or distinct words. And I would say this is one beauty the Japanese individuals can have.

The theme of this article is that there are different places to be focused on when showing kindness, consideration, or gratitude. So one cannot really say one culture is superior to another. The Japanese culture is as unique as all of the other cultures. It is just that we all have different backgrounds, while facing the same problems or issues.

So it could be said, from my own experience, that if one party starts complaining about another, this another side has complaints, too. This sort of gap has been a source of stress when doing business across the border or culture.

I have also encountered with bad guys in Japan and in the U.S. who, for example, didn't have any intention to pay off even if they should have, or guys who just get money to run away and would do me even more with evil intentions. - Rattle snakes are everywhere. But, well, that's another story.

I am writing this article because I wanted to say that people are standing on the same platform in this globalized economy, and without adapting to this rapidly growing trend there would be no favorable result to come out. I think this can be true with any country on earth.

Translation

[Globalized Economy & the Japanese] グローバル化と日本人

During my stay at home this summer break, my family and I went shopping at a large shopping center. I was hoping to buy a planner refill of the next year. For the past couple of years I have purchased an English version of it at the same store. I knew there were some stores dealing with an English one for my personal planner organizer.

 The store didn't have what I wanted. I thought it just happened. Nothing more than that. There were several kinds of planner refills of the same company but everything was Japanese. I went to another big store in Tokyo remembering that these stores had what I wanted one year ago and two years ago. But there was no English version. I visited another big store, but there was no such thing.

Don't say "You are in Japan, right? What do you expect?" The problem is not that there is no English version of the item, but the things have changed.

Grown up bilingually in Japanese and English, I have always been sensitive about this sort of thing. I recognize English books sections have disappeared in many bookstores in Japan. It sometimes makes me feel, "Hey, it's almost like a scary science fiction by Osamu Tezuka!"

Looking back some years ago, I remember there were far more bookstores that shared an English books section. I know several bookstores dealing with English books have been closed. Many of the stores no longer deal with books in English. Meanwhile, so many people are dying to mention this language.

When I'm outside, I always overhear people talking about English speaking countries, such as the U.S., Canada, Australia or the U.K. So many Japanese kids go to an English conversation school from very small ages.

The IT age has made it to accelerate the speed of the globalized trend of economy, and the speed has been getting even faster. I remember I knew nothing about the Internet back in 1996 or a few years later. In 2006, about ten (10) years after that, there was nobody who don't use an e-mail or the Internet services. Five (5) years later, in 2010, much more business people in Japanese have been involved with opportunities in English. Before the internet age, there was no way to know about foreign countries. You had to actually travel abroad. Today there are YouTube videos. Living in Japan, information can be obtained in English via the Internet as much as in Japanese, or even more than Japanese. People use Twitter, facebook, skype and other social networking services in order to communicate with other individuals of different places. They made conducting businesses on a global scale an effective necessity for most organizations. This tendency will be accelerated to be even faster.

At the same time, the people of Japan, in my impression, seems to have become more xenophobic, while they brag about English or foreign countries they have traveled to with their fellows. There is an apparent tendency among Japanese that even a talkative person will turn dumb as soon as they face an English native speaker.

Online shopping might be a factor that the multiple stores didn't have an English version of the planner refills or books in English. The same can be true with the bookstores that closed the English books section.

Yohan, a Japanese books importer and distributor filed for bankruptcy in 2008. Some said it was not due to a migration trend to electronic publishing. I personally think this symbolizes something of a great change in terms of English for the Japanese. But the fact was the news didn't leave much impact on the society in general, and that was even more impressive to me than the bankruptcy.

IT is a funny thing. It allows an individual to have so much information on one hand, while it will let the person become more closed-minded on the other hand. It intensifies the characteristics of an individual or a group of people. Living and working in Japan while speaking English at home, this impression becomes stronger each year. So many Japanese love listening to songs in English without even knowing the words well. They love chatting away with friends over a topic of foreign countries they have traveled to. Or, they love letting their dearest kids attend an English conversation school. But when actually faced with an English speaking person, they will most likely turn shy all of a sudden, or they behave as if playing a knock-on-the-front-door-and-run-away sort of thing.

Is that a bad thing? I don't think so. Some Japanese media has been saying Japanese stuffs and people are "Galapagos-like" or "closed-minded" or "behind the speed of the globalized economy".

What's wrong with that? They can handle it that way. Japanese media should not just focus on their negative side. They should keep on being who they are, being perfectionists and being very careful about work. Their jobs are super cool. Eating rice cake on the new year's day is a cool culture. It is not a bad thing that a Japanese becomes like a dog with straight face in front of a non-Japanese, or treat them differently. Why even bother pretending to be open-minded or friendly? A Japanese literary giant Soseki Natsume who lived in the periods of Edo, Meiji and Taisho mentioned that a cultural opening including human behaviors and ideas should be encouraged to come out internally, otherwise it only ends up being mentally distorted.

What if a translation system was to be practiced, for example? I have thought of one thing on the company level or a department level. If this system has been adopted with the idea of "cloud computing", they wouldn't have to reply too much on one single translator in the office. Administration work position will be necessary in order to establish and maintain it, but that is meant to work for the system of company or department. Proofreading or correction will also be necessary. Human skills should be needed and respected in any advanced system or technology. - But it is totally different from a case when somebody asks a translator to work on a specific document and then wait.

I am writing about that today here because I wanted to reconsider what I have experienced a year and a half ago in order to make the Japanese companies system work better. As a fully bilingual CATIA specialist, I wish I could do something more to help this business field become even better.

There should be more ideas to let Japanese people or companies be more involved with the globalized economy. I am always thinking about what I can do, so they will tackle with that trend even better with my bilingual skills and background.

Translation