建前と本音

今日家に帰る途中のバス停でベンチに座って待っていると一人のおじさんと目がちらっと合った。そんなことはしょっちゅうあることなので何事もなくまたバスを待とうとしたらそのおじさんが話しかけてきた。
「日本人はのぞくのがうまい」って言った。いや、まずお前の日本語がうまいから。そっからバスを待ってる間と俺が降りるまで会話はずっと日本人について。なんせ彼は２３年も日本で働いていたらしい。その２３年間はほんと辛かったって。日本人がちらちら外人を見るのがすごい嫌って言ってた。日本人は外人を嫌いとも言ってた。でもそんなことは絶対にないと思い、必死に反抗したが彼も必死に反抗してきた。そこから日本人は二つの心を持ってるって話しになった。建て前と本音。その二つの心は対立しお互いぶつかりあって自分を見失う。彼はそれを精神病だと言っていた。だから日本は自殺が多いって。それが理由で自殺が多いかは分からないけど、建て前と本音の部分はほんとにそうだと思った。
ちょっと言いたいことまとまってないけど、外国の人が日本人をどう見るのか、どう表現するのかが知れて新鮮だった。特に彼は２３年も日本にいて俺より日本にいる時間は長いわけだし。そうゆう人から話しが聞けてよかった。一期一会。すばらしい。もっとおもしろい話持ってる人なんて世界中にいっぱいいるはず。もっとそうゆう人の話が聞きたい。

Indigenous people

多くの人がオーストラリアの原住民を呼ぶ時何気なく使っている”アボリジニ”という単語は白人
によってつけられた言葉。

オーストラリアの広大な敷地にもともとは数多く存在した彼らの中の異なる文化や方言はこの言葉の
普及によりどんどん途絶えていった。

日本にも地方によって方言やその地特有の伝統工芸品があるようにもともとは原住民の間でも違う言葉や文化があった。

今から自分一人が”アボリジニ”という単語を使わないようにしてもきっと何が変わるわけでもないかもしれない。失われた文化が戻ってくるはずもない。

でも大切な文化を絶やしてしまう言葉と知って、使うことに抵抗があるのはあたりまえだと思う。

だからＩｎｄｉｇｅｎｏｕｓ　Ｐｅｏｐｌｅって呼んでよしいっす！

Drunk Driving

I often see the news about drunk driving on Japanese yahoo news these days.

Many people are killed in this car accident. In the case I saw on 6nd of Sep three young children were killed by a man driving with drunk. "I had only one cup of Sake, and I thought I could have driven" he said.

I dont see this accident as just an accident but as a case of murder. People who drink and drive of course know that is a wrong thing to do. But they still do and even kill people who probably have many hopes and furtures. These people's life shouldnt be lost.

And I also want to complain to Japanese police and pubs. Police officers somtimes hide at the corner of the road and stop cars for an inspection. And they get fine from those people who are drunk. But I dont really know what this inspection for. Many pubs have car park in Japan which I think stupid idea. Japan does not have pub like the one in Australia where people come to only drink. Japanese pub is like mixed with a restrant so they have many foods. May be this is the reason why they can have car parks. But they still sell alcohol. And people mainly come for drinking alcohol not eating. So if police really want to stop the accident of drunk driving, they should go and stay in the car park of pubs.

COMM 317

I was reading a text book for the exam for society and culture class last night. It was about racism, colonisation, and things like that. One of the reading taliking about racism says "some people believe taht some races are naturally and permanently inferior to others". How ridiculous is that? Who can decide whether one is superior than others? Is that a matter of how intelligent you are? Or is someone having civilised behavior superior? The answer, of course, is "no" and it should be "no".

I had to study for the exam last night, but I just couldnt help writing this feeling when I read the readings. That text really made me think. And the idea of racism really made me hate who are racism. Those who are racism just do not know what is really important.

Several people, several minds

I found it interesting that everyone feels defferently about the sound even if it is the same sound.

For example, I do not mind if music is going or television is on and I can hear the sound while I am studying. I can still concentrate studying most of the time. I do not mind if someone takes shower and I can hear the sound of water running while I am sleeping in the middle of the night or early in the morning. I can still sleep confortably. I do not care at all. I dont consider those sounds as noise. But some people do hate hearing those sounds while they are studying or sleeping. Although I dont care about those sounds, I do care sound of people chatting alot and traffic noise.

I started recognising these thing, how people feel about the same sound, since i came here living with many people coming from different countries and culture background. And now i think there is tendency that people consider as noise depends on the culture and where you are form. What i found is, no evidence though, that Western people more likely to hate the sound of the water in the night time or early morning but Asian are not likely to. I will keep on researching on this topic and tell you the findings.

shoooooooting star

On my way to go home on the other night, I saw really long shooting star. It was shooting for like 2 or 3 seconds. At the first sight, I couldnt tell what it was because it was too notaml for UFO but too fast for a palin. When it dissapeared, i recognised that it was a shooting star. It was that long.

I used to like looking up the sky and looking for shooting stars. But I ve never seen that long shooting star. In Japan, we believe that if you can wish your dream three times in your mind before a shooting star dissapears, your dream will come true. It's kind of impossible because it is hard to just find shooting star, how can i wish my dream three times. And even though i had a chance on the other night that i could wish my dream three times, I missed wishing my dreams, thinking about what it was.

Homesick or what

I called my grandmother & father yesterday. After I left from my family, I recognized how important they are to me.

But my family is quite strange I think.

I have older sister. She is married and has one son. She got married and gave him birth last year. And guess what? I knew that the fact she got married after she had got married. And I knew that the fact I became uncle after my nephew had been born.

NONE of my family member told me ANYTHING about her marriage and baby boy. I remember I couldnt even got suprised because I was just struck dumb with astonishment.

I havent ever called my father, sister, younger brother even once. They never called me either. So I only talk to them when I go back to Japan, which is once a year.

I dont know what to talk on the phone. And they dont know either. I can tell cuz they are my family. Since I reached puberty, I fogot how to talk to them eventually.

But now, after I left them for two years, I want to talk to them. I'm interested in them cuz I dont know much about them. What they think, their personality and all sorts of things are very new and fresh to me!!