From staying in modern, built up Tokyo, then traveling on to Kyoto, which was the capitol of Japan for 1000 years and is rich with history and tradition, I reflect on narratives of tradition and national identity.
In regards to traditions being an essential component of being truly Japanese, or truly a member of any nation, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey analyzing the importance of tradition across different countries. The question that citizens responded to was a yes or no response: “Sharing our national customs and traditions is very important for being truly (survey country nationality).” Interestingly, Japan and the United States responded similarly, with 43 and 45 percent respectively responding yes. From this survey, we can see that tradition is very closely linked to perceptions of national identity, mainly how pure someone’s identity is, or more specifically, how pure their identity is in the eyes of others. “Meaning of Tradition in contemporary Japanese Domestic Tourism” by Markus Oedewald analyzes different scholars’ definitions of tradition, and how the entity of the tradition exists in Japan. Upon reading different interpretations of the word tradition, I have established my own, loose definition, that I will be referring to for this reflection. To me, a tradition is simply a behavior or belief that is passed down from generation to generation. I don’t think that traditionalism is the antithesis of modernity, or that it should be. Also, a tradition of one country can be practiced / believed in other places of the world, and that does not make it any less of a tradition of that country. To exemplify this, baseball is played in many parts of the world, but under my simple definition I would consider it traditionally American.
I was surprised by the results of the survey, indicating similar perceptions of traditionalism in Japan and the US, because I certainly perceive Japan as more traditional than the United States. Upon breaking down that belief, I think I hold this notion simply because Japan is much older than the United States. The US is infantile compared to Japan. Legally, the US is only 243 years old, and North America was “discovered” just 300 years before that. However, in Japan, the current imperial family has been around since 500 AD. In the sense of age, Japan is much more traditional than the US. However, I previously stated that I don’t think “tradition” is the opposite of modernity. I also believe that I perceive Japan as more traditional because its traditions are so foreign to me, so I notice them more. The United States has many traditions that I take for granted, and assume are universal when in fact, they are not. We have a number of national holidays, sports, and cuisine that are uniquely American. The phrase “as American as apple pie” emphasizes this. So upon reevaluating what I believe a tradition is, I sense a certain similarity in Japan and the United States.
In regards to urban planning, and integrating modernity with tradition, I think a well regulated balance is necessary. Tokyo is so large and there are so many different communities overlapping that its gives off a sense of confusion, and doesn’t quite have the overall concise personality that some other cities do. For this reason, I am excited to see Kyoto, because I think it will help me better understand historical Japan. Saeidreza Ameli writes that “one of the reasons that Japan’s traditional culture is still alive is the ability of its people to blend the new and the old and the internal and imported elements,” and praises Kyoto for just that, by pointing to its consistency in architecture, spiritualism, historicism, as well as being a hub for technological headquarters. One qualm I had with this reading was American sociologist Richard Florida’s three ts: technology, tolerance, and talent. His argument for tolerance in Kyoto seemed to fall very flat: they accept many foreign university students, but are they sympathetic towards mixed race Japanese and immigrants? As we have discussed in class, Japan is historically very closed off to foreigners, so I would like to see this point better explained.
The Tierney reading “Foreigners and a Rethinking of the National Sport” discusses Sumo wrestling and its use as a symbol of pure Japanese identity and tradition. He analyzes Sumo’s increasing multiculturalism and the implications this has on Japanese identity. Famously, in 1972, American Takamiyama won the Emperor’s Cup, sparking American celebration and Japanese disapproval. He was nicknamed “Black Ships” by the press, in a nod to Commodore Perry’s trip, which is often depicted in Japanese art as a ruthless invasion by an evil barbarian. To many Japanese, sumo wrestling is seen as a symbol of nationalism that sets Japan apart from the Western world. Sumo wrestlers can represent modern day Samurai. The author points out that at first glance the sport appears exclusively Japanese, but after some analysis this is clearly not the case. Much like the Japanese population itself, it has never been completely mono ethnic, as Japanese Americans have been participating for decades. Some, like Rikidozan, are actually more popular for their western style wrestling achievements.
A sport unique to the boundaries of a country, representing nationalism, is not a new phenomenon. While the NFL is not exclusively American citizens, there are many de facto barriers in place that prevent foreigners from joining, similar to the unspoken bans that occurred in Sumo. Because it is a uniquely American sport, there are very few foreigners who begin playing at an age young enough to give them enough experience to play at the level of the NFL. Also, nearly every player must have participated in NCAA college football to be considered for the draft in the first place. Due to measures like this, American football is similarly closed off to foreigners. I think this is one of the reasons it is so popular in the USA. If we are the only country that plays it, then we will be the best at it. I also feel that this is one of the reasons that Sumo is so closed off to foreigners, because the Japanese don’t want to be beaten at their own game. The television was invented in San Francisco, and Japanese companies followed suit and built products that were better and more efficient, and now almost every TV in the US is from Japan. There are very few things in the 21st century that are absolutely exclusively American or exclusively Japanese, and the notion that Sumo is purely Japanese is now false.
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