Animania

I regularly talk about the manga I read or the anime I watch, enough so that most people know I love both. However, most folks may not know that I also enjoy reading Japanese light novels (translated of course), or even had much experience with a light novel. I've posted several reviews on them so far, but many readers may be wondering, what exactly IS a light novel? According to Wikipedia, its basically a Japanese novel primarily aimed at teens and young adults, often serialized in magazines, and regularly adapted into anime or manga series, or visa versa. However, this doesn't really work well, for me, because the main reasons they are considered to be aimed at the demographic is not because of the lack of substance, but because they use furigana rather than kanji. In Japan, furigana is used for those who may not have a strong grasp of kanji yet, so basically furigana is what people learn first, then graduate into kanji. Light novels also tend to be more dialog driven, with shorter paragraphs than mainstream Japanese novels. In a way, they are an equivalent to a novella, often with manga style illustrations peppered through them.

What are some of the ones I'm reading or have read? Well, current series I'm reading include Ballad of a Shinigami, Blood+, Trinity Blood, Chibi Vampire, and Kino no Tabi, as well as the single volume Calling You. On the whole, I find them very interesting reads, and enjoy them as much or more than other novels. Occasionally some, particularly the yaoi stuff from DMP like Ai No Kusabi, suffers from such a hideous translation that its nearly unreadable. However, except for that Ai No Kusabi, all of the ones I've read have been pretty well done. In particular, Ballad of a Shinigami, published by Seven Seas, has been beautifully treated here. Most companies that bring over novels print them in the traditional paperback format, and convert all images to black and white except the cover. However, Seven Seas is releasing their novels in the original light novel format with all of the color pages include, and on higher quality paper, making for a gorgeous release. The only real draw back of light novels is that sometimes the English printers cancel series mid-release, as Tokyopop has done with Chibi Vampire and Kino no Tabi, leaving you without the entire series, which can be very frustrating. Still, I don't think that should deter you too much, as the more people who get into reading them, the more likely the companies are to keep printing rather than stopping.

So, would you consider reading a Japanese light novel? I hope so! Much like anime and manga, it runs the gamut of genres, story lines, etc. If you'd like to give a light novel a try, you can read a free seventeen page sample of Ballad of a Shinigami: Momo the Girl God of Death here (PDF), courtesy of Seven Seas. If you like what you read, the first two volumes are available for purchase at most major book stores or online. You can also check out my reviews of some of the first volumes of light novel series I've read, including Ballad of a Shinigami, by going on the "light novels" category.

Characters in anime and manga are often seen eating bento lunches, either at school, at work, or while on picnic. They often feature a variety of foods and you often see a wide range of bento boxes being used. So I thought I'd write a bit about what a bento is, and how you can enjoy this fun and practical way of packing your lunch.

What is a bento?

According to Wikipedia, a bento a single-portion takeout meal. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables as a side dish. Bentos can be home-made, bought in stores, or even bought in restaurants. They can be very simple, or very elaborate. In the manga series Mars, a characters coworkers tease him about how much his "wife" must love him because of how elaborate the lunches she packs for him are.

"A bento is traditionally made in a 4:3:2:1 ratio: 4 parts of rice, 3 parts of the main dish (either meat or fish), 2 parts of vegetables, and 1 part of a serving of pickled vegetables or a dessert." One great thing about a bento, though, is that its something you can make however YOU want. Here in American, people often use bento boxes with more American like foods, like cookies and crackers, bread, etc.

A bento is usually either wrapped with a handkerchief (called a furoshiki) or carried in a bento bag. Along with your bento, you'll want to take utensils, such as chopsticks or a fork/spoon set, and condiment containers. You can also get separators for your box to help keep your food from intermingling too much.

Bento Making Tips

Of course, when making a bento box, you have to be careful about food poisoning, especially when you have meat, fish, milk, or egg products in a box and in warmer weather. You can get ice packs to put with your bento when you pack it. And, of course, if you have a fridge where you are going with your lunch, you can store it in there.

It's usually not a good idea to put saucy foods in a bento as the sauce may spill. If you really want a sauce, though, you can get little containers to put the sauce in separately and keep them safely away from other food. Soy sauce containers and other condiment containers are available in fun shapes and can be used for any sauce of a similar consistency.

When packing hot foods into your bento, especially rice, make sure you cool it completely before you put it in your box. If you put it in while still hot and close it, the steam from the food will condense in the box and make everything soggy and icky. No fun at all. Wikipedia also recommends adding extra wasabi if you are making sushi, though it doesn't say why. I'm guessing the wasabi helps keep the fish from spoiling.

