Interview Preparation
My interviewee name is Azusa Nishimura. Azusa is the friend
of my best friend, Tung. She is Japanese and she is now a senior at St. Cloud
State University. Few days ago, I asked Tung if he has any Japanese friends
because I have to do an interview about Japan for my English class. After that,
Tung introduced Azusa to me. Tung and Azasa met each other in an international
organization. I got Azusa’s number from Tung. I asked Azusa if I can interview
her and she said “Of course.” We decided to meet each other in Caribou, Atwood
Memorial Center at 4:00 pm on Friday, November 9th. The interview
lasted for 50 minutes. I asked Azusa questions about herself and about her home
country, Japan. The interview went well. I recorded the interview by my cell
phone.
Interview Report
The interview between Azusa and I lasted for 50 minutes,
started at 4:00 pm and ended at 4:50 pm. I started the interview with the
greeting; followed by the questions about her daily life, her decision to study
abroad, and so on. I asked Azusa all the eleven questions required questions
about Japanese traditions, Japanese music, Japanese foods, Japanese education
and other questions that I wanted to asked her. Azusa answered all the
questions in details. During the interview, few friends of Azusa came over and
talked to her. There was also a guy who asked us some questions for his Public
Relation class. I was surprised that Azusa was a senior in high school as an
exchange student in Oregon before she came to St. Cloud State University. She
has been to the United States for 5 years. After this year, Azusa will graduate
and then she will come back to Japan and work. I also surprised that Azusa is
from a small city, which is 7 hours from the capital of Japan, Tokyo and 2
hours from the second biggest city, Osaka. In addition, I surprised that Japan
does not use Lunar Calendar like other Asian countries. Japan uses the same
calendar with the United States of America. Japanese Culture and Vietnamese
Culture (my home country) are very similar. Japanese and Vietnamese have very
alike traditional and educational system.
Country Report
My third country report is about Japan. Japan is an island
nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean,
it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan,
China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the
north to the East China Sea
and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean
"sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the
"Land of the Rising
Sun".
Japan is an archipelago
of 6,852 islands.
The four largest islands are Honshu,
Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, together
comprising about ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area. Japan has the
world's tenth-largest
population, with over 127 million people. Honshu’s Greater Tokyo Area, which
includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo
and several surrounding prefectures,
is the largest
metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
A major economic
power, Japan has the world's third-largest
economy by nominal GDP and by purchasing power
parity. It is also the world's fourth-largest
exporter and fourth-largest
importer. Although Japan has officially renounced its
right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the sixth largest
military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. After
Singapore, Japan has the
lowest homicide rate
(including attempted homicide) in the world. According to Japan's health
ministry, Japanese women
have the second highest life expectancy
of any country in the world. According to the United Nations, Japan also
has the third lowest infant mortality
rate.
More than 99 percent of the population speaks Japanese as their
first language. Japanese is an agglutinative
language distinguished by a system of honorifics
reflecting the hierarchical nature of Japanese society, with verb forms and
particular vocabulary indicating the relative status of speaker and listener. Japanese writing
uses kanji (Chinese characters) and
two sets of kana (syllabifies based on simplified Chinese
characters), as well as the Latin alphabet and Arabic numerals.
Primary schools, secondary schools and universities were introduced
in 1872 as a result of the Meiji Restoration. Since 1947, compulsory education
in Japan comprises elementary
and middle school,
which together last for nine years (from age 6 to age 15). Almost all children
continue their education at a three-year senior high school,
and, according to the MEXT,
as of 2005 about 75.9 percent of high school graduates attend a university,
junior college, trade school, or other higher education
institution.
The two top-ranking universities in Japan are the University of Tokyo
and Kyoto University. The Programme for
International Student Assessment coordinated by the OECD currently
ranks the overall knowledge and skills of Japanese 15-year-olds as sixth best
in the world.
About music, Japanese music is eclectic and diverse. Many instruments,
such as the koto,
were introduced in the 9th and 10th centuries. The accompanied recitative of the Noh drama dates from the 14th century and
the popular folk music,
with the guitar-like shamisen,
from the sixteenth. Western classical music, introduced in the late 19th century, now
forms an integral part of Japanese culture. The imperial court ensemble Gagaku has influenced the work of some modern
Western composers.
