Essays by Coordinators for International Relations
"Character and Cultural Stereotypes: Help or Hindrance?" Anastasia Shcherbatyuk (Russia)
When I tell people I'm Russian while traveling in different countries, I hear a variety of thoughts on Russia. Some people speak glowingly about Russia's culture, fine arts, composers, and ballet. There are also people who could only express general stereotypes like “Russia must be cold,” “Are there bears walking around?”, and “Russians must drink vodka every day.” Today, I would like to discuss the role of stereotypes in cross-cultural communication.
Positive stereotypes about Russians I’ve encountered include: kind-hearted and warm, sociable, fun, love festivities, value hospitality, talented at improvisations, and good at problem-solving in difficult situations. Negative stereotypes I’ve found include: pessimistic, lack self-discipline, lazy, have too much pride, love alcohol, short-tempered, and are fast and crazy drivers (As the Russian writer Gogol said, “What Russian does not love fast driving?”). Of course, these can be said not only about Russians but people of other countries. Any depiction of people from any place has positives and negatives. Now, what happens when you have stereotypes (of any country) and then you actually meet the people of that country? I think that if you try to find similarities with your own country, you will easily become friends! On the other hand, if you approach with the influence of negative stereotypes, you create a barrier, and you will lose the opportunity to get to know more about the country and to construct your own opinions. The important thing to ingrain in ourselves is that because we each create stereotypes in our daily lives, we also each bear responsibility to create positive impressions of our home countries for those of different cultures.
Finally, I have one simple bit of advice: Don’t believe the stereotypes! When you interact with people of different backgrounds, find ways to get to know them. Through these exchanges, we can broaden our horizons, enrich our inner worlds, and make lots of friends from all over the world. Although we may speak different languages and mutual understanding may be difficult at times, we should be able to find common features and similarities. Let’s not forget that!
"Toyama – Was it Fate?" Im Jin Kyung (Korea)
Until I came to Toyama as a CIR, I knew nothing about “Toyama Prefecture.”
I spent about ten months in Niigata as an exchange student, but I didn’t have much opportunity to have anything to do with Toyama. But something just recently came to light: my connection to Toyama actually began about ten years ago, back in 2002.
At that time, I was attending the National High School of Traditional Arts, which had a yearly exchange with high schools in Japan. Every year students came from Japan, and they shared with us traditional Japanese arts and had a social exchange party with the students at my school. In 2002, I was in my second year, and was studying Japanese as my second foreign language. I couldn’t actually speak Japanese at all, but thanks to my obsession with Arashi, my grades in the class were good. I earned the confidence of my Japanese teacher, who let me participate in the party with the students from Japan.
On the day of the party, the Japanese students performed taiko for us. I was especially taken with a boy who looked like a member of Arashi, and I decided to be proactive at the party, which was scheduled after the performance. I had a friend sow some seeds beforehand, so I was able to spend some time with the Japanese boy who had caught my attention. The fun party ended, and we exchanged presents and name cards. Afterward, I sent that boy a letter, but sadly received no response at all.
However, when I went home recently, I opened up my desk and happened to find that name card. And then I started to shout loudly. “Mom! This is crazy! Toyama was my fate!!” On that name card were these words: Toyama Prefectural Taira High School, 2-nen 2-kumi. That’s right. Toyama and I had been connected ten years ago. Isn’t that wonderful fate? Dear people of Toyama Prefecture, yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
*If you attended Taira High School and remember going to the National High School of Traditional Arts in Korea in 2002, please contact me.
"The Best Flavor in Japan" Si Ying (China)
“Are you okay with Japanese food?” “Can you eat sashimi?” Japanese people often ask me questions like this. Of this type of question, the most difficult one to answer is: “What do you think tastes the best?”
When I think about it, food in Japan – sashimi, steak, tempura, sushi, ramen, and soba – are each good in different ways, so it’s hard to say which one is the best.
Since the majority of Japanese food is light and healthy, it has lately been popular in China as well. In my hometown of Shenyang in Liaoning Province, there are a growing number of Japanese restaurants. The year before last, my department’s year-end party was held at a Japanese restaurant on my recommendation. They have pretty good food, and Japanese sake is easy to drink, so everyone had a rousing time.
