Online Discussion: Visual Music and Beyond
- Kate
- 2020年3月19日
- 読了時間: 2分
Hello! I hope you are staying safe in these crazy times and not flat-out panicking like I am. Due to the coronavirus, we have postponed our event with Chris Mosdell, but we are nevertheless determined to kick off a conversation and keep it rolling until we can all meet in person. To that end, we have a few things planned, but first up is the following list of questions. We invite you to respond in the comments and chat amongst yourselves. If you'd like to write a longer response, you can submit a blog post of your own, which we'll share here and on SNS so people can respond to you! If you'd like to write a blog, you can contact me (Kate) via email, this website, or SNS. I'll be kicking off the first blog response to question #6, so keep our eyes peeled.
So please don't be shy, and feel free to respond in any language or format that suits you. If you have any questions, drop me a line!
How multicultural is Japan? Is it important for Japan to be multicultural?
Talk about your experience as a foreigner living and working in Japan. / Talk about your experience as a Japanese person working abroad, or working with foreigners in Japan.
How can embracing diversity make positive changes in Japanese society?
Beyond language, how is it possible to overcome communication barriers?
What role does art play in society today?
Think of some challenges in society that particularly interest you. Can art be used to tackle these challenges? If not, how do you propose we can meet these challenges?
Isolation and loneliness are growing problems. How do you propose we can make meaningful connections between people of different cultural backgrounds?
What role does the individual, or interpersonal connections, play in an increasingly digitalizing world?
Hi, Kate and everyone! here are some thoughts I’d like to add to the discussion
The most important thing in defining multicultural society for me is its direct connection with the term of equality. My personal experience of life in Japan is quite limited but I’d say society here is trying to show its willingness to be multicultural with the constant thought at the back of the mind about the only one “true” culture.
As a foreigner in Japan I had some difficulties, connected mostly with different approaches to work culture. Another difficulty - socialization (which also comes with a huge problem of language barrier). But all those things that seemed to be difficulties turn out to be good experienc…
Thanks, Kate!
Question 1: Japan is very multicultural in terms of diverse cultural expressions in rural communities. I sometimes refer to regional Japan as an Amazon rainforest of cultural diversity that is being rapidly deforested by ageing, depopulation and an ever-rising tide of convenience.
2: I have very rewarding interactions in everyday life in Japan, in contexts where I have established a relationship of trust.
3. I have found members of a small community in the mountains to be pretty much unconcerned about "differences"; they just expect everyone to muck in and support the common good in whatever ways they have identified as locally appropriate.
4. Help someone do something that they want your help to do.
5. Good art…