"So did you have culture shock?" this high school student asked me yesterday. Japanese people always makes the best out of their opportunities, whether it is to mingle with a foreigner, to know the outer world or to practice their english. I told her how i felt when i was brought into all this snow and how i got accustomed to it later. but that doesn’t fit as a culture shock, does it? I didn’t have much to tell her abt culture shock as one of the reasons i came to japan was the unique culture it posessed. Yet i forgot to tell her about the Reverse Culture Shock, which i saw defined in the handbook for international students of our university, and which i met with a few months before..

They’ve given the stages of Reverse Culture Shock like this:

1. acceptance & integration: state where a student has established a routine and accepted the habits, customs, foods n characteristics of japan.
2. return anxiety: where he realize how much his experiences have changed himself
3. return honeymoon: excited immediately upon arrival in india. parties to welcome and renew friendships n family ties
4. reentry shock: family n friends may not understand or appreciate what he has experienced, nor may they seem very interested. india n his hometown may’ve changed in his eyes.
5. reintegration: realises +ve n -ve aspects of both countries and have a more balanced  perspective of their experiences.

Of these, reentry shock is the most treacherous. was prepared for it too, psychologically, as i was aware of it beforehand but still it felt awkward once in a while. it may seem weird but thatz how it is.

So it was in august that i went to india after 1 n 1/2 years. and things were fun..

sense of time. gathering @ kochi

me: i’ve been waiting here since 5:45 !!
he: what time did we fix to meet? 6:00, rt?
me: ya and do you know whatz the time now?
he: it is 6:30 yaar. we’re on time!
me: huh??!!

dress sense. @ my friends home

he: dey, arent u changing this tshirt when you’re going out?
me: huh? mmm? means?
he: didnt u bring any shirt?
me: no, whatz the problem with this da?
he: ohh, never mind!

zebra crossing @ kottayam

me: mummy stop! itz red!!

mummy n me stops there
people cross the roads
cars n lorries n buses pass by

me: mummy itz green now! letz cross

but
cars n lorries n buses pass by
therez a policeman watching nearby

me: whattt???
mummy: hahaha. so letz wait for the red signal n cross!

aunty on phone, inviting to their new home

me: oh! i cant wait to see ur new home!
aunty: but remember, we dont have those hi-fi computerised toilets at our home. if you need, you’ve to bring one of your own. (unfortunately sometime back i had bragged to them that in japan the toilet seat warms when you sit, one can adjust the heat, water jet n blah blah..)
me:

It was like this for some days for each n everything. Back in time i was expert in jumping into those crowded running buses and now i found my talents lost. I even felt it was awkward how i kept my foot in the bus. I twitched n twisted n turned so that i was satisfied how i stood in the bus. and then my shoes will be over someone’s feet!

So i dont have to say what happened to the green tea and the chopsticks i brought home!!

and oh god, i was saved cuz i was aware, never did i start stories saying "in japan..". (other than the hi-fi-toilet incident. that was enough!! )

Anyways reintegration came soon to my rescue. Indian toilets found me or i found them who knows.. (or was it the spicy food :) missing it now). Was allergic to japanese toilets when i came back after a month. Needed to go to the nearby spicy tajmahal restaurant to treat the allergy lol.

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Tags: culture shock, dress sense, india, japan, reverse culture shock, toilet, zebra crossing

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In school, he was that kid who used to make superfluous audio effects. One day he bleated mehhaahhh like a sheep during the chemistry class, the teacher was startled;  she asked him to "remain" at the back of the class. Little did he or she realize then that it was all written in the books. That his animal is the sheep. That he was born in the chinese year of the sheep..

SARAH: (April 24, 2006) Folks, the subject (the kid) is none other than Roxy! Hey Roxy, common admit it now. You liked to bleat and bleated you did in the classroom, and got punished for that!

Gong Xi Fa Cai ! It’s the Chinese New Year on January 29th, 2006. So when you see someone, greet with a Gong Xi Fa Cai Gong-She-Fa-Sai the newyear greeting, literally meaning "congratulations and be prosperous". In chinese calendar, one of the schemes for counting the year is the 12 year cycle, from 1, 2, 3 to 12. Then again from 1. Each year is represented by an animal. 2006 is the Year of the Dog. If you meet a chinese person and ask him his animal, you could get his year of birth too (as you could possibly guess his age-range)!

