Jan 23, 2006 21:21
I like to learn about different things, but I love learning about different cultures. I mean, come on, I do research on other cultures when I am bored. There is so much out there that is taboo, strange, and weird, but it's normal for them, so why should they care? In many cultures, the elderly are wise and respected. Most elderly people in our country end up in an old folks home, lonely and depressed, because they are inefficient and a waste of money and time. They cannot work and produce results, so we throw them away. I'm sure other cultures would be appalled to hear about this usual occurrence.
So this time I got stuck on Asia, more like Tokyo/Japan. The food and the fashion. A restaurant called "Morning Erection." Strange. They eat the craziest things for fun, like pig testicles, beating hearts of frogs, turtles - including turtle blood mixed with sake and an organ, deer testicles, and some other weird things. There are 500 people per square mile. That's more densely populated than India! I think that's crazy. Two million people ride the railtrain...everday! It's crazy to think of what kind of fast paced world they live in. Sumo wrestlers, sex symbols? I guess. Harajuku sundays? A way to rebel against the conformity of asia. It's strange and beautiful. They probably think we are so bland and boring, wasting away, while they are living it up. But as for me, I like the pace of my life. It still feels too fast for me. Sure I would love to visit to experience the atmostphere.
Anyways, I didn't just write about Japan because it's cool now because of movies, but I have always had an interest in the Japanese culture. I guess what fascinated me most were the values of the samurai and the geisha. They do not live for themselves. They live for the service of others.