
Let’s move to the traditional Japanese culture. First, the tea ceremony. (The image is from;http://www2.pref.shimane.jp/kouhou/esque/14/menu03c.html) A Tea Ceremony is literally the way of serving tea or having tea, but it is based on a kind of Buddhism, so every action has a meaning. I said Japanese people are not religious, but cherish morals. In Japanese morals, it is important to be humble and caring. If you go to a tea ceremony, you should follow many rules, and these rules are based on “caring about others.”
For example, you should make a bow toward the next person before you eat a Japanese cake. Every Japanese tea bowl has a beautiful picture on one side. The tea server gives the bowl to the guest with the picture facing the guest. But before the guest drinks it, he should turn the bowl to make the picture face the server because it shows the guest’s respect to the server.
Have you ever seen a movie, “The Last Samurai?” Samurai means a Japanese soldier. It was important for Samurai soldiers to do tea ceremonies. Basically, they were like athletes, so they wanted to show their sophisticated aspects. If they served tea ceremonies artistically, they were considered smart people. Nowadays, a tea ceremony is not our daily activity. But it is also popular as in traditional culture.
For example, you should make a bow toward the next person before you eat a Japanese cake. Every Japanese tea bowl has a beautiful picture on one side. The tea server gives the bowl to the guest with the picture facing the guest. But before the guest drinks it, he should turn the bowl to make the picture face the server because it shows the guest’s respect to the server.
Have you ever seen a movie, “The Last Samurai?” Samurai means a Japanese soldier. It was important for Samurai soldiers to do tea ceremonies. Basically, they were like athletes, so they wanted to show their sophisticated aspects. If they served tea ceremonies artistically, they were considered smart people. Nowadays, a tea ceremony is not our daily activity. But it is also popular as in traditional culture.


Even being outstanding was not good, Geisyas were exceptional. (The image is from; http://www.cosmonet.org/nhonda/nhonda6site/traditional/geisya.html )I love watching movies, so I’m going to ask you again.. How many of you have watched “the Memoirs of a Geisya?” Thank you! I guess some peopl
e may have wondered whether geisyas still exist or not. The answer is “yes.” Geisyas are still active in Japan. There are no Samurai soldiers anymore, but there are from 10,000 to 20,000 geisyas in some certain areas. A geisya means an artist. They have been trained as entertainers. They can sing, dance, and play some traditional instruments at the dinner parties. Hiring a geisya is very cultural, but also expensive. If you hire a geisya for a two-hours party, you should pay at least 200 dollars. However, they don’t come alone usually, so you have to hire several geisyas. Then…how much? To see the geisyas’ entertainment is one of the prestigious pleasures among Japanese people.




However, there is another popular sport that many players go
oversea, here. U.S. It is baseball. Last year, 13 Japanese baseball players were registered in the Major Leagues. I think the most famous player is Ichiro Suzuki. He has been the right fielder for Seattle Mariners since 2001. He became the first Japanese-born everyday position player in the Major Leagues. His is our hero because of his magnificient performance. He has been winning a gold glove award and also every year All-Star selection for 6 years since he came to the U.S. In 2004, he marked 262 hits. Ichiro completed the 2004 season with 262 hits and an MLB-leading .372 batting average. It shattered the previous all-era record of 206, set by Wee Willie Keeler in 1898. When he did it, many American medias celebrated him. I said Japanese people cherish morals. Because his fruitful results in the U.S. are so impressive to us that his stories are referred in some moral textbooks in Japanese elementary schools. We have learned a lot from his effort and persistence.



J
apanese national team won the first world Baseball Classic last year. Ichiro was the team leader, and Sadaharu Ou was a team manager. Now he is 67 years old. This picture is when he was a professional baseball player. He is famous worldwide because his record of 868 career home run is 113 more than Hank Aaron’s. However, Japanese baseball fields were shorter than MLB fields at that time, so we don’t know whether he was geater than Hank Aaron. However, while I was watching live WBC games, announcers addressed him “Ou-san.” San means sir in Japanese, and many MLB American players asked came to him to get his autographs. (His photo is from;http://mbs.jp/jounetsu/2006/03_12.shtml)Thus, I knew how he is admired in the U.S. Also,his father is a Taiwanese, so he is a baseball icon in Taiwan and China as well.
Incidentally, this is our custom. When Japanese won big
games or cases of celebrations like weddings, we toss the most valuable one into the air. (The photo is from; http://www.tandai.ichinomiya.ac.jp/blog/archives/2006/03/index.html)Sadaharu Ou get accustomed to be tossed because he was a popular player in the most popular baseball team, and he has been a manager of a strong team. It is not so easy to stretch your arms and legs straight and keep smiling like him while you are tossed! It is hard to keep the balance in the air! But his style is always beautiful, so he was also called “the best Japanese of being tossed.”

Incidentally, this is our custom. When Japanese won big

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