Mia Fitria Agustina, S. S. & Khanifah
Abstract
Do
not have to be a doctor to know how to cure, do not have to be an
architect to know how to build, and do not have to be a Japanese expert
to know about Japanese culture. Novel as reflection of life, can give
all we want as readers. By reading it, we know how to cure, we know how
to build, and we know about Japanese culture. This knowledge that we get
from reading novel can be used to create better understanding about
something that we want to know or can be used to create better
understanding between individuals and groups. When this understanding is
applied in diplomacy, it is not impossible that the diplomacy process
will be faster, easier, and smoother. It becomes faster since
misunderstanding can be avoided. It becomes easier since both sides
understand what can be done and what cannot be done. And it is smoother
as there is not any cultural misunderstanding. In understanding between
individuals and groups, Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham develop the Johari Window. This
window shows how to understand people by open area, blind area, avoided
area and unknown area. Based on the theme of seminar which is how to
optimize diplomacy by culture, the writers are going to explain the open
area only (as the representation of tools to create better
understanding) using a novel entitled The Journey by Jiro Osaragi since this novel is full of cultural issues.
Key words: understanding, the Johari Window, the open area, the blind area, and the journey
INTRODUCTION
Literature
helps us grow both personally and intellectually; it provides an
objectives base for our knowledge and understanding, it helps us to
connect ourselves to the cultural context of which we are a part; it
enables us to recognize human dreams and struggles in different
societies that we would never otherwise get to know; it helps us to
develop mature sensibility and compassion for the condition of all
living things—human, animal, vegetable; it gives us the knowledge and
perception needed to appreciate the beauty of order and arrangement,
just as a well-structured song or a beautifully done painting can; it
provides the comparative basis from which we can see worthiness in the
aims of all people, and it therefore help us see beauty in the world
around us, it exercises our emotion through arousal of interest,
concern, tension, excitement, hope, fear, regret, laughter, and sympathy
(Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs, 1987).
It
needs 12 lines to describe what the function of literature is. This
shows that literature holds a very significant role for human because it
assists human to develop himself/herself, to be better and to be
higher. It helps human to develop since literature gives human more
understanding and knowledge in all human aspects. It leads human to be
better since it gives human more sensible and compassionate heart. And
it causes human to be higher because human can be grateful for what
human gets no matter it is good or bad.
The
understanding and knowledge that human gets can be in the form of
cultural understanding or knowledge as Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E.
Jacobs (1987) says that it [literature] helps us to connect ourselves to
the cultural context of which we are a part. By not only reading
literature but also interpreting literature, human can increase their
perspective of culture. Therefore it is not necessary to be an expert to
know culture since the representation of culture in literature is
already enough to help human to be an expert.
One
of literature genres besides poetry and drama is prose fiction. This
prose fiction includes novels, short stories, myths, parables romances,
and epics (Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs, 1987). As one of prose
fictions form, novel has been created in realism or verisimilitude
principle. That is, the situation or characters, though they are the
invention of writers, are similar to those that many human beings know
or experience in their lives. Even fantasy, the creation of events that
are dreamlike or fantastic (and in this sense a counter to realism), is
derived from a perception of life and action that is ultimately real.
Seeing
how novel can give understanding and knowledge about culture, it is not
impossible to learn culture from different part of the world by reading
and interpreting novel. This leads the writers of this paper to use a
novel entitled The Journey by Jiro Osaragi to find out how Japan
is. This novel is chosen because this novel depicts Japan very well.
Many things about Japan can be found in this novel, so the need to know
about Japan’s culture can be fulfilled.
Besides this novel depicts Japan well, another reason why the writers choose it is the Johari Window. The Johari window is widows used to know how to create better understanding between individuals and groups. There are four windows of the Johari Window namely open area, blind area or blind spot, hidden or avoided area, and unknown area. This novel, the Journey, suits with the first window, the open area.
THE JOHARI WINDOW
The Johari Window is
a communication model that can be used to improve understanding between
individuals within a team or in a group setting. Based on disclosure,
self-disclosure and feedback, the Johari Window can also be used
to improve a group's relationship with other groups. Developed by Joseph
Luft and Harry Ingham (the word "Johari" comes from Joseph Luft and
Harry Ingham), there are two key ideas behind the tool:
- That individuals can build trust between themselves by disclosing information about themselves;
- That they can learn about themselves and come to terms with personal issues with the help of feedback from others.
