Bene Viera | Jan. 24, 2010
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| Photo by Ashley Nichols |
| Visiting professor Joe Coleman talked with students in J460 International Public Relations about his work in Japan. The class travels to Japan over spring break. |
Coleman talked to Ralph Winslow Visiting Professor Jim Bright’s class Thursday about the challenges of dealing with Japanese bureaucracy, his life as a Westerner in Japan, useful clubs for journalists and the culture of the people.
Students leave during spring break for Japan, where they will meet Tokyo-based journalists and public relations professionals.
Coleman recalled that when he arrived in Tokyo, he did not know the language and he relied on interpreters. But to create a stronger bond with people, Coleman worked hard to learn the language.
“In some ways a language is a door into a culture,” Coleman said.
While he emphasized the advantages of learning the language, Coleman said it is not difficult to navigate around Japan if you do not speak Japanese.
Coleman provided examples of how Western journalists often depict Japanese people as “wacky.” He told the story of an American reporter who asked an 80-year-old rice farmer if he loved his wife.
“She is like the air,” the farmer said.
The reporter used the story to show that many Japanese don’t really love their spouses, Coleman said. The reporter misinterpreted the quote because he didn’t understand the culture. What the Japanese farmer meant was, “If I didn’t have her I’d die,” he explained.
“When you truly communicate with people from another culture, they become less of the ‘other’ and more human,” Coleman said.
During his stay in Japan, Coleman learned that Japanese women taking their children to a new park for the first time is a major cultural event. He interviewed several mothers to write a story about it.
Students learned about the three major Japanese newspapers – all of which have English versions: the Yomiuri, Asahi and Mainichi shimbun. (“Shimbun” is the Japanese word for newspaper.) Mainichi, founded in Yokohama, is Japan’s first and oldest newspaper.
Coleman said fraternal news organizations, known as “keisha clubs,” can make gathering news easier for visiting journalists. Most Western journalists belong to the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan (FCCJ), Coleman added.
Sensitivity to Japanese culture and common courtesies go a long way in Japan, said Coleman and Bright, who worked in Japan for Ford Motor Company. During the class, Bright spends time helping students gain insights into Japanese language and culture to help them prepare for the trip.
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