Notable classical composers from Japan include Toru Takemitsu and RentarÅ Taki. Popular
music in post-war Japan has been heavily influenced by American and European
trends, which has led to the evolution of J-pop, or Japanese popular music.
Japan enjoys full religious freedom based on Article 20 of its Constitution.
Upper estimates suggest that 84–96 percent of the Japanese population subscribe
to Buddhism
or Shinto, including a large
number of followers of a syncretism
of both religions.
However, these estimates are based on people affiliated with a temple,
rather than the number of true believers. Other studies have suggested that
only 30 percent of the population identify themselves as belonging to a
religion. According to Edwin Reischauer and
Marius Jansen, some 70–80%
of the Japanese regularly tell pollsters they do not consider themselves
believers in any religion.
Nevertheless, the level of participation remains high, especially
during festivals
and occasions such as the first shrine visit
of the New Year.
Taoism and Confucianism from China
have also influenced Japanese beliefs and customs. Japanese streets are
decorated on Tanabata,
Obon and Christmas. Less than one
percent of Japanese are Christian.
Other minority religions include Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Judaism, and since the
mid-19th century numerous new religious
movements have emerged in Japan.
Sources:
Image Source:
Transcription
Me: My name is Trang and I am from Vietnam.
Azusa:
Okay. My name is Azusa. I am from Japan.
Me: Can you write down your name?
Azusa:
Yes, sure. Ha-ha. This is my first name, Azusa. Do you need my last name? No?
Me: Yes, I do.
Azusa:
Okay. (Writing down her last name, Nishimura)
Me: Okay, thank you. So how long
have you been to the United States?
Azusa:
United States? Totally, it is 5 years. First year, I was a high school student
in Oregon and I went back to Japan. I came to Seattle for 2 years and I
transfer to here for 2 years.
Me: So the first year in Oregon,
were you an exchange student?
Azusa:
Right. Right.
Me: And then you went to community
college in Seattle?
Azusa:
Right.
Me: Which one did you go to?
Azusa:
I went to Green River Community College. I know one of my friends from Vietnam.
There are so many people from Vietnam too.
Me: I have some friends from North
Seattle Community College, South Seattle Community College, and Seattle Central
Community College.
Azusa:
Oh really? They are famous Community College. One student here that I met, I
think she is from Vietnam.
Me: Is her name Duyen? D-U-Y-E-N?
Azusa:
I am not sure about her name, but she has short hair and she has a brother as
well, I think.
Me: Yes, I just took a test with
her because we have the same class.
Azusa:
Okay, that is cool.
Me: Okay. So I will start with the
first question. What city are you from in Japan?
Azusa:
I am from Mie, which is near from Osaka. Osaka is in the South and it is not
Tokyo. Tokyo, it takes me 7 hours to get there by bus. If you fly, it just takes
one hour. I am from the South.
Me: Okay. What is the value of
family in Japan?
Azusa:
Oh, that is really important. I think family is really important for me.
Friends are also important. The value? Can you give me an example?
Me: In your tradition, are your
parents…
Azusa:
My parents’ pay for my education. Here in US, they pay for their education
themselves. I think they have so many responsibilities. My parents will raise
me until I graduate from the university. I don’t know. What else?
Me: So your parents will pay for
you until you get a job?
Azusa:
Oh not until I get a job, just until my graduation. People stay with their
parents. If they want to go to Tokyo, then they go to Tokyo, or Osaka, or
something like that. If they can afford their living fees and everything, they
won’t send you money. Usually, they will stay together until they graduate.
Me: Are you going back to Japan or
are you going to stay in the United States after graduation?
Azusa:
Okay this is my last year, so I really have to think about it. The thing is, I
am trying to apply for the internship. After that, I am thinking that I will go
back to Japan.
Me: So are you going to do a Master
Degree after that?
Azusa:
No, I am not. Right now, I don’t think about it. I am going to work right now,
so… Ha-ha.
Me: What is your major now?
Azusa:
International Business.
Me: Okay. So the second question,
what is your family structure like?
Azusa:
Oh okay, like my mom, my dad, my younger brother, and me. And I have two pets.
I have two dogs at home.
Me: So who is the head of the
house?
Azusa:
My father. It is kind of culture I think. Father is really important because he
is making money for us, he is supporting for living. We tried to eat together
all the time, in the morning, especially for the dinner. For lunch, he works.
If he is late, we will wait until he comes home.