The Johari Window model
consists of a foursquare grid (think of taking a piece of paper and
dividing it into four parts by drawing one line down the middle of the
paper from top to bottom, and another line through the middle of the
paper from side-to-side). This is shown in the diagram below:
Using
the Johari model, each person is represented by their own
four-quadrant, or four-pane, window. Each of these contains and
represents personal information – feelings, motivation – about the
person, and shows whether the information is known or not known by
themselves or other people. The four quadrants are:
1. Quadrant 1: Open Area.
This window is about what is known by the person about himself/herself, and is also known by others.
2. Quadrant 2: Blind Area, or "Blind Spot."
This
window is about what is unknown by the person about himself/herself,
but which others know. This can be simple information, or can involve
deep issues (for example, feelings of inadequacy, incompetence,
unworthiness, rejection) which are difficult for individuals to face
directly, yet those can be seen by others.
3. Quadrant 3: Hidden or Avoided Area.
This window is about what the person knows about himself/herself that others do not.
4. Quadrant 4: Unknown Area.
This window is about what is unknown by the person about him/herself, and is also unknown by others.
There
are two tips in applying this window. The first tip is do not be rash
in your self-disclosure. When you disclose harmless items, it will build
trust. However, disclosing information which could damage people's
respect for you can put you in a position of weakness. The second tip is
be careful in the way you give feedback. Some cultures have a very open
and accepting approach to feedback. Others do not. You can cause
incredible offence if you offer personal feedback to someone who is not
used to it. Be sensitive, and start gradually. If anyone is interested
in learning more about this individual, they reciprocate by disclosing
information in their hidden quadrant. .For example, the first
participant may disclose that he/she is a runner. The other participant
may respond by adding that he/she works out regularly at the local gym,
and may then disclose that the gym has recently added an indoor jogging
track for winter runners.
SUMMARY OF THE JOURNEY
The Journey is a 1960 novel by Jiro Osaragi. It is set in Japan post-war and it examines the impact of the American occupation in Japan. The Journey itself
does not tell about a ‘real’ journey (people do trip from one place to
another place). There are some journeys indeed in this novel, but the
journey in this novel refers to the journey of life itself—traditionally
regarded in Japan as one without destination. And yet, in Osaragi’s
view, American influence caused the destination to become everything to
the Japanese—leading inevitable dissatisfaction and ceaseless striving.
This can be seen in this novel as people in this novel do journey to
find the real of them by searching their identity after a war which
affects people psychologically or mentally.
The
novel tells about a girl named Taeko who lives alone and faces many
problems bravely. Her experiences in facing these problems make her find
what are actually good for her. The story is opened by a meeting of
Taeko and Ryosuke Tsugawa in Akira’s grave. Akira is Taeko’s cousin and
Ryosuke’s friend. This meeting means a lot for Taeko and Ryosuke and it
makes them become closer. They see each other regularly. They even visit
Oshima Island to have fun although this visit reveals one of Ryosuke
dark side which is Ryosuke’s habit in playing dice.
After
the death of Akira, Soroku Okamoto, Akira’s father, is emotionally
depleted. This emotion leads him to commit suicide, but it is failed. He
is rescued by Prof. Yoshitaka Sagi and Sutekichi. Failed to commit
suicide, Soroku’s characters change. For example, before committing
suicide, Soroku concerned much about money. He always counted his
expense well. He never lent his money to the others. Moreover, his own
son had to pay back for any single money he had borrowed from his own
father, included the interest. But after he failed in committing
suicide, he becomes very generous man. He even gives money to Taeko even
though he knows that Taeko wanted to steal it from him.
As
time goes by, Taeko falls in love with Ryosuke, but they do not end up
in marriage. The reason why this relationship failed is Ryosuke habit in
playing dice. The more she knows Ryosuke who keens on gambling game,
the more she decides to end up their relationship. Another reason why
Taeko decides to leave Ryosuke is Mrs. Iwamoro. Mrs. Iwamoro becomes the
third person of this relationship. She secretly meets Ryosuke, and when
this secret is known by Taeko, Taeko gets upset and reconsiders her
relationship with Ryosuke.
