Learning to Bow

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Learning to Bow Page 31

by Bruce Feiler


  office, enkai, envelopes

  on Japanese outlook

  and author’s convalescence

  mother’s death

  gift to author. See also Cherry Blossom family

  Cherry Blossom, Mrs.

  Cherry Blossom, Takuya

  Cherry Blossom, Yuji

  Cherry Blossom family: at New Year’s Eve celebrations

  sex roles in

  Cherry Blossom festival

  Chieko (Cho’s girlfriend)

  role in courtship

  on ski trip

  Cho, Takashi

  as friend

  background

  relationship with Chieko

  trips with author

  Circle, significance of in Japan

  Citizenship, teaching of

  Citron, seasonal uses of

  Clothing for “American class,”. See also Dress code

  Clubs, university

  College. See University

  Confidence, lack of in Japanese

  Conformity. See Group dynamics

  Confucianism: in schools

  in customs

  Corporal punishment. See also Discipline

  Cost of living. See also Standard of living

  Costume. See Dress code

  Courting patterns

  rural-urban differences in. See also Nanpa

  Cramming for tests. See Entrance exams; Juku

  Creative thinking

  Crime

  Dance, group

  Dean, James

  Denver (Kenzo Hamano)

  author’s introduction to

  as teacher

  as interpreter of Japanese history and customs

  on principal

  as friend

  and school excursion

  Denver, John, 28

  Dependence. See Amae;

  Group dynamics

  Dewey, John

  Discipline: at Sano Junior High School

  teachers’ role in. See also Sakamoto, Mr. Disneyland, Tokyo.

  Doi, Takeo

  Dreams, interpretations of

  Dress code: for leaf viewing

  for courting

  school

  for climbing Mount Fuji

  Drinking ceremonies. See Enkai

  Eating techniques. See also Meat eating;

  Tea ceremonies

  Edo. See Tokyo

  Education: history of Japanese

  pros and cons of Japanese

  and burakunin. See also Entrance exams;

  Occupations, education and;

  Schools

  “Education Mother.” See Mothers, image of

  Eh-chan (office lady)

  Emmett (author’s friend)

  Endo, Dr.

  English, teaching of. See also “Living English”

  Enkai (social evening)

  Entrance exams

  Envelopes

  Environmentalism

  Eta (social class)

  Ethics (Aristotle)

  Examinations. See Entrance exams

  Fathers, image of

  Filipino bars

  Fireworks festival

  Flag, Japanese

  Foreigners, feelings about

  Freedom, personal. See Individualism

  “Frontier Spirit,”

  Fuji, Mr.

  Gaman (endure)

  Gift giving

  Go-con (group date)

  Gone With the Wind

  Government involvement with schools. See also Nationalism;

  Textbooks, state control of Graduation, junior high school

  Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere

  Greetings, American

  Group dynamics. See also Discipline;

  Dress code;

  Individualism;

  Kumi;

  Shinjinrui

  Guilt vs. shame

  Gunji, Mr. (teacher)

  Hamano, Kenzo. See “Denver”

  Hara, Toshiaki

  wedding of

  on Mount Fuji

  Heating

  Hibiscus, seasonal meaning of

  Hideo (antique dealer)

  Hikaru Genji (musical band)

  Hirohito (Showa emperor)

  Hiroshima

  Hisashi (dog portraitist)

  Hitoshi, Anzai

  Home visits by teachers

  Homogeneity of culture

  Hongo, Mr. (teacher)

  Hospitals

  Ikeda, Daisaku

  Imperial Rescript on Education (1890)

  Imperial Rescript on Young People (1939)

  Imperial University of Tokyo (Todai)

  Inaka (Japanese inland)

  Individualism

  Internationalization

  need for

  attempts at. See also Uniqueness, convictions about

  Introductions. See also Greetings, American

  Investments

  Ishikawa, Nobu

  Iwasaki, Mitsutoshi

  Izanagi (deity)

  Izanami (deity)

  Jane (author’s friend)

  Japan as Number One (Vogel)

  Japanese customs, assumptions about. See also “Denver”

  Japan Teachers Union (JTU)

  Jimmu (emperor)

  Jinsai, It

  Juku (cram school)

  Kamikaze pilots

  Kara-oke bars

  Kara-video

  Kato, Mr.

