Hello! This is Shuhei Nakamura. From now on, I intend on writing a strategic article or a tournament report once or twice a month. However, before I write a strategic article, I want to make use of this opportunity to communicate in English and to write about something that’s been on my mind for a while.
This article is about me, as well as the community that I exist in, and on a bigger scale, who I am as whole. The article concerns what it’s like to be Japanese.
The Japanese Culture.
When you think of a Japanese person, what’s the first that comes to your mind? Sushi? Samurai? Geisha? Sumo wrestlers? Ninjas? Or maybe it’s our corporations: Toyota, Sony, Nintendo? Maybe Manga? Anime? The Kill Bill movies (which I love)? Hey, maybe it’s simply Kamigawa Block!
In Japan, sushi is a common food… but traditional sushi is very expensive, so people hardly ever eat it. Samurais are extinct, as old-school as dinosaurs. Ninjas, however, are still present: if you go to Kouga or Iga, you can still see them today – even though it’ll be closer to circus more than actual ninjas…
Sumo is popular, to the elderly at least, and the six major events are shown live on TV. Geisha is a form of “entertainment for adults.” If I tried to partake, I probably won’t be able to get very far… as I’ll probably be stopped at the door.
The Japanese have no preference for electronics, but cell phones are a major exception. People in Japan almost never use cell phones as a mere phone. The text messaging/emailing system that’s included in the cell phone is much more commonly used. As this text messaging habit becomes routine, emailing through computers is now considered obsolete, and it’s almost never used except for business transactions. Even in Magic, Japanese Magic players don’t have any email system. About the closest thing we have are comments and ideas that people leave in friends’ online journals (which we can access with our cell phones, too). Cell phones also act as a watch, camera, console, mini internet surfer, MP3 player, and they can even act as train tickets or credit cards. I’m pretty sure most people in Japan will go through intense withdrawal symptoms without a cell phone.
About once a week I’ll treat myself to a meal at a French restaurant, or Italian restaurant, or Chinese restaurant, or maybe a “Kaiten Sushi.” This, the most common sushi style in Japan, is where there’s a conveyor-belt that has endless plates of sushi trundling along, and customers take whichever plates catch their eye. The plates are color-coded, and the total bill ends up being the amount of plates you have when finished. [I’ve done this. It was most bizarre. — Craig]
In general, Japanese people easily get drunk, but I’m especially weak as one drink is generally my limit. But I still love the atmosphere while drinking, so I will proactively try to join my friends when they go out for an evening. I read a weekly magazine, play Magic Online, talk about decks on MSN messenger, send text messages to friends in order to chat, choose a place to meet, and go out to the cities with them, etc.
I hardly ever watch anime, but I watch movies all the time.
This is my lifestyle.
Another thing: we aren’t accustomed to tipping. This doesn’t just apply to Japanese people, but almost all Asians. If you’re with someone that’s Japanese, and they’re not showing any sign of tipping when they should be, please warn them. We’re that obtuse about the whole tipping process.
The English Skills of the Japanese
Do you think Japanese people have no understanding of the English language? In reality, it’s not like that most of the time. Japanese people must study English, for three years in middle school and three years in high school. It’s even required in college to take English for at least two years. Then why is it that Japanese people can’t speak English when they’ve been studying it for so long? There is a reason for that.
First, there is a major flaw in the foreign language education that the Japanese are receiving. Japanese people can read English sentences, but they have a little trouble hearing, speaking, or pronouncing correctly. It sounds like an excuse, but we were never taught how to do those things. Of course, there are many Japanese players who feel that this must come to an end. Pro Tour champion Masahiro Kuroda is a representative Japanese Magic player who believes so, and he attends an English tutor school dedicated to speaking and pronunciation.
Another problem is the lack of vocabulary. Most Japanese Magic players can understand what people are talking about, as long as they speak slowly enough. However, when they try to reply, they don’t have the vocabulary to answer back. This might be attributed to the fact that Japanese people almost never speak English in their daily life. As for me, it’s probably because I never actually studies English seriously in school.
What I want people to understand is that most Japanese players have the ambition that they want to learn English, and speak freely. On the other hand, they feel ashamed of their English skills, and feel it would be better if they don’t speak at all. Japanese people may seem quiet, or even anti-foreigner by sticking to their own groups all the time, but I think this is attributed to the reasons stated above. Of course, this may be seen as a crass generalization, as in reality, Japanese people are very unique.
Magic in Japan
Finally, a topic reminiscent of a Magic article!
Lets first look at the community of the Japanese Magic scene. Including me, currently, the Pro Players career is either below or above ten years. The first generation of players, guys like Tsuyoshi Fujita and Itaru Ishida, started playing when Magic first arrived in Japan. Everyone else can be considered as a member of the second generation of players. I guess players who started playing six years ago, like Kenji Tsumura and Tomohiro Kaji, can be considered as third generation players. However, just because there are generation gaps, that doesn’t necessary mean there’s a difference in skill-level between the different facets of the community. For example, last year Kenji Tsumura won the award for Player of the Year, while Fujita made Top 8 in two Pro Tours. Just because the new generation of players are emerging, that doesn’t necessary mean they are replacing the old.
In reference to the amount of players: in Japan, the number of players at a tournament level has been decreasing since Invasion block. It’s a thing of a past when we got 1300 people for our Grand Prix tourneys. Right now, we generally get about 500-700 players for any given Grand Prix. On the other hand, it’s undeniable that Japanese Magic players are currently on top of the world. Many Pro Tour Top 8 appearances, the current World Champion… it’s kind of like a “Rising Sun,” I guess.
But people who knew about Japanese Magic four or five years ago? I bet they’re thinking, “When did they get so good?”
There really aren’t any good answers, as Japanese players themselves find it surprising that they’re doing so much better nowadays. Especially since there aren’t any major differences among the top players four to five years ago and the top players today. It’s not as if we’re spending more time playing Magic: from my perspective, I even feel that we’ve been playing less Magic then before. I believe Itaru Ishida made a good comment concerning this issue in an article once:
“Since Tsuyoshi Fujita made it to Sunday on the Pro Tour, it took two years for a second player to reach Sunday play, in Akihiro Kashima. During that time, Japanese players kept improving to the point where they could compete against the world. The success of Kashima, who was unknown even to the Japanese at the time, built a feeling that ‘if Kashima could do it I can do it too’.”
I believe that fact, in addition to Magic Online, is the biggest reason for our recent successes. Magic Online has certainly improved things. Not just from a technological standpoint, but also from a psychological standpoint. With Magic Online, it became much easier to play against foreign players. Because of this, I believe it cured many of the foreigner complexes that the Japanese players used to have.
From my perspective, this is what a Japanese person seems to be like. Current Pro Tour Players in Japan love Magic just as much as you guys, and although I can’t promise that everyone does, most of the Japanese community promotes fair play and plays fair. Sometimes, from a difference in reactions based on our culture, or from a lack of communication, or because of the fact that we speak in Japanese — which is bad manners on our part – problems can, and will, arise. If you’ve encountered any of these problems in the past, and maybe interpreted them as an act of cheating… hopefully this article was able to clear up some of the confusion that you guys might have felt.
See you guys somewhere in the world!
Shuhei Nakamura
Translated by Takanobu Sato