DC and culture

[kaitoushinichi]

Spoiler:

Japanese people have actually invented custom made slippers that have a special size, for when you've already worn your shoes and you realize that you forgot something... One of the many crazy/ridiculous/completely-useless-but-makes-sense inventions of Japan... (I can say it cuz I am Japanese!! Go JAPAN!)

speaking of crazy japanese inventions that have little purpose, I feel the need to post this.

Spoiler:

Haha! Epic! There was one once, where it's this little tripod thingy with a chinrest on it... (It's supposedly useful for when your standing up in a train and you feel tired...)

[Abs.]

speaking of crazy japanese inventions that have little purpose, I feel the need to post this.

Spoiler:

First you'd have to stand up without using your hands (while being mauled by the bear), then you'd have to hope you don't trip over anything (like yourself) because otherwise you'd have to do it all over again.  I suppose it's a step up from trying to unzip yourself while being mauled by the bear....

No, it's just the concept of removing your shoes before reaching someone that needs help, I really can't understand it. You would think hearing someone is in danger inside a house would make you forget everything except seeing what is the problem but as kaitoushinichi said, it is just something that is deeply programed into a person.

It's similar to how, if you were in the shower when hearing a I'm-being-stabbed-to-death-scream, you'd probably at least marginally dry off and cover yourself with the towel before rushing to the scene...

[TheBlind]

It's similar to how, if you were in the shower when hearing a I'm-being-stabbed-to-death-scream, you'd probably at least marginally dry off and cover yourself with the towel before rushing to the scene...

It depends. If it's inside your own house, it would be strange if you just didn't grab a towel and jump out to see what is happening. It would be a reflex, unless you hold drying yourself off after every shower which such high importance, .

[ranger]

Like many people, I had a certain picture around Japan. I do not know how funny this might be to you, but anime is one of my resources  . However, The ones I saw, did not contain many cultural effects in a COMPREHENSIVE way.
DC has put a wider, clearer image for me about Japan and the people there, like taking shoes off, even at school and wearing slippers instead or calling people in their family names, including children, in addition to festivals, food and many other habits or behaviours.

I have two questions so far:

1- Taking shoes off. It does exist in many cultures, but I like to know the origin(the reason)  why people do it this strictly, to an extent that whenever Conan is rushing to a crime scene, he does not forget to throw his shoes while he is in hurry. Moreover, shoes and slippers, has drawn his attention in many cases in crime scenes.

As far as I know, this tradition is most "intense/strict" in Japan.  Since i am part Chinese, I too have met family members/friends that take off their shoes when going into someone's house.  Of course, we don't take it too seriously; being born in America I wear shoes inside pretty often.  However, I guess due to exposure of taking off shoes, I am most comfortable barefoot at home.  Taking off shoes when entering, however, is a sign of respect in most Asian cultures/societies.  As you can tell, there isn't really any other culture  that can compare to Japan and it's code of Honor, so taking off shoes = really strict.

2-How accurate did Gosho represent Japan and Japanese people in his work. Before, I thought that Japanese are geeks, serious, lack a good humour...(please do not be insulted) but DC has given me a different picture.

Even though you tell me not to be insulted, and that I am not Japanese, that is probably the stupidest assumption I have ever heard.  I guess I can say I thought all black people were really good at basketball and have afros... Why the hell would you think that the Japanese race consists of all geeks?!  Perhaps you were raised in a place that had no diversity at all???

[kholoudsafir]

@ c-square
Thank you so much for your detailed answer, it might still does not make sense to some of you, but I can understand, I came from a background where culture and religion is important. Since then, it means that Conan does it automatically, also, because it is a matter of honour, he does not want to dishonour the person in need dead or alive.

I am delighted to know that DC has an accurate picture of Japan.

Unfortunately, it is too late for me, my husband could find a job there to teach at British schools, but the fact that we have children, it makes it less desirable for people to bring him. On the other hand, my kids has reached a sensitive age, where they are more aware of their surrounding, it will be too confusing for them. going there for a holiday mainly is still a dream for me, which I might do it the future 

Even though you tell me not to be insulted, and that I am not Japanese, that is probably the stupidest assumption I have ever heard.  I guess I can say I thought all black people were really good at basketball and have afros... Why the hell would you think that the Japanese race consists of all geeks?!  Perhaps you were raised in a place that had no diversity at all???

Well excuse me if I was not born in America like you and yes, where I came from the diversity in the community was only from neighbouring countries, who share most of the traditions, so it was not a diverse community like USA or the UK.

I came from a developing country where internet started when I was 19, we only had it @ uni, then used it for study perpouses only, then made an email after around a year, by the time I finished uni. I learnt more....ect  and sorry we did not have many documentaries and programmes about Japan.

blame the TV, all what they show us about Japan, how they have survived and became a successful country after the 2nd world war, accurate, practical people and they eat healthy food.....may be I have missed seeing some different programme, but that what most of the programmes show.