  Kawakami, Emiko

  wedding of

  Kejime (line of demarcation)

  “Kimi Ga Yo” anthem. See Anthem, Japanese national

  Kissing

  Kobayashi, Takuhiro

  Kokoro (novel, Soseki)

  Kumi (homeroom class)

  Kuzu (town)

  Kuzu Genjin. See “Oldest Man in Japan”

  Kyoto

  Laws, observance of

  Lennon, John

  Letters. See Envelopes

  Liberation League

  Life expectancy in Japan

  “Living English,”. See also English, teaching of

  “Love hotels,”

  MacArthur, Douglas

  Machida, Mr. (teacher)

  “Made in Japan,”

  Markham, Edwin

  Marriage: Cherry Blossoms’. See also Courting patterns;

  Kissing;

  Sex;

  Weddings

  Math and science skills

  Meat eating

  Meditation

  Memorization in schools

  Method Training

  Mikado Hotel (Tokyo)

  Mimura, Mr. (teacher)

  Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI)

  Mogi, Mr.

  Moko, Ms.

  Mombush (Ministry of Education)

  Momotar (folk hero)

  Monroe, Marilyn

  Morality in Japan

  Mothers, image of

  Mount Fuji

  Nagasaki

  Nakamura, Koichi (student)

  Names, internationalization of

  Nanmoku, Mr.

  Nanpa (picking up girls)

  Napoleon

  Nationalism. See also Anthem, Japanese national;

  Citizenship, teaching of;

  Flag, Japanese;

  Government involvement with schools;

  Group dynamics

  Nature, spirituality and. See also Shinto religion

  Negishi, Mrs.

  New Year’s Eve

  New York Yankees

  Nikko National Park

  Ningen-kankei (social connections)

  Nostalgia

  Occupations, education and

  Okinawa

  “Oldest Man in Japan” (Kuzu Genjin)

  “One-man” behavior

  Ono, Yoko

  Ostracism

  Ovid

  Packages

  Parents, role of. See also Fathers, image of;

  Mothers, image of; Sakamoto, Mr.;

  Teache
rs: relations with students

  Paul Bunyan

  “Peach Boy” (momotar)

  Perkins, Carl

  Perry, Matthew Calbraith (commodore)

  Perseverance

  Places, classification of

  Plato

  Post, Emily

  Presley, Elvis

  Principal, junior high school. See Sakamoto, Mr.

  Private vs. public behavior

  Prostitution

  Race, concerns about. See also Uniqueness, convictions about

  Rank, importance of

  Recruit Company

  Returnees (from abroad), treatment of

  Rice

  Rock-and-roll music

  Rohlen, Thomas

  Romance

  Rural-urban tensions, in Japan

  Saikawa, Kenzo

  Sakaiya, Taichi

  Sakamoto, Mr. (principal)

  author’s introduction to

  attitude toward parents

  as disciplinarian

  on sex roles

  at graduation ceremony

  and student’s suicide

  Sakuragi, Kazuo. See Cherry Blossom, Mr.

  Sano, Japan

  Sano Junior High School: author’s duties at

  location of

  atmosphere at

  sports festival at

  graduation day at. See also Schools

  Sano Kosei Hospital

  Sato, Eisaku (prime minister)

  Sato, Mr. (barmaster)

  Schiller, Friedrich von

  “School refusers,”

  Schools

  goals of

  length of year

  subjects taught in

  sex roles in

  lack of tracking in

  academic achievement in

  importance given to

  lunches at

  student life

  bullying

  excursions by. See also Corporal punishment;

  Dress code;

  Entrance exams;

  Kumi;

  Ostracism;

  Teachers;

