Lots and lots of questions about Japanese culture

[UndeadBear]

I've been watching anime for a long time, and it just occurred to me that there are a lot of random questions bouncing around in my head about Japanese culture. Usually, I just accept strange things in anime and just enjoy it, but now I'm wondering whether it's actually a reality.

Anyways, here are some questions. I'm sure I have a lot more, but this is what comes to mind right now.

1. Do people really refer to group leaders as captain, student president, etc.? Even in small school clubs with just a few people, they still seem to use titles.

2. Strange speech patterns...Real or just anime?
2a. Tsukino from Yakitate. -wa? She ends a lot of sentences with -wa and an up tone, even when it's not a question. A lot of anime characters seem to end many of their sentences with the same sound/tone that doesn't seem like normal grammar.
2b. Mikuru from Suzumiya. She has an obviously fake voice. It seems quite common in anime to have female characters with obviously fake voices. Do girls really talk like that?
2c. Neko girls. Are there neko girls in real life?

3. Only one School uniform? Do they only have one that they wear every single day? Doesn't it get dirty? They seem to wear it everywhere, even to nonschool affairs. I don't ever remember a series showing a closet with multiple uniforms. They often show just one uniform hanging on the closet door.

4. Do the girls really wear leg warmers? Do some school uniforms actually include leg warmers? Is it an actual fashion statement or it is to avoid showing the 'turnip' calves that some asian girls are cursed with. ('Turnip' is the term in the Korean culture. It means thick calves and ankles.)

5. Do schools actually have 'bloomers' for girl gym uniforms?

6. Are love confessions to relative strangers a reality? How about shoe box love confessions?

7. Do they really do square dancing after cultural fairs and school athletic fairs?

8. How common is dyed hair? I know some people with blonde hair/highlights, but blue?

9. Are gangs and fighting for high school guys a common problem? So many series are based around fighting and bullying in high school.

10. Is the university admission process still totally based on one test score? How many universities can you apply to? Are there a lot of ronins?

11. For tests and grades, do they really post the rankings on a board, complete with names? How about for high school and college admissions?

12. School administration and discipline by student council? Does that actually happen?

13. Are there really such things as upskirt clubs and grope train clubs or is that just an exaggeration?

14. What is with the total fascination with cosplay?

15. How old is the target audience for most anime? Is there an age limit when Japanese society starts to think you are too old for anime?

16. Nosebleeds = lust? How in world did that ever become standardized?

17. How accepted is alternative lifestyles in Japanese culture? There are quite a few Yaoi and Yuri series, but then there are series where homosexual behavior is portrayed as abhorrent and morally wrong. How about cross dressing? There are several series based around cross dressing.

[Erigion]

2c. Neko girls. Are there neko girls in real life?Yes.

14. What is with the total fascination with cosplay?Stuff to fap to.

That's all I know.

[Kuzu Ryu Sen]

1. Do people really refer to group leaders as captain, student president, etc.? Even in small school clubs with just a few people, they still seem to use titles.
Yes.


3. Only one School uniform? Do they only have one that they wear every single day? Doesn't it get dirty? They seem to wear it everywhere, even to nonschool affairs. I don't ever remember a series showing a closet with multiple uniforms. They often show just one uniform hanging on the closet door.

There's a summer and winter uniform. Wash it.


5. Do schools actually have 'bloomers' for girl gym uniforms?

Yes.


10. Is the university admission process still totally based on one test score? How many universities can you apply to? Are there a lot of ronins?

Yes, as many as you want, yes.


11. For tests and grades, do they really post the rankings on a board, complete with names? How about for high school and college admissions?

Yes.


13. Are there really such things as upskirt clubs and grope train clubs or is that just an exaggeration?

Yes, and worse (http://www.theage.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2003/07/04/1057179156476.html).


15. How old is the target audience for most anime? Is there an age limit when Japanese society starts to think you are too old for anime?

Yes, roughly 16-18.