At that dinner, I saw surprised to see the Russian interpreter eating lots of sashimi. (Many Chinese people have a difficult time with sashimi.) When I asked “Do you like sashimi?” the reply was “Actually, I really like soy sauce. But I can’t just eat soy sauce, so I dip sashimi in it!” This made everyone laugh, but when I really think about it, most of the ingredients at Japanese restaurants in China are from within China. Shenyang is not a city on the coast, so I don’t think the fish is all that great. However, the condiments and seasonings are always imported from Japan or else from a Japanese company, so the taste is about the same as in Japan. In other words, if you take mediocre sashimi and dip it in Japanese soy sauce, it becomes pretty good! (Haha.)
When you enter a supermarket in Japan, you see lots of rows of sauces, dips, and noodle broth bases. When I used a sauce I bought in Japan on grilled meat in China, it made the food taste better, and when I made radish and bamboo shoot dishes using Japanese noodle broth, it turned out very well! Don’t you tend to reach for the soy sauce when you’re at a restaurant in Japan and you think your food isn’t very good? You can satisfy your palate using the flavor of Japanese seasonings. But I wonder if people will laugh at me if I tell them that my favorite tastes in Japan are the sauces?
"A Tourist at Home" Everson Esteques Lemos (Brazil)
Starting with Christmas, I spent two weeks back in Brazil. After spending a long time abroad, everything about home seemed interesting.
One thing that left an impression on me was the prevalence of tattoos. I discovered all kinds of tattoos while riding subways and buses. They ranged from low-key tattoos like a twig behind an ear to super flashy ones like cherries on breasts! The person looked pretty normal, so it was all the more funny because the tattoo was so bold.
But from something I happened to overhear, I understand that even in Brazil, tattoos are not completely socially accepted. A girl with large tattoos on both shoulders was telling someone, “I wanted to get one more, but if I do any more it might make job-hunting difficult.” I took that to mean that while anyone can get tattoos, if you cross a certain line, it might hold you back in finding employment – that’s the kind of country this is. (Though this is my own country...)
I also had a lot of fun eating at hole-in-the-wall establishments back home. I personally love getting lunch specials. When I entered one restaurant, I didn’t see a sign that said “Today’s Specials,” so I asked someone. He replied, “bife a role.” “That’s fine.” Wow, it was delicious! It’s a great feeling to be at home. See, I know that even if there doesn’t happen to be a sign for lunch specials, they always have them. When I asked “What’s the special today?” the quick response came naturally. Bife a role is rolled beef with bacon and vegetables inside, pinned down with a toothpick. They don’t tell you these things in Wikipedia, but I know. It didn’t occur to me until I’d left Brazil, but going back to my home country for the first time in a while was a very pleasant experience.
This short trip back home felt like visiting a foreign country that I somehow know very well. It’s a fun feeling. I will be in Japan for a while longer yet, but I will definitely try to go back home once in a while.
"Japanese 'Eco' vs. American 'Green'" Akiyo Horiguchi (U.S.A.)
In the United States, we refer to things or actions that are environmentally-friendly as “green.” Likewise, there is a growing awareness of environmental issues in Japan, and we often hear the word “eco” (pronounced like “echo”) around here. I’ve concerned myself with being “kind to the planet” ever since I was young, so I sometimes find myself thinking about whether the U.S. or Japan treats the environment better.
If I consider transportation, I believe Japan has less of an impact on the environment. Japan has a superb public transportation system; the trains and shinkansen are world-famous. Even many people who do not live in the big cities can get by on trains and buses. In addition, it is not uncommon to commute by bicycle, and it is not unusual to see people riding bikes in business suits.
People who live in New York City or Washington D.C. may be able to get around on subways and such, but the U.S. is generally a driving-dominated society. In the L.A. suburbs where I grew up, a car was necessary to get anywhere. There were no such things as trains, and buses were incredibly inconvenient. Bicycles were for children and hobbyists, and I never saw anyone riding a bicycle in business attire! There has recently been a trend toward trying to reduce cars in order to curb air pollution, but the U.S. is still far behind Japan.
However, there is one aspect involving cars where I believe Japan is worse for the environment: cars are not used for very long. In the U.S., a new car is expensive, but there is no shaken (mandatory vehicle inspection), and the older the car, the cheaper the car insurance. As a result, many Americans drive cars until the vehicles are very old, but this is not the case in Japan. I think it’s sad that Japanese people, who generally treat things very well, dispose of cars – which take a lot of resources to produce – after just a few years.
