During my time in Japan, I found a lot of different impressions from people about Chinese. Because of my identity, I could fit in society easily since Chinese and Japanese look similar. However, my identity also caused many people from other countries to ask questions about Chinese people such as they are rude and they talk loudly in the public. Since I’ve spent 5 years in America, I got used to the kindness politeness of people, I actually agree with their saying about Chinese since there are a lot of Chinese tourists in Osaka. Because of my identity, I can completely understand their feeling about Chinese people and I would feel uncomfortable when I’m at a place with a lot of Chinese. my identity lets me fit in society but also pull me from getting in the group at the same time. In addition, I also thought Japanese people are really quiet in the public and in the dorm. In fact, they can also talk loudly in public transportations and in public places which I was not used to it at the beginning.
The biggest misunderstanding I experienced during the semester was the stereotype towards geisha. A lot of people from other countries think they are actually prostitutes. After taking the geisha class, I realized that they are artists instead of prostitutes. They don’t sell their bodies. they only use their arts to make the atmosphere of the party better and more active. It was true that they sold their body in the past, but everything changed as time passed. According to the lessons I’ve learned about geisha, I learned that they actually have tough lives. They have to learn a lot of instruments and arts such as koto, shamisen, drums, dance, and flower arranging. They are also very busy every day. They have to go to their classes in the day time and attend parties at night time and go back to their okiya very late.
The most important thing I learned in my lessons from Japan that can help me a lot when I get back to America is that I finally got to know about myself and I figured out what I need to change in myself in order to be a better person. This can help me make more friends back to America and be able to share my opinions.