16. Nosebleeds = lust? How in world did that ever become standardized?

Blood rushing to one head rather than another.

[Blitzwing01]

#6. "kokuhaku" is a Japanese word meaning confession. From what I understand, it's a pretty common methodology.

#17:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mnBbPW72m-o

15: RE: Kuzu's "Yes, roughly 16-18."

The age range is pretty big. There's shows for everyone. Don't forget about the huge hardcore otaku market...and the fact that a lot of anime airs at 1-2am or later.

[soundchazer]

I've been watching anime for a long time, and it just occurred to me that there are a lot of random questions bouncing around in my head about Japanese culture. Usually, I just accept strange things in anime and just enjoy it, but now I'm wondering whether it's actually a reality.

Anyways, here are some questions. I'm sure I have a lot more, but this is what comes to mind right now.

[QUOTE=UndeadBear;542187]1. Do people really refer to group leaders as captain, student president, etc.? Even in small school clubs with just a few people, they still seem to use titles.

Yes. It is considered a sign of respect.

2. Strange speech patterns...Real or just anime?

Depends on what you consider strange. If it is stuff like the incedible amount of desu and nyoro and things like that, then yes. If it is chaning chan to tan, then the answer is probably not. If you refer to the different accents, please refer to my lecture on the subject.

2a. Tsukino from Yakitate. -wa? She ends a lot of sentences with -wa and an up tone, even when it's not a question. A lot of anime characters seem to end many of their sentences with the same sound/tone that doesn't seem like normal grammar.

See above.


2b. Mikuru from Suzumiya. She has an obviously fake voice. It seems quite common in anime to have female characters with obviously fake voices. Do girls really talk like that?

I thought the same way to... until I heard the real voice of Aya Hirano, who happens to make the voice of Haruhi. Talk about a shocker! I got much more respect for her as a voice actress because she can REALLY change her tone of voice.

2c. Neko girls. Are there neko girls in real life?

Yes. They are called cosplayers, and they are ridiculous.

3. Only one School uniform? Do they only have one that they wear every single day? Doesn't it get dirty? They seem to wear it everywhere, even to nonschool affairs. I don't ever remember a series showing a closet with multiple uniforms. They often show just one uniform hanging on the closet door.

From personal experience wearing school uniforms, most likely they have one jacket, one or two pairs of pants/skirts and several shirts. I wore uniforms all the way to high school. You could buy more... if you can afford them. They are pretty expensive.

4. Do the girls really wear leg warmers? Do some school uniforms actually include leg warmers? Is it an actual fashion statement or it is to avoid showing the 'turnip' calves that some asian girls are cursed with. ('Turnip' is the term in the Korean culture. It means thick calves and ankles.)

They DO! I saw pictures of girls waiting for David Beckham at Narita Airport before the start of the World Cup in 2002, and a couple of documentaries from local TV stations for the same event, and they were wondering why they would have such a weird fashion like that.

5. Do schools actually have 'bloomers' for girl gym uniforms?

They do, although that is changing more towards more regular athletic shorts instead. A good primer on the subject is the series of posts in rec.arts.anime in usenet by Maiko Convington, who described her life as a Westerner attending public school in Japan. Even though these were posted back in the early 90s (when I actually got to read it first), it is still very applicable and quite fun.

http://members.chello.at/theodor.lauppert/japan/maiko/


6. Are love confessions to relative strangers a reality? How about shoe box love confessions?

Shoe box confessions, although highly dramatized, do happen. Keep in mind that the Japanese are very awkward when it comes to personal relationships, particularly love and hence the need to do things this way. For a country that is so much into social responsibility and interaction, they surely seem to be very lonely.

7. Do they really do square dancing after cultural fairs and school athletic fairs?

Yes they do. http://www.koshi-h.ed.jp/english/koshi-high06.htm

They mention the bonfire and dancing in this page, and there are several pictures of the events, which look very similar to those in anime.