It is especially interesting to compare Japan and the U.S. when it comes to the subject of trash. The first time I went to take out the recycling in Japan, I was truly shocked to see paper, plastic, and glass so neatly sorted and beautifully lined up. But while Japan may have great recycling habits, it also produces a lot of unnecessary trash. Anything you buy at the department store is carefully wrapped, put in a box, wrapped again, tied with ribbons, and finally placed in a bag. There are the more commonplace items as well: rice crackers and cookies are often individually wrapped in plastic, creating a lot of trash. I find this depressing, so I try to not buy these types of individually wrapped small snack items. For Americans, this kind of excessive packaging seems quite strange.
I hope that Japan and the U.S. would learn from each other, and both take responsibility as high-consuming developed countries.
"Winter in Russia" Anastasia Shcherbatyuk (Russia)
If I asked you "What kind of place is Russia?" you might imagine a cold country. Today, I'd like to tell you about Russian winters.
Russia is the world's largest country, but 77% of its total area consists of Siberia, the region with the harshest climate. If you visit the major cities of Siberia such as Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Novosibirsk, temperatures of -30 to -40 degrees Celsius (-22 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit) are common, and Oymyakon of the Yakutia Republic is one of the coldest places in the world. An average January gets down to -61 degrees Celsius (-78 degrees Fahrenheit), and is the only place on earth where people actually live and work in such a cold place. But Russia is not only cold places. The city of Sochi, a city in southwestern Russia overlooking the Black Sea, will host the 2014 Winter Olympics. But because it is in a subtropical zone, the average winter temperature is 5 degrees Celsius (41 Fahrenheit), and rarely gets below freezing.
Winter in Russia does indeed have a cold reputation, but there are ways in which it can feel warmer than winter in Japan. First of all, Russia has central heating, and homes maintain a temperature of at least 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) all year round. It is warm enough indoors to be able to get by in only shirts, and when you go outside, you don't feel too cold if you put on fur coats. Even cold places in Russia have warm summers, and gets up to 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). The Primorsky Krai Region - where I am from - is the closest area to Japan and is at about the same latitude as Hokkaido and the climate is similar.
Russia's lifestyle and customs come from adapting to harsh climates. Because fresh vegetables are not available in the winter, vegetables are grown during the summer at second homes outside of the cities (called dacha), and are then pickled or made into jams. These preserved foods supplement vitamins that are lacking in the winter. There is also a strong inclination to do everything ourselves, though this may seem strange. For example, if furniture or electronics break, we fix them ourselves first rather than asking specialists. Russians also like to do house maintenance, remodeling, and putting up wallpaper on our own. When I lived in Russia, I had someone else put up the wallpaper, but I did the painting myself. There is enjoyment in creating a home that is in your own style. Russia also has interesting winter customs. For example, some people put out their laundry outside even in the mid-winter cold. I've heard that many countries don't put up their laundry outside at all, but if you visit Russia, you would see lots of laundry hanging out of apartment windows. You would think that laundry wouldn't dry in the sub-zero temperatures in winter, but that is actually not true. It is the same phenomenon as ice becoming smaller in the freezer: water slowly evaporates, even in ice form. Laundry left outside freezes right away, but it is half-dry by the time it is taken down in the evening, and then you finish drying in a warm room. There is an especially refreshing feeling about laundry that was aired outside.
This is my fifth year living in Toyama, but when I'm asked "What did you have in Russia that we don't have in Japan that you miss?", I always answer "central heating." It's nice that in Russia, winters may be cold outside but you can live warmly indoors. You can also make snowmen with dry snow, and you don't get all soggy. Still, because winters in Toyama do not get below freezing very often, roads are not as icy, and it is nicer to drive and easier to remove snow. So there are pros and cons to winters in Russia compared to winters in Japan.
However, what makes winters warm is not the temperature inside or outside. It is celebrating the New Year and spending time with family and friends that keeps us warm in the winter. So let's make great memories and warm up the cold winters!
"The Ban of Japanese Pop Culture" Im Jinkyung (Korea)
These days, a lot of Korean celebrities are active on Japanese television, and more and more young people in Japan are interested in Korea. When I meet a young person in Japan, we often end up chatting about Korean "idols." After that, I am always asked this question: "Which Japanese people are famous in Korea?"
I'm put into an awkward position every time I'm asked this. To be completely honest, the most famous Japanese people in Korea are historical figures like Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who went to war with Korean generals, or Ito Hirobumi, who was shot and killed by a Korean independence activist during the colonial period. But I have trouble getting the words out of my mouth.
