teaching about contemporary japan

[Anonymous]

"the most greying and troubled nation." -- Japan.

[Anonymous]

How so Egoebel?

[Anonymous]

I watched the documentary "Happy" with my AVID students and what was surprising is that Japan has the largest number of centenarians living in Okinawa, Japan but contrasted with a community of people who are "here for each other" in Tokyo many people are familiar with the word "Karoshi". The word literally means working to death. Citizens are putting relationships and human interaction on the back burner, with the hopes that earning more money will lead to status and happiness. In actuality the young man died in a Toyota plant trying to fix a manufacturing problem, leaving his young wife and baby behind. It would be interesting to have my Geography students compare and contrast the values and stressors of the Japanese and American workforce. Students could even conduct surveys and interviews of their parents and their stress levels.

[Anonymous]

jillsandoval, I heard about this too and remember how in college they stressed the differences between the US and Japanese culture in relation to the individualistic vrs the group mentality adopted in Japan.
I have to say that Karoshi does not appeal to me, but I was really impressed by the people who volunteered about a year ago to work in the failling power plant. There were people of all ages who worked long hours exposing themselves to radiation. Some young volunteered because they had no children, others old volunteered because they had already lived a long life. The idea that one can measure their own worth in relation to others for the benefit of others is for sure something to be admired. I wonder if this sacrifice would be more common in a pluralistic society?

[Anonymous]

The Reischauer Scholars Program is an online course for high school students that is sponsored by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPIC) and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University. Named after the former U.S. ambassador to Japan, Edwin Reischauer, the RSP annually elects 25-30 exceptional high school students from the United States to engage in an intensive study of Japan.

The RSP provides students with a broad overview of Japan with a special focus on the U.S.-Japan relationship. Ambassadors, top scholars, and experts from the United States and Japan provide online lectures and engage students in live online discussion sessions. Students also complete readings and weekly assignments, with the coursework culminating in an independent research project. This course is also ideal for students who seek opportunities to learn about the world from a different perspective, and who enjoy interacting with other likeminded students from across the United States. Students do not need to know the Japanese language to participate in this course, and there are no student fees.

Upon completion of the course, students earn Stanford Continuing Studies Program credits and a Certificate of Completion from SPICE and Stanford University. Ultimately, the RSP equips participants with a rare degree of expertise about Japan and U.S.-Japan relations that may have a significant impact on their choice of study and future careers.

Applications are accepted annually in Sept and Oct, and the course takes place from February through June.

A PDF of the application can be downloaded at

http://www.reischauerscholars.org

Contact Information:
Naomi Funahashi,
Reischauer Scholars Program Coordinator
[email protected]
http://spice.stanford.edu
edited by yhuang on 9/10/2012

[Anonymous]

Sour foreign relation between Korea and Japan becasuse of Dokdo caused a unusal cultural exchange between two countries this year. http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/11/27/2012112701318.html I find it very interesting.

[Anonymous]

It seems like a lot to overcome. I didn't realize Japan was struggling to this extent. It's admiral that this young mayor would take on quite a challenge like this. The aging of Japan, low birthrates, and people leaving Japan for other countries are huge obstacles to overcome in order to turn things around. It will be interesting to watch how this young mayor moves the city of Yubari forward.

[Anonymous]

I cannot help but wonder where the town is now, since the article was published back in April. More importantly, I wonder what the short- and long-term plans for the betterment of the town are.
It is truly inspirational when one can step into a difficult situation and against many odds come out triumphant. Obviously, though this is real life and not a film, the communal encouragement can be the significant factor needed for there to be a positive conclusion to this story, and it is no small matter that there is an abundance of community support for the young mayor. If the town is able to become revived, I am sure that the same communal support would arguably be the most determining element, just as one of the previous posts pointed out the “group mentality” dominant in Japan, and which very often is vilified in this country, which is in turn perhaps the one that most promotes the idea of individualism (not to be confused, as it often is, with the concept of individuality).
I truly hope that in the end, come what circumstances may, that the town is able to pull through. As with any country, society or family (or individual for that matter), success in the face of adversity very often sets a precedent to others that may one day find themselves confronting similar hardships.

[Anonymous]

This is quite an an amazing story, not typical of Japanese culture. To elect the youngest candidate, not even from the town itself, to become the mayor they hope can fix their budget problems. He seems so dedicated. Going to his constituents houses and asking how the recession has affected their lives individually. That is amazing to me. Can you imagine the mayor of Los Angeles knocking on your door to ask how you are doing? I hope he can help that town.

[Anonymous]

The term "karoshi" is new to me. I read about this and was shocked. I didn't know that there was an actual term for working oneself to death. Investigating this phenomenon further in Japan I was able to learn that the number of deaths attributed to "karoshi" in Japan (approx. 9,000) at one time matched the number of traffic fatalities annually. One of the articles in a Japanese publication gave the actual government definition in the article. He says, "According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), “sudden deaths of any employee who works an average of 65 hours per week or more for more than 4 weeks or on average 60 hours or more per week for more than 8 weeks may be karoshi.” The website link to the article is: http://www.tofugu.com/2012/01/26/the-japanese-are-dying-to-get-to-work-karoshi/ if anyone is interested in reading further.

[Anonymous]

I was struck by your comment about how Japanese measure the value of their life by how they sacrifice it for the greater population. It reminded me of how Kenneth Feingerb was assigned to determine the value of those that lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. What a stark difference between the two countries! Indeed, it would be interesting to compare and contrast our two cultures.

[Anonymous]

Today I watched an interesting documentary called "Happy." In this video it claimed that as a whole the Japanese are the least happiest people. It also focused on Karoshi, which is death by over work. According to this video, Japan has support groups for families in which the husband has died of Karoshi. It seems that after World War II these men and women worked hard to make their country one of the most advanced in the world. Unfortunately, the cost of their greatness is their citizens happiness and sometimes even their lives.

[Anonymous]

I had no idea that Japan was going through such difficult times. It was fascinating to read about the 26 year old young man becoming mayor to the bankrupt town of Yubari. The task of trying to solve the town's financial problems seems daunting to say the least. It is wonderful to see his optimism, dedication, and his ability to reach out to the community. The fact that he goes to peoples homes to see how they are surviving the recession is truly inspirational. It is wonderful to see that the community is supportive of his efforts. I would be very interested to learn how his is doing.

[Anonymous]

The new Zune browser is surprisingly good, but not as good as the iPod's. It works well, but isn't as fast as Safari, and has a clunkier interface. If you occasionally plan on using the web browser that's not an issue, but if you're planning to browse the web alot from your PMP then the iPod's larger screen and better browser may be important.

[clay dube]

Excellent article about the multiple pressures confronting Japan's government and society. Yubari is a former coal mining center, but now has just 10% of the population it once did. The town went bankrupt in 2007, owing $400 million on bonds it issued. A 26 year old, in a society that venerates age and experience, is now mayor. Read the article to learn more about how the town hopes to survive.

Hiroko Tabuchi, "An Aging Japanese Town Bets on a Young Mayor for Its Revival," New York Times, April 29, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/business/global/aging-japanese-town-bets-on-a-young-mayor.html?pagewanted=all

Japan is aging rapidly, but China, South Korea, and other countries are also confronting these challenges.

[Author]

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