8. How common is dyed hair? I know some people with blonde hair/highlights, but blue?

Actually they dye it all sorts of colors.

Go to the street fashion photos in this website for some ideas. They sure can dress weird.

http://www.japanesestreets.com/


9. Are gangs and fighting for high school guys a common problem? So many series are based around fighting and bullying in high school.

There are bullies everywhere and Japan is not an exception. There are not as many as you would think, but they do exist.

10. Is the university admission process still totally based on one test score? How many universities can you apply to? Are there a lot of ronins?

It is based upon placement exams. Unlike the U.S., Japan uses a system very similar to that of other places in the world (Mexico included) were the student applies directly to the schools of choice and takes their examinations instead of a standardized test. As to how many ronin are there, god only knows.

11. For tests and grades, do they really post the rankings on a board, complete with names? How about for high school and college admissions?

Within a school, they will post names so people know who are doing good and wo are not. In admission exams, everyone is assigned a number and only the numbers of those who passed are posted.


13. Are there really such things as upskirt clubs and grope train clubs or is that just an exaggeration?

You would be surprised at the amount of perverts that are roaming the streets of Japan. I don't think they actually form clubs, but I do know that trains do have their share of gropers, specially during rush hours.

14. What is with the total fascination with cosplay?

Beats me. I think costumes are only OK in Halloween.

15. How old is the target audience for most anime? Is there an age limit when Japanese society starts to think you are too old for anime?

Depends on the show. They are produced to cater several different groups, but mostly the oldest group would be late teens or young adults. And yet, the Ghibli films usually do well with adults.

16. Nosebleeds = lust? How in world did that ever become standardized?

This is a basic derivation of the old knowledge that some people get nosebleeds when their body temeprature is too hot. The Japanese are basically saying that the person is too hot, therefore they are horny and get the nosebleed.

17. How accepted is alternative lifestyles in Japanese culture? There are quite a few Yaoi and Yuri series, but then there are series where homosexual behavior is portrayed as abhorrent and morally wrong. How about cross dressing? There are several series based around cross dressing.

This is a very interesting question. The Japanese are usually considered to be a very "experimenting" and tolerant society when it comes to sex. Back before the Meiji restoration, homosexuality among men was not that unthinkable and has even been protrayed in some paitings of the time. Their theater also used only male actors playing both male and female roles, so cross-dressing has always been ingrained in the culture. It has only been through the westernization of Japan that homosexuality has gained an unpopular bias that historically was not there.

[laborpilot86]

Nice mention of the gender-bending in traditional Japanese culture, Soundchazer-sama...

The term for the actors who played female roles in Kabuki and Noh was onnagata. They were trained from birth to be more feminine then most women and, erm, some of them were 'gay' by modern 'western' notions of sexuality. This gender-bending idea in Japanese drama lasted until around WWII and is the main reason why gender is very, very flexable in anime. Some examples include Lady Oscar(Rose of Versailles), Silverna (Princess Knight), Ranma, and Dilanendu(Escaflowne)

Some speech patterns may also indicate characters who are supposed to be foreign or might also be from differant regions of Japan, especially Kansai (Osaka and surronding prefecture).

Yes, the nose-bleed does indicate a sexual attraction and yes, Japanese social mores are still very rigid where interpersonal relations are concerned. Don't forget sneezing which, in Japanese folk belief, is a sign that someone is talking about you behind your back.

The range of hair color that occurs naturally among Japanese is very small, only going from black to light brown, hence, both in anime and real life, dyed hair, especially red, is very common. In anime, especially shoujo (series targeted at female audiences) the colors tend to be a personality indicator, with red signifing a 'fiery' type, blonde 'mysterious' or 'sexy' etc.

Anime is still considered a 'young adult' medium in Japan, but, unlike animation in America, there is recogination that the actual content of the medium is as diverse as manga, in which there are genres literally for every demographic you can think of.

[soundchazer]

Don't forget sneezing which, in Japanese folk belief, is a sign that someone is talking about you behind your back.


