Gambari
“To
work hard and patiently.” Of the three definitions listed I liked this one the
best because it most closely resembles my work ethic. I like the spirit of
gambari and think that American culture could benefit from this. However, I was
shocked to read about the negative side effects this attitude can have in
Japanese culture.
“Having
free time is wasteful, even shameful.” American culture is the opposite of
this. Especially when looking at the amount of television Americans watch. I find it odd that so many Americans spend
most of their lives watching fictional people live life. However, American
society often encourages mass consumption of entertainment.
Kenkyo
“The
nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” The reason why many Americans are
ambitious is so that they can get recognition. This is different from Japanese
culture where humility is stressed. America also places importance on humility,
but it’s a different type of humility. In Japan, humility means blending in
with the group and not taking public responsibility of accomplishments; whereas,
in America, humility means taking pride in your accomplishments and telling
everyone about your accomplishments in a respectful manor.
“Living
in an information based society, people tend to make more of what they
communicate to others that how they do so.” I once had an English professor who
stressed the importance of what you say rather that how you say it. According to
him, nothing meaningful could be written if the most important aspect of writing
was grammar; therefore, he taught us that content was more important. I think
it is good that Japanese culture is starting to place more importance on
content of speech rather than rhetoric.
Honne to Tatemae
“One’s
superficial words are called tatemae, while one’s actual intentions are called hone.”
I found it interesting that this is a virtue. In America people who say one
thing but mean another are called “fake” or “plastic”.
“Do not
like to express themselves in a straightforward manor for fear it might hurt
other’s feelings.” In America bluntness is a virtue. People often say, “Say it
to my face.” People say this because American culture relies on knowing where
people stand and knowing what people’s opinions are. In Japan, however, it is
better to hold one’s tongue.
Swing Girls
1.
I believe the scenes in which the swing girls
are told they are not good at music shows the competitive gambari spirit because
the girls don’t give up. For example when their first gig is cut short because they
are so bad they decide to keep playing anyway.
Then the final scene shows the result of their perseverance, equal opportunity,
and competiveness. The final scene demonstrates this because the girls play
better than the other bands and it is because of their gambari.
2.
I do not believe Naomi’s muscle stimulator shows
gambari for two reasons. First, because it is for self-serving purposes. The
book described gambari as hard work for the sake of a group or corporation so
that someone in the management would recognize your hard work. Also, muscle stimulators
do not work and are a substitute for doing the hard work necessary to lose
weight.
3.
The character who is the most Kenkyo is the girl
who was initially good at music. Even though she held the tissue up the longest
and was the fastest to learn the music she did not boast and kept quiet. The
math teacher was the least Kenkyo because he let people believe that he was a
great jazz musician and then at the concert told people that he was the swing
girl’s teacher.
4.
The tatemae of Tomoko was when she said that she
was only in the band to skip class and then she willing gave up her seat. The
honne was when she went outside and cried because she actually cared about the
concert. The reason she did not say that
she wanted to be in that band is because she did not belong to the band and did
not want them to know her true feelings or intentions.
5.
After the girls start to feel like they are
actually accomplishing something by playing music their motives change from
skipping class to gambari. This is especially true when the real band comes
back and they no longer have to play in the concert. For them it was a realization
of what being a musician could let them accomplish.
6.
If this movie was not based on gambari spirit it
would have ended with them giving up. This is because throughout the movie they
have to overcome the doubt of others, such as the main characters parents, the
failed concert, and the teacher’s initial doubts. Without gambari spirit they would
not have been able to overcome these obstacles.
7.
The hardest concept to understand is honne and
tamatea. In American culture people are encouraged to state their points
clearly and have everyone’s opinions and feelings known. Also in American
culture people don’t generally care about other people’s feelings. Therefore,
honne and tamatae is hard to understand because American culture is blunt and
most often rude.
8.
As a painter I can relate to the adversity that
the swing girls had to overcome. Most of my colleagues have been practicing art
since grade school and feel that it comes naturally to them. I, on the other
hand, did not become serious about painting till late in high school and
therefore I have had to work harder that my colleagues to be a good painter.
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