Me: Your father goes to work, does
he give the money to your mother to buy stuffs?
Azusa:
Yes, that is right. My mom also works for him, in the same business. But she is
usually at home. I think my mom has the power for the financial thing. You
know… when dad does not know how much money do we have. My dad is making money
and my mom is trying to keep track of the money.
Me: Yeah. So the third question,
does gender matter in a family?
Azusa:
I think the women do the housework. My dad sometimes has the relaxing time
because he is tired at work. He wants to take a rest. My mom usually does the
clean up, does the laundry, makes the food for us. I don’t really see my dad
clean up my room. Oh not my room, but the house. My room is my responsibility;
I just do it by myself. My mom is kind of try to clean up kitchen, living room.
Me: Yeah. Some questions about the
culture, how does your home country culture different from the US culture?
Azusa:
I think it is totally different. I think it is totally opposite. I don’t know,
there are so many things. For example, people in Japan do not talk to each
other randomly. When you take a bus, you don’t take to a random guy or random
girls like “Oh, you look nice” or something like that. We are not going to
talk. What else? I think customer service over there (Japan) is so much better.
When I came here, wow, it is so bad for the customer services. They are just,
of my god, just throw things. They don’t really give it to you. They just throw
it to you. Wow, customer services over here suck. What else? For example, here,
classroom setting is different. In Japan, if I meet a friend in class, we will
stay together. Outside class, we want to hang out more. But here, I made a
friend in class. I know she is busy, but we don’t really hang out outside.
Inside the class, we are friends, but outside, we are nothing. When I said “Hi”
to her, she didn’t really know or she didn’t even notice. For me, in Japanese
culture, family and friends are stronger than here.
Me: In Japan, when you go to
school, can student pick the subject that they wanted to study like in the
United States, or does the school tell you what to study?
Azusa:
The high school, we have required classes that we just need to follow. But for
universities, we can take whatever we wanted. You also have to decide the major
before you get into. So that is the thing different from here. In here, you can
gradually choose your major. In Japan, you have to know what you want to focus
on in your freshman year. If I am going for an English major, they will have
certain classes that I have to take. Others than that, classes are flexible, I
can decide which class I want to study.
It is not really free like here, you know.
Me: In Vietnam, we have the same
thing with Japan, I think. We cannot really choose what we want to study.
Azusa:
Oh okay. Ha-ha.
Me: There are a lot of subjects
that I did not want to study, but I still had to study. What are the highlights
in your cultures? What things will make people immediately think about your
country?
Azusa:
I think people care about you. I know, Japanese, they are really shy. But they
are really crazy at the same time. If you get to know them, they are really
open and they really care about you. I think it takes time to open their mind.
When you get to know them, they are so crazy. It is kind of fun. People try to
understand what they are thinking as well. In here (United States), you have to
say what you are thinking. In Japan, we kind of get to know what you are
thinking when you are not saying it.
Me: Yes, I know. If you don’t like
something, you won’t say it. In here, if people don’t like something, they just
say, “I don’t like it, I don’t want it.”
Azusa:
Yes, that is right. Sometimes it is good, but sometimes, it is not good though.
Sometimes, people may unclear about what you are thinking. But still, I think
people are interested in it.
Me: So… is Tokyo the biggest city
in Japan?
Azusa:
Yes. It is the capital so it has modern technology. Osaka, the second biggest
city, is both traditional and modern at the same time. That is more mixtures.
First time, my friend wanted to go to Tokyo. But later, after they went there,
they was like “Oh, I wanted to go to other places.” I think cities, or capitals
are kind of the same everywhere. You know… New York.
Me: Yes, there are a lot of people.
It is just… too much people.
Azusa:
Yes, and Seoul is kind of the same like Tokyo.
Me: Yeah. So what is your hometown
and where do you live? I think I asked you before, but can you write down the
name of your hometown?
Azusa:
Okay, sure. (Writing down Mei, her hometown)
Me: So you have been living here
for the whole life?
Azusa:
Yes, that is right.
Me: Could you tell me a little
about the city?
Azusa:
The city is really small like here (St. Cloud) but there are so many
transportations such as trains and buses. You can go everywhere anytime. It is
not like twice an hour. It works every ten minutes or so. It is not really
inconvenience even it is a small town.
Me: Do you guys have subway in your
town?
