WESTERNIZATION/AMERICANIZATION OF JAPANESE CULTURE

Arthur Jacoby
Sheepshead Bay High School
Brooklyn, New York City

Aim:
How should the Japanese respond to the Westernization/Americanization of their culture?

SWAT:
1. Identify several examples of how Western culture is currently influencing Japanese culture.
2. Identify several ways in which Japan has responded to outside influences in the past.
3. Make recommendations as to how Japan should respond to the Westernization of its culture.

Materials:
- Photos and/or pictures of contemporary Japan;
-The following New York Times articles:

French, Howard. W. "Sushi Comes Home, with Cream Cheese and Chili." New York Times Apr. 4, 2002.
-----. "Mom-and-Pop Stores' 'Hello' Becomes a Goodbye." New York Times Apr. 26, 2002. Sec. A, pg. 4.
-----. "To grandparents, English Word Trend Isn't 'Naisu.'" New York Times Oct. 23, 2002. Sec. A, pg. 4.

-A current Global History textbook.

Do Now:
Translate the following Japanese words into English: negoshieshon, riterashii, intarakutibu.
They mean negotiation, literacy, and interactive respectively. These are some examples of how Eglish is influencing the Japanese language.

Explain that some people in the United States feel threatened by the spread and use of Spanish in the country. There are currently movements in several states to make English the official language and to limit and/or ban bilingual education programs in schools.

Main Body:
Explain to the students that they have three tasks (should be posted). The first task is to try to determine how much of a threat Westernization/ Americanization is to Japanese culture. The second task is to examine some of the ways in which the Japanese have responded to outside influences in the past. The third task is to answer the question states in the aim by making specific recommendations for the Japanese people and government.

Procedure:
1. Brainstorm; create a semantic map of the term "culture." Identify the different aspects or examples of culture such as art, music, poetry, language, etc.

2. Students should be organized into cooperative learning groups of three or four.

3. The groups are to be given sets of pictures and one of the news articles. Using this data, each group is to identify and record the evidence showing which aspects of Japanese culture (music, architecture, food, language, shopping, etc.) is being influenced.

4. Each group is to answer the question, "How much of a threat is Westernization/ Americanization to Japanese culture?"

5. The results should be shared and written on the board or on a roster.

6. Each group should identify different interpretations and explain their position using supporting evidence from the photos and the news articles.

Transition:
1. Pose the following questions:
- How can we make predictions or guesses as to how the Japanese will respond to the Westernization/Americanization of their culture?
- How does looking at the past help us predict the future?

2. Lead a brief discussion in which several examples are identified, such as a person's job history, criminal record, etc.

3. Using the textbook, have students identify the different periods in Japanese history in which outside cultures influenced Japan, as well as the response of Japan. The following tasks are to be completed:
- Identify the time period and the outside culture.
- Give examples of how Japanese culture was affected.
- Describe the Japanese response.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the response.

4. This can be accomplished through a variety of methods: as an individual assignment, in groups, as a jigsaw puzzle (the individual members of the small groups are organized into larger study groups, each of which examines one time period; upon completion, students return to their original groups to share their findings with each other).

Application:
Students are to choose the point of view of one of the following: the Prime Minister, a businessman, a student, a housewife, a shop owner, a musician, or a military officer. They are to write a well-developed essay using the evidence and data they have gathered to answer the question posed in the aim (see above).