1ST WINDOW: THE JOURNEY
The 1st window in the Johari window is
what is known by the person about him/herself and is also known by
others. No one knows Japan more than Japanese, so when Japanese write
novel, more or less the novel elements will be influenced by his/her
knowledge about Japan. Since this novel is written by Japanese, the
writers of this paper assume that by reading The Journey, the writers will get much information about Japan.
This assumption is proven right. After reading The Journey, the
writers found much knowledge about Japan and basically, some of the
descriptions about Japan in this novel are commonly known by
non-Japanese too. This findings match with the 1st window or open area,
the area in which Japanese people and non-Japanese people know about
Japan.
The
findings are classified into several categories. Those are the
character of Japanese, the setting of some places in Japan, the
tradition of Japanese and the others.
1. Character of Japanese
Based
on the novel, there are some main characters which are described well
in this novel by words, phrases, and sentences. Those are:
a.
First, Japanese sometimes knows the character of others just by
glancing at the people’s house and the appearance of the owner. For
example, in The Journey, Taeko can guess the character of his uncle as a hypocrite just by comparing her uncle’s house and her uncle’s appearance.
If
there is such a thing as the “expression” of a house, she thought, it
must surely be attuned to the person who lives in it. When the interior
is left unswept, then one can expect that the outside will be in the
state disorder—and, by the same token that the owner of the house will
be disheveled. Should the house itself be a mess and only its master
neat, one would hardly be mistaken in assuming that he must be a
hypocrite. (Osaragi, 1960 : 16-17)
b.
Second, Japanese are very considerate people. They always think what is
supposed to be done and what is not suppose to be done. This also
influence on the way they wear clothes. In the formal occasion, they
will wear formal clothes, and it is vice versa in the informal occasion.
Watching Kabuki is one of formal occasion. People who watch it have to
wear formal dress. That is why when Taeko came to watch Kabuki without
formal dress, her sister, Tazuko warns her by saying:
“So, you didn’t put on formal dress,” said Tazuko, with a slight nuance of reproach in her voice. (Osaragi, 1960 : 42)
This
expression implicitly shows that Japanese respect their traditions, and
one of these traditions is wearing formal dress (Kimono) to come to
Kabuki Theatre.
“Well, as a matter of fact, you may make a better impression in your simple everyday clothes” (Osaragi, 1960 : 43)
Those
things also show that Japanese always wear tidy clothes to create a
better impression which is absolutely important thing in their every
day’s life.
c.
Third, Japanese are also people who respect the value of time. They
always come on time. In this novel, it is shown by Taeko’s words to her
sister:
“At any rate, I’ve come on time” (Osaragi, 1960 : 42)
d. Forth, some of Japanese women disagree with an arranged marriage, just like what Taeko says:
“… my goodness, do people still go in for arranged marriage in this day and age?” (Osaragi, 1960 : 43)
e. The fifth, some Japanese men respect women who work on their own, just like what Mr. Hoshino says to Taeko:
“A new beauty has sprung up among the Japanese women who’ve begun to work on their own…”(Osaragi, 1960 : 49)
2. Setting of Japan
In The Journey,
Jiro Osaragi uses several places in Japan as the settings. The
knowledge that we get from reading this novel can be our guidance if
someday we want to go to Japan. Besides that, knowing these places can
also help us to understand Japan more, and we can use this knowledge to
start conversation. Those places are:
a. Kamakura
It
is the place in novel where Taeko’s uncle, Soroku Okamoto lives. In
Kamakura, there is a Modern Art Museum in the precincts of the
Tsurogaoka-Hachiman Shrine which becomes the most pleasant spot in
Kamakura, just like what Osaragi describes through the novel:
…it
was a light, cheerful place, and Tsugawa introduced it to Taeko as
being the most pleasant spot in all Kamakura… The room was so designed
as to protrude from the wall of the building, in the style of Le
Corbusier, and from their table they could look over the whole pond of
the Hachiman Shrine and see beyond it the mountain covered with their
beautiful trees. (Osaragi, 1960 : 7-8)
b. Tokyo
It
is a place where Taeko lives. Jiro Osaragi describes several places in
this location such as Imperial Hotel (Osaragi, 1960 : 52) and Hibiya
Park (Osaragi, 1960 : 60).
