I read a short story about a man's experience in Japan. His name is Tim Patterson and he was staying in Hokkaido with his friend, Ryan. Hokkaido stays freezing, and even in April there is blizzard-like snow. Tim and Ryan find a shelter in between the mountains and stay there for the night. Before they get inside they actually have to dig in the snow to get to the upstairs window.
I believe the point of the story is that the people in Japan are so much different than Americans that it is almost unbelievable. The Japanese in the Hokkaido Mountains actually keep up shelters for travelers because it stays so cold there. Not only do the Japanese keep up these shelters, but they provide unnecessary conveniences for the people that stay in them. There are morels to be learned from the story, and they involve the concept that you should always repay respect and kindness with even more respect and kindness. Tim talks about how the shelters are kept in such good shape, and how it is so important and honorable to leave these shelters in even better shape that they were found in.
The setting contributes to the story because if the weather was not so unbelievably cold then the shelters would not even be needed. If there was not a need for the shelters then there would be no point in the story because Tim would have to find another reason to express what he is trying to say about the Japanese. I believe the whole concept of the story revolves around how thoughtful people can be, and how you would not find shelters randomly spread throughout America during freezing weather.
I believe that travel writing helps to clear away cultural stereotypes because it can disprove believed ideas about cultures that are usually not true. In this case, at this time, many Americans do not respect the Japanese because of the ordeals that happened throughout WWII. However, because of travel writing and this story, people that have no respect for the Japanese can start to see that they ARE wrong, and that the Japanese are very compassionate people. Nothing says that they have to provide shelters for travelers, but they still do. I think the point of the story is to show people that everyone has concerns and that everyone can be generous.
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2 comments:
Thanks for the kind words, Heather! I encourage you to travel to Japan someday yourself. You're in high-school now? Do a search for the Japan U.S. Senate Exchange - 50 spots for a free summer homestay in Japan.
Best,
Tim
Interesting post! And guess how relieved I am, according to a million posts I've seen on Failbook and such I was almost certain there are no Americans that would actually like the Japanese! Keep up the good work!
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