Depiction of Culture in Tokyo Sonata

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see”. ^[1] This quotation perfectly explains the life in contemporary Japan which is a lot more baffling than what the non-natives see. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, a Japanese film writer-director, portrays us an alternate reality of Japan in his drama film called Tokyo Sonata. This film shows us the disintegration of the middle-class Sasaki family which starts with the main character, Ryuhei Sasaki, losing his job. ^[2] One question that people always ask is that how identical is Kurosawa’s description to actual Japan? This assessment will highlight factors like family roles, culture, and economy through which Tokyo Sonata Japan resembles historical (Pre-WWII) and contemporary Japan.

The first way that Tokyo Sonata’s Japan resembles the historical and contemporary Japan is through family which defines any nation on a micro level. It is through the family that our culture and values are passed down from one generation to the next. Beginning with the family roles in Tokyo Sonata, the Sasaki family includes Ryuhei (husband), Megumi (wife), Takashi (old son), and Kenji (young son). In this nuclear family, Ryuhei is the head of household as he provides for the family via his office job while Megumi runs the household and takes care of their two teenage sons. Similarly, the role of a husband in the Japanese society has traditionally been to provide for the family whereas the wife maintained the household daily and raised the children. This is apparent in Makiko’s Diary by Kazuko Smith where Nakano Makiko was a merchant’s wife in 1910 Kyoto, Japan. ^[3] In this text, Kazuko describes the life of the Nakano family to be divided into two spheres: Oku- the private one and Mise- the public one. Men are in-charge of Mise which includes the family business while women are in-charge of Oku which includes running the house daily as well as managing business accounts. Although the role of men in contemporary Japan hasn’t changed much with time, one may ask how did the role of women change post-WWII?

Moving on to contemporary Japan, Borovoy in his book called Too Good Wife explains the lives of Japanese couples today. ^[4] He describes this shift in an ideal Japanese family where “everyone contributes” transformed into an enigma where women do everything. This shift is explained by the idea of codependency which started in the U.S. as a mean to husband-wife equality and support for one another. This idea came to be known as co-alcoholism in Japan because codependency meant that women had to tolerate the drinking addiction of husbands and indirectly reinforce their destructive behavior. This tolerance and reinforcement by women have proven detrimental, not only to their personal safety but also of their children. It’s thought-provoking how these service wives of contemporary Japan have accepted their roles as the metaphorical punching bag of the Japanese household. Some people may even argue that women in contemporary Japan feel suffocated as this one scene in Tokyo Sonata shows Megumi feel extremely helpless. After waiting for Ryuhei to return from work and starving herself until midnight, Megumi raises her hands towards the roof while laying down and says “Somebody, please help me up.” (35:45) This closely resembles contemporary Japan from the point of view of a woman/wife/mother. Tabaimo, a Japanese artist, gives us a sense of this in her short art project called Japanese Kitchen. ^[5] This abstract film uses symbolism to give us an insight into the lives of Japanese woman which start and end with a kitchen. It shows how a wife is bound to the kitchen no matter what happens around her. The wife ultimately ends up chopping her husband’s head off to cook which in turn kills her as well. In Tokyo Sonata, we see the foundations of the Sasaki family tremble with time as the husband-wife relationship deteriorates. The ending of Tokyo Sonata provides a glimmer of hope where a new day symbolizes a new beginning. Overall, Japan in Tokyo Sonata does closely resemble the historical and contemporary Japan with respect to the role of husband and wife in a Japanese family.

As aforementioned, the responsibility of nurturing the children falls completely under a mother’s domain. In return, what role does the next generation play in the family? In Tokyo Sonata, we see that the little brother, Kenji, is enrolled in the middle school where he develops a passion for playing piano. At several occasions, Kenji stands up to his father which leads to child abuse. Here, Tokyo Sonata’s Japan resembles the historical and contemporary Japan in the sense that the role of teenagers in the family is to be respectful to elders and to focus on school as the educational system plays a major role in determining the entire future of every individual. According to Yoder in Youth Deviance, the only way to be successful in contemporary Japan is by staying in school. However, low-middle class students are not given much room for success. ^[6] The reason behind such is some parent’s inability to afford the additional programs for kids like private tutoring. Based on the currently used Harmony model, a student’s progress and attitude are first monitored in the middle school. The results of which determines the quality of these students’ high school. Students that attend low-level high schools are called delinquents and are socially labeled as bad individuals as reflected by their school uniform color or special pins. These so-called delinquents almost never make it in life and are forced to do the blue-collar jobs or worse. In Tokyo Sonata, we also see that the older brother, Takashi, has given up on going to college and chooses an alternate path of joining the U.S. Army to serve his country. In terms of fact-checking, the U.S. Army never actually recruited Japanese soldiers. However, the presence of the U.S. Army represents an alternative escape from the norms of Japanese society. It is an opportunity that the old generation never had as it fulfills the element of hope for the new generation. As Anne Alison in The Precarious Future explains that Japan doesn’t have a future if everyone is trying to fit in a mold. ^[7] Overall, Japan in Tokyo Sonata does resemble the historical and contemporary Japan with respect to the role of each family member.