India-China talks
She: These Indians, they stink! they wear the same shirt to the lab 7 days a week. They stink!
He: These Chinese, they eat white onion and never had a shower in life. They stink!
She: Not all Chinese
She: Ya, not all Indians
Both were happy.

Japan-China talks
She: Your japanese books say the army did a great thing at nanjing. Burn those books
He: Your chinese books say Mao did a great thing in china. Burn those first
She: Oh ya?!
He: Oh ya!
No, not so happy.

It is sad to see so many chinese living here in Japan hate Japan so much. They have voice against whatever japan did. But they don’t have voice against tyrannies in their own country. Of course, once upon a time Japan’s political mindset was different, the defense was on the bad side and bad things happened. Japan’s mindset today is totally different from the yore. Since WWII it has only extended its hands for help. Yet people want to punish her for the sins of forefathers. Why don’t they first look at their own base and start rectifying from there? The number of chinese killed cuz of Japan won’t come any near to the number of people killed during Mao’s dictatorship (tens of millions of people). China has a bit grown out of its stringent communist measures of the past though people still have a lash even on their inner thoughts. Seems it will take years when human rights will weigh over unrealistic ideals.

Nevertheless, China has a great tradition of its own, though much is not obvious to people outside. Many of the traditions, art forms, even Kanji the writing system in Japan originated in China. One day, after my studies, I wish to go there and roam around inhaling the aroma of those unknown worlds. Yes I love china despite of what is said in the above piece of writing. Every country does have some insipid elements of its own. That doesn’t but define the whole of it. It’s whether you look at the thorns or roses.

Ok, enough. Hopefully, I’ll go for the chinese newyear celebrations here. i.e. if anyone invites me

Recommended book: Wild Swans, Three daughters of China by Jung Chang (banned in mainland China)

Epilogue: Gong Xi Fa Cai bow bow !! He used to howl and bow bow too. Later he was named as pattikutty (puppy-dog) by some of his classmates.

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Tags: animal, china, chinese new year, gong xi fa cai, india, japan, year of dog, year of sheep

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The new japanese world have grown out of the traditional outfit of kimonos and have totally embraced the sophisticated modern world. At Sapporo, I rarely see someone sporting a kimono. Though modernization can be seen in every wake of life, Japan still holds on dearly to several of its traditions and try to promote them. As religious holidays are comparitively null in the japanese calendar, the festivals & holidays here have been crafted out to attend various elements of human life and nature. Also, recently, the japanese government shifted most of the holidays to the days before or after the weekends so that people can spend them meaningfully.

Seijin no hi ¹, the coming of age day, is celebrated by japanese people on the 2nd monday of January to mark the transition to adulthood. Adult in Japan is legally defined as 20 years and above. So this day is celebrated with special cerimonies. "During the Edo period (1603-1868), boys had their forelocks cropped off, and girls had their teeth dyed black. In the past boys marked their transition to adulthood when they were around 15, and girls celebrated their coming of age when they turned 13 or so. It wasn’t until 1876 that 20 became the legal age of adulthood. " says ChinaDaily. Yesterday when I asked about the day to Tanaka sensei, she told me jokingly that now it takes time for them to mature. Nowadays, males generally wear suits to their coming-of-age ceremony, but a lot of females still choose to wear traditional furisode （as in this photo）–a special type of kimono for unmarried women with extra-long sleeves and elaborate designs.

So yesterday, bicycling on my way to the lab, bumped into a lot of these colorful kimonos and no need to say, that made my day

^{1. seijin no hi: seijin = adult. hi = day (pronounced like he). adult’s day}

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Tags: adulthood, coming of age, furisode, holiday, japan, japanese government, japanese tradition, kimono, seijin no hi

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Part II of Omisoka, the Japanese NewYear Eve.

Was awed to see our own emblem shielding the buddhist temple @ Sapporo, Japan. Had known that Japan had borrowed several aspects from Indian culture, especially through Buddhism and Hinduism. But seeing something this large at a religious edifice was new to me. May be it is common in buddhist temples here..may be I am yet to see more of them.. but still..