Azusa:
We do… No, it is a train. We don’t have a subway in my cities. But we have the
trains all the time to go to the big cities, you know. There is also a
supermarket near by my house. I need to have a car though, if I wanted to go to
somewhere else.
Me: Do you know how many people are
there in your city?
Azusa:
I don’t know how many right now. I can check and I can give you the answer
later.
Me: Oh, I can Google it too. And
how a young person considered troublemaker in Japan?
Azusa:
How do I think? I think they are really troublemaker. Ha-ha.
Me: What make you think that they
are troublemaker? Troublemaker is just a not good person.
Azusa:
The kids who are just loud in the public.
Me: They talked loudly?
Azusa:
They just think about themselves, like “I’m the best”. I think it is the habits
for the young generations everywhere, I guess. Especially high school students,
when they try to get a train to go to their high school in a different city, I
noticed that they talk really loud. They are so loud. I think I was like that
when I was a high school student as well. I didn’t tell others but I am just
thinking by myself. For the little kid, when they are bullying and fighting
each other, I see them as troublemaker.
Me: What do you think about the
music culture in your country? Is it significant in your country?
Azusa:
Music? It is really big. Actually, right now, it is more J-pop. I think it is
kind of Westernize. I think everywhere become Westernize, I guess. They are sexier;
they show how sexy they are. R&B is also famous. Country music is kind of a
slow one, you know. I think a lot of people like R&B and J-pop. Right now,
K-pop is the biggest one. A lot of K-pop group came to Japan. They are hitting
Japan as well. I think we have famous music from foreign as well.
Me: Like Big Bang, Super Junior?
Azusa:
Yeah, and Kara, and Girls Generations.
Me: So do you think K-pop and J-pop
is kind of similar?
Azusa:
Yes, it is like the same. Do you know AKB?
Me: No, I don’t.
Azusa:
I can just write down. (Writing down AKB). AKB is a really big group right now.
I am a big fan of them. They are just like Girls Generation.
Me: Oh, so they are girls group?
Not boy group?
Azusa:
Just girls. Yeah. The mid-thirty people kind of like the younger girls. For me,
it is kind of “No, no, not really.” You know.
Me: Is marriage important that
everyone in Japan pursue?
Azusa:
I guess yes. It is changing I think. The age that we are getting married is
getting older, compare to my mom’s generation, my grandma’s generation. Right
now, my generation is getting married at the late age.
Me: How old?
Azusa:
29 or 30.
Me: Is that for boys or for girls?
Azusa:
For both. The girls tend to get married at early age like 22 or 24. Some of my
friends get married very soon, like after they graduate from high school. For
the whole Japan, I think they are getting married in the late age. I know they
want to get married, but we are worry that, they have a little money, and it
will cost to raise the kids. I think people care about that too. They want to
get their certain job first, and they want to have more money security, you
know.
Me: Okay. Is there still gender or
race discrimination in your country?
Azusa:
I guess so. Comparing to here, especially for gender. For the girls, at working
place, women and men should have equal rights. In here, the company give you
break when you have the baby, even for men. But in Japan, only the women can
get the break. It is getting better though. Comparing to here, I can see more
different. Men are higher than women. And also, back in Japan, I saw a lot of
Chinese in Osaka, which is a big city. I didn’t see a lot of them 4 or 5 years
ago. Right now, the government allows Chinese to come over freely because they
can spend a little money here, in Japan. I heard that people in Osaka don’t
really like Chinese because Chinese just talking Chinese all the time and
Japanese people could not understand what are they talking about. For me, I met
a lot of Chinese friends and it is really good. It is okay to just come over
than I can show them all kind of stuffs. But for the older generations, they
don’t think it is a good thing, you know. They think why the Chinese are here,
why are they talking in Chinese. I think it happens everywhere.
Me: Yeah. I think we have a Chinese
town in the city down to the South in Vietnam.
Azusa:
Oh really?
Me: All the Chinese people live in
that town.
Azusa:
And they talk in Chinese? For me, it is okay. I understand, you know.
Me: And they can speak Vietnamese
too.
Azusa:
Oh. I don’t think they can speak Japanese. They just speak Chinese.
Me: Some questions about the food,
what is the most famous food in Japan? Sushi?
Azusa:
Oh, you know sushi, right? I am trying to say something different.
Me: What else?
Azusa:
Hot pot as well. It is very famous. It is the big thing with hot water inside.