Actually, that belief is a bit more universal than what is thought. I know that at least in Mexico, when you sneeze without provocation, they say someone is thinking of you.

[Milkymagic]

#17:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mnBbPW72m-o

Hands down, one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life, thank you!

Or as Kintaro Oe from Golden Boy would put it,"That was educational!" :D

14. What is with the total fascination with cosplay?

Because this question hasn't recieved a proper answer, I'll take a go at it.

My idea? All depends on the social interactions of the individual, and I can only think of three possible scenarios for why someone would cosplay. In some cases it's the need for fantasy to exist in their lives (and don't we all need an escape sometimes), possibly an afixiation with a specific character to the point of idolizing them, and the final ingredient of living the fantasy out for the fun of it. Another possibility could be the need to show off one's own figure, which obviously sells much attention, in which attention can lead to good things (think: modeling or advertising). Final prospect? It's kind of like a masquerade ball at anime cons, and getting into character (at least physically) creates a more entertaining atmosphere, and advertises the interests of the person cosplaying in the same way one would choose their avatar on a forum.

The first and third reasons can be confused with Role-playing, which is a subject all its own, but I would think a more social approach would tie in with the third and the first would be straight Role-playing tendencies. All of this is just me trying to think it through, I'm not trying to say anything's wrong with cosplaying, as it's all just good fun in the end (and something completely harmless at that).

That's my take, being I have yet to cosplay, though I've never seen anything wrong with it. In truth, it's not even something I'd rule out for myself, who knows? :D

[Shogun Bob]

1. Captian and president are rather uncommon, senpai is likely the most common term of respect used in clubs.

4. By leg warmers i guess you are talking about loose socks, the big floppy socks that were really popular a few years ago. Now students mostly wear navy blue socks with different logos on them like the playboy bunny or raulph lauren polo symbol. Socks aren't part of the school uniform so students have some freedom to chose what they wear.

5. They have become almost none exsistent now. I don't know how common they use to be, but now it's like regular shorts.

6. They do happen, I actually know someone who it's happened too when he was in high school.

7. This is an event that might be at some schools, but is probaby more uncommon.

8. Students do dye their hair even though most or even all schools don't allow it, however older women are the champions of hair color, purple, pink, blue, green, goldish blonde, they are like skittles.

10. Public school tests are on the same day so they can only choose one school to go after and if you can't get in private schools have tests seperatly so that would be your backup.

11. High schools hand out your test resolutes in an envelope is the most common way and what you typically see, not the posting on the board. After you get your results though you either enter a room for more info a take a walk of shame so that's just as bad I guess. College I can't say for sure.

12. There are actual buildings built so the inside resembles a train and men pay to go in and grope women on these "trains". As far as upskirts clubs there are buildings built with mirriors on the floor and others with glass floors where you pay to go on the bottom floor. As someone mentinoed it's not clubs like the baseball clubs, these are clubs like strip clubs.

15. Most anime I'd say is still probably targeted towards kids, like 6-12. As far as when people are "too old" for it. You get people in their 60's reading manga.

[Tyrdium]

As far as I know, manga is far more socially accepted and widespread than anime. Why? No idea.

From personal experience wearing school uniforms, most likely they have one jacket, one or two pairs of pants/skirts and several shirts. I wore uniforms all the way to high school. You could buy more... if you can afford them. They are pretty expensive.... when I first read that, the image of you in a sailor fuku popped into my head. Thanks.

If you'll excuse me, I'm off to incinerate my brain.

[f1rst children]

16. Nosebleeds = lust? How in world did that ever become standardized?


It's based on a Japanese old wives' tale mothers would tell their sons.

The spurting nature of anime nosebleeds has its own obvious meaning.

18) What is with the bizarre starting times of Japanese TV shows? Instead of starting at 7 pm a show will start at 6:58 pm or 7:03 pm. Is there a point to this, or is every Japanese person such a technophile that they live to re-program their VCRs and Tivos?