c. Niigata
It
is a place where Prof. Sagi finds Mr. Okamoto. Near with this place
there is an island called Sado. In Sado, Prof. Sagi and his friend try
to find some literary documents for their research. In Niigata, there is
a Shinano River which described by Osaragi for some times, in page 28,
32 and 34.
d. Nagoya. This place is an industrial city.
e. Oshima Island
It
is one of places where Taeko and Ryosuke spend their time to have fun
sometimes. In this island, there is a hotel named Kawana Hotel where
Taeko and Ryosuke stay and where people can see the view of Mount
Mihara.
Outside
the window one could see the clear silhouette of Oshima island. It
caught the western sun, and on the side of Mount Mihara the small glass
window panes of a building glittered brightly. (Osaragi, 1960 : 93)
f. Kyoto
Mount Yoshida and Kurotani Tower are in this location. (Osaragi, 1960 : 191)
g. Nara
In
this location, there are Hozu River, The Great Buddha in the Todai
Temple, The Kasuya Shrine, and a park which is full of deer. (Osaragi,
1960 : 184)
h. Kobe
Motomachi Shopping Street is in this location. (Osaragi, 1960 : 177)
i. Ozawa Mountain
It is a place where some climbers enjoy their hobby to climb. (Osaragi, 1960 : 209)
3. Culture of Japanese
In The Journey,
there are some cultures about Japan which we commonly hear in our every
day’s life. Those cultures are Japanese food, Japanese clothes,
Japanese music, Japanese literature and others.
a. Japanese Food
Some of Japanese food which is mentioned in the novel is sushi, oily tuna, congel eel, and udon. Those are described as below:
“Yes, let’s settle for some sushi,” said the Professor.
“After all, we’re all Tokyoites, so sushi is our specialty…” (Osaragi, 1960 : 38)
“I’ll take some oily tuna,” said Professor Segi to the man behind the counter.
“Some conger eel for me,” said Sutekichi.(Osaragi, 1960 : 39)
Takabumi ordered both types of udon. (Osaragi, 1960 : 189)
b. Japanese Clothes
The
traditional Japanese clothe is Kimono. Kimonos which literally means a
"thing to wear" (ki "wear" and mono "thing"), are T-shaped,
straight-lined robes worn so that the hem falls to the ankle, with
attached collars and long, wide sleeves (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimono).
Kimonos are wrapped around the body, always with the left side over the
right (except when dressing the dead for burial), and secured by a sash
called an obi, which is tied at the back. Kimonos are generally worn
with traditional footwear (especially zōri or geta) and split-toe socks
(tabi). It is worn by women, men and children. Japanese people wear
Kimono in formal occasion. However, they also wear Kimono in dealing
with certain event for example when they come to Kabuki Theater
(Osaragi, 1960 : 41).
c. Japanese Music
Some
of Japanese music such as tomei tune and music of the samisen (Osaragi,
1960 : 45-47) are usually used to accompany dance like in Kabuki. When
we find out what Shamisen is, we will find that it is a kind of guitar
with only three strings, and it is usually used to accompany Kabuki.
(www.japan-guide.com/e/e2113.html)
d. Japanese Literature
Some
of Japanese literatures described in the novel are Haiku and Rakugo.
Haiku is a traditional Japanese poetry. One of the famous Haiku poet
mentioned in the novel is Matsuo Bashoo (Osaragi, 1960 : 21). Rakugo
itself is traditional comic stories in Japan. (Osaragi, 1960 : 119)
e. Others
There
are still some Japanese traditions explained in the novel. Some of them
related to the cultural life and cultural view of Japanese people, like
Kabuki theater and also about Geisha. Kabuki is the highly stylized
classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the
stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of
its performers. Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as "the art of
singing and dancing." Since the word kabuki is believed to derive from
the verb kabuku, meaning "to lean" or "to be out of the ordinary",
kabuki can be interpreted as "avant-garde" or "bizarre" theatre (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki).