There are many tools available for decorating a bento lunch, including nori punches in a wide range of designs. A nori punch lets you punch out shapes from nori, which is dried seaweed. Then you can put them on your rice or other foods. You can also get molds for shaping onigiri rice balls and cutters for shaping fruits and veggies.

Some common bento foods

Octopus hot dogs - simple, but cute food made by cutting slits into the end of a hot dog before cooking it. You can also buy cutters for them, and they can be decorated in a variety of ways using nori and other food items. You can also get other shaping tools for hot dogs to make them into other forms, like flowers, penguins, etc.

Rice - a staple of the Japanese diet, so not unexpected to find it common in bentos at all. It can be included just as is, or molded into shapes or made into onigiri rice balls (rice wrapped in nori with umebosi in the center, usually made into triangles or ovals, but can also be made into a wide range of shapes).

Fruit and Veggies - raw or steamed veggies and fresh fruit are often found in bento's after they have been cut into bite-sized pieces. They are also usually decorated or shaped, such as apple slices that look like rabbit ears, melon balls, and star shaped carrots.

Eggs - eggs are usually seen as Japanese style omelets, rolled and sliced to be bite-sized, or in the form of sliced hard boiled eggs. American style omelets could also be done if it was rolled right, and scrambled eggs would probably work as well.

Where to get bento boxes and supplies

There are many many places you can buy bento boxes in the US, and a huge variety of them are available. They can be found at World Market or other similar stores, and at Asian food stores or malls, however your best bet is probably going to be online.

One place I've found with some decent prices and a nice selection is the Bento Obento Shop on eBay. They have quite a few boxes and accessories for making bento lunches. Another great eBay store for boxes and accessories is The Bento Store. You might also want to check out JBOX.com, a Japanese item store run by an American living in Japan. It has a large range of bento boxes and sets available, as well as many other Japanese goodies. Aranzi Aronzo Online Shop is a Japanese store with an English translation that ships worldwide, allowing you to get your bento goodies straight from Japan (note, prices are listed in Yen, so make sure you have a converter handy to figure out the approximate US price).

More Information

Bento Corner - a great blogs about making bentos, with a slant towards bentos for kids

BentoTV.com - a daily short broadcast with tips on making bentos and bento foods

Bento Box - another great site with basic bento information

Virtual Japanese Culture's site on bentos - includes history, preparing, and packing; also has a virtual bento so you can try your hand at making one online

Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go - great recipe book for bento foods

And, of course, don't forget good old Google and Yahoo! Search were you will find many more excellent resources for learning about bentos

 

You may have noticed in manga, and in articles about anime shows, that character profiles almost always include the character's blood type.  It may seem like rather pointless information, but in Japan, most people believe that your blood type is an indicator of your personality.  There are apparently lots of best selling Japanese books and psychological studies in England and France both supporting and refuting the idea, but either way, its believed enough in Japan that it's considered important to know.

So what does each blood type indicate?

A - roughly 40% of the world

• Calm, level-headed, often serious
• Considerate about everything to the point of self-sacrificing
• Reliable
• Slow to trust people
• Observes social rules and customs
• Restrained action and expression, keeps emotions well suppressed 
• Purposeful
• May be pessimistic and leery of change
• Hates being touched or touching in general

B - roughly 11 % of the world

• Curious, interested in everything around them
• Can be considered fickle
• Unorganized workaholics
• Not necessarily conscious of circumstances or the results of their actions
• Doesn't care about social rules and customs
• Energetic and athletic, but not always good team players
• Likes being touched and touching

AB - roughly 5% of the world

• Sensitive to others around them
• Excels at most things, but bores easily and can be unpredictable
• Tend to be more strict with themselves and those close to them
• Good at adjusting to various relationships
• Sentimental
• Tends to thinks too much about some things
• Moody, brooding, artistic types
• Dislike being touched or touching 

O - roughly 44% of the world

• Peaceful and carefree
• Can be stubborn, self-centered, and strong-willed; usually doesn't like taking orders
• Easygoing, liked by all
• Know how to take chances
• Trustworthy, but can be flighty
• Intelligent, but can make large mistakes
• Confident and proud
• Dedicated
• Makes friends easily
• Very open about their emotions and like touching and being touched

So now you probably want examples, right?  Here's the types of some characters from some anime and manga for comparison.

