Religion in Japan

Beside technology, religion probably constitutes the second most popular interest among foreign visitors and scholars. Religious events in Japan draw tourist attention each year. Many visitors like to observe authentic religious events. Most first time visitors make visiting spiritual sites a must on their list of places to see. Indeed the sacred Sensoji Temple in Asakusa was one of the most visited spiritual tourist attractions in Tokyo. Many Japanese and foreign visitors flocked around the front gate to catch a glimpse of the Golden Dragon Dance Festival that took place on March 18^th this year. Many first time visitors were surprised to find themselves in the middle of the chaos.

The dance is organized by local men and women every year. It is based on the legend that 1000 pine trees sprang up overnight near the temple on the 18^th day. Three days later a dragon, about 100 shaku (30 m), descended into the pines and was never seen again. The Golden Dragon Dance, which is based on this legend, has come to be linked to the unveiling of the temple’s sacred image for public viewing. People who volunteered for the Dance have engaged in the symbolic act of purification during the preparation process, thus linking myth and religion.

Click here for more information regarding the Golden Dragon Dance in Asakusa.

Globalization- The Japanese Version

(Japanese man in St. Patrick's Day Parade, 2007. Image from www.daylife.com)

Nothing says globalization more than a St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Japan. The Irish Network Japan (INJ) organizes a St. Patrick’s Day Parade on the street of Omote Sando, Harajuku, a part of Tokyo, Japan every year. The parade was first organized by the organization in 1992 with the support of the former Irish ambassador to Japan, Mr. James Sharkey. Since then, the organization has continued the tradition each year to bring to the Irish community in Japan a meaningful and fun St. Patrick’s Day. This year was no exception. The 2009 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Japan did not miss the mark compared to parades organized by larger Irish communities elsewhere, most probably in the West. There were giant floats, Irish music, men wearing kilts, Irish flags, things adorned with images of shamrocks. Anything that could be associated with St. Patrick’s Day were there and more.

However, it was quickly noted that this was no typical Irish parade that one finds in the West. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade this year in Tokyo had a blended flavor of Irish and Japanese culture, more specifically Japanese kawaii pop culture. Everything looked very “authentic” from the outset; there were men in kilts playing the bagpipes, big green floats with shamrocks plastered all over, Irish flags that lined both sides of the street. But a closer look and suddenly you realize that beside the group of 50 Westerners (who may or may not be Irish descents) walking ahead, the rest of the parade consisted of Japanese followers. Of course it was also a bit unusual to find half of the bagpipe players to be Japanese. Given the friendly relations that both Japan and Ireland have cultivated, one may not be so surprised to learn that many Japanese people have come to welcome and embrace Irish culture and traditions. Yet, it is interesting to note the way Japanese people have learned to merge their own culture with Irish traditions.



It is probably not too hasty to assume that Japanese people have injected their own kawaii (cute) concept into the theme of the parade this year, as they may have in previous years. The most visible trace of course was the giant dogs that were dressed in cute dogs’ outfits. Of course, not to miss the theme, the Japanese St. Patty’s Day Parade dressed all of their dogs in green from head to tail. They even played with the styles of the outfits. There were dogs that wore capes and hats, while others that were dressed in shimmery outfits.



One dog, dressed in a dog’s kimono outfit, stood out in particular. It is interesting to note the sort of local ideas that Japanese people take to mesh up with foreign practices to create something totally different but totally fitting to their taste. Here is one example of how Japanese people glocalize a foreign form of celebration to fit something of which they can be direct participants. From globalization to glocalization, that’s how Japan does it. Find anything global and fit it into its local taste. And this is the Japanese version of globalization.

Information about the history of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Tokyo has been obtained from the INJ’s website: http://www.inj.or.jp/stpatrick_e.html.

Photographing Japan

"...a photo is something that you develop and print yourself, in the dark, and that remains in the dark until you decide to show it."

This week's post focuses on one of Japan's very own professional photographers, Hiroshi Hamaya (1915-1999). Hamaya, a native of Tokyo, began his career focusing on photographing daily life in Japan. At the age of 15, Hamaya taught himself how to take pictures with a focus on ordinary people and their everyday lives. As Hamaya moved on to become a freelance photographer working with Oriental Photographic Industries and later for other employers, he experimented with different themes and subjects in his photographs. Some of the themes that Hamaya experimented with were ancient rituals and farming practices. Hamaya became the first Asian photographer of Magnum Photos, a photographic cooperative owned by its own photographer-members. He gained recognition after World War II for his work during the war. Among his numerous accomplishments, Hamaya was also awarded the Hasselblad Foundation Award (1988) by the Queen of Sweden and the Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society (1997).

(Hiroshi Hamaya. Geishas, Ginza, Tokyo, 1937. Borrowed from Artnet, http://www.artnet.com/artwork/425907579/376/hiroshi-hamaya-geishas-ginza-tokyo.html.)

For his work throughout his career, Hamaya experimented with different types of subjects. He concentrated on capturing ordinary people on film during the early stage of his career, choosing to focus on people and their interaction with the environment surrounding them. Hamaya later traveled to other regions of the world, specifically Manchuria and other parts of mainland China, to capture images of war. For this post we will focus on his work in Japan. For a part of his career, Hamaya chose to dedicate his work to presenting the daily lives of ordinary Japanese people in photographs. Even before this, Hamaya had focused on photographing the people of the city that he grew up in, Tokyo. Many of his early photographs consisted on images of geishas, cafes, and street life in the vibrant city. It seems that he balanced his work in presenting two social extremes, one of the vibrant and upbeat city that he was part of and the other of the quiet sleepy towns in rural Japan. His work covered different lifestyles and aspects of Japan, but was not diverse enough to encompass the different aspects of Japanesse culture . His narrow focus, although fell short in presenting various aspects of Japanese culture, did present accurate pieces of information of a specific event existing in a certain time at a certain place in Japan. His work in the city presented a description of the traditional practice of geisha that has continued to exist in the present world. His photographs are not an exaggeration of everyday lives, but a true snapshot of what is happening in everyday Japan. Overall, Hamaya's work come as close as you can possibly get to presenting an accurate description of Japanese culture. By providing images of the two ends of the social spectrum in Japanese society, Hamaya leaves the audience wondering about the in-between groups of people, whose images are not captured by the photographer.



(Hiroshi Hamaya. Toyama woman planting rice, 1955. Borrowed from Steven Kasher Gallery http://www.stevenkasher.com/html/artistresults.asp?artist=197)

Considering the photographer's choice of subjects and themes, I believe Hamaya had attempted to capture images of his subjects interacting with their environment in their natural form. Simple pictures, such as a still image of two geishas walking on the street staring at the camera or a cutoff snapshot of a woman whose pants are covered with mud, don't focus much on who the subject in the picture is as individual, but rather these images provide context as to the cultural interaction or lifestyle that's common of a people of a region. I believe that Hamaya's photographs seek to convey to the viewer a sweeping view of a culture that isn't entirely depicted in every captured images of the photographer's.

"A photographer's role is to show what words and other forms of expression can't convey."


Other works include:
Yukiguni (Snow Country, 1956)
Ura Nihon (Japan's Back Coast, 1957)


All information and images were found at the following websites:
Michael Hoppen Gallery
Frank Horvat Photography
PhotoGuide Japan
Studio Equis
Lens Culture- Photography and Shared Territories (blog)

To view photos by Hamaya and other members of the cooperative go to Magnum Photos.