Different with Kabuki which is clearly mentioned, this novel does not
mention geisha but maiko. Maiko is a term used to name the apprentice
geisha. In The Journey, some of Maiko are found in the Gion district.
(Osaragi, 1960 : 185)
4. Deep analysis about The Journey
In
this novel, Jiro Osarigi shows the impact of American occupation on
Japan. One of those impacts is the change of Japanese’s mindset. Before
Japanese always thought that their life journey is one without
destination, but after the war, Japanese think that destination is
everything. The point of view about the life effects Japanese in
everything that they do. Some Japanese transform into better people and
some others choose the opposite position.
One
of the examples is the character of Taeko’s uncle, Mr. Soroku Okamoto.
After losing his son, Akira, who died in a war, he even decides to end
up his life, but after being rescued, he then totally changes his
mindset about life. Sometimes we do not even know what mistakes we have
made to get where we are now, or maybe, we figure it out just in time to
make it right again. But every mistake happens for a reason and they
teach us lessons that we would otherwise never learn because life is a
learning process. Soroku’s treatment toward Akira in the past makes him
be sick and regretful. Thus, he tries not to make the same mistake
twice. In here, it is shown by some of Soroku’s words when he says:
“If you keep on the wrong path too long, you’ll find one these days that it’s too late to turn back.” (Osaragi, 1960 : 252)
“I’ve
lived in this world quite a long time, as you can see, and I’ve managed
to learn just a little. If you twist your life out of shape, things
will never turn out well for you. One gets more and more unhappy as the
years go by. But if you start living according to your own character,
however hard it may be at first, your feelings are bound to get clearer,
and in the end you become glad that you’re alive. Life’s a long
business, you know. You mustn’t try to hurry things at your age.” (Osaragi, 1960 : 254)
“You should not worry too much…… What’s the use of carrying a burden that gives you no pleasure and does no one else any good?” (Osaragi, 1960 : 270)
Soroku’s
words indeed can not be used to generalize all Japanese people’s
mindset at that time. However, when we come to the question, what makes
Japan grows up well after the terrible war, Soroku’s words can answer
that. It implicitly shows that Japanese people are people who never give
up, they keep struggling, no matter how hard life will be. This makes
Japan become a great country because Japan has great people.
However,
there are people who are not able to find the good side of their life
after war. Not all people are like Soroku Okamoto. There are people who
misunderstand about their essence of life, like Ryosuke. After a war, he
then becomes a gambling lover. He loves playing dice, even he gets
loses so many times. Since the war ends, he believes that his life is a
gambling game. The proofs are:
“Do you like playing dice and that sort of thing?”
“Yes,
I like it,” replied Ryosuke stiffly. “There is nothing specially bad
about gambling, you know. It’s a game like any other…”
….
“I
like games of chance. I think it gives a certain tone to one’s life….
There is something very gallant and attractive about that feeling….”(Osaragi, 1960 : 105)
Ryosuke
believes that his life already becomes a game since he joins the war.
He might be got killed, but he is still alive up to that moment. Thus,
for him, his life is like playing games.
“… felt just as if I were playing dice. If I was going to die, I’d die….”
“… at those moments too I felt that I was gambling…”
“The
war’s over now… when I think about it, I always feel as if I’d
graduated from special course…. It was all in the throw of the dice, you
see.”(Osaragi, 1960 : 106-107)
Both
of Soroku and Ryosuke are dealing with the same thing, the life after a
terrible war. But then, both of them have different characters, even
they have same trigger. Those reflect the character of people in common.
However, in The Journey itself, the proportion between people who
change to be good man is more than the people who change into worse man.
There are still some people who are like Soroku, for example Takabumi
and Professor Segi.
Takabumi
states that some of Japanese people become very patient and never bear
any giving up because they have through an unbearable life after war.
Those things make them stronger than before.
