Japanese Culture and Its Artifacts: Informative Speech

Purpose: To inform the audience about Japanese culture and to discuss related controversies.

Thesis: Japanese culture has many interesting aspects, but some elements may be controversial.

Title: Japanese Culture and Its Artifacts

Introduction

I. Attention Getter: Have you ever eaten raw fish? Is it cold and slimy? Is it wet? The Japanese began to eat sushi because it was a unique way to eat both rice and fish. Also, when the rice was mixed with vinegar and raw fish were combined with various vegetables and dried foods, this unique tasting, healthy dish became a favorite that would be enjoyed for many generations.

II. Preview: Having dedicated a lot of time learning about Japanese and because I have always had an innate interest in the culture, I am excited about this opportunity to share some of that knowledge. I will tell you about the culture of Japan, both traditional and contemporary, introduce an artifact, and discuss its significance and controversies.

(Transition: First I will tell you about three aspects of the culture of Japan.)

Body

I. Let me tell you about kimono, anime, and keiretsu.

A. The first cultural aspect I will discuss is the kimono.

1. A kimono is a traditional Japanese garment. The word means “something to wear,” but over the years, the word has come to mean a particular type of full-length robe. This robe is a straight, t-shaped garment with the hem at ankle length for formal wear. The kimono wraps around with the left side over the right and is belted with a sash called an obi which is tied in an ornate knot in the back. Kimonos are normally worn with other traditional accessories, hairstyles, and shoes.

The straight cut kimono-style was developed in the Heian (794-1192) period and quickly became popular because it was easy to make, wear and fold. These kimono were made of different fabrics for summer and winter, and soon fashion became important in the choice of colors and fabrics. In the 1800-1900 era, kimono were replaced by Western-style clothing, and they are now worn mostly as house robes or at formal affairs like weddings (“History of Kimonos” 1).

B. The second cultural aspect I will discuss is anime.

1. Anime is the Japanese word for “animation.” It is a very big industry in Japan, and the style has also been exported and is popular worldwide. Tezuka Osamu (1928-1989) is the father of Japanese anime. He was a well-known mangaka who drew what would be called graphic novels in the United States. In 1963, he adapted one of his manga called Astro Boy to TV production. There are many anime genres, including sports, children’s, action, science fiction, melodrama, and porn.

Because of the language, Japanese anime has been slow to become successful outside of Japan. However, a special category of the Academy Awards is now devoted to anime, called Japanimation. The leading studio in anime production is Studio Ghibli, home to the famous director Miyazaki Hayao. These films now feature the voices of major stars and are also distributed by Disney (“Anime” 1).

C. The last cultural aspect I will discuss is keiretsu.

1. A keiretsu is a system of Japanese business organization includes interconnecting business relationships and shareholding. Keiretsu became the dominant type of business organization in the late 20th century. Member companies own shares in the other member companies, which protects them from market fluctuations and hostile takeover attempts. This stability means that the businesses can plan for the long term and invest in innovative projects. The keiretsu is an important element in the success of the Japanese automotive and electronics industries.

The keiretsu developed out of the zaibatsu, which was family-owned businesses. Because of the success of the keiretsu organization, it has been copied by foreign firms. However, these organizations usually differ from Japanese keiretsu because of the difference in-laws. American companies are now often linked in a similar way to take advantage of the safety net and reduce the effects of rapid changes in the marketplace (Hindle 1).

(Transition: Now that I told you about three cultural aspects of Japan, I will tell you about my cultural artifact.)

II. The cultural artifact I chose is sushi.

A. Let’s start with the description of sushi.

1. Sushi is a Japanese food that uses cooked rice prepared with vinegar that is combined with other ingredients like raw or cooked fish or other seafood, tofu, seaweed, and vegetables. There are different ways that sushi is presented, but it always includes rice.

Originally, sushi was fish fermented in rice, but other forms have since become more popular. The modern version was developed by Hanaya Yohei (1799-1858) near the end of the Edo period in Japan. Hanaya created his sushi as a type of fast food that was quick to prepare and could be eaten with the hands (Zschock, 14).

