Nippon

What? Not all Japanese love Americans? Get out!

Yeah, that's what I said too before I saw an Uyoku group having a demonstration in Harajuku shortly after I came here. My friends and I were walking along Omotesandou-dori when we heard chanting and a voice speaking through a bullhorn. We walked towards the noise and saw a procession of about thirty people walking down the street with a police escort. They had signs and many large Japanese flags.

Maggie was able to make out a few of their major points: they were saying that they don't like Western influence in Japan, especially in the media. They don't want foreigners in Japan or for Japanese people to act like and want to be like Westerners.

I felt really weird walking down the street opposite of them. I wondered, if they noticed me, would they glare at me? Are they angry that I'm here? How do they feel about students like me wanting to learn about Japanese language and culture?

It was the first time I had ever seen a political demonstation before; we don't get much of those in Texas ^^. I guess I was pretty intimidated at first, but I've seen them a couple of times since then. A few weeks ago, there were several people walking around Shibuya carrying Japanese flags and making accouncements over bullhorns. But it's so crowded and busy at the Crossing, I don't think they got much attention.

Yesterday, though, I had to go to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau and when I came out, there was a group of about fifteen Uyoku members with flags and bullhorns chanting at the building. Which is fine, in and of itself, except that they were standing right next to the busstop ^^;;;;; That made it a little awkward. I waited down the street from the stop until a bus showed up.

To clarify: Uyoku dantai are Japanese nationalist right-wing groups. It is estimated that there are over 1000 Uyoku dentai in Japan at the moment, and their political agendas vary, but they have a few points in common. They also tend to refer to Japan as "Nippon" instead of the usual "Nihon". For more information, check out this Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyoku_dantai

I would like to meet someone in one of these groups and ask them how they feel about exchange students like me. I think I can understand why they don't want lots of Western intervention in their society, why they may be afraid that they are losing some of their cultural values. But maybe if more foreigners like me try to learn and appreciate these values, they will no longer want to keep us out of their country. Let's learn from each other!