Westernization of Japanese Culture

Westernization of Japanese Culture Daniel Gonzalez Is Japan Losing its Heritage? The Japanese people, have always been recognized for their rich cultural history. With rising concerns regarding population problems and pollution that culture may not be around for much longer. It is no secret that Japan is considered the technological Mecca of the modern world. With the race toward artificial intelligence, can too much of a good thing be a bad thing? How does one thing relate to another? With all the technological breakthroughs seen from Japan in recent years, one can only imagine that these advancements would benefit a society as diverse as the Japanese. With incredible pioneering advancements in robotics and technology such as Honda’s ASIMO, and the Lexus LFA, research and scholars believe that it may be losing its rich cultural history. One can follow Japanese culture back centuries. Having been influenced by its natives as well as foreigners has developed into one of the most diverse cultures in the world. When one thinks of Japan and may think of high-speed magnetically levitated trains, fast cars and vending machines with Wi-Fi. However, much of Japan is still stuck using old technology such as fax machines and computers from the late 1990s. It is not uncommon to see people who traveled to Japan return claiming that most of the technological advancements made in Japan are often enjoyed in the Western world more than they are in Japan. Perhaps this is a s ign of a culture realizing that it is advancing and morphing far too quickly. When one hears the words â€Å"population problem† overpopulation immediately comes to mind. However, Japan has the opposite problem. In 2013, Japan had 238,632 more deaths than births. Japan’s population decreased by over 210,000 compared to the previous census. As it stands Japan has a population of 127.3 million people, but studies suggest that this population may shrink to as little as 86 million in the next 50 years. Court’s cause of death in Japan is cancer at nearly 30% followed by heart disease and 15% and pneumonia at 10%. Japan’s unwillingness to accept its own technology may be its downfall, as many of these diseases are considered preventable, and many times treatable by Western medicine, given that many of the advancements in Western medicine, are a direct result of the contributions Japan has made to medical imaging and diagnostic machines. Another predominant issue affecting the decline of Japanese population is suicide. In 2013, suicide was singled out as the leading cause of death for the age group 15 – 29. It was also determined that twice as many men as women died in that age group. With only 1,029,800 births in 2013, researchers determined that this has been the fewest amount of live births on record since World War II. There has yet to be an increase in births since 1973, called â€Å"the second baby boom of Japan.† The most obvious cause for this decline in population is the total fertility rate. In 1947, at the end of World War II, there were nearly 4.5 children for every woman in Japan. As of 2013, the last official statistic, there were only 1.5 live births per woman. In order to keep the population steady, there needs to be at least 2.0 live births per woman. The number must be higher, however Japan hopes to see an increase in the coming years, rather than a decrease. The marriage rate has also seen a decline. 661,000 marriages were recorded in 2013. Again, a record low since World War II. It is evident that women are hesitating time married at a younger age and are delaying the process. In 1993, the average marriage age was 26 years old. In 2013, the average was nearly 30. Women are delaying having their first child as well, as the average age for the first child is now close to 31, instead of the age of 27 it was approximately 2 decades ago. Ironically, it is young Westerners were more open and susceptible to accepting Japanese culture than the Japanese themselves. Many believe that this is actually because Japan is westernizing its own culture. In the 15th century, Japan passed a law forbidding the Japanese to leave the country and severely limiting the negotiations that it could have countries outside of Asia. This is largely been attributed to have been done out of fear of westernization. Western countries began having relations with Japan once more as a result of the invention of the steam engine and advances in transportation. Early attempts were made by King William the Second of Holland to establish negotiations by sending a letter to the show gun of Japan in 1844 advising him that keeping this ban in place would affect the economic and cultural advancement of the country due to the astounding increase in agricultural, technological, and industrial advancements. While the implications of this letter was deliberate d among Japan’s highest ranking officials they decided to take no action. And it was not until 1853, when President Millard Fillmore sent Commodore Matthew Perry as an arbitrator in an attempt to begin negotiations and commercial relations with Japan. This prompted Japan and the United States to sign the treaty titled the â€Å"Treaty of Friendship†. Nearly 2 decades after the treaty was signed Japan began implementing more westernized styles of education and was recognized by many as â€Å"the first and most striking example of westernization in the non-Western world.