Cardcaptor Sakura

• Touya & Shaoran - O
• Sakura & Tomoyo - A
• Eriol, Naruku, & Yukito - AB

Marmalade Boy

• Miki, Meiko, Namura - A
• Yuu, Rokutanda, Suzu - B
• Satoshi, Kei - AB
• Ginta, Arimi - O

Rurouni Kenshin 

• Kenshin - AB
• Megumi, Sanosuke, Yahiko, & Misao - B
• Aoshi - A
• Shi-shi-o, Kauru, & Seijirou - O

So what about you?  Does your blood type give an accurate reflection of your personality?

Adapted from Wikipedia's article: Education in Japan. Many anime and manga stories include students at various grade levels. You've probably noticed differences in our schools and theirs, especially in terms of grade levels and study ethics. So here is some in-depth info on the Japanese education system.

Compulsory education was introduced into Japan in 1872 as one result of the Meiji Restoration. Since 1947, compulsory education consists of elementary school and middle school, which lasts for 9 years (from age 6 to age 15). Almost all children continue their education at a three-year senior high school, and 96% of high school graduates attend a university, junior college, trade school, or other post-secondary institution.

Education has been and is an important issue in Japanese society. There are three ways that a child is educated in Japan: by attending a public school for a compulsory education, by attending a private school for a compulsory education, or by attending a private school that does not adhere to standards set by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

More than 2.5 million students advance to universities and colleges. In the past, the selection process for advancing to higher education had been described as "hellish" and "war-like". But with the number of Japanese children being born set to decline in the near future, the tide has turned the other way. Now schools are having to compete amongst themselves to gather students. However, many children continue to be sent to Juku (cram schools) in addition to their regular school.

Education in Japanese society

Japanese tradition stresses respect for society and the established order and prizes group goals above individual interests. Schooling also emphasizes diligence, self-criticism, and well-organized study habits. More generally, the belief is ingrained that hard work and perseverance will yield success in life. Much of official school life is devoted directly or indirectly to teaching correct attitudes and moral values and to developing character, with the aim of creating a citizenry that is both literate and attuned to the basic values of culture and society.

At the same time, the academic achievement of Japanese students is extremely high by international standards. Japanese children consistently rank at or near the top in successive international tests of mathematics. The system is characterized by high enrollment and retention rates throughout. An entrance examination system, particularly important at the college level, exerts strong influences throughout the entire system. The structure does not consist exclusively of government-sponsored, formal official education institutions. Private education also forms an important part of the educational landscape, and the role of schools outside the official school system can not be ignored.

Japan is a highly education-minded society. Education is esteemed, and educational achievement is often the prerequisite for success in work and in society at large.

Primary and secondary education

Grade Breakdown:

• Elementary school (小学校 shōgakkō): 6 years, 6-12 years old
• Middle school (中学校 chūgakkō, lit. middle school): 3 years, 12-15 years old
• High school (高等学校 kōtōgakkō or 高校 kōkō, lit. High school): 3 years, 15-18 years old

Education is compulsory and free for all schoolchildren from the first through the ninth grades. The school year begins on April 1 and ends on March 31 of the following year. Schools use a trimester system demarcated by vacation breaks. Japanese children formerly attended school five full weekdays and one-half day on Saturdays, however this was phased out completely by 2002. Many teachers, however, work on weekends. The school year has a legal minimum of 210 days, but most local school boards add about thirty more days for school festivals, athletic meets, and ceremonies with non-academic educational objectives, especially those encouraging cooperation and school spirit. With allowance made for the time devoted to such activities and the half-day of school on Saturday, the number of days devoted to instruction is about 195 per year.

The Japanese hold several important beliefs about education, especially compulsory schooling: that all children have the ability to learn the material; that effort, perseverance, and self-discipline, not academic ability, determine academic success; and that these study and behavioral habits can be taught. Thus, students in elementary and lower-secondary schools are not grouped or taught on the basis of their ability, nor is instruction geared to individual differences. One saying that sums up this one-for-all belief is "the nail that sticks out gets hammered."

The national curriculum exposes students to balanced, basic education, and compulsory schooling is known for its equal educational treatment of students and for its relatively equal distribution of financial resources among schools. However, the demands made by the uniform curricula and approach extracts a price in lack of flexibility, including expected conformity of behavior. Little effort is made to address children with special needs and interests. Much of the reform proposed in the late 1980s, particularly that part emphasizing greater flexibility, creativity, and opportunities for greater individual expression, was aimed at changing these approaches.

