Japanese People -.-

The world Are compose for many differents tribes of people. Which tribe have their own languange, their own aspect, their own culture, their own belives, their own laws and rules, their own life style. To diferenciete them from which other we nominated them in many diffrents ways, for example, by their looking, by their realigion or their continenties...

We can find every kind of people, from everywhere in the world, all the relligion, all nations and all these in a small group of islands called Japan. But the natives from these island are called japanese, but Japanese people have their own characters, their own languange, their own relligion, their own life style, their own culture, that many other nations copied from Japan. Life in Japan can be really easy if you follow all the rules. People here will be always helping you, always being really respectfull and polite, and really kind if you are mutual, otherwise it would be a really hard time, everyone here think highly for the well being of their population and envioriment, the preserve for their future, what in many others countries these facts do not happen.

Western model vs Old fashion lifestyle
Traditions trying to fit the western lifestyle
Non equal roles
Although the japanese people try hard to hold onto their culture, the young generation are beginning to deviate to a more western culture. You can see this with the popularity of McDonalds, and Japanese versions of western music. Clothing is also another good example, and this extends to all generations not just young. Japanese people have been wearing the western style of clothing for centuries, but you can still see Japanese people dressed in traditional kimono.
The family structure in Japan is also changing. Traditionally the Mother was very dominated, and did what the Father wanted. And there were no job opportunities for females. It is starting to change now so that females are becoming more equal to men. Though they have a long way to go.

The Shibuya Neighborhood - Tokyo

Neighborhood is the continuetion of every home. Which neighborhood has its own life, own style, own people. Neighborhood is a kind of a small city, that just goes fews streets around your home.

In many contries people lifes are just inside their neighborhoods, they do the grocery there, they work around there, their friends live all in the same area, their kids study in the school in the neighborhood. This often happens in metropolitan cities, because of the dificulty of transportation or because of the huge car traffic or also because of safety reasons, but almost always because it is much more convinient have your whole life set in just one place.

This week, I had the great opportunity to experience the real japanese neighborhood life style inside Tokyo city. The Shibuya area is one of the most alive and exciting areas of Tokyo and also the most famous one. But inside this "crazy" neighborhood are many japanese family lifes. As what can be noted,　the people there are weath family, almost all of those family lives in "big" houses, what is rare in tokyo area because is really expensive, and have importated cars in their garages. Another thing that we can noted is that many members of the same family live around each others, same neighbors other in the street above, and their childrens always go to the same schools, they are friends of their next door neighbor and they also know the post office man, thats is always the same guy that does the deliveries, people who live in that area, lived in the same area since their childhood.

Living in Shibuya residencial area, doesnt seens like you are living in Tokyo and neitheir that your are living in the known Shibuya crazy center. Life there is really quiet, peacefull, easy, because you have everything around there, and you can have a really heath life there.

- First Impression of Japan -

The first impression from a foreign place is never the real one. We always arrive somewhere with some expectations, sometimes better than it is sometimes worse, but we just know after experiencing that.

For instance a foreigner who just moved to an oriental place, the culture shock, probably will be bigger than if he had just moved from some place which the culture is more similar as his culture, but at the same time he already knows that would be bigger shock, and so he would be expecting more differences from his country, but anyway he is not free from, maybe, get the first impressions wrong. Japan is for sure, one of the most interesting countries in the whole planet. The most fascinating culture, with the uncomprehended language and with the most traditional costoms, with the highest technology, and has made the adaptation here be really amusing and at the same time really hard.

The japanese people are really contradictory. They are always thinking highly of their “body” health and their preservation, like the way they use face mask to protect them from the pollution or against other sickness. They never think about their mental health. Wherever you go, you can see all the Japanese connected and obsessed about their electronic machines, for example their cellphones. They are always so connected with the unreal world, the visual pollution twenty four hours per day; in the subways, in the waiting lines, in the restaurants, in the amusement parks, in their ceremonies and in their schools. How healthy can they be, being like that?

They are also really contradictory because when you see a really advanced place, with the highest technology in the world, and people still live in so many traditional, rigid and old fashioned customs it is a huge shock. When you catch in the streets geishas with their traditional clothes with their high technology cellphones or you find a typical shop of traditional Japanese products handmade, with the owner on the cashier in the middle of a big commercial center with lots of eletronics billabongs and visual advertisements.

When we have chosen to live in a country like Japan, with such different customs , there are no doubts that we are going to gain so much life expirience and apprenticeship that we are going to take for the rest of our lives but we also need to be open minded since the real beginning, we need to be brave and we need to be bold.