You can put meat in it. You can put any kind of seafood. Sukiyaki is more
famous.
Me: Oh, you should write it down
for me.
Azusa:
Sukiyaki is kind of expensive a little bit because of the group of meat. And
you will have white rice to eat together. We will beat the eggs. All the meat
and everything have a very strong taste and we will deep them into the eggs and
then we eat.
Me: Raw eggs?
Azusa:
Yes, raw eggs. I know that is kind of strange for you but it tastes good, you
might want to try it if you go to Japan.
Me: But actually, I don’t really
like raw eggs. What food do you think is the best?
Azusa:
The best? I would say hot pot, because it is health. You can eat as much as you
want and it won’t make you gain weight or something like that.
Me: Yes, it is not like American
food.
Azusa:
I know, right? Ha-ha. Hot pot keeps me healthy and my skin will be better. It
contains vitamins and nutrients. I feel hot pot is really. I don’t have to care
about how much I am eating. I am kind of person who has big stomach, I can eat
a lot.
Me: Yes, me too. Did you gain
weight after coming to the United States?
Azusa:
Yes. I gained weight so easy, you know. Oh my god. Especially when I am stress
from the tests, I keep eating. There are a lot of calories in it.
Me: I know. I gained 20 lbs after I
came here.
Azusa:
You look so skinny.
Me: But I lost 18 lbs.
Azusa:
So it is 2 kilograms, not 2 lbs, right?
Me: No, 20 lbs is 10 kilograms.
Azusa:
Yeah.
Me: That’s a lot. I looked really
fat.
Azusa:
Ha-ha. But you lost weight then.
Me: Last summer, when I came home,
I gained 10 kilograms and my parents couldn’t recognize me. They said, “You’re
so fat.”
Azusa:
How long have you been here?
Me: This is my third year. But I
was an exchange student in high school.
Azusa:
Where were you?
Me: In South Dakota.
Azusa:
Really? Wow. There is not a lot of Asian, rights?
Me: No. There are only 300 people
in the town that I lived. It is a really small town. And I am the only Asian in
that town.
Azusa:
Really? Do people curious about you?
Me: Yes. They looked at me like
“Look at her, she has black hair and blah-blah-blah.”
Azusa:
I don’t know. I can understand how you feel.
Me: Ha-ha yeah. Do most people in
Japan like spicy food?
Azusa:
I don’t think so. I know that most of my friends like spicy food. Personally, I
really like spicy food because I have eaten the Korean food.
Me: Korean food is spicier.
Azusa:
Yes, I love Korean food, so that trained me a lot. So now I like the spicy
food. But not a lot of people eat spicy food.
Me: One time, I tried to eat
Kim-chi and my tears just… Ha-ha.
Azusa:
Oh… but now it is okay, right? I mean now it is not spicy at all, but the first
time I ate it, oh my god, it is so spicy. But there are so many Korean foods in
Japan right now, a lot people experience to eat it as well.
Me: About education, what is the
education system in your country?
Azusa:
Before elementary school, they might go to the kindergarten for 3 or 4 years.
And at 6, they go to elementary for 6 years, and 3 years for junior high, and 3
years for high school. After high school, you might want to decide if you want
to go to work, or you want just to focus on haircuts, make up, designers, so
they go to designer schools for 2 years. And other students like me; they go to
college for 4 years. And they have 2 years college also.
Me: Community College?
Azusa:
Yes. They get to choose where they want to go after high school. Elementary
school and high school is mandatory. After high school, you can get to choose.
Me: Oh okay. So what is the most
important subject in your country generally?
Azusa:
I think English, right? Ha-ha. It is kind of weird in Japan. I learned English
when I was I junior high. Right now, they are putting it into fifth grade or
sixth grade. But I know a lot of my friends from Asian countries like you guys,
I know my friend from South Korea, they learned English from their elementary
school.
Me: Yes. I learned English when I
was 6 years old. And I have a younger sister, she learned English since she was
4 years old.
Azusa:
Yeah. In Japan, we don’t really have a good education for English. But still, I
think English is really important. Japanese don’t really want to go outside,
they just stay inside, so they should know some English. I think English is
really important right now.
Me: Actually, in my high school,
no… my middle school, we have a class for the best students in our school. If
you get into that class, you can learn Japanese also. But I didn’t get into
that class because I wasn’t good enough. One of my friends gets into that
class, she learned Japanese. And when she came to America, she got a Japanese
boy friend.
