Exploring Japanese Culture — in San Francisco
From the modern to the traditional, a closer look at key cultural sites from a Japanese perspective
What do you know about Japanese culture? You might think of anime, martial arts like judo, and sushi. Japan has many kinds of culture, though, including traditional and historic culture not limited to modern culture, fashion, and arts. When assessing examples of Japanese culture in the United States, it’s worth considering the authenticity of that culture — but how do we define “authenticity”? Having the background of growing up in a town near Tokyo for 20 years, I will examine how some of these things are actually perceived in Japan.
If you wish to explore fairly modern Japanese culture, a good place to start is Japantown in San Francisco. There, don’t miss ramen at Yamada-ya [1728 Buchanan St. (415) 359–9983], where a pleasurable ramen with broth soup is served. In America, people perceive ramen as a pricey “meal” that normally costs $10-$15, while people in Japan perceive ramen as kind of a fast food that can be eaten in short time with low prices, usually around $6 to $7. The flavor and the shape of noodle of ramen is unique to each region in Japan.
You can also find Japanese miscellaneous goods in DAISO [22 Peace Plz
Ste 400 (415) 359–9397], which is a very common 100-yen shop in Japan (similar to a dollar store in the US). There, you can find many kinds of goods from Japanese snacks to household items like dishes or chopsticks. People in Japan used to go there as a last resort when they can’t find things in lower prices, but nowadays the quality of goods became much better, so many people trust the product there. “For people who are unfamiliar to Japanese culture, Japantown is a good place for them to start getting to explore a cuisine or shop for Japanese goods,” says Haruka Roudebush, the program manager of Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California. Although this place looks a little outdated from Japanese perspective (since this place is not an exhibition, but just a part of Japantown, according to Mr. Roudebush), people can experience a little bit of authentic culture there.
If you wish to explore “traditional” Japanese culture, check out the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park [75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. (415) 752–4227]. It was originally made for World’s Fair held in San Francisco in 1894, and it is the oldest public Japanese garden in the U.S. You can enjoy the Japanese atmosphere, from plants like cherry blossoms, azaleas, cedar trees, bonsai to a pagoda, an unique shape of bridge. Admission is just $9!
Also, check out the dry garden called karesansui that is located in the part of Japanese Tea Garden. It is a garden made without using water element such as pond, consisting of small stones. Karesansui presents a unique Japanese concept called “wabisabi.” This is basically about finding beauty in simplicity and imperfection or something very simple, and has only essential things, something that is not overly decorated. In Japanese history, many concepts were presented depending on the era. Some of them were formed under the influence of Chinese culture or other cultures, since Japan has been culturally connected with China for a long time. But in some periods, original “Japanese” concepts were presented, including wabisabi.
This garden also present notable difference between Western style gardens and Japanese gardens. While the former like Palace of Versailles in Paris, put value on symmetry, the latter put significant value on asymmetry, and balance as karesansui presents.
“The biggest idea,” says Japanese Tea Garden lead gardener Steven Pitsenbarger, “is that European garden presents a feeling that man is controlling nature while Japanese gardener is working with nature.”
Around April is the best time to visit the tea garden, because cherry blossom blooms peak at that time each year. In Japan, April is roughly the beginning and the end of academic year, and sakura, the cherry blossom, is often used to symbolize farewell and/or new encounter since around that time senior students graduate and freshmen come into the new environment.
You can find bittersweet tea and Japanese foods like udon in the tea house. There is a souvenir shop that sells Japanese ceramics or miscellaneous such as kanzashi (a Japanese hair accessory) or earrings made of origami. “I think we are authentic to style (and), the aesthetic principle,” says Steven Pitsenbarger, the park’s lead gardener. “One of the biggest things is that, accomplishing the feeling you have when you are in a (Japanese) garden, when you are walking through this garden.”
For people who have very few opportunities to encounter Japanese culture, these are good places to start to explore. From what I saw in Japantown and the Japanese Tea Garden, I can say they are somewhat authentic, although the prices of the products are almost double compared to those of Japan. But also keep in mind that this is just a part of the culture, and both places were made for specific purposes; Japantown as a part of Japanese immigrants’ residence, Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco was originally for the exhibition in the World Fair. If you want to see something made for other purposes such as political, cultural and/or historical purposes like something built in Japanese history, you may want to go to Japan. But that’s a story for another time.
