[Sangetsu]

The Japanese are definitely aware of their culture, and they go to great lengths teaching cultural studies in the classroom (and elsewhere). Even in my classes the students thank me after each lesson and bow in their seats. It shouldn't be any surprise that these cultural traits still run strong in university students.

I am constantly asked by Japanese if I like Japanese culture (almost as often as I am asked if I like Japanese food, or if I can eat natto). They admire western culture to a degree, but hold a special place in their hearts for their own culture, and they are always impressed if I say yes.

The article is interesting enough, but it's not news. The part concerning the increasing rate of bullying and violence is rather nonsense; the rate itself has not likely changed much, it is only the reporting of the bullying instances which has increased. In this there may be a little "westernization" at work, as victims now seem to be less ashamed of reporting bullies and the like. Violence has always occurred in Japanese classrooms to a certain extent, but it has been kept quiet by faculties until more recently. It's still not unheard of for a teacher to smack a misbehaving student, and the student will rarely share information about being smacked at home as his parents are likely to add a smack or two of their own.

One of my students got in trouble in another class last month, trouble which merited a call to his parents. The following day the student came to school with a black eye and a bruise on his arm (gifts from an angry father). In America the police might have been called by the school, but here in Japan lack-of-respect is not appreciated, and no one (including the student himself) thought that he didn't get what he deserved. This is another part of Japanese culture which still endures.