Historical Japanese real lives in a castle town: Ko-riyama Nara

The last post of this blog is about the ethnographical issues in a castle town in Japan.
The first image is a brief map of Ko-riyama castle town. There are several blocks named their industries. (車町 is car area/ 豆腐町　is tohu area). In the past, this area is flowrished for those commercial activities.





the picture 2 and 3 are the vacant lot where the castle used to be







From here is what I had already known about Japanese lives in a castle town of Ko-reyama.
However, one of the visual blog about Japanese red-light destrict changed my images and knowledge about historical Japanese ethnographical issues.






Before the arrival of Christians, Japan had the culture of prostitution. Many people (mainly upper class such as a lord, priest and the rich) went to red-light area and enjoyed their night spending with women called “Geisya”. However, after the European culture came into Japan, those activities which were against Christianity were forbidden. Moreover, after the Second World War, GHQ banned and rejected those cultures.

However, some of the places still maintain those culture by changing their commercial styles into the way which do not offend legal issues.

Those places run as Japanese style hotel or small restaurant, and they have prostitutes in front of the entrance. Typically the customer and the prostitutes go into the room in second floor, and they enjoy the time. The owners are supposed to be ignorance of their activities, because if they interfere those activities, it is against the law.

This is the process of Japanese Geisya playing today.
Note: I took the ko-reyama district because it is already out of vague.
If you take pictures in active district, it must be dangerous for any people.

Here is brief summary of Ko-reyama red-light district.

There are two places of red-light district, Tousenji area and Okamati area.
The last picture is taken in Tousenji area. At the 1989, Nara police and Osaka police attacks those area (at that time, some of the crime groups force the Philippine women work as prostitutes ) and now there are only buildings.

If you have interest in those historical ethnographic places, I recommend you to visit Tousenji area. (I do not recommend you to take pictures in Okamati area, because there is a gangster’s office)


here is some links about Japanese red-light areas
http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~masayuki/akasenatosanpo.html
http://nakkacho.ninja-web.net/16hashimoto/hashi_01.htm (There were red-light area around Hirakata Park)

The Three Types of Retailers in Japanese Social Life

Today's topic is about Japanese supermarket. This theme is what I really want to indroduce for the people who are going to live in Japan.

The locations captured in this topic is all in Gakuen-Mae area in Nara city, where is famous as residence area for middle-upper class people.



The first picture is local supermarket "Hussle."
Generally, such local supermarkets provide the products in a low price because of their local distribution systems. The inside of local supermarkets tends to looks messy, and workers do not put importance on displaying issues. Therefore, those supermarkets do not need to spend money on human resources and provice products relatively cheap.
Those types of retailers satisfy the customers not by services(including display) but by their low price strategy.






The second image is obviously the convenience store "LAWSON"
Generally, the convenience stores do not deal with raw materials but they provide ready-made products. As the name itself is "convenience", those kinds of stores deal with what the customer can use immediately. Even though the convenience stores are making effort on low cost strategy by using their strong buying power, they are supposed to open throughout the day and hire workers. Because of those costs, the price is settled relatively high.
Moreover, each convenience store has POS system(Point of Sale) in order to collect customers' information. Therefore, they always try to adjust the customer's interest into their business, and it is what their business mission.



















The last two pictures are integrated supermarket "Kinsyo" Those types of stores are the integration of many kinds of shops. Typically, they have food floor in their underground floor. Their services are very neat so that they can keep their high qualitified brand images. Because of their services, the cost is burdened and they provide their commodities relatively high.


Conclusion: the residence area "Gakuen-Mae" has many generation people from the young to the elder. Each retailers sets their marketing targets, and differenciate their strategies according to those targets customers.
Like this, Japanese retailers define their business missions, so that people living in Japan have rich choices when they consume depending on their current status.


For the foreign students in Hirakata city (I'm not sure they check this blog...), there are also these three types of retailers.
lokal supermarket- Top World
convenience store- Anywhere
integrated supermarket- Kehan Hyakkaten

extra link about JPN marketing
http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/The_new_Japanese_consumer_2548

National Treasure of Japan: Chokyuji

Today’s topic is about one of the national treasure in Japan, Chokyuji.
Chokyuji exists in Nara city, Tomio area. I think many foreigners tend to visit Toudaiji, which is in the center of Nara city. In this topic, I would like to try to say that there are some precious places where are not so famous for people, even for native Japanese.







Last week, I visited the grave of my grandmother as what I do regularly. I noticed that the temple “Chokyuji” which I saw every time is one of the national treasures in Japan. That is…the grave of my grandmother is in the area of Chokyuji. According to my mother, my grandmother used to work at Chokyuji. (not as priest) From that relationship, the grave is in the area.









Here is a brief summary of Chokyuji.
The belief is “Shingonrissyu”
There are several histories of its foundation, so that I picked up one of them.
According to its homepage, Tenmu Tennou ordered to found it concerning for the Mayumi Takeyumi’s death.

In the last picture, you can see the water and cups. When people visit and enter the area of temple, they should wash their hands. This traditional initiation is often said as "Okiyome". Please be careful, there are no information around that water, so that I saw some foreign visitors drink that water few years ago. Don't do it if you visit those kinds of places.
You should use cups around there and take water from pouring instrument (in this picture, it is the typical Japanese tool made by wood). Then, you wash your hands and enjoy the Japanese temple.



