Mao Asada’s Figure skating performance – Maosan triumphed NHK Trophy

I used to watch the Japanese television, eventhough I catch 20% of the Japanese words. The process of hearing is more important for learning a new language. Repeated hearing will engrave new words in our mind and by correlating the visual slides in television will help to form the concept on the subject.

Today I watched Mao Asada win the NHK Trophy. Whenever possible I will watch her performing figure skating. It is wonderful and exciting to watch her figure skating. She has won the World Championships in March.

I started living in Japan from February 2008. During March, I remember, when I switched on the television, I could see a Japanese girl performing figure skating impressively. I was unable to read her name written in Kanji in television. At that time except some wishing words I was totally new to Japanese language. After repeated hearing of the commentary in Japanese language, I guessed the name of the girl as Mao Asada.

Then in order to remember her name, I related her name with the Chinese communist revolution leader Mao Zedong. Normally I will forget Japanese names within 5 to 10 minutes of hearing. When I related her name with a famous leader, it was easy for me to remember.

I am great fan of Mao Asada now. I take care not to miss to watch her performance in television. Asada, after winning World championship in March has done many mistakes during her jumps at the Trophee Eric Bompard. It was unbearable to watch her pain.

Mao is 18 years old only and she has started training at a very young age. Her dedication to figure skating has taken her to the heights. Japanese fans are very supportive to Mao. Mao has done an excellent performance today. Maosan has shown the triple axel, a difficult 3.5-revolution jump that has been executed by only a handful of female skaters. She scored 191.13 in NHK Trophy today. She is well ahead of her competitors.

Mao-san’s new coach, a Russian national, is also very supportive to her like a mother. I have taken some photos from the television. Only at the final steps before finalizing the performance she was about to fall, but she laughed it off cheerfully.

Attitude towards foreigners in Japan – Racism in Japan

This blog was running a poll on this subject. The question was;

‘Do you think Japanese people are fairly good to Foreigners?’

78% of the visitors to this blog responded that Japanese people are fairly good to foreign people.
21% of the visitors said ‘To some extent’ Japanese people are good
Only 1% of the visitors told, Japanese people are not good to foreign people.

What I conclude from the poll and along with my 10 months living experience in Japan is Japanese people are really good to foreigners.

Almost 95% of the visitors to this blog are foreigners. Foreigners themselves say that they do not face any kind of discrimination in public in Japan compared to many other countries. Many times the fear of Japanese people to talk in English is misinterpreted as aversion towards foreigners.

My own experience says I have not faced any discrimination till now. I used to commute the heavily crowded Toei trains and Tozai line trains in the morning and evenings. Literally the people are sand-witched. Had any of the Japanese man or woman or children show any kind of dislike towards a foreigner at their face or action, I could have sensed it.

Reading through some Forums for foreigners, I had gone through many statements that they have faced discrimination in Japan. Some of the foreign people said, Japanese people are racists. In one discussion, when I commented that it may be due to the English speaking fear of Japanese people and told my own experience during the past months, I got the answer that ‘Jayaprakash is the lucky Indian’, who have not faced any discrimination till now in Japan.

I really don’t know on what basis some foreigners who lived in Japan say that Japanese people discriminated them. I have written in this blog on June that I used to attend a physiotherapy course for the disc prolapse and sciatic pain. 5 days a week I continued the course for 3 months and now continuing 2 days a week.

The clinic I have been going is having only Japanese staff and nurses. They do not speak English and I am not fluent in Japanese. I am the only foreigner patient visiting the clinic as far as I know. As part of the treatment, the doctor and the medical staff have to touch the body. I have not seen any kind of negative attitude towards me from any of them. In fact they treat me as if I am a Japanese and exchange all kinds of wishing words in Japanese while I enter the clinic and leaving the clinic after treatment.

Coming out of the clinic, I used to enter the nearby convenient store (kombini in Japanese!) to buy snacks and juice. Instead of discrimination, I have seen the little sales girls are interested to receive money from a foreigner!. That was really surprising to me when I thought of the bad experiences narrated in the websites and forums on discrimination of foreigners in Japan.

Frankly and very truly I can say, I have not faced any kind of discrimination or racism in Japan.

To mention one more warm relationship I have with my hair dresser Takagawa san, who runs his Hair dressing saloon near Toyocho. Every month I visit his saloon. He knows my choice in the Indian hair style. Only once for the first time in March 2008 I explained in my broken Japanese to him about my hair style. He do not ask me every month about the way my hair should look like. He knows. He talk in Japanese while dressing my hair. I could catch 20% of his words and the remaining portions I correlate and guess. The communication is all about understanding between two people, not really all about language!

Some day, it will be time for Takagawa-san and his wife to take snacks and traditional Japanese food. All the time they have invited me to join with them. One day, Mrs. Takagawasan gave me a set of traditional Japanese food. At first I hesitated to receive it from them. To be frank, it was due to my fear of getting discriminated from Japanese people as read in the forums and website. But they insisted to take their food and I obeyed.

Having been passed through many incidents of life in Japan and mingled with Japanese people, if I am true to my heart, I can not say that ‘I face discrimination in Japan'. I am really sorry that I could not join that group of foreigners who likes to announce to the rest of the world that Japanese people discriminate foreigners.