The second way that Tokyo Sonata’s Japan resembles the historical and contemporary Japan is through culture as it captures a vivid image of Japan’s mass media consumption. In one of the first school scenes (10:00), we see students passing a large manga collection around the classroom which leads to an altercation between Kenji and his teacher. This altercation shows the audience that the culture of manga is equally directed towards the younger and the older generation. Starting in the 1970s, this culture of manga and anime slowly developed a local identity of its own. In recent decades, with the popularity of movies like Spirited Away, manga has become a worldwide media source. This global product has even given birth to a new culture of Kawaii or “Cuteness” in Japan. ^[8] Another aspect of culture that was hinted upon in Tokyo Sonata was the nightlife of Japanese businessmen. In a scene with Ryuhei and his friend Kurosu, Ryuhei states that it’s problematic to go home early as wives suspect otherwise. (30:25) This resembles contemporary Japan because the bustling nightlife of Japan is an important part of its culture. After working all day long, the businessman and office workers retire to company-paid clubs. According to Allison Ann in Nightwork, ^[9] special clubs are specifically in business to serve as a place of leisure and comfort for the businessman where they can drink and be vulnerable with their coworkers. It is a place for men to boost their ego and confidence as hostesses serve them with drinks and act flirtatious. Businessmen that do not drink in these nightclubs or retire to the home early are either socially awkward or possibly jobless. The examples of manga culture and nightlife show Tokyo Sonata Japan’s resemblance with historical-contemporary Japan with respect to culture.

         The last way that Tokyo Sonata’s Japan resembles the historical and contemporary Japan is via economic reflection. Ryuhei, being the head of the household, should be the strongest and firmest member of the Sasaki family. However, he becomes a victim of Japan’s shifting economy as his job is outsourced to Chinese workers. In addition, laid off businessman like Ryuhei are forced to do blue-collar jobs such as janitors. Some businessmen like Kurosu even commit suicide. Japan’s economy reflected in Tokyo Sonata holds some accuracy towards contemporary Japan’s economy which has been slowly declining for the past few decades. Beginning with the historical Japan, Meiji restoration was an era towards the end of 19th century during which the Japanese pushed to restore their imperial rule. Although this era ended near the dawn of 19th century, the sense of an empire remained in Japan. This led to their brutal defeat in WWII. In the book Embracing Defeat by Dower, ^[10] Japan’s WWII loss was justified by saying that Japan lacked the latest technology, unlike the other nations. The end of WWII resulted in a significant investment in infrastructure and industry like schools and businesses as explained by Andrew Gordon in Modern History of Japan. ^[11] Consequently, the literacy rate rose, and Japan advanced technologically in the 1970s. Additionally, Anne Alison in The Precarious Future explains that Japan’s initial economic boom was a result of the new Japanese business model called Japan Inc. ^[7] Also known as the Iron Triangle between politicians, big businesses, and bureaucracy, this business model is like a metaphorical revolving door which aims to benefit everyone involved. This scheme may have been beneficial in launching the Japanese economy. However, it is no longer relevant. One solution to this economic problem is to lay off an enormous portion of the workforce and outsource jobs to cheaper alternatives as seen in practice in Tokyo Sonata. This overall economic reflection of historical-contemporary Japan is seen in play in Tokyo Sonata’s Japan.

 In conclusion, Tokyo Sonata’s Japan resembles historical (Pre-WWII) and contemporary Japan with respect to family roles, culture, and economy. Despite not being a replica of the contemporary model Japan, Tokyo Sonata highlights some issues that should be immediately addressed including women rights, education and economic reforms to restore Japan to its previous glory.

References

[1] “Henry David Thoreau Quotes.” Brainy Quote, Xplore, www.brainyquote.com/quotes/henry_david_thoreau_106041.

[2] Kurosawa, Kiyoshi, Yukie Kito, Wouter Barendrecht, Max Mannix, Sachiko Tanaka, Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyōko Koizumi, Yū Koyanagi, Kai Inowaki, Kōji Yakusho, and Kazumasa Hashimoto. Tokyo Sonata., 2010.

[3] Plath, David W, and Chet Kincaid. Makiko’s New World. Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources, 2005.

[4] Borovoy, Amy Beth. The Too-Good Wife: Alcohol, Codependency, and the Politics of Nurturance in Postwar Japan. University of California Press, 2005.

[5] Tabaimo, Hatsuimo: Japanese Kitchen, 1999

[6] Yoder, Robert Stuart. Youth Deviance in Japan: Class Reproduction and Non-Conformity. Trans Pacific, 2004.

[7] Baldwin, Frank, and Anne Allison. Japan: the Precarious Future. New York University Press, 2015.

[8] Paul-Ratner. “Why Do Japanese People Love Cuteness? Learn the Science of ‘Kawaii.’” Big Think, Big Think, 5 Oct. 2018, bigthink.com/Paul Ratner/why-do-the-Japanese-love-cute-things.

[9] Allison, Anne. Nightwork: Sexuality, Pleasure, and Corporate Masculinity in a Tokyo Hostess Club. University of Chicago Press, 2006.

[10] Dower, John W. Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II. W.W. Norton & Company/The New Press, 1999.

[11] Gordon, Andrew. “A Modern History of Japan.” Myth Summary, 9 Dec. 2018, http://global.oup.com/academic/product/a-modern-history-of-japan-9780199930159.