past and present...

I’ve just some interesting, if not a bit dated, material written by Donald Richie (foremost expert on Japanese Film). The book entitled, “A Lateral View” is not about film but rather an expose on attempting to understand Japanese Culture.

As I read the about Japanese Society, I couldn’t help but wonder how these articles would hold up today. Let me explain:

The modern world is Globalizing at a staggering rate. Economies are shifting and markets are becoming global markets as compared to Local or National markets. What happens in Beijing is bound to effect the world economy. What happens in Tokyo is bound to effect the world economy and what happens in New York and other cities will also effect the world.

Communication grows not by the year anymore but by months and weeks. Everyday, Cultures that were gapped by language, oceans, mountains and culture are just a stones throw away. Japanese in Tokyo can (albeit illegally) watch the newest episode of 24 or the OC just days after it’s premiered in the US. What once was a fashion curve of months or years now takes weeks. Ideas, Images and Communication can be spread through the Internet and email. Instantaneous, although not always accurate, information about any person, place or thing can be found in a matter of seconds.

With all of these changes going on at a dizzying pace, I wonder how accurate some observations can be in regards to modern Japan. Like Richie stated, the outside is perfectly structured and apparent. Indeed, the structure is plain to the outside observer. But the structure is becoming seemingly more and more archaic and symbolic these days than in the time that Richie wrote.

There are cracks. These cracks seem to arise from the fabric of the Japanese Culture. I would caution anyone to say that there is a crisis at hand but the growing societal problems and changes do offer a nice foreshadowing of what may lay ahead.

The biggest changes can be observed in children. In no other generation has media and material from abroad been so abundant and easily obtainable. There’s no secret that foreign, in particular American things have been in vogue here, but it seems to grow more and more by the day. The fashion and the clothing are not much to be concerned about as much as the movies, TV shows and growing presence of foreigners are.

For the adult it’s easy to distinguish. These are entertainment. The old ways continue to be preserved and life continues. But how do the children process the messages? Why is the rate of suicide in children increasing? Why is now the time that girls will sell there time, among other things, for a few extra dollars to get a pair of diesel, Abercrombie and Fitch, Dolce and Gabana … Why are children locking themselves in their rooms for years on end? Why is the crime rate increasing?

I’m not here to give a sociological breakdown and analysis of Japan’s societal problems. But I feel that as the world globalizes, it’s the children that are impacted the most. As friends and social circles try to emulate what they think is cool (as children everywhere do) it becomes apparent that there are a growing number of people that are negatively effected by the growing changes. It might even be an increasing westernization of Japanese Society starting form the young and moving upward.

In the Meiji period, change was forced and advocated by the government. The society had “officially” given way to change. The rebuilding of Japan after WWII (although being run by Americans) was “officially” supported by the Emperor and the majority parties in congress. Now, there is no official voice. In fact, most official voices are geared to repelling the western social changes that have been coming from abroad. The mayor of Tokyo has labeled the biggest dangers to come from an earthquake as being foreigners living in the city. Crime statistics have been rearranged to blame the rising crime rate on foreigners in the official reports in Japanese government despite evidence to the contrary.

The culture clashes are becoming more and more apparent in a society that prizes repetition, pattern and the concept of the whole. This time, there will be no official change in the government. This time, the change will start wholly in the young. Children and youth will change and adapt to whatever they perceive as reality. Where once holding hands in public was deemed inappropriate behavior, it is now growing more common to observe a young couple exchanging a kiss. And why shouldn’t they? They do it on TV and in the movies, right?

The strains this places upon a structured and unbending society like Japan has yet to be seen. But I can surmise that the suicides, enjo kosai, murders and shut-ins may be just the tip of the iceberg. Or possibly it could be just another ebb and flow….

But one thing is apparent; Globalization will not wait or bend for anyone. It’s a bit like a silent revolution. It will claim its victims willingly or by force. I think these same patterns can be seen in every other country around the world as it tries to come to grips with a shrinking earth and how define it’s role in it.

These were all the things that passed through my head when reading about the old Japan. In a matter of maybe 10 years or so, the articles Richie wrote in 1984 and 1962, may still have relevance. But will they be relevant like reading an a piece on pre-war japan and determining cause and effect factors on post-war Japanese society or will they still be relevant as a modern, current piece of material? Only time will tell.