19) Why isn't "tobacco" written in katakana when every other Western word is?

20) In a country where everyone passes me a pack of tissue paper while walking down the street, why can I never find a trash can in public?

[laborpilot86]

Japanese are really anal about personal hygiene.

[UndeadBear]

Thanks for the thorough replies and the links are great too. The japanesestreets.com website has some hilarious pictures. I'm really surprised there aren't more anime about the less mainstream culture in Japan. If I was an anime creator, I'd much rather make a series about this subculture instead of yet another slice of life high school drama/fighting/etc.

I am really surprised the target audience for anime is so small. The content/themes/storyline of many of the series I've seen are definitely not for young people. Then again, I guess young adults now a days aren't really that young anymore.

Heh, I guess when people tell me that I should grow up and stop watching anime, they are kinda right.

[Blitzwing01]

I'm really surprised there aren't more anime about the less mainstream culture in Japan. If I was an anime creator, I'd much rather make a series about this subculture instead of yet another slice of life high school drama/fighting/etc.

I am really surprised the target audience for anime is so small. The content/themes/storyline of many of the series I've seen are definitely not for young people. Then again, I guess young adults now a days aren't really that young anymore.

Heh, I guess when people tell me that I should grow up and stop watching anime, they are kinda right.

I recommend you check out Welcome to the NHK (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6357) and Genshiken (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4168).

For live action drama, search for "Densha Otoko" or "Maid in Akihabara".

[KiraraKim]

Since I just got back from Japan I thought I would chime in with what I noticed:

I am surprised no one mentioned the Sunday cosplayers at Harajuku. They don't cosplay as anime characters but they definiteyly dress up in goth/lolita clothing. I've read (and I don't know how true this is) that these are girls who are usually outcasts in school and dressing up is a way for them to express themselves. It's a way for them to fit in at least for one day.

Also when I was in Akihabara I saw girls dressed up as maids giving out advertisements for the maid cafes they worked in. Of course this was only in one area.

Needless to say I didn't see anyone dressed up as anime characters. But I did see plenty of advertisements for anime series. And not just around Akihabara. There were ads for the second Death Note movie everywhere.

Although when I was in Japan my impression of it was similar to NY (Of course I was mainly in Tokyo.) The men and especially the women were very dressed up. You don't see many people in jeans or sneakers. Otherwise the clothes are the same type we wear here.

On the trains I never felt uncomfortable. I didn't meet any lecherous Japanese men. Actually the Tokyo subway system is fantastic. It's really easy to use. I did see people (usually older men) reading manga on the train. And I saw quite a few people wearing hospital masks.

As for school uniforms they look almost exactly how they look in anime series. Though I expect it is no different from school uniforms worn in Private Schools here. They probably have a few sets of them. And this is what washing machines were made for. ;)

Also in the hostel I stayed I didn't see any new popular anime series come on. However some great classic shows came on like Lum, Maison Ikkoku and Rose of Versailles. I've heard that most of the new stuff only comes on cable.

Oh and they sell manga in convenience stores like 7-11. :D

[laborpilot86]

That's just plain cool, KiraraKim-san...

I'm not surprised that Rose of Versialles is on network tv in Japan, it's just that good.

How many American and European shows were on the telly?

Was thier any comment on the news shows about the whole 'Comfort Women Apology Retraction' by Abe and his government?

Glad we could help, UndeadBear-san

[Mana]

I'm not surprised that Rose of Versialles is on network tv in Japan, it's just that good.

As much as I love RoV (and, trust me, I do), it's not really its OMG AWESOME-ness that leaves it on telly. It's just very nostalgic for a lot of people, and it also just recently had an anniversary... I'm not sure which date, but Roark bought the anniversary edition of the manga while he was studying in Japan.

[KiraraKim]

How many American and European shows were on the telly?

You know I didn't really notice. The only other thing I noticed was there seemed to be a lot of home shopping shows on.