† It was not until 1872, however, that Japan passed a formal law titled the â€Å"Fundamental Law of Education† Which set forth the standards for the Japanese education system. During the interim twenty-year period, there was much trial and error regarding the types of educational systems and at times Japan seem motivated to revert to its original Eastern – based educational system. T his trial and error was exacerbated by attempting to mimic the educational systems of many different countries including Holland and Germany. The foundation of the educational system finally found a compromise with predominantly French influences. In 1890, the â€Å"Rescript on Education† politicized and organized the 1872, law by appointing teachers as servants of the state. A system titled the Mombusho, devised by Japanese Statesman Mori Arinori, widely considered to be the father of the modern Japanese educational system, was established to dictate which textbooks and standardized tests would be part of Japanese curriculum, very much like the French and American education system. The negotiations of Commodore Perry in 1853 sparked a change in Japan that paved the way for the changes it still sees today. In 1872, the same year the educational legislation was passed, a regulation ordered that the court nobles wear westernized clothing. Japanese commoners began to take after the rulers of the nation as they changed their hairstyles from the traditional topknot to shorter hairstyles. Dental hygiene in women increased as well. By the 1890’s, it was uncommon to see women with diseased teeth. The rich began wearing wool coats and accessorizing with umbrellas and pocket watches, a practice that was considered taboo before the arrival of Commodore Perry, as the educational system before then taught that Japanese men and women should not preoccupy themselves with matters is trite as the time. The transformation, however, was not yet complete. Japanese officials were said to wear their Western clothing to work and then change into their kimonos and traditional Ja panese clothing after they went home, again, showing that Japanese culture was still somewhat resilient and resistant to change and in the early years it may have been purely for a political purpose. Japanese construction is an area that saw major change in the late 19th and early 20th century. Tatami, a Japanese advancement replaced dirt and wood floors. Kerosene lighting replaced traditional rapeseed lighting with its promise of convenience and portability. Before then, most Japanese homes only knew the kitchen stove as the central source of lighting. Sanitation practices from the Western world were being implemented as well as a result of the new, portable lighting. Concrete buildings became increasingly common and architects from other countries were commissioned to design important buildings such as the Bank of Japan and the Tokyo central station. In contrast with the issue of modernity, the integration of Westernization and modernization has a long history in Japan. In the article WITHOUT MODERNITY: Japans Challenging Modernization, Dana Buntrock mentions that â€Å"leaders accepted that industrialization and Westernization were reciprocal and that both were necessary for development.In addition to actively promoting telegraph, lighthouse, and railroad construction, for example, the government also used Western buildings and institutions to advance its modernization program. Japan employed Western engineers to build the nations infrastructure and Western architects to design offices, banks, universities, and schools; these specialists were collectively referred to asoyatoi. In more isolated areas, where Western architects were not present, indigenous carpenters attempted to reproduce the finishes and spatial characteristics of Western architecture, particularly in the construction of government offices and primary schools† These advancements in construction technology began to make Tokyo look more like industrialized Western cities such as San Francisco. The prefabricated style of construction more recently implemented in the United States is also influenced modern Japanese construction. In industrial Japanese areas, it is not uncommon to see b uildings erected in less than a week. Buildings are constructed in a piecewise fashion at an off-site factory and then trucked in to the construction site and put together by construction workers. This alleviates the many problems that come along with construction sites such as traffic jams, lower speed limits, noise levels, and inconvenience to residents of the area, given that traditional building construction can take anywhere from two to ten years depending on the architectural complexity of the building. The largest and most long-lasting change that Western influences brought to Japan is a culture that strives to advance technologically. As Akira Goto says in his study, Technology and Industrial Development in Japan: Building Capabilities by Learning, Innovation and Public Policy, â€Å"Japan was the first major non-Western nation to take on board the Western technological and organizational advances of the century after the first industrial revolution. It subsequently proved fully able to exploit and contribute to the broad, sustained technological advances that began in the 20th century, as science became harnessed to technology.†