B. Now let’s talk about how sushi is significant to the culture of Japan.

1. Sushi is part of the cultural identity of Japan. The Japanese tend to focus on authenticity and have what they call wa-shoku or Japanese food and yo-shoku or Western food. The tradition and history of foods like sushi give stability and continuity to the country’s culture. The tradition also makes the distinction that sushi is a good quality, healthy food (“Cultural identity in Japanese cuisine and Italian coffee” 1). Today, sushi has a regional significance in Japan, with each locale making its own recipes that have been passed down through generations (“The History of Sushi” 1).

(Transition: Now that I have discussed the culture and the artifact, I will tell you about the significance of the artifact and its controversies.)

III. Sushi is an artifact of significance and is surrounded by many controversies.

A. Let’s first talk about its significance to us.

1. Since the 1980s, sushi has become popular world-wide (Naomichi 1). It is popular enough that the United States has developed its own California style of sushi, and the concept continues to evolve. Increased health consciousness and an interest in foreign cuisine led to the discovery of the unique taste and the health benefits of sushi. This type of consumption of Japanese culture mixed with the social quality of sushi bars makes them popular in the United States. More recently, the development of prepackaged sushi for supermarket sales has made the product accessible to anyone (“The History of Sushi” 1).

B. Next and lastly, let’s talk about the controversies.

1. Culture: One example of controversy in Japanese culture is the difference in Japanese and American cultural norms and the export of anime. Anime can include extreme levels of sex and violence, which was especially popular in the 1980s. Although veteran fans knew this, a new wave of unprepared fans came to anime during the 1980s, when companies like Evangelion began to offer extreme anime with high production values. American releases tried to edit out material that was considered offensive, which created confusion and resentment among fans (“Controversy in Anime” 1).

2. Artifact: There are a number of controversies that surround the popularity of sushi. One of the most important is the generation of a huge global demand for tuna. Overfishing of tuna has threatened the survival of the most important species. Currently, the status of bluefin, bigeye, and yellowfin tuna ranges from “fully exploited” to “depleted,” and the scarcity increases concerns about the healthy quality of the fish. Worldwide demand for tuna-based sushi is rising, which is only expected to make the situation worse (Lowenstein, Amato and Kolokotronis, 1).

Conclusion:

I. Recap: Today I have introduced the culture of Japan, sushi as an artifact, and their significance and controversies.

II. Clever ending statement: So you know about the raw fish--and also about kimono, anime, and keiretsu. I hope this presentation has been interesting and entertaining for you.

Works Cited

“Anime.” Japan Zone 2011:1. Web. http://www.japan-zone.com/modern/anime.shtml.

“Controversy in Anime.” Archen 2012:1. Web. http://scythe.net/archen/info/anime/controversy.html.

“Cultural identity in Japanese cuisine and Italian coffee.” Anthropology and the Human Condition 2010:1. Web. http://sc2218.wikifoundry.com/page/Cultural+identity+in+Japanese+cuisine+and+Italia+coffee.

Hindle, Tim. “Keiretsu.” The Economist 2009: 1. Web.http://www.economist.com/node/14299720.

“History of Kimonos.” Kids Web Japan 2013:1. Web.http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/kimono/kimono01.html.

Lowenstein, Jacob. H., George Amato, and Serglos-Orestis, Kolokotronis. “The Real maccoyii: Identifying Tuna Sushi with DNA Barcodes – Contrasting Characteristic Attributes and Genetic Distances.” http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0007866.

Naomichi, Ishaige. “The History of Sushi.” Kikkoman 2013: 1. Web.http://www.kikkoman.com/foodforum/thejapanesetable/09.shtml.

“The History of Sushi.” Tomoe Co., Ltd. 2000: 1. Web.http://www.sushi-master.com/usa/whatis/history.html.

Zschock, Day. The Little Black Book of Sushi: The Essential Guide to the World of Sushi. White Plains, NY: Peter Pauper Press, Inc., 2005. Print.http://books.google.com/books