As much as I love RoV (and, trust me, I do), it's not really its OMG AWESOME-ness that leaves it on telly. It's just very nostalgic for a lot of people, and it also just recently had an anniversary... I'm not sure which date, but Roark bought the anniversary edition of the manga while he was studying in Japan.

In Kinonkuniya in Shinjuku there was also a Rose of Versailles display which I thought was pretty cool. And there was some gashapons sellings little Rose of Versailles chibi figures (though sadly I didn't have the correct change on me at the time). I did buy a ROV key chain which I am putting in my scrap book.

I never mentioned I watched the show recently on here so I was happy to see stuff when I got there. But now I regret I didn't take a picture of the display. :(

[Spilled Milk]

for question 17
It's really not taken very seriously in Japan. IT's mostly considered funny, it's just kind of a big joke. They say it's just your other half kind of. Thats why theres lots of straight guys who would have no issues cross dressing like they might here, because it's just their other half. It's kind of different.

On the trains I never felt uncomfortable. I didn't meet any lecherous Japanese men. Actually the Tokyo subway system is fantastic. It's really easy to use. I did see people (usually older men) reading manga on the train. And I saw quite a few people wearing hospital masks.
yeah everyone really keeps to themselves on the train, it's kind of like everyone has "avoid as much contact with people as possible" written on their face and they pretend to sleep or they play with their phones. Also once i happened to glance over at this old guys book he was reading. that old man was very very dirty! >.< MY friend happend to get alot of attention from old creepy guys i felt bad for her XD

[kyubichan]

I have no idea what goes on in Japan, but to some of your questions, I can answer "Yes" based on what goes on where I live:



1. Do people really refer to group leaders as captain, student president, etc.? Even in small school clubs with just a few people, they still seem to use titles.


Yes. We also refer to people whom we don't know as (literally)"big brother/sister", which would translate to something like "sempai" in Japanese, which actually means that person is older/higher ranked than you.

2. Strange speech patterns...Real or just anime?
2a. Tsukino from Yakitate. -wa? She ends a lot of sentences with -wa and an up tone, even when it's not a question. A lot of anime characters seem to end many of their sentences with the same sound/tone that doesn't seem like normal grammar.
2b. Mikuru from Suzumiya. She has an obviously fake voice. It seems quite common in anime to have female characters with obviously fake voices. Do girls really talk like that?
2c. Neko girls. Are there neko girls in real life?


Speech patterns - Yes. Even I tend to end my sentences with "ay" or "~eh", even though it means nothing.
Fake voice - I have a rather monotonic yet squeeky voice (that's the closest definition I can give); people think I'm faking my voice because it sounds like a child's.
Neko girls - Not cat+girl, but there are girls that go around wearing cat ears.



3. Only one School uniform? Do they only have one that they wear every single day? Doesn't it get dirty? They seem to wear it everywhere, even to nonschool affairs. I don't ever remember a series showing a closet with multiple uniforms. They often show just one uniform hanging on the closet door.


That's the miracle of the anime world.


4. Do the girls really wear leg warmers? Do some school uniforms actually include leg warmers? Is it an actual fashion statement or it is to avoid showing the 'turnip' calves that some asian girls are cursed with. ('Turnip' is the term in the Korean culture. It means thick calves and ankles.)


Some schools do require high socks.


9. Are gangs and fighting for high school guys a common problem? So many series are based around fighting and bullying in high school.


Depends on the school. From what I see here, it's a problem with public highschools. Local teens are adapting the "hiphop" culture here :(


11. For tests and grades, do they really post the rankings on a board, complete with names? How about for high school and college admissions?


When I took an exam at the Japanese Embassy, for college admission, yes the names and scores were posted.


14. What is with the total fascination with cosplay?


Same thing with everything else. Some people like to collect stamps, some like to cosplay.



What goes on in anime isn't really "weird" and totally unrealistic. It's usually based on something in real life.