Greater Tokyo Area

People like to believe they have control over their own decisions; however, all decisions and all actions are taken under a system of laws and moral and cultural codes ingrain into everyone since childhood. In Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s The Social Contract, he notes that state of nature is where everyone is free and at peace, but as population grows and people’s needs changes, humans starts to group themselves together, loosing that freedom. Socially, one must lose their individual freedom for…

The Elephant Vanishes can be seen as a manifestation of modernization and homogenization of Japanese culture through the influence of westernization. Murakami is particularly interested in the way that the characters react towards the changing society. Throughout the collection, he writes about the consequence of westernization by exploring the seriousness of Japan as a vanishing culture. This idea is most profound in the beginning and the end story of the collection The Wind-up Bird and…

He recognizes that it is entirely expected within the traditional values to want to serve his father without question, yet realizes that “[he] had a greater admiration for Sensei with his secret contempt for such things as university degrees, than [he] had for [his] father,” (63). As he does so, he notes that “No word of apology would have expressed how [he] felt,” (64) and ‘hung [his] head in deep shame…

1. The Tokugawa period is that from 1600-1868 while the Meiji period is from 1868-1912. During the Tokugawa period, there were various levels of class including Samurai, Farmer, Artisans, Merchants, and outcasts (aka hinin or burakumin). The Samurai and burakumin were especially important matters during that time as Samurai’s served as retainers for Daimyos and other government bodies within the domains of Japan. The Tokugawa period was a time of harsh punishment and fear. Much of the…

2013132324 Final Paper Soft Power is a tremendous way of attaining success in world politics if one can use it in an intelligent manner. Japan as an example used it in a very commendable and impressive way since then up to now making it one of the best ever used such approach in diplomacy. Supporting instances as well as the recently talked about Japan hosting on the 2020 Olympics shall be discussed. Japan’s changeover from being a negative imperialist state into a peace loving one…

The turnover from the Tokugawa period to the Meiji is historically seen as a Japan entering a new age of modernization and industrialization to reach western levels of civilization. Tokugawa as a traditional, old fashioned age while Meiji metaphorically as opening itself up to new ideas and western ways of thinking. The Meiji era was a time where Japan opened itself up to western influence. This romanticized way of viewing Meiji as a triumphant time of growing industry and capitalism is, however…

During the decades of Japanese colonial rule, Korean self image underwent significant changes. Due to the rapid modernization brought about by the Japanese takeover, Korean culture became significantly more nationalistic. Nationalism refers to the process of desiring a nation’s well-being and autonomy as though it were your personal interest. The Korean self-image of scholars and politicians during the time of colonial rule was one which desired power, autonomy, and held a fierce sense of…

Desiree listened as Razio explained where he was from and what he did for a living. She could only imagine what it was like to grow up in Japan. She had never traveled out of the united states before. But she had read a bit about the country, it had become one of the Many places she wanted to visit. The old temples, the gardens, the history, "I've read about Japan before, I've always wanted to visit. Well I've always wanted to visit a lot of places. I've always let my mind do the traveling with…

history of Japanese culture and its impact on society today. By observing the museum, people, businesses, and surrounding area, I argue that this location signifies Japanese Americans, which gives people a better understanding and appreciation for their ethnic and diverse culture. Upon observing, reading, and research I will use this to support my argument. Visiting Little Tokyo for the first time was a pleasant experience, due to the fact that it was a place that I never been before and also…

After Meiji Restoration, Japan had almost completed its modernization stage. During its modernism period, the flourish of mass media brought various doctrines and ideologies into Japanese people minds namely Capitalism, Marxism, and Militarism. Compared with the literature written in Meiji Restoration era, the ideology of Success Advancement now was not main focusing point as before. In my opinion, the reason is that after Meiji Restoration, Japanese people gained the confidence on their rapid…