Thursday, January 26, 2012
Samantha Hoh: Japanese Culture and Memoirs of a Geisha
After a full week of Japanese culture and the viewing of Memoirs of a Geisha, offer your complimentary feedback to Samantha and also feel free to suggest ideas that may have enhanced what was already presented for her project. Evaluate how well each segment in all five days of presentation have blended together to highlight a taste of the exoticism that we witness. How well does the film, Memoirs of a Geisha, illustrate a segment of Japanese culture? What have you learned about Japanese culture that you did not know earlier? From your American perspective, what are some of the aspects of Japanese culture that are significantly different from our own? Does the film portray these details accurately?
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Japan. I never knew anything beyond that and obviously the things you learn about in a cultures class regarding wars and trade and what not. Now I feel like I've been there. Sam taught so much! I think she did a fantastic job presenting the culture to us. She seems to have a vast knowledge on the culture, and a supreme passion for it.
ReplyDeleteI liked that Sam, and I'm not sure if she did this on purpose or not, but she seemed to present things about the culture to us in order that they would appear on film. I noticed one thing in particular, she pointed out in a handout the life of a geisha, especially the "W" they have showing on their necks. I then realized in the section of the movie we watched that day it was exactly what we saw. "Memoires of a Geisha" I feel was the perfect movie. There was even the moment towards the end where we saw the Flag of the Japanese Imperial Army leading up to WWII, or the "Kyokujitsu-ki." It wasn't very evident, but it was waving in the scene. If Sam wouldn't have presented to us what that flag was before the movie, I wouldn't have had a clue what it meant. I would have completely missed that symbolism and the indication of the time period.
To pick out one key that I learned about Japanese culture, it would have to be the geisha. I read a poem that Mrs. Roth wrote about geisha doll that she has and the description of it, but it didn't make much sense to me. That's the only thing even remotely close I knew about the geisha itself, so it was really nice to see how they lived. I was shocked at some of the things they were expected to do and follow and how they were trained. I really loved seeing the life of a geisha take place from an honest person's point of view. I think the movie being a memoire itself was the perfect way to reveal the culture in an intimate way.
To improve the project, all I really have to say is that I would have liked to know more about the film itself. Maybe some key elements from our yellow packet or even when the movie was made would have been useful.
Some things significantly different from our culture would have to be the table manner. I also think the shoe and slipper thing is a little bizarre. I know in America it's something nice to do when you enter a household, but it's not necessary. I walk around in just my socks a lot of the time too, I hardly ever wear slippers. I think that was very interesting. Something as a side note that I love about Japan is the harajuku fashion. Gwen Stefani has a fashion line called Harajuku Lover's, and I'm in love with it. I knew it was influenced from the fashion district in Japan, and I've always wanted to actually go there. Now that I know more about Japanese culture I feel like I definitely should now!
Thanks so much Sam for going above and beyond with the Japanese culture. I loved every second of learning about it, and the film was fantastic. Oh! The food was phenomenal also!
Thanks again! Great presentation.
I will begin my discussion by saying how tough it is going to be to match Sam’s presentation. WOW. The presentation was just excellent. Sam’s deep wealth of knowledge on Japanese culture already made her presentation wonderful to listen to. My knowledge on Japan and their culture was deeply enhanced this past week. I was always intrigued about Asian culture. My dad has told a few things here and there, as he previously traveled to Japan somewhat frequently. I felt like I was learning the Japanese culture from a local! Some of Sam’s information was confirmed through the film, Memoirs of a Geisha.
ReplyDeleteEach segment was done very well. Sam began her presentation by giving basic demographics, manners, and values. I enjoyed the YouTube videos that were shown featuring general manners in Japan, and a day in Japan going to an arts school as an exchange student living in Japan. I was intrigued by the different manners in Japan, such as passing items with two hands. We were then introduced to the life of a geisha. This aided my understanding of the film, which focused on a geisha house. The following three days featured scrumptious food, interesting pop culture and some typical clothing that is worn. All of these segments contributed to a thorough education on Japanese culture. Sam sure covered all of her bases!
Memoirs of a Geisha represents Japanese culture well enough to be a valid representation. However, it does focus solely on the Geisha lifestyle. Even though Geisha is big part of Japanese culture, some other aspects were missed, but I don’t believe there is a film that does cover everything.
I learned many things through Sam’s presentation that I had not know previously. Females wear different clothing depending on when they are of age to marry. I had no clue that the Japanese consume very little meat and very few sugars. The table manners of Japan were just fascinating. I did know they sat on the floor and used chopsticks, but I was not aware that it is not polite to not eat every crumb of food. People of higher status at the table should have the higher glass when saying “Kanpai!” Manga and anime were also something that I have never experienced. What a unique way to read a book! It would definitely take some getting used to.
