Japanese culture and ways to communicate is in my mind very different to many other cultures. This is a subject that is vast and there are many books on the subject.
Before travelling to Japan for the first time I have of course tried to find information on how the japanese think and act, to try and avoid making a complete fool out of myself while in Japan. I of course understand that I will be making mistakes but here are some sources of information I have found on the subject.
I have also tried to prepare for the task of being an uchi-deshi (‘live-in-student’) in Iwama. I have found some great sources of information that I can recommend.
How to Communicate with the Japanese
I have tried to find sources of good information on how to behave and communicate. One very good source of information has of course been my many talks with people who have been to Japan before. I have the fortune of knowing a few westerners who have gone there and even some who are living in Japan now.
For those of you who can read Swedish I can recommend a book called:
Title: Ettikett och kommunikation – att överleva i Japan.
Publisher: Uppsala Publishing House AB, Sverige, 1996 (ISBN 9-1700-5087-2)
Author: Pia Moberg
Co-author: Karin Danielsson.
Pia Moberg is a well known Swedish aikidoka and one of the founders of Riai Aikido Dojo in Gothenburg. Apart from being an excellent aikidoka and aikido teacher, she is also fluent in the japanese language and have a doctors degree at the University in Gothenburg.
The book ‘Ettikett och kommunikation – att överleva i Japan’ is very easy to read and holds alot of vital information that can be very helpful while visiting Japan or having contact with Janpanes companies. The book focuses a bit on business relationships but has alot of info for every day situations.
I have a very basic understanding of some japanese phrases and have studied japanese a little for some years back. I am now trying to brush up on my understanding of the japanese language. I will be far from fluent in japanese but hopefully will with a bit of luck be able to ask for directions and so on.
One book I have found helpful is a small pocket book called:
Title: Survival Japanese – Revised Edition
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing. 1991, revised 2004 (ISBN 0-8048-3368-0)
Author: Boye De Mente
Co-author: Junji Kawai
This is small pocket guide to the japanese language based on practical every day situations. An inexpensive book with lots of vital lingustic help. I can recommend this to all who are interested in learning some everyday phrases in Japanese.
About Being a Uchi-deshi in Iwama
I have some experience of being an uchi-deshi by three times attending the uchi-deshi seminars held at Gothenburg Aikido Club with Shihan Ulf Evenås. I was apart of the very first uchi-deshi week held in Gothenburg Aikido Club and have attended two more so far. This has been a good experience and I can recommend this to others.
I however expect my uchi-deshi experience in Japan to be somewhat different and have therefore tried to get some information about this. Over the years I have several aikiodo-friends who have been uchi-deshi in Iwama for Saito Sensei and Nemoto Sensei. By talking to them during the years I hope to have learnt alot that I can have use for while in Iwama myself.
If you want to read about what it is like I can recommend the following links:
The website for Nemoto Sensei in Iwama: http://www.nemotosensei.com/
Ethan Weisgards article on being an uchi-deshi: http://www.aiki-shuren-dojo.com/main_files/Hiroki_Nemoto.html
The Aikikai Foundation has an official page with the schedule for the dojo in Iwama: http://www.aikikai.or.jp/eng/ibaraki/index.html
