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I had the ultimate cultural experience on Friday night. Some AETs were invited to meet with the Ota Chamber of Commerce. Why? I am still not sure. Anyway, we met and ate finger sandwiches for about 45 minutes, then we were ushered to a big room to meet the Chamber of Commerce members. We played introduction Bingo to meet people, then everyone divided into groups. One or 2 AETs per group, a Friday Club lady for interpreting, and about 4 chamber members. We were to discuss life in Japan as a foreigner, problems, great experiences, bad experiences, etc. My group asked me about Japanese vs American children, going to the doctor, what I did on the weekends, how Japanese people were different from Americans, what I thought were strange Japanese customs, etc. So I told them that Americans tend to be friendlier with their friends, via hugs and more physical contact. One man thought that we always kissed each other for a greeting (movie influence), but I said that was more common among relatives. I was asked about the Pledge of Allegiance. I said that I said it every day at middle school, but never in high school. I said that some schools have students say it and some don't. That some students, parents, schools, disagree with the use of, "one nation under God," and some people just don't like the country enough to pledge allegiance. So this lead to a discussion about the Japanese flag and "national anthem." These are very controversial. Apparently, the constitution does not state that these are national symbols. The anthem is very old and is about the emperor and asks that he reign for many years. The emperor used to be considered a descendent of the sun god, Amaterasu, therefore, he too is a deity of sorts. But after the end of W.W.II, the treaty Japan signed with America called for the emperor to lose his status as a deity. (correct me if this info is wrong) So he is now considered to be just a man. I am not sure why the flag is so controversial. This happened to be a timely topic, because a principal of a high school hanged himself yesterday. He left no suicide note, but his colleagues believe he might have done it because of a heated debate he was having about the graduation ceremony. The government had sent letters to all school informing them that the Japanese flag must be hung, and the "national anthem" must be sung at graduation. Well, the principal and the school board were opposed to this because the song and flag are not technically national symbols of Japan, therefore they should not be present at the graduation ceremony. so, some of the principal's colleagues believe he killed himself because of this issue. Anyway... The Chamber of Commerce men and I also talked about strange Japanese customs. I brought up the Setsubun Festival, which a bean throwing festival. It was on February 3rd. We had beans for lunch, plus we were given a package of dried and salted beans we were to eat. I guess eating the number of beans you are old will bring you good luck. Many people went to the temple to watch a bean-throwing ceremony. You were also to bring beans home and throw them. This will cast out all the evil spirits in your home. Well, the Japanese got me back by asking about Halloween and Easter. So, to end the meeting, the AETs and Friday club ladies were given really nice pens. Then we gathered in groups and went to "Will Beer House" for our fist enkai of the night. I must add a comment about the men in Japan. Before the meeting began, nearly every CC member was in the hallway smoking. After the meeting was over, the men ran to the ashtrays in the hallway to have a quick smoke before driving to the beer house. The scene reminded me so much of high school. How all the smokers would run to "Marlboro Hill" between classes for a quick fix. Quite sad, I think. When we got to the beer hall, the AETs were divided evenly among the 3 tables. I was lucky enough to sit at a table with a few non-smokers, and who spoke English pretty well. We ate salad and garlic bread, drank beer, pop/ soda, and oolong tea, and talked about nothing in particular. We were there exactly one hour, and then were invited to the SECOND PARTY, which is when the fun really began! The CC evening was officially over at this time, but the 1st party is never the only party, as was the case this evening. None of the Friday Club ladies came along, and of the AETs, only Angie, Paul, Peter, and I went. The CC men said they would take us to an "international club" for disco and karaoke. Well, I was so excited I could hardly contain myself! "International Club" is just a fancy was to say HOSTESS BAR. I have heard so much about these clubs, and knew that foreigners, and especially women were not allowed (some places even have signs that say, "sorry, no foreigners allowed."), so I had to take the opportunity. Valerie Straayer |