"Group Culture"
The one problem I had when coming to Japan and during the time I was preparing to come to Japan, one problem I had was generalizing the Japanese culture. To begin with I didn’t know very much about Japan before I came. However, the main idea I held when coming to Japan was the theory that Japan had a group culture and ones identity was based on how they belonged to this group and which groups they belong to. However, I’ve found that to understand Japanese culture, you can’t think in this way. Also, if one were to think in this way they would not understand the entrance exam culture. At first I attributed the “group culture” to just social interactions, but then I realized that it was more about organization. For example senpai and kohai are very important for organizing expectations of people in a group. Also the groups are heavily used for support for the individual. For example, in classes in our middle school groups are heavily used. When students stand up to answer a question to which they don’t have the answer, their surrounding friends quickly supply the forgotten information. This isn’t thought of as cheating, but as supporting a classmate. But at the same time the student is the only one standing, and they will have to still be able to form the correct answer. The students must act and perform as an individual, however they will have support in their group to hold them up. The picture above is a picture of one of my students performing in an English speech competition. While she is competing by herself and depends on her own performance, she is representing her school and her awards will be shared by the school.
"Drinking Culture"
Drinking culture is very different from what I expected when coming to Japan. My only image of drinking in Japan before I came was of the stereotypical businessman drinking after work with his coworkers. This was a generally negative image with a feeling leading toward alcoholism. I saw it this way because I was viewing the surface, a man going drinking with coworkers after work, and filled in the rest with an American point of view, drinking with no agenda. The reasons for drinking were simply because the man and his coworkers wanted to drink. However, there is much more that goes into this. There is unseen procedure and method when viewed from a foreign point of view. Usually these drinking parties seem to be in a style where a party will rent a table and have unlimited drink and possibly food for a few hours. These drinking parties are usually in celebration or recognition for large events. Some examples would be when entering a business/work place, goodbye parties, and after large events and projects. This isn’t limited to businesses and workplaces; the people can be members in clubs or one-time groups working on a project. These after-parties seem normal and (to an extent) expected in many different areas and ages (with age appropriate drinks). In the states, when you leave work, you leave work. In Japan, your position with your colleges is stronger than in the states. It seems as if the solidity of the group is taking into great consideration. I have seen a difference in the way alcohol is presented in media, which I believe is a result of this type of after-party culture. In the US, 0% alcohol drinks are rarely seen on television commercials if at all, and the idea is laughed at. However, in Japan is it common to see appealing ads and commercials for 0% alcohol beer and other drinks. The picture above is of some of the SICE students as we all participated in a cultural event. We were pulling the float that you can see behind us with a group of people. An event like this, where hard group work is done, can be expected to have an after party following it. The after parties are used to reflect on the group's performance and their hard work.