There are no Japanese celebrities active in Korea, and Japanese singers don't often appear on Korean television, so perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that many Korean people have no interest in Japanese celebrities. But when I start thinking about this, my mind always reaches the same words: "Japanese popular culture banned, then liberated." Liberated? In order to be liberated, it first has to be prohibited.
That's right. In Korea, we could not officially watch Japanese movies at the theater, buy Japanese magazines at the bookstore, or listen to music by Japanese singers. It was not prohibited by law, but since there were always frequent political and historical disputes with Japan even after gaining independence, importing Japanese culture was not accepted. However, it wasn't as if nobody had any interest in Japanese culture.
To speak a little of my own experience, the building where I lived offered cable American and Taiwanese music programs. Those Taiwanese shows sometimes had Japanese music, and I could watch music videos of Japanese artists like Arashi, Morning Musume, and Ayumi Hamasaki. I became addicted to their singing and dancing that seemed somehow different from Korea's. Also, like the love between Romeo and Juliet, I was attracted to this foreign culture even more so for being "forbidden."
My "forbidden love" soon ended, when in 1998, the Korean government announced that Japanese culture would be gradually allowed. They started with the kind of deep and difficult films that win international awards, and Japanese movies were not popular in Korea at all.
But over time, movies such as Hana Yori Dango that draw the attention of young people came to be available, and I hear that they have become fairly popular. 2007 was the big year for contemporary Japanese writers like Banana Yoshimoto and Haruki Murakami. About two years ago, Arashi sold out their Seoul concert.
Recently, a crowd of Japanese people gathered to protest the proliferation of Korean culture on Japanese television. I read that when Koreans saw these images, it strengthened anti-Japanese sentiments. Since we have finally reached a time when we can freely enjoy each other's cultures, I hope that that both Korean and Japanese people can just enjoy culture for what it is.
"Japan's Protection of Nature" Si Ying (China)
It has now been about 2 months since I first came to Toyama on June 1st. And I've noticed something very interesting: the close distance between animals and humans.
I often find herons in rice paddies and on trees, and I've even seen monkeys and bears on forest roads! It's fun for me to see things in my daily life that I could only see in zoos in China. When I climbed Tateyama recently, there was heavy fog and strong winds, and I couldn't see much of the beautiful scenery I heard about. But thanks to that weather, at the summit, I discovered a raicho! Apparently, the raicho is more likely to appear when it is difficult for natural enemies like hawks to see them, such as in stormy or cloudy conditions. Lots of people gathered to take photos. Not only did the bird not run away, it actually seemed to be enjoying itself, striking various poses like a celebrity! Perhaps it's never been harmed by humans or heard of such a thing from its friends.
In China, a sparrow or a pigeon you happen upon would always fly away at a distance of about two meters, but Japanese birds don't fly away - they don't even bother to get out of the way! I suppose it's fine if you're walking, but in front of a moving vehicle, someone might slam their brakes, so it could be very dangerous for both birds and humans. In Japan, there are always orientations for newcomers. If a Japanese bird goes to another country, I think it would be best if they attend an orientation by the local birds!
I'm happy to see birds like herons, swallows, and raicho, but I was shocked by the size and number of crows here. On my commute to work, I love to walk the path along the Matsukawa (River). The cherry blossoms may be long gone, but I find it energizing to walk under the trees that line both sides of the river in the morning. However, three giant crows always appear on my way. They have deep black, slick feathers. They're always wandering around as if they own the place. When our eyes met, they scowled at me with a rather disgusted look. Crows are considered an ill omen in China, so it's scary to be stared at. So every time I pass by them, I always say in my mind "Excuse me for the intrusion!" and shuffle away quickly. Crows born in Japan are very lucky.
It's really grabbed my attention that the Japanese people, who have always suffered so many natural disasters like earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis, and volcanoes, treat nature so kindly.
"The Dream of Driving, the Nightmare of Getting a License" Everson Esteques Lemos (Brazil)
In a large Japanese city like Tokyo, it might actually be more inconvenient to own a vehicle. But for us, living in a place like Toyama, you could say that a car is the key to freedom, letting us come and go as we please. Furthermore, if you look at the high quality of roads and the fact that there is little traffic, Toyama is a fun place to drive. In Brazil, any car would cost three times as much as cars in Japan, and in São Paulo, the city where I'm from, the transportation is one of the worst in the world. For me, driving my beloved car in Toyama is paradise. But, in order to enter that paradise, I needed to spend some time in purgatory.
