Cultural psychology: Japanese culture and meaning systems?

Question

I'm writing a paper for my cultural psychology course. The paper is about Japanese child care, focused on the moral and cognitive development of Japanese children from their own traditional/cultural perspective. It is mostly an archival research on Japanese culture which I am supposed to write up and present as a realist ethnography. 1. Is there any place online where I can conduct an interview with Japanese people who reside in Japan and are familiar with their own culture. 2. How can I identify actions, activities, and goals of the culture in order to construct a meaning system so as to understand and interpret the relationship between the actors (culture), tools (e.g., appraisal of the child's actions), activities, scripts, and goals? 3. Do you have any tips on how to write an ethnography?

Answer 1

First of all, to speak to a Japanese native you can use a website such as Italki, which is a language exchange platform.

There you can find native Japanese people who are also fluent in English. Some may request a small fee for their time, while others will use it as an opportunity to work on their English!

From my experience in Japan, the best way to get a grip on the Japanese culture specifically is from the angle of individualism vs collectivism. The Japanese have a saying which goes: "The nail that stands out gets pounded down." This is a VERY different attitude than we have in the West--where we value individualism so much.

The Japanese people live on a small island though, so it's partly due to the lack of space that the community aspect and group cohesion are so necessary, far more so than in America. Also, people follow the rules in Japan--for example, if a crosswalk sign says stop, they will stop, even if there are no cars coming! It's in these differances of values that you'll be able to start circumscribing a meaning system.

As for tips for writing an ethnography--the very best thing is to be as immersed in the culture as much as possible--If you can't go to Japan, talk in-depth with a native, one that speaks fluent English. Talk to multiple! Immersion and understanding is key. Be mindful of the differeances, especially the diffferences in values and where they originate from.

Good luck!