Written by: Adam Peachey, Staff Writer 

            It’s been two months since I came to Japan, and the country has already impacted me. Not necessarily in my personal life (although in this way, too), but more of an academic impact, in seeing how different cultures take to the same problems we have in America. 

            One of the classes that I am enrolled in is a facilitator of intercultural communication. Although I had previously taken an intercultural communication class at VSU, it is interesting to see the difference in topics focused on in a class administered in a different culture. 

            In Valdosta, the intercultural communication class focused more on what I would deem “microcultures” rather than macrocultures. Although the class I had taken did teach intercultural communication, after the conversations I experienced in Japan, particularly in this new class, I am unsure of the scope of coverage presented in the course at my home university. 

            Granted, while it is unreasonable to expect such a class to have comparative performance to its counterpart in Japan, the differences are interesting. Subject matter aside, it is interesting to see the approach of Japanese people to the subject of intercultural cohesion. 

            In Japan, although we as Americans may call them “immigrants”, the term itself has no meaning in the government’s approach or designation of such individuals. You are not Japanese unless you can trace your lineage to Japan. Even if you have lived in the country the majority of your adult life, you will still be considered a foreigner, both culturally, and formally. 

            The Japanese government uses the term “Foreign Residents” as opposed to calling people who live in Japan immigrants. This, I would say, is a big cultural difference. While America is a country built by immigrants, Japan is a country that historically, has been sheltered from foreign cultural influence. The country was shut down to outsiders from the early 1700’s to the 1850’s, and this cautious culture of isolationism has still had an impact on Japanese foreign policy, as well as Japanese views on foreign matters. 

            Our Japanese professor had said during class that with the amount of foreigners and “immigrants” coming to the country, some places didn’t even feel like Japan anymore. 

            While I (as an American) can agree that the amount of tourists in places like Nara or Tokyo seemed contrary to the common, homogenous view of Japan, it is still interesting to note that from my conversations with Japanese classmates, many people feel as if they are losing their culture due to the influx of foreigners, whether tourist or otherwise. 

            Keeping in mind that America’s immigrant population is 15% – nearly five times that of Japan’s – There are multiple ways to approach the subject. One of which is that they aren’t wrong. 

            While historically immigration has played a larger part in the history of our country than that of Japan’s, part of Japan’s culture is homogeny. This isn’t to say that different ethnicities or regional cultures are non-existent in Japan, but to say that our nation historically has been run by immigrants and that the Japanese government wasn’t. 

            Having a largely monocultural community has allowed Japan to develop the cultural identity that it is known for. While many various western influences can be observed in the culture of today’s Japan, the nation has tried to hold on tight to traditional influences and practices as well. Typically when people think of Japan, their first thoughts aren’t the vast amount of McDonalds’ and Seven Eleven’s (although those do come to mind), but rather Torii Gates and shrines and other traditional things and activities associated with Japanese culture. 

            And this high-trust society can be visibly impacted by foreigners, either tourist or otherwise. When I was in Tokyo, one of the sketchiest places I’ve been in in Japan was the place that was seemingly overrun with people from western countries. Normally, Japan is trash free, and even busy places in the city are notorious for being clean, such as Shibuya or Akihabara. But Shinjuku, an area with a seemingly higher demographic of foreigners, was dirty. The people there (westerners) were more rude.