In some ways, the Japanese would be appalled by our culture. They just seem to have so much respect for one another. For example, bowing when seeing someone, and handing objects with two hands show that they value other’s feelings immensely. I wish we, as Americans were a little more like that. Some of the table manners are a little strict for me, like eating EVERYTHING and sitting on the floor a specific
way.
Sam did an outstanding job on her presentation! She had only a few days to put everything together, and I say she did it almost flawlessly. Well done! I’m excited for the rest of the presentations!
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with what you said about how Sam's presentation is going to be hard to match. It really puts the rest of us in a difficult position to match up to it! I also liked what you said about the Japanese being appalled by our culture. I think that too. I think if they saw the way we did certain things they wouldn't know what to think. The giving of two hands is something I forgot about so thanks for bringing that up.I found it very strange when Sam first talked about it, but now when I think about it is a very respectful way to treat someone.
Nice blog! And yes, I am so excited for the other presentations!
Sam I'm so sorry I missed most of your presentation! I was really looking forward to it too. However, what I saw I really enjoyed. I can't really tell you what I think you could improve upon because I did not see the whole thing, and don't know what else you did. If anything, I would say calm down, really Sam, I know that you know what you're talking about and there is no need to be nervous.
ReplyDeleteWhat I saw of the film I though illustrated the culture very well. It also displayed a very interesting aspect of the Japanese world; the Geisha.
What I found extremely intersting was the layout of typical Japanese houses. It was very intesting to see that they live in homes that vary so much from our's. I also enjoyed learning about their customs such as the different degrees of bowing and how they address each other with "chan" and "sama" and what not.
Their culture seemed strict to me, which is what I though was most differet between ours and theirs. I think that this was displayed in the movie. For instance, the training of a Geisha was incredibly strict. This alone was enough to display how rigid their rules can be.
All together, the first three days were very fascinating, especially for pulling them together in only a weekend. Good job, Sam! And thanks for taking the first week so noone else had to :)
Kat,
ReplyDeleteI feel sad for you that you didn't get to see the whole presentation! It was so good! I do agree with what you said about how well the movie fit the culture. I think it was a very nice representation of Japan. The geisha training was so shocking to me. I never knew it was this strict. It makes me re-think if it is something that if I myself were given the opportunity would really want to do.
Awesome job once again Sam, and nice blog Kat.
Japan. Ah Japan. What can I say about such a magnificent culture and equally magnificent presentation? How can I follow that up? Who wouldn't love a culture so rich as that? When can I go there? All questions that run through my mind when I think of the past week. Samantha's presentation was breathtaking, from the sakura petal background of the slideshow to the stunning visuals in the movie. It was all around fabulous.
ReplyDeleteNow I must start by admitting that I've always been a Japan enthusiast. This presentation was a recap in some areas for me but there were a few things that I learned and found really interesting. For instance, I did not originally know that Japan had two different climates. What I did know was many of the table manners and fashions. I learned the true definition of a Harujuku, which I had not known. And I got a marvelous review of some of my favorite Japanese words, ie Itadakimasu (thank you for the meal) and Kanpai (cheers). I also got to use chopsticks and taste yummy Asian food. The pop culture was one of the areas I knew more in depth about but I still learned some really great stuff.
I loved the presentation but I also adored the movie. It was stunning how well Samantha was able to incorporate what she taught that day into the movie. The movie itself covered more than just the life of a geisha. It also gave an analytic glimpse at some of the social issues that plague Japan. It was so intriguing and the acting was amazing. I think what I loved the most was the traditional Japanese setting. We got a marvelous look at things such as zen gardens and the busy streets. We were also able to see kimono in practical application and some of the traditional Japanese mannerisms. It was a great way to learn about Japan while also watching an enjoyable movie.
I think some of the prime differences were the views of a geisha. Now, after being an enthusiast I knew relatively well what geisha were. But as we saw, the American view was much different. There was a line in the movie that went along the lines of "Any girl with a silk kimono was now a geisha." It is actually a traditional art that many people do not understand. Also, the transportation was completely different. I think that most people think of the industrial and technological businesses in Japan today and think that it was always way ahead of everyone else. But they were running around in bare feet and using carriages for most of the transport.
It was a great presentation and I can only hope to follow it up with something of equal value. The only thing I can say is "Yokudekimashita, Samantha-chan! Arigatou!"