  Textbooks, state control of

  Seasonal symbols

  Sempai dress code

  Sex: attitudes toward

  prostitution

  “love hotels,”

  rural-urban differences about. See also Kissing

  Sex roles: in schools

  in families

  Shakespeare, William

  Shame vs. guilt

  Shinjinrui (trend followers)

  Shinto

  in wedding

  Shitsuke (discipline)

  Shgatsu. See New Year’s Eve

  Shozo, Tanaka

  Skiing

  Social mobility and education

  Soseki, Natsume

  Sports festival

  Standard of living: in Sano

  students’ expectations about

  rising. See also Cost of living

  Stress on students

  Student life. See also Returnees, treatment of;

  Schools

  Sugimoto, Etsu

  Suicide

  effects of student’s on principal

  Sun goddess. See Amaterasu Omikami

  Susano (deity)

  Susumu, Kyoko

  Tadao, Maruoka

  Tale of Genji, The

  Tanaka, Kumiko

  Tea ceremonies

  Teachers: duties of

  relations with studentsSee also Education;

  Schools

  Temple schools (Buddhist)

  Textbooks, state control of

  Tochigi Prefectural Board of Education: communal baths of

  author’s office at. See also Sano Junior High School;

  Schools

  Tochigi Prefecture

  Todai (Tokyo University)

  Tokyo: author’s visit to

  life in

  wedding in

  Tokyo University

  Tominaga, Ryuichi

  Tomonori, Kino

  Torii (ceremonial gate)

  Tourism

  Tracking. See Schools

  Und-kai (sports festival). See Sports festival

  Uniqueness, convictions about. See also Homogeneity of culture;

  Race, concerns about

  University: life at

  riots at

  selection for. See also Clubs, university

  University of Tokyo. See Tokyo University

  Utsunomiya, Japan

  Valentine’s Day

  Violence in Japan. See also Corporal punishment;

  Stress, student;

  Suicide

  Vogel, Ezra

  “Water trade,”

  Weddings

  Westernization: Japanese concerns about

  in schools

  nonconformists’ interest in. See also Individualism;

  Internationalization

  White Day

  Wind, legend of

  in Tochigi

  Women, role of. See also Sex roles

  World War II: textbook descriptions of

  kamikaze pilots

  Yamaguchi, Kumiko

  Yamamoto, Mr. (gym teacher)

  Yukata (summer kimono)

  Yukiguni (“Snow Country”)

  About the Author

  BRUCE FEILER is the author of six books, including Abraham and Looking for Glass. He is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, and he also writes for the New York Times, Washington Post, and Gourmet. He lives in New York City.

  www.brucefeiler.com

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

  PRAISE FOR BRUCE FEILER AND

  Learning to Bow

  “[A] delightful, moving, and incisive account…. Feiler uses anecdotes, historical background, and keen personal observations to reveal and explain an extraordinary nation.”

  —Philadelphia Inquirer

  “A hilarious and revealing book [that] marks the debut of a formidable talent.”

  —JAMES FALLOWS

  “A refreshingly original look at Japan…. This book is a revelation.”

  —Atlanta Journal-Constitution

  “This book should be required reading.”

  —Japan Times

  “Anyone seeking a better understanding of modern-day Japan and of Japanese perceptions of American society will benefit immensely from reading this rich account.”

  —Booklist

  “Extremely funny and informative…delivers a message that the world will have to learn.”

  —Newark Star-Ledger

  “Bruce Feiler is a keen and thoughtful observer.”

  —New York Times Book Review

  “Feiler, a superb narrator and storyteller with a gentle, ironic sense of humor, also possesses a potent intellect that at moments blazes forth, illuminating everything in its path.”

  —Washington Post Book World

  ALSO BY BRUCE FEILER

  Looking for Class:

  Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge

  Under the Big Top:

  A Season with the Circus

  Dreaming Out Loud:

  Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Wade Hayes, and the Changing Face of Nashville

  Walking the Bible:

  A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses

  Abraham:

  A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths

  Copyright

  LEARNING TO BOW. Copyright © 1991 by Bruce S. Feiler. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the expre
ss written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  EPub Edition © JUNE 2007 ISBN: 9780061863592

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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