Azusa:
So that is good for her, right? Ha-ha. She can use the skills just as like what
she learned. That is really cool. So many Asian students can learn a third
language but in Japan, it is not famous to do that.
Me: Oh okay. Do students have to
wear uniform in every school?
Azusa:
In elementary school, they don’t have to. Usually, they don’t wear, but in
private school, they do have to wear. For the P.E. class, I have to wear some
weird uniform. In junior high and high school, you have to wear certain kind of
uniform. It is kind of funny because my friends decide which high school they
wanted to go to because of the uniform. “That school’s uniform is cute, so I
wanted to go there.” Ha-ha.
Me: I saw a lot of Japanese
students pictures and I saw they wore short dresses and really long stocks.
Azusa:
I know, the white stocks? That was in the older generations. A lot of people
wanted to do that. Uniform is really fun, I guess.
Me: So do a lot of people get a
chance to attend college in your country?
Azusa:
Yes, I think a lot of people wanted to go to college. Colleges help you prepare
for the jobs so a lot of people wanted to go to college.
Me: So do you guys have to take the
examination?
Azusa:
Yes. I think most Asian countries have to take it, right?
Me: Yes.
Azusa:
It is not like here. The high school for the senior years, they just focus on
the subjects to get into college. And in junior high, they have to study too.
They have big exams to get into high school as well.
Me: But you didn’t have to take it
because you came to the United States?
Azusa:
Right. But when I was in junior high, I had to study to get into the high
school. But then I don’t have to take the big test for college.
Me: Me too!!!
Azusa:
Yes, that is kind of a good thing.
Me: I hate taking those tests.
Azusa:
I know!
Me: Too much stuff to study. About
social, what are the top three social pastimes or hobbies?
Azusa:
Can I just say my hobbies?
Me: Yes. It’s okay.
Azusa:
Okay. I love sports. For example, I was in the soccer team when I was in
elementary school; actually my dad was the team coach. I play soccer with my
friends. I also do skiing and snow boarding.
Me: Oh really? Oh because you guys
have snow in Japan. We don’t have snow in our country.
Azusa:
Oh ha-ha. We don’t have that much snow in our place so we have to go to certain
place, like few hours of driving. But I do like snow boarding. A lot of people
do go to the concert as well, but I haven’t been to any concerts yet. Actually,
I like to be out door; I am not an indoor person. And that is how I grew up. My
dad likes camping and soccer. Whenever we have a holiday or something like
that, we tried to go to some other places such as amusement park. We also do
camping, those kind of activities.
Me: Okay. You have a meeting at 5,
right?
Azusa:
Yes, I have a meeting at 5.
Me: Okay so I will pick which
questions that I should asked you. How many children can each couple have in
Japan?
Azusa:
We don’t have any limit. If you have more than one, it is considered as very
good because we are getting fewer kids. Right now, the government pushes us to
have more kids. But other people just have one or two right now because they
cannot afford the money, you know.
Me: And you have to take care of
the little kids.
Azusa:
I know. Usually right now, they just have 2 or 1 or 3. That’s average. In my
mom’s generations, they have 4 or 6. It is different.
Me: Yeah. In Vietnam, we do the
same things. But when I was an exchange student in South Dakota, I knew a
family and they had 9 children.
Azusa:
They had 9 children? Really? Wow. That’s a lot. Wow. I have never heard of
that.
Me: And they looked the same.
Azusa:
All the same? Ha-ha. They are 1-year difference, and 2 years difference.
Me: Yeah. I cannot remember their
name ha-ha. And another question, what are your views on tattoos? What are the
views your country has on tattoos?
Azusa:
Tattoo is a really bad big thing in Japan. If you have a tattoo, at the job
interview, if you put it somewhere that others can see, they won’t hire you,
and you are considered as a really bad person. I think tattoo is very
interesting. Do you know gangster in Japan?
Me: Yes. They have tattoos all
over?
Azusa:
Right. They view tattoos that way, even if you just want a tattoo as a cute or
funny thing. People think tattoos as very bad. We have hot spring, a public
place, we don’t cover anywhere, it’s kind of weird culture, and they are
separate for boys and girls.
Me: Oh that is good ha-ha.