Exceptions to the compulsory ruling exist. Children whose parents are not Japanese, such as migrant workers, are permitted to attend school, although it is not compulsory. In this way, the onus for educating language minority students falls on local schools who most likely are unable to provide the first and second language needs of these children. Furthermore, as instruction is not geared to individual differences, the children of migrant workers who have language difficulties are unlikely to have high achievement levels in Japanese schools.

Textbooks are free to students at compulsory school levels. New texts are selected by school boards or principals once every three years from the Ministry of Education's list of approved textbooks or from a small list of texts that the ministry itself publishes. The ministry bears the cost of distributing these books, in both public and private schools. Textbooks are small, paperbound volumes that can easily be carried by the students and that become their property.

Almost all schools have a system of access to health professionals. Educational and athletic facilities are good; almost all elementary schools had an outdoor playground, roughly 90 percent have a gymnasium, and 75 percent have an outdoor swimming pool.

In primary school up to high school the students stay in their same homeroom groups every year, meaning they are interacting with the same students in their homerooms for their entire formative year. Teamwork and pride in their school is taught by the homerooms and the curriculum. Japanese schools have very few janitors as each class is responsible for the cleanliness of their room.

Teachers

Teaching remains an honored profession, and teachers have high social status, stemming from the Japanese cultural legacy and public recognition of their important social responsibilities. Society expects teachers to embody the ideals they are to instill, particularly because teaching duties extend to the moral instruction and character development of children.

Formal classroom moral education, informal instruction, and even academic classes are all viewed as legitimate venues for this kind of teaching. Teachers' responsibilities to their schools and students frequently extend beyond the classroom, off school grounds and after school hours.

Teachers are well paid, and periodic improvements also are made in teachers' salaries and compensation. Starting salaries compare favorably with those of other white-collar professionals and in some cases are higher. In addition to their salaries, teachers are eligible for many types of special allowances and a bonus (paid in three installments), which amount to about five months' salary. Teachers also receive the standard health and retirement benefits available to most salaried workers.

Whether for economic reward, social status, or the desire to teach, the number of people wishing to enter teaching exceeds the number of new openings by as many as five or six applicants to every one position. Prefectural boards and other public bodies are able to select the best qualified from a large pool of applicants.

By the late 1980s, the great majority of new teachers were entering the profession with a bachelor's degree, although about 25 percent of the total teaching force at the elementary school level did not have a bachelor's degree. The program for prospective teachers at the undergraduate level included study in education as well as concentration in academic areas. Most new teachers majored in a subject other than education, and graduates of colleges of education were still in the minority. After graduation, a teacher had to pass a prefectural-level examination to be licensed by a prefectural board of education.

Changes also occurred during the 1980s in in-service training and supervision of new teachers. In-service training, particularly that conducted under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, had been questioned for many years. After considerable debate, and some opposition from the Japan Teachers Union (Nihon Kyoshokuin Kumiai-- Nikkyoso), a new system of teacher training was introduced in 1989. The new system established a one-year training program, required new teachers to work under the direction of a master teacher, and increased the required number of both in-school and out-of-school training days and the length of time new teachers were under probationary status.

Want to Know Even more?

Wikipedia Articles:

• Preschool and daycare in Japan
• Elementary School in Japan
• Secondary Education in Japan
• Higher Education in Japan
• Juku (cram schools)
• Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
• History of Education in Japan

Other Web Sites

• About.com article on Japanese education
• Life in a Japanese School - through the eyes of Maiko Covington
• National Clearinghouse for US-Japan Studies: Education and Student Life in Japan

Books:

• Japanese Education Reform: Nakasone's Legacy (or get as an eBook)
• Japanese Education And the Cram School Business: Functions, Challenges And Perspectives of the Juku (Nias Monographs)
• Japanese Education in the 21st Century
• Education Reform in Japan (Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies Series)
• The 'Big Bang' in Japanese Higher Education: The 2004 Reforms And the Dynamics of Change
• Japanese Lessons: A Year in a Japanese School Through the Eyes of an American Anthropologist and Her Children
• Intense Years: How Japanese Adolescents Balance School, Family and Friends

I've added a new category to the site: Japanese Language, Culture, Etc.  I'll be adding some articles now and then about various aspects of the Japanese language, Japan, or the Japanese culture (etc etc).  Some I may just grab from Wikipedia, while others I'll write up from my own research.  I hope you enjoy this addition to Animania!