The Fourth Blog Post: Finale

Over the last two and a half weeks , my classmates and I embarked on a journey to Japan to experience a culture that differs from usual the American culture, and compare and contrast American and Japanese civil society. While we had prepared ourselves for this trip through prior readings devoted to civil society, our very own opinions in regards to Japanese and American civil society have been reinforced and formulated on the basis of our own experiences. Each and every member of the class has his/her own findings that address that may address the differences that classify Japanese civil society separately from its American counterpart. I have learned and witnessed many differences between the two and I thought it would be neat if I could share some of the things I have learned or seen firsthand.

I think one important aspect of this comparison to point out is the definition of civil society related terms in Japan. The term "NGO" in Japan is used exclusively to denote international aid programs whereas in the US, an NGO is denoted as a non- profit organization, known as an NPO in Japan. With that being said, there are not many large scale NGOs in Japan, despite the evidence that NGOs are growing. Unlike the United States, there is more government intervention, with the state shutting down organizations they don't like as discussed in class. There are also differing attitudes towards authority that are different from the States, with an idea of hierarchy being prevalent throughout Japan. All these differences, in my opinion, are reflective of the conformist culture that is dominant in Japan. Before the 15 year war, most of civil society was destroyed by Japan and within the last few decades, Japan has been ruled by one political party. It has only been through developments over the last few decades, such the 1995 Hanshin Earthquake and the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami where civil society has really been seen serving the people and playing a major role in Japanese society.

While civil society is weaker in Japan than it is in the US, it is very much a present force in the Japanese public. While everyone was going about to different places on the available free days, I stayed behind in Kyoto and ended up running into a blood donation trailer for the Japanese Red Cross just by Kyoto Station. It was a positive reminder for myself that civil society is present in Japan and supports the fact that it is growing. Throughout my travels in Japan, I have seen posters advocating things such as Fair Trade and blood donations. While Japanese society is conformist and civil society not as prevalent as back in the states, it has done nothing but pay dividends to the Japanese people. Even though making an organization incorporated costs 3 million yen and non- recognized organizations struggle to stay running, Japanese civil society continues to grow and to witness the fruit as a result of this growth has concluded my trip to Japan on a high note.