“…People who are acquainted with poverty, you see, tend to become very patient.” (Osaragi, 1960 : 195)
Different
with Takubumi, Professor Sagi states that people should respect and
love each others. He believes that there is no need of being so
depressed because we are not facing this unbearable life alone. There
are still so many people who face the worse life than us.
“…This
life is a difficult place to live in, but it doesn’t do the slightest
good to go about with a long face just because things may be painful and
trying. It doesn’t matter so much when you’re alone, but in the company
of other people it’s a good policy never to show that one feels gloomy.
That’s something we can learn from the old samurai tradition. It’s sort
of courtesy toward the people to be living with”
“…the
real scum in this world are the people who only think about themselves.
It’s they who make this extremely difficult world of ours even more
difficult. Those are the people I thoroughly detest – the people who
think that so long as they are all right everyone else can go to the
devil….. I suppose because Japan is such a small country with such an
enormous population that some people decide to force their way through
by dint of strength and money, regardless how they may be hurting
others. As I said, the world’s become a hard place to live in, even if
one has no special difficulties at the moment. If a man wanders about
thinking that he’s the only one who’s unhappy, he’s making a great
mistake. For the fact is that there will always be numerous levels of
unhappiness worse than his own. That’s what people tend to forget.” (Osaragi, 1960 : 245-246)
That
explanation show that what makes Japanese people tough and easily
recover from a terrible life in post-war is that the way how they see
the essence of life. From the novel itself, we see that not all Japanese
people come to such relief, but most of them do so. It is what makes
Japan becomes so great and greater.
Those
lists of course can not be taken for granted as the only guidance to
understand and to know more about Japan. What we are trying to say here
is that we can understand Japanese people, interesting places, and
tradition by reading novel written by Japanese people. Even The Journey
is written in 1960, there are still so many things about Japan that can
be found in modern era, for example about the places, the traditions,
the arts, the foods etc.
Even, after checking through www.japan-guide.com,
we can surely say that all places mentioned in the novel are real. For
example is Kamakura, which now is a very popular tourist destination.
Sometimes called the Kyoto of Eastern Japan, Kamakura offers numerous
temples, shrines and other historical monuments. Moreover the historical
places in Kamakura which are described through the novel still exist up
to now, like Great Buddha which is Large bronze Buddha Statue and
Hachimangu Shrine which is Kamakura's most important Shinto shrine.
Japanese
people still eat sushi and udon until now. Sushi is the most famous
Japanese dish outside of Japan, and one of the most popular dishes among
the Japanese themselves. In Japan, sushi is usually enjoyed on special
occasions, such as a celebration. While udon are thick Japanese noodles.
(www.japan-guide.com)
CONCLUSION
So,
what is the contribution of novel toward the diplomacy itself? In here,
novel is a part of culture, in which culture is the body of imaginative
work in which in a detailed way, human thought and experience are
variously recorded (Castle, 2007 : 73). It means that the readers can
get knowledge about the human thought and experience that recorded
through novel. Since this novel is written by a Japanese author and some
of the things inside this novel are already known by non-Japanese
people like character of Japanese people as punctual people, or about
Kimono and Haiku, we can gain more knowledge which can enrich our
understanding about some common things that we have already known. In
diplomacy, the knowledge about the culture of others is very important,
thus we can get that knowledge through the novel. By reading novels, we
are not only enriching our soul but also creating better knowledge about
other people which can be used in creating better understanding through
the diplomacy.
People
will respect us when we respect them. By having such knowledge about
others, there is no doubt that they will respect us as much. It is
because by having those knowledge, it means that we respect others
culture.
References
Castle, Gregory. The Blackwell Guide to Literary Theory. 2007. Oxford: Blackwwell Publishing
Roberts, Edgar V., and Henry E. Jacobs. Fiction: An Introduction Reading and Writing. New Jersy: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1987.
The Johari Window Creating Better Understanding between Individuals and Groups. Retrieved 9 October 2009. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_98.htm.
Traditional Music, http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2113.html
*This paper was presented by Mia Fitria Agustina, S.S and Khanifah in The International Conference on Indonesia-Japan Cultural Diplomacy held at the Faculty of Political and Social Science, University of Jenderal Soedirman, Purwokerto, November 14th 2009
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