For those who say Japanese people discriminate foreigners, I do not have any advise or do not know what you mean by discrimination. But think before announcing: Is it only to catch attention of public, because discrimination is an issue in your own country? So, you want to declare to the rest of the world that Japanese people are also not free from that devlish nature in the mind like your own country men?

Further reading on this subject from experienced people are recommended. click here

The taste of Sashimi for the first time

Eating raw fish has been a biggest challenge posed in front of me ever since I landed in Japan. During the welcome party arranged by the department staff I was introduced different varieties of raw fish and was told by Japanese colleagues about what they called ‘Sashimi’.

Generally, even the well cooked fish itself to many Indians is not a preferred food. People living at the coastal areas of India like fish, especially Goans, Keralites and Bengalis are fond of fish. These three states in India have their own traditional fish cooking style. Goan and Kerala styles are almost similar, but I prefer the Goan style. But raw fish remained a mysterious food for me for many days.

When the Japanese friends describe about Sashimi and its taste, I struggled to avoid vomiting. Eating flesh without cooking is an act considered uncivilized in India. Reading and hearing more about Sashimi, I started thinking that when Japanese people can take raw fish, why I can not? It was not the feeling of comparison of abilities. I was thinking that if Japanese people can digest raw fish, why my stomach will not digest it.

This has pushed me many times to taste Sashimi during the parties, but avoided by the advise of Japanese friends as they also feared of stomach problems as I do not have the habit of eating raw fish.

But last week’s party with almost 25 Japanese people was compelling to taste Sashimi. With a huge variety of Japanese traditional sea foods, the party was enjoyable and memorable. More memorable to me as it was a sent-off party for one of my sensei (teacher) in Fiber optic technology in Tokyo, Kawano-san. The party was arranged in Sakanaya at Toyocho, Tokyo.

Yes, I tasted the Sashimi – the real raw fish for the first time. I dipped the thin sliced raw fish in Soya sauce mixed with wasabi and ate and imitated in the traditional Japanese style ‘Oishii!’ I have taken photo of the Sashimi, which I have tasted.

Friends were surprised on seeing an Indian tasting Sashimi! Then also I was thinking, If Japanese people can take, why I can not!

I did not vomit! Neither felt any bad while taking Sashimi. I felt the problem is in thinking about ‘eating raw flesh’. When we think of flesh, the traditional image comes in mind is a living creature's flesh with blood. This creates the aversion in mind towards such foods.

I had great confusion about Sashimi and Sushi. Sashimi is similar to sushi, another Japanese food, served with raw fish. I often conflate these two dishes, which are however considered distinct and separate.

Sushi refers to any dish made with vinegar rice. While raw seafood is a typical topping, sushi can have other featured ingredients as well.

A night riding experience in Tokyo city

I was yearning for a trip around Tokyo to have the experience of a night view of Tokyo city. The night view of Tokyo shown in many websites is eye catching. With many skyscrapers illuminated with colorful lights, Tokyo city is in competition with the mysteriously charming J-girls.

My wishes came true yesterday when one of my senior at office, Kawano-san invited us to have that experience of driving around Tokyo city in his car. Along with friends, Ienaka-san and Mustain-san we planned for a trip to Tokyo city from Funabashi.

Kawano-san’s car is spacious and equipped with all modern controlling systems like car navigation system. The Japanese make car he brought five years back still looked new. The care Japanese people takes to their automobiles is noticeable. Kawano-san drove the car from Funabashi towards Tokyo. The car navigation system automatically tells which roads have high traffic and even the nearest Ramen shops and restaurants!

We passed near to the Tokyo Tower which was literally looked like a tower of lights in the night. The sight of Tokyo Tower is amazing in the night with illumination. During the ride, I could hear many old and new trends in Japanese culture from Ienaka-san and Kawano-san. New generation Japanese people are generally flexible to other cultures and food habits. The biggest barrier between the Japanese people and foreigners in Japan is the language.

Kawano-san and Ienaka-san are two interesting personalities in the office. Kawano-san is source of many information on optical fibers and cables whom I used to approach and talk to clear my doubts. The full name is Masahiro Kawano, he had travelled a lot as part of his profession. A highly technically integrated and matured personality, Kawano-san still could keep his simplicity.

Ienaka-san is one of the two persons in the office, whose voice will still there in my ears even after I go back to India. Ienaka-san has very delightful personality, with whom we will never get bored. Ienaka-san had also travelled a lot, meeting people at different countries dealing with customers at technical meetings and symposiums. Ienaka-san is highly technical and knowledgeable personality who keeps his simplicity together.

This unique nature of Japanese people – simplicity even at the high levels of personal achievements makes them different from other high-ego societies.

I was learning more about Tokyo and Japanese culture as Kawano-san’s car passed through busy Tokyo streets. We crossed the Rainbow Bridge. The scene of the illuminated colorful boats passing through the river when the car crossed the bride was amazing!

When we reached at Kiba, we decided to dine at an Indian restaurant. Cooked and served in traditional Indian styles, the dishes were delicious and we enjoyed the food. The restaurant was not known to me till yesterday. I was aware of Namaste India restaurant near to our office and ‘One Coin’ restaurant at Toyocho, which is around 10 minutes walk from the office. This new restaurant is in between the two exits of Kiba Railway station.

After dinner, Kawano-san set the car navigation system to Komatsugawa Park to drop me at my apartment. It was night 9:45 by the time we reached at Komatsugawa Park.

Kawano-san gave a good and different experience to all of us.