I had a valid driver's license from Brazil, and an opportunity to switch to a Japanese license. Driver's licenses from 23 countries such as Canada and New Zealand can be switched over without any tests, but being from one of the "other" countries, I had to complete two tests.
The first is a written test, with ten questions in your choice of nine languages. It is unbelievably easy. An example: "You can still drive after using narcotics if it wasn't very much. True or False." It's not so much a "knowledge test" as a "common sense test." I don't lack too much common sense, so of course I passed. But the real challenge would be in the practical test. In Toyama, examinees memorize the course, and then must make sure to move in very specific ways.
For example, in order to change lanes, you must: 1. Check the rear-view mirror, 2. Check the right mirror, 3. Look over your right shoulder, 4. Switch on the turn signal, 5. Repeat 2 and 3, 6. Look forward, 7. Turn the steering wheel - all in that exact order. That's just one example. When you get in the car, start the car, or make turns, there are specific movements you have to make.
Earlier, I mentioned memorizing the course, but in Toyama, the test is especially interesting. There are three different courses, one is randomly chosen on the day of the exam, and you are notified one hour before the appointment time. In order to learn the course, you can walk the course before the test.
By law, driving school is not required to take the driving test. However, only the driving test center and the driving school know exactly how the test is scored. That mystery is fuel for all kinds of theories. Some people believe that only those recommended by the instructors are able to pass. Others think that only a perfect score is passing, effectively making professional guidance necessary. Still others say that you can gain points by wearing the proper attire.
Theories aside, the reality stands that without attending driving school, the driving test passing rate for foreigners is very low. I'm sure the police prefer that fewer people take the test without driving school. However, people who believe in the possibility of self-learning resent the "obligation" to attend driving school.
If this is any consolation, it takes even more time and money for those getting their driver's license for the very first time in Japan: about three months and 300,000 yen. For those with a driver's license from another country, it is possible to acquire a Japanese license in a few weeks and 30,000 to 60,000 yen.
But, all's well that ends well, so let's do our best! I should try for another big challenge soon, too.
"Top 10 Japanese Words I Have Difficulty Translating Into English" Akiyo Horiguchi (U.S.A.)
Translation and interpretation is more than simply substituting words; language is not just a scientific structure. Even if you understand both languages, you can’t translate well without being creative. The grammar may be correct, but the sentences may feel unnatural or the expressions might sound odd.
The most commonly raised examples of difficult to translate Japanese involve concepts that even Japanese people are self-aware of, such as tatemae and kyouiku-mama. However, I’m often stumped by the more normal Japanese words. So let me introduce to you my Top 10 List of Japanese words I have trouble translating. (In no particular order)
Miryoku: I see this a lot in tourism-related material, but there is no good direct English translation. Depending on the context, I use “appeal,” “attraction,” or “feature.”
Nado: I like to use this in my own Japanese too, but in English, it’s considered stylistically lazy writing to say things like “and so on” and “etc.” in formal letters and publications.
-Zukuri: Apparently you can “make” anything in Japan! But in English, you can’t “make nature,” and “making the future” just sounds ominous.
Ricci: This often appears in industry-related material. I see it translated as “location,” but it’s really more like “business locating.”
Genki: A word well-loved by foreigners. There are so many ways to use it, but it doesn’t exist in English!
Fureai: Fureai Doubutsu-en is “petting zoo.” But I have to be careful with “fureai plazas” and “fureai with the local people” so it doesn’t sound creepy. (It means something like “connection.”)
Yoroshiku: Japanese people say this all the time, but since it doesn’t exist in English, I have to change it to “I look forward to working with you,” or just take it out entirely.
Place Names in Japan: For example, I waver every time whether it should be “Mount Tate” or “Tateyama.” We generally say “Mount Fuji,” so why does “Mount Tate” sound wrong?
Missing Information in Japanese: “I” and “we” are often not necessary in Japanese, but are needed for correct English grammar. Most words don’t have plural forms in Japanese, but English usually does. Also, since Japanese doesn’t have capitalization, I sometimes have difficulty in differentiating proper nouns from common nouns.
Things Unique to Japan: I know I can directly romanize words like sushi and sake, as these words are commonly understood by non-Japanese people. But I’m never quite sure whether words such as onsen and wagashi should be translated or romanized.