Azusa:
Ha-ha yes that is good. If they look at your tattoos, they will consider you as
bad people. If people have tattoos, normally they will try to hide it inside or
in the back. My friend, she actually came over here with me to the Community
College in Seattle, she debated whether she should have a tattoo or not because
she wanted to have it for a kind of cool thing. And she decided to have it in
the back, just a little bit. But it is a really big decision for her, you know.
In Japan, we considered it as really bad. You cannot really show it to the
public, you know, without wearing something.
Me: Actually, in Vietnam, in my
country, 10 years, people viewed tattoos really bad. But now, people at my age,
they have a lot of tattoos, they like tattoo.
Azusa:
Yeah. In my generation, I don’t really think about because of tattoos, you are
a really bad person. I don’t really see that way, but most people in societies,
they think that way.
Me: Especially the older
generation?
Azusa:
Yes, right.
Me: What age is considered adult in
your country?
Azusa:
20.
Me: Is that the drinking age?
Azusa:
Yes.
Me: The driving age?
Azusa:
No. Driving is 18 actually. But drinking and considered as adult is 20 years
old.
Me: So 20, you have to go to the
jail if you do anything bad?
Azusa:
Right.
Me: Okay. What are the different
religions in your country?
Azusa:
Most of us are Shinto, which is a kind of Buddhism. I don’t think we are strong
Buddhism, but most of them are like me, Shinto. We sometimes go to the temples,
but we don’t go to the temples every Sunday, we don’t go all the time. If
sometimes, I wanted to pray for the exam, I will go to the temples and pray and
I will get a little thing and I put it into the bad, it makes me feel better. I
think that’s a part of my religion. I know there are some percentages of
Christian. I don’t really see Muslim like here. Christian is a little bit after
Buddhism.
Me: Can you write down the Shinto?
Azusa:
Yes. (Writing down Shinto). Maybe you can kind of search for it.
Me: Yes, I will do it later. About
special occasion, what are some holidays that you celebrate in Japan?
Azusa:
In Japan, New Year is really big, December 31st. January 1st
is also a big one. We do get together and we eat together for the first day of
New Year. You have to eat, and you will go shopping at the same time. You also
go to visit your grandpa and grandma.
Me: So you guys don’t use the lunar
calendar?
Azusa:
I don’t now. I didn’t know actually. I was really surprising when I got here. I
know a lot of friends form China, Vietnam, Korean whose follow lunar New Year.
First time when I heard of it, I was like “What is the lunar New Year?” you
know. I didn’t know about the lunar New Year.
Me: I though Japan use the lunar
calendar.
Azusa:
I know. When I think of New Year, it is January 1st; it is a really
big thing. Usually for Christmas, it is for friends; boy friends and girl
friends hang out together. Always we have winter break on the 22nd until
January 10th for students. For lunar New Year, we do have school,
you know. It is kind of different. What else? Yeah I think New Year is a big
thing. For the students, we have summer break. We have family gathering for the
ancestors. If people die and their soul come back to our house or our living,
we get together. If our grandpa and grandma live far away, we will visit them
and try to pray for the grace. I think that is the big one too.
Me: Okay. The last questions, what
things you do not like about Japan? And what you feel proud of Japan?
Azusa:
The thing that I don’t like in Japan, and most of Asian countries, are people
considered to be the same, you know. For example, people care too much about
what others think about themselves. I just don’t like that. You can just live
like what are you thinking, it is like what you can follow by your feeling. I
don’t like the society system in Japan. It is so hard to explain. For example…
Me: Like in here, just get a tattoo
if you want.
Azusa:
That’s true. College in USA, people in any ages can come here and study anytime
they want. But in Japan, college is only for students who are 20, 21, and 23.
They have a trail, and people just ride on the trail. For me, you can go any
other ways, you know. For me, the way that I look at the society is always the
same. I feel a little bit boring. I don’t like that part. But I really proud
of, I think, people respect each other. I think people do respect each other
that are a very proud part, I guess. People know what you are thinking and they
care about you. That is what I am proud of, I guess.
Me: Okay, so those are all the
questions.
Azusa:
Okay.
Me: Thank you for being my
interviewee.
Azusa:
Well, it is nice to meet you.
Me: Actually, do you want anything
to drink? I just wanted to say thank you.
Azusa:
Oh really? Oh my god. Seriously, I love coffee. But it is really nice to talk
to you.
Me: It is really nice to talk to
you too.
Audio recorded
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