Speech on Sleep

According to the research of Dr. James B. Maas, 40% of Americans (100 million people) are moderately to severely sleep-deprived! High school and college students are among the most sleep deprived people in our population. 60% are sleepy during the day and 30% fall asleep in class at least once a week. The average person needs at least seven to nine hours of sleep every night but Many people do not get the sleep they need because their schedules don’t allow adequate time for it and they do not know the negative effects lack of sleep can have on their health and functioning. Today I’m going to inform you on the effects lack of sleep has on our body such as depression, premature skin aging, and Obesity. Shown in a 1997 study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, people who slept less than five hours a night for seven nights felt stressed, sad, and mentally exhausted. Over time, lack of sleep can contribute to the symptoms of depression because Depression results from serotonin imbalance, which regulates mood and sleep. Next I mentioned premature skin aging. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases more of the stress hormone called cortisol. In excess amounts, cortisol can break down skin collagen, the protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic, hence premature wrinkles occur with in the skin. Last but not least, weight gain. Lack of sleep increases hunger and appetite. According to a 2004 study by Phil Berman and colleagues, people who sleep less than six hours a day were almost 30 percent more likely to become obese than those who slept seven to nine hours. Not only does sleep loss appear to stimulate appetite, but it stimulates cravings for high-fat and high-carbohydrate foods. To conclude, sleep is a very important key factor to our daily performance. Lack of sleep leads to unwanted conditions like I mentioned depression, premature skin aging, and excessive obesity. Although we all have very busy schedules, there is no way that everyone in this room cant dedicate 7 to 9 hours out of the 24 hours there is in a day to sleep.

American Imperialism the United States (U.S.) - 1562 Words

American Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s the United States (U.S.) pursued an aggressive policy of expansionism extending its political and economic influence around the world. What is imperialism? Why this policy was adopted and how it was rationalized. The major events that took place and which countries of the world the U.S. became involved due to this policy. Finally, we will see, not everyone supported foreign affairs by the U.S. and in 1899 they founded the American Anti-Imperialist League. I will discuss their view of Imperialism and discuss the outcome of the foreign policy going into the twentieth century. Imperialism is the â€Å"acquisition of control over the†¦show more content†¦The thirst for new markets was one reason for the imperialistic era. We bought Alaska for 7.2 Million from the Russians, which provided us with oil, timber, and minerals. â€Å"Critics called Alaska â€Å"Seward’s Folly,† but he paid only about 2 cents an acre for a mineral-rich territory twice the size of Texas† (2008, p. 615). â€Å"The battle of the Pacific highlighted the need for naval bases and coaling stations. On July 7, McKinley signed a joint congressional resolution annexing Hawaii, as planters wanted for nearly a decade† (2008, p. 622). This lead to the annex of Hawaii, Pearl Harbor naval base being built and after the Spanish-American War we received Guam and Puerto Rico. During this period, we gained territories, resources and our military was expanding forces in areas of the world where we had not gone in force before. There were several major events that took place during this time that led up to this change. The main reason this policy was adopted was because the U.S. industrial economy was growing so fast that they were producing more goods than they could consume. This abundance of goods forced the U.S. to look for new markets to sell their goods. Another reason this was adopted was because the Americans were discontent with the way Spaniards were treating the Cubans. This led to the Spanish American War, which really opened the doors for American Imperialism. The U.S. forces defeated the Spanish forces which caused SpainShow MoreRelatedThe Imperalistic Monster644 Words   |  3 PagesThe roots of imperialism have emerged from the ground since the beginning of time. Imperialism is the expansion of a countrys power and influence through diplomacy and military force. Imperialist nations of the recent past used brute force to conquer and enforce their control over other parts of the world. For e xample, when one looks at Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. 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However, based on specific definitions of imperialism, U.S. leaders have been guilty of fighting multiple wars to build their empire, even if their explicit reasons for doing so suggest otherwise. Examples of these imperialistic trends include American actions during the First Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, and the annexationRead MoreAP Us History DBQ977 Words   |  4 PagesDBQ American expansionism in the late 19th century and early 20th century was, to a large extent, a continuation of past United States expansionism, while also departing with previous expansionism in some aspects. During the period of time between the late 19th century and early 20th century, America was going through significant changes. After a revolution in Cuba against the Spanish, as well as the Americans starting the Spanish-American War, the Americans received several territorial concessions

Stretching Is Not Warming Up - 862 Words

Stretching is not warming up! It is, however, a very nessecary part of warming up. Warming up is the process of warming up (i.e.,building your core body temperature). A proper warm-up should build your body temperature by one or two degrees Celsius (1.4 to 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and is divided into three phases: A. General warm-up (The general warm-up is divided into two parts): Joint rotations, the general warm-up should begin with joint-rotations, beginning either from your toes and working your way up, or from your fingers and workingyour way down. This facilitates joint motion by lubricating the entire joint with synovial fluid Aerobic activityyou should engage in at least five minutes of aerobic activity such as jogging, jumping rope, or any other activity that will cause a similar increase in your cardiovascular output (i.e., get your blood pumping). The purpose of this is to raise your core body temperature and gets your blood flowing. 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