Japanese Politics

When many of my non-Japanese friends and I just came to Japan, we found a big problem for us: Where is the garbage bin and which garbage bin should I throw my rubbish to?
Unlike many countries, it is very difficult for you to find any garbage bins on streets. The bins are mostly only located next to the vendor machines or in front of convenient stores. Even if you find bins at these places, you have to follow the regulation for recycling different kinds of rubbish into different bins.
Actually, in every prefecture or every city within a prefecture, the local governments have their own policies for their citizens recycling their garbage. Although the policies may be slight different from each other, most of them require their citizens to separate garbage into burnable, unburnable, aluminum cans and bottles, glasses and the so-called big garbage (Sodai gomi). People are expected to throw the separated garbage to the rubbish station on different days within the week, and they are expected to pay money for throwing the big garbage.
This policy was first trouble to us as being foreigners in Japan because many countries do not require their citizens to separate their garbage and it is difficult for them to distinguish each session of the garbage. However, I soon realized that this policy the cause of Japan being a very clean country and the cause of “Stand and eat and drink” culture.
As I observed in these 9 months in Japan, Japanese people will never throw their rubbish into the wrong bin. Even though Japanese people like having party under Sakura and produce tones of rubbish afterwards, they still throw their rubbish correctly into different bins. Moreover, as I mentioned before, you can only find bins next to vendor machines or in front of convenient stores. If you like to enjoy their drink or food that are bought from vendor machines or convenient stores while you are walking, you may find a big problem after you finish it because you cannot find any bins unless you find another machine or convenient store. You may have to hold the remains of the food or drinks for certain time until you find the rare bins. That is why I think Japanese people like standing and eating and drinking next to the vendor machines and in front of convenient stores.
The garbage policy helps Japan making its country clean and environmental to the earth. Although the policy may be troublesome to some of the public, especially to those foreigners from countries that do not have the separation of rubbish regulation, it is seldom the case to find this policy is not obeyed. I wish more countries could follow Japan to carry out compulsory garbage separation.

5 different bins for 1.plastic bottle and cans, 2. glasses, 3. burnable, 4. unburnable, 5. paper

English instruction for separation

The aluminium cans were properly collected after sakura parties which produced tones of rubbish

Japanese Sport

Baseball is the most popular sport in Japan. No matter male or female, youngsters or elderly, many people in Japan are crazy about baseball.

In March 2009, Japanese national baseball team entered the final of the World Baseball Classic (WBC). Many shops, like McDonald’s produce various products in order to cheer their national team players. At the day of final game of WBC 2009 which Japan was against Korea, many of my Japanese friends skipped their lessons with a view to watching this final game. “It (the game) is one of the most important events every year in Japanese people’s mind” my friends told me. At last, Japan won the game and right after that, many shops provided various discounts to celebrate the victory of Japanese team.

Japanese people are enthusiastic about professional baseball, but also the high school and university baseball league. In 6th November 2008, I watched a match Waseda University team versus Keio University team in Jinguu Mae in Tokyo. The stadium was full of audience and I had to line up 3 hours before the match started in order to get a good seat. Before and during the match, the Japanese style cheering squad, ōendan, who was wearing their uniform, were dancing, yelling and hitting Taiko drum non-stop. At last, Keio University lost. Not only were the players upset, the ōendan and many of the audience cried seriously.

In my point of view, baseball in Japan is a glory. They care so much the victory or lost of baseball teams because they want to prove themselves united if not strong. The ōendan as well as audience devote themselves to the matches not weaker than the players because these three sectors are inseparably united within any Japanese baseball teams. Please feel free to enjoy the enthusiasm of Japanese baseball.

More information of Japanese Baseball
http://www.baywell.ne.jp/users/drlatham/baseball/nihongo/diction.htm

WBC folder produced by McDonald's

female ōendan during the university baseball matches


Waseda V.S. Keio

The caps of the uniform of Waseda male ōendan

Japanese Gender

There are differences between men and women in Japan. This post I want talk about the differences of treatment for male and female customers in Japan.

Japanese women are often thought as inferior than men that they are weaker and do not know how to protect themselves properly. Thus, external methods are needed in order to protect women. Many train lines in big cities in Japan provide “Ladies Only Compartment” during rush hours in order to protect women being sexually harassed by Chikan. Because of my gender, I cannot go into the “Ladies Only Compartment”. But one of my friends told me her story providing that “Ladies Only Compartment” really helps protecting women. “There was one night I was in a hurry so when I arrived the platform, I rushed into a normal compartment with a lot of Salarymen. But then, there was a mid-aged man started trying to talk to me and asked me if I want to drink with him. I didn’t answer him but then he started touch my body and so I got off the train immediately in the next station”, she told me. Truly, Japan is famous of having so many cases of sexual harassment in trains so “Ladies Only Compartment” can prevent women from Chikan.

Another example of difference of treatment for men and women is the case of “Capsule Hotels”. “Capsule Hotels”, as its name said, are hotels that providing capsules for customers to sleep. However, most of such kind of hotels only accepted men. “Is this sexual discrimination?” I asked the bell boy when I stayed one capsule hotel in Okayama during the winter break. “No. It is because the capsules we provide to customers have no lock and closed-circus television inside, it may be dangerous for women as someone can get into their capsules and do something bad to women, then we will be in big trouble”, the bell boy said. That is the reason why most of the “Capsule Hotels” accept only male customers.Besides these two facts, there are still many examples showing the difference between men and women in terms of treatment, like Ladies’ Day in cinemas and night clubs. The sexual difference in Japan may be more than what you thought.

Service Hours of "Lady Only Compartment"

Instruction "Lady Only Compartment"

Capsules without any locks in a “Capsule Hotel”

It has only one cloth to cover your capsule