Chokyuji official homepage
http://www1.kcn.ne.jp/~yakusiin/index.html

Minority in Japan, Osaka Korean people

Today’s topic is about a minority group in Japan, especially Korean town in Osaka. Osaka has one of the biggest Korean towns in Ikuno area, Turuhashi. Historically, Korean people are discriminated against by Japanese. This bias affects to the issues of marriage and recruiting, so that many Korean people suffered from their jobs and money. After the world war 2, Turuhashi area was called Yamiiti, which was a place for illegal market. At that time in that area, you could buy anything, even handguns. Many Koreans who were typically poor gathered that area and did their jobs. Some Korean people seeking the jobs did anything even illegal thing. That’s why some old Japanese who experienced that time still have negative image to Korean people. Actually, it is said that 70% of Japanese mafia member is Korean people whose family are historically discriminated against. This is because they have difficulties with recruiting.




I introduced the backgrounds of Turuhashi area. Now I refer to current state of Turuhashi and new trend of those community. Firstly, Korean people are now living in Imazato area which is next to Turuhashi area. Because the Turuhashi station is very convenient for people to move throughout Osaka, that area has become expensive to live in. Therefore, most Korean people moved to Imazato area where is easily to live. If you get off the Imazato station of Kintetu line and walk 5 minutes toward any directions, you will see the Korean signboards and hear Korean words rather than Japanese. They live in there, and go to Turuhashi to work. There are many Yakiniku restaurants and Korean restaurants. I used to work at one of them in Turuhashi. Of course the owner is Korean Japanese.
If you want to experience this aspect of Japan, I really suggest you to visit Turuhashi.

pic1 claims "Don't write anything about discrimination"
pic2 is Korean shops which mainly deal with KIMCHI
pic3 is Yakiniku reataurants road in front of the station


link... an organization of Turuhashi market.
http://www.tsurushin.com/

Two different visual anthropologist, Leibovitz and Natchwey

Today’s topic is about the comparison of two famous photographers, Annie Leibovitz and James Natchwey. After the description of them, I write the ideas about visual anthropology from that comparison.

Annie Leibovitz is one of the famous portrait photographers in the United States. Her father works for the American army, so that she often experienced looking at world through the pane of car which she was in during moving out. She explains herself that such experiences affects her to be comfortable the life looking through the lends. One of the styles she takes is to become a part of objects. She willingly takes part in the objects’ lives and naturally takes their photos. Sometimes, she requires the objects to formalize their postures. In this sense, she is allowed to create her ideal images when she takes pictures.




On the other hand, James Natchwey is one of the famous war photographers in the world. He sometimes holds the exhibition of his photographs and those events are widely accepted in worldwide. He began his career as a war photographer in order to tell the real situations of war. Actually, he said that he had felt guilty at first. However, he strongly accepts it as his mission in the world, with careful respects on his objects. According to the nature of his workplaces, he is never allowed to get a chance to require some postures. He just follows the nature of war, and takes photos in order to indicate the reality.

Comparing to those two different types of photographers, I think Natchwey is more like the anthropologist in the point of his nature of photos. However, it can be said that Leibovitz also practices visual anthropology when she takes part in the objects’ lives.

In conclusion, even though they are different types of photographers, their purposes are exactly the same in the point of communicating some particular states by using photos, and this is what visual anthropology. I realized the necessity to become some parts of objects from Leibovitz and the special attention toward objects from Natchwey. As a learner of visual anthropology, I should keep in mind that critical point and try to communicate the cultural matters around me through my camera in my blog.

Here is some links I referred and cited the images

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/annie-leibovitz/life-through-a-lens/16/
http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/
http://www.ted.com/pages/view/id/165
http://www.thedigitaltrekker.com/2009/12/james-nachtwey-opportunist-or-opportunity/

My Grand Mother

This is the portrait of my grand mother, Satoko. She was born in Tokyo during the Second World War, and she lost her older sister by that war. She got married and moved to Nara prefecture when she was 30. Her characteristic is typical Japanese, so that I am often accused by her. Now she is around 80 years old, so that she spends her time relatively relaxed mood. She enjoys reading books, watching the movie, traveling around and listening classical music. The second picture of her portrait is about her dairy time which is reading with listening to classical music. She was used to live alone in a large house in Nara, but my father and I moved to her house 2 years ago, so that now she lives with my father and me. There are completely three generations, so that sometime we have dispute against each other. However, the most of the case is good term with us.





I have learned Japanese sense from spending time with her. As it is often said, Japanese people tend to avoid direct communication. I know we should assert directly in some time, but I realized that avoiding such communication leads to be afforded to do something. My grandmother seldom to be panic about what to do, because she has mind space every time. She always avoids direct communication in order to give herself the objective perspective. It is very useful when the one falls to the troublesome situations. This is one of the disciplines by my grandmother.

My Neighborhood, Gakuenmae, Nara city

This is a Japanese traditional grocery store, called “Dagashiya”. It is mostly run by an old woman. In that shop, we can buy some snacks, drinks and cigarettes. The price of one snack is around 10 yen ~ 60 yen, so that the main customers of it are kids who go to elementary school. Actually, I went to Dagashiya when I was about 10. Now I go there to buy cigarettes. The reason why it deals with both snacks and cigarette is that it used to sell only cigarette. However, only selling cigarette is tired for the old women, so that they begin to sell snacks in order to enjoy the communications with kids.









This is the coffee shop where I often go to. I like the taste of coffee, master’s talk and the piano. Most of the cases, there are no customers, so that I can enjoy the coffee and playing the piano. The master also deals with organic vegetables, and it is rare in this area. He is also famous as a poet. For both of reasons, he is sometime picked up by TV.
The master wears the black shirt, and other guy is one of his friends who does fortune as his temporary job.
If you have interest in his poetry, please check his blog.

My neighborhood, Gakuenmae, is a place known as elder people's place.
There are many old people who are generally rich. Most of them have large houses and spend money on many things.
Gakuenmae is also known as the residential area where the president of Kintetu Densya living in.

He put his conmany's devote into Gakuenmae, so that Gakuenmae is flourished now.



This is master’s blog.
http://yaoyaro.exblog.jp/