 

[CoolKid3]

I don't wanna think that the Japanese peeps are suicidal and full of murderous intent just because that's what is shown in DC... Seriously I can't imagine a DC case using the life of a normal Filipino citizen... We're kinda martyr in some ways (most of the time forgive but definitely not forget) so the petty motives for killing someone are definitely out... But there are some cases wherein the root of the crime is serious enough... However, this is just a generalization...

About the culture, I think the food area is definitely covered well by DC...

[c-square]

@ c-square
Thank you so much for your detailed answer

No problem.  Thanks for giving me a chance to share my experiences and happy memories. 

Unfortunately, it is too late for me, my husband could find a job there to teach at British schools, but the fact that we have children, it makes it less desirable for people to bring him. On the other hand, my kids has reached a sensitive age, where they are more aware of their surrounding, it will be too confusing for them. going there for a holiday mainly is still a dream for me, which I might do it the future 

Well, I hope you make it there on holiday sometime then, and that you can bring your kids too!  IMHO, the more children can experience of different cultures in their lives, the more they'll understand how wonderful and diverse this world of ours really is.

[kholoudsafir]

@ c-square
thanks again for your sincere wishes 

Another tradition: weddings.

whenever there is a wedding ceremony in DC it is showed in the western way, white dress, church, throwing flowers...and Conan has pictured Ran in a western style wedding dress, when he was jealous from Araede.
In the same time, Conan and Ran were shown doing religious rituals in many occasions, like praying to Buddha.

I understand that in some countries they do not do traditional weddings any more, like in my country, the reception party is done almost in a western style, similarities are mainly in the white dress and cutting the cake, but Christian people will go church as well.

On the other hand, Asian countries, such as, Pakistan and India are still doing their weddings in the cultural way, even the ones who live in western countries.

So:
Are traditional weddings are still held in Japan? If so, has Gosho failed to show us one in DC? why do you think that?

[scineram]

WTF is the point of bringing dirt inside? Taking down shoes is the most basic etiquette. It is very rare that someone invites you to leave them on. I would definetly not let you in shoes on.

Where I grew up lacked diversity too. The only visible minorities were the gypsies. Additionally there were a lot of croats, serbs, bosnians in the early nineties fleeing their hyping wars. That is all.

[kholoudsafir]

WTF is the point of bringing dirt inside? Taking down shoes is the most basic etiquette. It is very rare that someone invites you to leave them on. I would definetly not let you in shoes on.

Where I grew up lacked diversity too. The only visible minorities were the gypsies. Additionally there were a lot of croats, serbs, bosnians in the early nineties fleeing their hyping wars. That is all.

Yah I know, we take shoes off too, but my question was about why it was done in an extreme way, I do not know if you read the first page, but others has noticed that too.

[Kor]

Regarding shoes. Well, I grew up in two countries, but I'll only talk about the one I'm fully aware of the tradition of a non-religious house (I don't have any religious friends). In Israel...there is no "tradition" regarding the shoes. If I think about it, the opposite of Japan's culture seem correct (to me at least). If one took his shoes inside my house, I'll feel like he has gotten comfortable...too comfortable, especially if he is only visiting for a few hours (I refer to teenagers/adults here). It goes in both directions though. The guest wouldn't normally take off his shoes because he wouldn't want me (for example) to think that he is feeling comfortable enough to do that. He doesn't need to ask for permission to take the shoes off, but to me it would seem disrespectful. Now, regarding dirt, we walk with our shoes in EVERYWHERE - school, work, etc. It's the same dirt so it's no big deal, especially here when there is barely any rain, there is no mud and if there is, we just stomp a bit on a small carpet which is meant to take the mud off the shoes.

Regarding diversity - Israel IS a diversity for itself. Lots of different jews from many nations. (and of course there are some christians and not to forget arab israelis). So even though I lived in the center, I was affected by diversity.

[Jing]

1- Taking shoes off. It does exist in many cultures, but I like to know the origin(the reason)  why people do it this strictly, to an extent that whenever Conan is rushing to a crime scene, he does not forget to throw his shoes while he is in hurry.

I've always wondered this as well. And I do mean always. I understand tradition and everything, but guys... There could be someone bleeding out in the next room! Hell, the culprit could be making a run for it at that very moment.

I'm just saying... Let's assess whether the body's gone cold before we start stacking our shoes next to the door, that's all.

Gosho is trying to teach the japanese youngsters something. Even if your life (or somebody else's life) depends on it, YOU MUST FIRST TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES!
There should be a case about that. I don't mean that the solution is the shoes, but the actual crime is that someone didn't take off his shoes - it's such a serious crime, it might even be B.O. related 

Imagine if someone actually did bleed out while Conan was taking off his shoes. That'd be a nice moral dilemma for an episode or three.