The Lion Capital seal, Japanese Buddhism & Ashoka
The Lion Capital seal/emblem at Sarnath, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh was erected by Mauryan king Ashoka, during 3 Century BC, to mark the spot where Buddha first proclaimed his gospel of peace and emanicipation to the four quarters of the universe. After independence, on 26 Jan 1950, the Ashoka lion symbol or the Lion Capital seal was adopted as the State Emblem of India and his wheel of life appears on the Indian National Flag. A Government of India publication described the significance of these symbols in the following words: The National Emblem is symbolic of contemporary India’s affirmation of its commitment to world peace and goodwill. The 4 lions - symbolizing power, courage and confidence - rest on a circular abacus. The abacus is girded by 4 smaller animals - guardians of 4 directions: the lion of the north, the elephant of the east, the horse of the south and the bull of the west. The abacus rests on a lotus in full bloom exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration. The motto ‘Satyameva Jayate’ from Mundaka Upanishid inscribed below the emblem in the Devanagari script, means ‘Truth Alone Triumphs’.

Joyanokane @ Omisoka
Well this is not all, I researched for more and the net came up with some answers. At Omisoka, the Japanese New Year Eve, one can hear the joyanokane, the ringing of a temple bell 108 times as the new year is born. Why 108 times? For an answer to that we have to trace the origins of Japanese Buddhism, far into the past. Buddhism, various Pagan gods, mathematics and a number of other things originally came through China from India. The Goddess Benten-sama, worshipped all over Japan is actually the Indian Goddess Sarasvati; Buddhist sutras and “magical language” used on sacred memorials is actually an altered form of Indian Sanskrit.

108 ?? juzu & mala
The prayer beads that most Japanese Buddhists use, called juzu, came from India where they are called mala, they always have 108 beads. Why so? The mala, analagous to the rosary, symbolizes the totality of the world and the circle of the heavens. In Indian astrology and religion, the circle of the visible universe was extremely important and clearly divided into 12 with each zone ruled by a constellation of the Zodiac, each represented by an animal. This system was used to understand and mark the exact moments when such things as the new year would occur. Now, each zodiac sign “zone” was further divided into 9 “digits,” much as a circle is divided into 360 degrees. Thus the totality of the heavenly round was 108 digits (9 x 12 = 108) and this number became sacred and a symbol of the cycles of life and time in India, China and, finally, Japan.
Thanks to Jayarava (see comments), there seems to be better explanation. Some facts from which the 108 sacredness would’ve derived: 

1. Distance between earth and sun = 108 x sun’s diameter
2. Distance between earth and moon = 108 x moon’s diameter (These 2 are referred in ancient Indian astronomy manuals as well)
3. Therez also a 3rd one which may not have been discovered in ancient India.. that the diameter of the sun = 108 x earth’s diameter.

(after reading through all these.. I find itz difficult to get on to a final conclusion. yet letz conclude on the most plausible above)

Buddhism adopted these ideas from Hinduism, but added a new concept; “sins” or negative actions. Some Chinese Buddhist saint came up with the tradition of there being 108 sins and 108 beneficial acts to match the 108-digit circle of the universe. Since New Years Eve was the moment when all the past sins should be done away with, with the grace of Buddha, it became common to ring the temple bell 108 times. This would broadcast the power of the temple’s prayers and chants and anyone who heard this joyanokane would be washed clean of all last years sins, ready to begin a new year. It is for this reason that it is considered very unlucky in Japan to die near the end of the year!

Ref:
1. Wikipedia & Internet
2. Subhash Kak’s blog

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Tags: ashoka, buddhist temple, hinduism, india, japan, japanese buddhism, joyanokane, new year, omisoka

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In Japan you can celebrate new year eve either by jumping into some party or in the much more intricate manner tradition has tagged it. New Year brought a free pair of new underwears for me and that was only cuz I opted for the latter.