Making these kinds of judgment calls on how to express words is just a part of my daily work.
"Russian and Czech Languages" Anastasia Shcherbatyuk (Russia)
Zdravstvuite, everyone! This time, I’d like to tell you a little about the similarities and differences between the Slavic languages of Russian and Czech.
Last year, before my trip to the Czech Republic, I read websites and guide books on the culture and language. The Czech Republic is a wonderful place that I would like to visit many times. I was able to quickly feel acquainted and familiar with Czech Republic because the subways were easy to use, the people were very friendly, and also because the Czech language has some similarities to Russian.
The similarity between Russian and Czech is nothing like between British and American English, but they are both Slavic languages and therefore have many similarities. Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet and Czech uses the Latin alphabet, but many words have similar pronunciations. If you know Russian, you will notice that you can understand many of the signs walking around Czech Republic, and if you talk to the locals after a few days, you’ll notice that you can understand simple phrases. For example, “Hello” is “Dobriy Den” in Russian and “Dobry Dan” in Czech, and “How much?” is “Skoliko stoit?” in Russian and “Kolik to stoji?” in Czech. They’re quite alike.
However, sometimes the pronunciation is the same, but the meaning is completely different, so you have to be careful! “Pozor” in Russian means “shame” but in Czech means “Warning!” “Chyorstvy hleb” means “hard bread” in Russian, but “Chyorstvy hlab” means “fresh bread.” “Stul” is “chair” in Russian but in Czech means “desk,” and “ovotse” in Czech is “fruit” but sounds like the word for “vegetables” in Russian. Sometimes the differences become more humorous. The Czech word “vonyavka” (perfume) sounds like “something smelly” in Russian, “letushka” is “stewardess” in Czech but sounds like “something that flies” to a Russian, and the Czech “Krashaya jaba ujasno vonyaet” means “A beautiful woman smells nice,” but to a Russian, it turns into “A red toad smells terrible.” “Okurki” is “cucumber” in Czech but is “cigarette butt” in Russian, and “poganka” is “buckwheat” in Czech but “poisonous mushroom” in Russian! There are many more examples like this. You’ll probably most easily remember vocabulary with these funny word differences, right?
The “journey through languages” is very interesting. In the future, I’d like to learn more about other Slavic languages.
"Koreans Love to Eat!" Im Jinkyung (Korea)
Have you eaten?
Huh!? You might wonder why I’m asking such a question out of the blue. I wanted to introduce you to an interesting aspect of Korean culture. You see, Koreans often say “Have you eaten?” as a greeting!
Instead of “Good morning,” “Have you had breakfast?” Instead of “Hello,” “Have you had lunch?” Instead of “Good evening,” “Have you had dinner?” An important fact to grasp here is that in this case, “Have you eaten?” is not being asked because they are actually curious about your meal, but as a casual greeting. So if a Korean asks you “Have you eaten?” there is no need to respond with specifics like “I had meat” or “I ate bread.”
When Koreans had not met up in a while, we would say, “Let’s eat together some time.” Of course, that may mean we actually want to catch up with you over a meal, but most of the time, it’s nothing more than a simple greeting. So if a Korean friend invites you to a meal but then does not contact you for months, please forgive them.
You might already know this, just like how many of you know the Korean greeting annyeong haseyo. But why Koreans ask about eating in place of annyeong haseyo is a mystery even for me. So I searched on-line, and found one theory that it is because Koreans were suffering from various wars for dozens of years and food was scarce. I don’t know if that’s the true reason or not, but looking at Korean expressions, there is no doubt that Koreans love the verb “eat.”
Here are some fun examples: “to eat the years” for “to age,” “to eat the ears” for “to lose hearing,” “to eat alcohol” for “to drink alcohol,” “to eat first place” for “to win first place,” “to eat the goal” for “to reach the goal,” “to eat the heart” for “to resolve,” “a child that grew up eating love” for “a child that grew up loved.” As you can see, there are lots of Korean idioms that involve eating.
The next time you meet a Korean, smile and ask them: “Have you eaten?”
As a Korean, I love to eat.
“Enjoying Tea” Pei Jing Yi (China)
I love tea. I watched my father drink tea since I was a child. He told me that when he was in middle school, he and my grandfather used to drink tea together in the courtyard, taking in the warm sun on nice, leisurely days. They apparently did not talk very much, but they felt father and son understood each other.