[mangaluva]

I find the shoe thing kinda interesting, just because it's the opposite of here (Scotland). I mean, here, you normally take your shoes off coming into somebody's house, just because it's cleaner, but not all households have a demented house-cleaner and there are a lot of houses that never see a hoover and there's junk everywhere, so it's fine to wear your shoes inside and probably safer. Housework just isn't a priority for everyone, especially in council estates where most people have two or three jobs. In summer, though, if it's warm, if you live near grass or anything, you'll probably walk around barefoot, inside and outside. So it's kinda freefloating, but if it's somebody you barely know you just wait inside the door for a second. They'll either invite you to take your shoes off or tell you to come on in. Scotland is pretty culturally diverse, so it's always best to wait for instructions XD

Regarding the wedding thing, that's an interesting question. Because in Maison Ikkoku, Kyoko's first wedding is Western and her second is traditional; in Ranma 1/2 Akane's father forces her to try on a traditional kimono at first but she later goes for a western dress. These are slightly older manga than DC, but in DC they do seem to have exclusively western weddings. Is this just a shifting fashion?

[c-square]

Another tradition: weddings.

whenever there is a wedding ceremony in DC it is showed in the western way, white dress, church, throwing flowers...and Conan has pictured Ran in a western style wedding dress, when he was jealous from Araede.
In the same time, Conan and Ran were shown doing religious rituals in many occasions, like praying to Buddha.

I understand that in some countries they do not do traditional weddings any more, like in my country, the reception party is done almost in a western style, similarities are mainly in the white dress and cutting the cake, but Christian people will go church as well.

On the other hand, Asian countries, such as, Pakistan and India are still doing their weddings in the cultural way, even the ones who live in western countries.

So:
Are traditional weddings are still held in Japan? If so, has Gosho failed to show us one in DC? why do you think that?

In Japan, it's getting more and more popular to have western-style weddings, in the white dress and tuxedo, married in a church in front of a minister.  Yet traditional weddings still occur and sometimes couples have both a traditional and a western-style wedding.  

Spoiler:

Mitsuhiko imagining a western-style wedding

Spoiler:

Genta imagining a traditional Japanese wedding

Traditional Japanese weddings are small events held at Shinto shrines.  The bride and groom dress up in kimono and the brides wear an elaborate headpiece.  Usually only family attends the wedding ceremony, and I'm told that drinking sake by both participants and guests is part of the ritual.

Whereas weddings may be small in Japan, wedding receptions are the exact opposite.  When someone gets married, they are expected to invite not only family and friends, but co-workers, bosses, neighbors, co-workers and bosses of the parents, etc...  Many receptions can have 200 or more people attending, at a significant expense to the couple's family.  The flip side is that all wedding presents are supposed to be in cash, given in special envelopes.  The amount expected is not small, averaging at around 30,000 yen ($300 USD) for a good friend and going up or down from there.  The reception is a long event for the couple, with there being many speeches and having to go around and formally thank people for coming.  I think dinner is served (someone correct me on this if I'm wrong), but there's no dancing as there might be in a western reception.  After everyone has left, then the couple can let their hair down with their close friends, usually hanging out at an after-party where they can kick back and really enjoy themselves.

The mother of the host family I stayed with while in Japan was a professional wedding reception emcee, hired to formally introduce and manage the events at receptions.  I can remember hearing her practice at night, using the most polite form of Japanese (keigo);  "Now, Mr. Nakamura, the honored boss of the respectful groom, will come and present a speech to the honored couple", or something like that.  Most of the language were words that you'd never use outside such a formal situation because they're just too formal.

[c-square]

In Israel...there is no "tradition" regarding the shoes. If I think about it, the opposite of Japan's culture seem correct (to me at least). If one took his shoes inside my house, I'll feel like he has gotten comfortable...too comfortable, especially if he is only visiting for a few hours (I refer to teenagers/adults here). It goes in both directions though. The guest wouldn't normally take off his shoes because he wouldn't want me (for example) to think that he is feeling comfortable enough to do that.

Wow, that is neat.  It does sound like the exact opposite of the Japanese way.  It's really cool to hear about how things are different in other countries and cultures.

I find the shoe thing kinda interesting, just because it's the opposite of here (Scotland). I mean, here, you normally take your shoes off coming into somebody's house, just because it's cleaner, but not all households have a demented house-cleaner and there are a lot of houses that never see a hoover and there's junk everywhere, so it's fine to wear your shoes inside and probably safer. Housework just isn't a priority for everyone, especially in council estates where most people have two or three jobs. In summer, though, if it's warm, if you live near grass or anything, you'll probably walk around barefoot, inside and outside.

So it sounds like it depends very much on the situation.  It's really odd to think of anyone walking around barefoot anywhere in Japan.

Regarding the wedding thing, that's an interesting question. Because in Maison Ikkoku, Kyoko's first wedding is Western and her second is traditional; in Ranma 1/2 Akane's father forces her to try on a traditional kimono at first but she later goes for a western dress. These are slightly older manga than DC, but in DC they do seem to have exclusively western weddings. Is this just a shifting fashion?

That would be my guess.  Maison Ikkoku was made in the early to mid 80s, and Ranma was late 80s to mid 90s.  DC basically picked up chronologically where Ranma left off, so it'd be safe to say that the change was in accordance with the societal change over that time.  It would be interesting to do other comparisons between the three series to see how other aspects of Japanese life have changed over the years.