Well this is what happened.. I was sitting at my lab as ever, and never dreamt on celebrating it in any ways. and Then my cellphone chimed enchantingly with Tomo’s invitation to celebrate new year eve with them. Tomomitsu Minato (Tomo) & family have been home away from home for me ever since my arrival @ Sapporo. Japanese cellphones are intelligent; instantly it mailed him back that I’ll be arriving there before midnite!

NewYear rituals @ Buddhist temple
A few hours later I found myself sitting inside their car, on the way to the Buddhist temple at Gakuen Mae. Most japanese accept aspects of both Shintoism and Buddhism and they tend to adhere to the rituals. On the way I could see most of them paying visit to the shrines. Many may have their favorite shrines and the one that I went happens to be frequented by the Minato family.

Omisoka, the time leading up to the new year, is one of the most important times in Japan and also means a new start in one’s personal life. It was almost NewYear by the time we arrived at the Buddhist temple. "Akemashite Omedeto!" ¹(Happy NewYear), we greeted each other with smiles. Then we moved on to where the soba (kind of buckwheat noodles) was served. In Japan, a new year is welcomed by eating toshi-koshi soba. Toshi-koshi means across the year (toshi=year, koshi=cross). The thin long strands of soba reflects the wish for a long healthy life (gee, am not gonna end this horrible saga, it means!). The soba was served free for everyone, hot n yummy. With soba we had ama-sake. ama-sake is sweet hot drink prepared from the remains of sake (liqor made from rice). I didn’t like it though  (usually get along with all kind of japanese food )

The time we spend outside left us freezing but we braved on to stand in the long queque to the Big Bell. It is one of the most interesting part of the ritual. Ringing of the bell wipes out all the evil spirits and sins from the past year and announces the new life. Waiting in the queue for over 15 minutes, we reached the summit at last; I rang the bell with all might that, no evil spirits even dream of coming close to me in the past or future..  (i know u guys won’t be fended off by any of those, but still..)

Then we moved on to the main temple, knelt and bowed..

NewYear rituals @ Shinto shrine

Tomo then took us to the Shinto shrine, 5 minutes drive from there. The facade was pretty with a traditional layout and a small track leading to the shrine. After our prayers, went forward to take the omikushi, the paper slips which tell your fortune. Took one in random and here it is  It says my lot is dai-kichi, meaning am very lucky. "Everything you ought to do you should do as this year is pretty good for you. Be like a sunshine and don’t be selfish while everything works for you! Do for others too! And for work, don’t worry even if you need to put some money, you’ll be benefited.." What else I needed! Well at first I thought everyone got good luck scribbled in their fortune slips.. I was totally wrong. Don’t you see a lot of paper slips tied in rows..?? All of them are bad luck cards someone got, nobody wants to take bad luck home! And poor meu-chan, she  is also tying her slip, she didn’t get a good one. Seems am the only lucky person out here. Oops I forgot, I should radiate my luck to others. Thatz how it works, right?

shower and new Wear @ Japanese home

That was enough for the day and we returned to Tomo’s home. Everything was ready with a stove warming up the room and a warm cozy bed and the night was calling me inside.. but things weren’t supposed to end there! A set of new clothes, tshirt, set of socks n underwear were waiting for me. I was supposed to take a hot shower, cleanse myself of the remaining evil spirits and adorn a new attire so that I have a realistic feeling of the fresh new soul inside me. So off I went to bang off the rest of the demons!

..Thou shalt sleep. I faintly remember a voice from heaven saying that. When I regained consiousness the new rays of the sun was gushing through the trees - through the window - through the curtains, still strong and warming my soul n body altogether. I remember what the fortune slip had told.. I wish the sunshine flows to you, through me, forever.. an everlasting river of love and happiness.

That morning I watched one of the most emotional parts of the tradition, a grand father (Tomo’s father; we call him Otosan, meaning father) and grand daughter (Tomo’s daughter Mignon, shez 3 years old and naughty) kneeling and bowing to each other and Otosan carrying on the tradition and asking her to repeat "akemashite omedeto gosaymasu. kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegayi-shimasu" happy new year. let us be good to each other this year too.

あけまして おめでとう

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Tags: akemashite omedeto, ama-sake, buddhism, buddhist temple, japan, new year eve, omisoka, sapporo, shinto shrine, shintoism, toshi-koshi soba

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