When people in Japan think of Chinese tea, they think “oolong tea,” but actually, that is only one type of Chinese tea. Chinese tea can largely be divided based on the degree of fermentation. Green tea is unfermented; the tea leaves are heat-processed and the oxidation comes from the enzymes in the tea leaves themselves. It preserves much of the chlorophyll and vitamins, and is effective for blocking radiation and therefore preventing skin damage. Green tea accounts for 70 to 80 percent of tea consumed in China. Also, we often like to use white porcelain teacups; watching the fresh green tea leaves gradually spread on the white porcelain is one of the pleasures of drinking tea. Popular green teas include Longjing, Bi Luo Chun, and Huangshan Mao Feng. The heating process is different between Chinese and Japanese green teas. The fermentation process is halted by steaming in Japanese green tea, and by pot-cooking in Chinese green tea.
Oolong tea is categorized as “blue-green tea”(青茶), and is a semi-oxidized tea; the leaves are heated mid-fermentation to halt the oxidation process. It is mainly produced and consumed in southern areas such as Fujian Province, Guangdong Province, and Taiwan. As for me, I drank oolong tea for the first time in 1996, when the bottled Suntory tea began sale in Shanghai. Since oolong tea contains characteristic polyphenols that repress fat absorption and accelerate breaking up fat, it is becoming increasingly popular as a weight-loss drink. Examples of oolong teas include Tieguanyin, Da Hong Pao, and Dong Fang Mei Ren.
Black tea is dried and thoroughly oxidated. It is called “red tea” in Chinese and Japanese because the color of the prepared liquid tea is red. Popular black teas include Keemun tea and Ying De Hong.
Pu-erh tea is representative of dark tea, which undergoes post-fermentation. Puyi (The Last Emperor) said, “At the imperial court, we drink Longjing tea in the summer and Pu-erh tea in the winter.” Unlike other kinds of tea, Pu-erh is prized not for freshness but for a long fermentation period. Vintage teas can be decades old and considered very precious, and are therefore sold at high prices. Pu-erh tea is only produced in Yunnan Province. A long time ago, there was trade between Yunnan and Tibet, exchanging tea for horses. This mysterious road is now called the Ancient Tea Route (or the Tea and Horse Road).
At home, my father is devoted to green tea, my husband drinks oolong tea for his diet, and I enjoy a variety of teas depending on my mood. I hope you try out different kinds of tea too!
“What Is An American?” Akiyo Horiguchi (U.S.A.)
Hello! I am the Coordinator for International Relations that just came to Japan from the U.S. in January. However, because my name and face is Japanese and because I also speak Japanese, when I introduce myself this way, I often get asked “Huh? Are you from Japan?” or “But you’re Japanese, right?” In Japan, the notion of “one’s country” is so different from America’s that I still sometimes fall silent at these questions, unsure where to even begin explaining.
In Japan, generally blood=country, right? Even if a white child from the U.S. were to become a permanent resident of Japan from a young age, and came to know Japanese just as well as any Japanese person, I doubt they could be readily called “Japanese.”
However, the U.S. is a multicultural country. California -- where I grew up -- is especially diverse, and I lived a happy childhood free of racism. My school held a multicultural festival every year, and kids like me who spoke a language other than English at home were not unusual. My friends were white, black, of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Mexican, Indian, Iranian, Hungarian, and South African descent, immigrants and third generation or multiracial Americans who could only exchange simple words with their grandparents. My childish thought was that this was all perfectly normal, and at the time, I did not appreciate the value of my unique experiences.
Unlike in Japan, people born in the U.S. are automatically granted citizenship. But being American is also not limited to your place of birth. Not only are my parents Japanese, I was born in Osaka. Living in the U.S. and taking in the culture and language, I gradually became an American.
Being an American is not just about citizenship. Of course, citizenship is what the government recognizes, but there is a cultural and psychological side to being an American as well, one that cannot be clearly defined. Even in the U.S., first-generation Japanese immigrants were not allowed to become naturalized as citizens until 1952, but there existed loyal Americans among them.
I haven’t lost my Japanese side either. I’m more American than Japanese, but having been raised by Japanese parents, my thought processes and tastes can become more Japanese depending on the situation.
It was in college that I realized that it’s okay to have two cultures, and I came to understand the meaning of the word “identity.” This was all thanks to my multicultural peers and the international environment around me in the United States of America.
