Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

Polite to slurp

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Performance Date: 4/20/12
Primary Language: English

In Japan culture, it is apparently polite to slurp one’s noodles or even tea, as this action demonstrates to the chef or host that the food or drink is particularly delicious. My source first experienced this custom on his first trip to Japan from a tour guide. He claims that nearly all of the people inside of the noodle shop were slurping their noodles vigorously, meaning they were all extremely polite, of course.

This custom is one that directly contrasts with that of western customs. Slurping in the united states, or other western countries for that matter, is an action that is typically looked upon as showing bad table manners. However, in Japan, it is the complete opposite. This must be just as confusing to Japanese tourists in the US as it was for my source in Japan.

New Year’s Bow

Nationality: Korean American
Age: 50
Performance Date: 4/20/12
Primary Language: Korean
Language: english

In Korean custom, my source described a deep traditional bow that one does to his or her elders on New Year’s Day. The bow is completed along with a phrase in Korean that roughly translates to “may you receive many New Year’s blessings.” The elder in turn gives to his child or grandchild pocket money and a few words of wisdom. My source first experienced this as a young boy in Korea.

This is a ritual that I myself have experience with as well. Because I was born and raised in the United States, there were many aspects of Korean tradition and custom that I was unawares to, and when I first visited Korea during the turn of the New Year, I too was expected to follow along in the ritual. The intense reverence of one’s elders is an aspect of Korean tradition that is deeply ingrained and one that I, raised as an American, had somewhat of a difficult time adjusting to.

Yakuza Cutting Off Pinky Finger Ritual

Nationality: Japan
Age: 45
Occupation: Car Mechanic
Residence: Torrance, California
Performance Date: April 2012
Primary Language: Japanese

 

This is the ritual done by Japanese mafia called “Yakuza”. When one of members in a family failed to do the task ordered by his boss, he has to cut off his first knuckle joint of pinky finger in order to show his apology. If he fails to do his task again, he needs to cut 2nd knuckle joint of the pinky finger but usually he gets kicked out of family before cutting his 2nd joint. The finger has to be folded in a sheet of Japanese paper carefully and sent to the one whom he needs to apologize. The one who receives the finger usually disposes it if the finger belongs to lower class members. Sometimes, cutting fingers ritual is done to stop the fighting between two opposing families. In this case, the boss of the family who wants to stop fight needs to cut his finger off to show how serious the boss is. The boss’s finger is sent to opposed family and they need to make a decision whether to stop a war with them or not. According to one member of yakuza family, this ritual is not common anymore because there is not benefit of getting fingers. In the past, when yakuza people fight with others, they used Japanese swords. By cutting one of fingers, it made them grip the sword less tighten. Also lack of fingers humiliation in public, indicating he failed to do his task. However, fake fingers are sold, therefore it is no longer humiliation.

It is interesting they only cut pinky fingers not others. It surely lessens the power to grip the Japanese sword but could be index or thumb fingers to be cut. This may be because if other fingers are cut, it is really hard to live in a daily life. Japanese people use four fingers except the pinky finger to eat food with chopsticks. This is least Japanese  mafia’s kindness so that mafia’s rituals do not affect individual’s personal life.

Informer is a 45 year old car mechanic who used to be a member of Japanese mafia in Fukuoka prefecture in Japan. The folklore was told in one of Japanese restaurants in Gardena.

Tattoo on Yakuza (Japanese Mafia)

Nationality: Japan
Age: 45
Occupation: Car Mechanic
Residence: Torrance, California
Performance Date: April 2012
Primary Language: Japanese

In Japanese mafia (called, Yakuza), it is recommended to have tattoos on their back side of body, shoulder, and arms to identify themselves as a member of mafia. Design of tattoos is up to members, but bigger tattoos is better also Japanese design hand painted tattoo is preferred. Hand painted tattooing is much more painful than electronic tattooing. And Japanese tattoo design such as pictures of dragon, koi fish, and tigers require a lot of time and because it is very detailed. More time means more pain and this is how yakuza people show their masculinity. This is kind of initiation after people get in the family. Tattoos are not removable from the skin, so this process challenges them to see if they are ready to be in the family or not. That is one of the reasons to get big tattoos, so that it is harder to remove.

This is the best way to identify who is in the member of mafia. Sometimes, people with tattoo on their body are refused to use hot springs, swimming pool, beach, and gym where bare skins might be exposed. They become socially isolated from majority of group, meaning they can not go back to ordinary people’s life. Japanese mafia also has a technical terms to differentiate their society. They call the society of mafia, Ninkyo (任侠). It represents how their world differs from our society and they try not to involve people other than yakuza in their business.

Ohanami (Celebration of spring)

Nationality: japan
Age: 2o
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: April 2012
Primary Language: Japanese
Language: English

Ohanami is a fun event to celebrate the spring. People go out, eat and drink while watching cherry blossom.

Cherry blossom blooms only in spring for a week, so a lot of people go out to parks or mountains to celebrate the spring coming. By doing so, Japanese people fully realize the change of seasons and they start ready for summer. Traditionally, this celebration includes the hope for the seeds growing successfully, and thank for the god. When they eat, they also thank for the food came from last year’s cropping season, so this is the celebration of past, future, and present.

Also, on that day of celebration, it is traditional to eat a rice cake folded by the leaf of cherry blossom. Rice represents the good result of harvest last year.