Japan in the Western Perspective

With two completely different approaches, one as a semiotician, observing Japan through the lens of "reading" and viewing it as their own unique Japan, seeking to decipher the symbols they discover; the other as a writer and researcher, writing a novel based on the true memories of a geisha, reaping both glory and… trouble. The Western perspective, when applied to the mysterious East, is like having a thin, translucent veil placed before it—both a challenge and a constant stimulus, a test to see who dares to lift the veil of secrecy without wrinkling the fabric that is an integral part of Asian beauty.

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Roland Barthes is a major figure in the history of 20th-century literature and philosophy, renowned for his semiotic research and analysis of numerous symbolic systems. His works include...Symbol EmpireThis book is the result of a lengthy visit to Japan at the invitation of writer Maurice Pinguet, who was then the director of the Franco-Japanese Institute in Tokyo. Published in 1970, it is considered one of his masterpieces.

The book comprises 26 separate essays, each piece of literature where Roland Barthes describes and expresses his thoughts and feelings about various aspects of Japanese culture, from the tangible to the performing arts, including: Strange Language, Wrapping, Gaps, Written Faces, Chopsticks, Pachinko, Three Writing Styles, Decentralized Food, Perception/Imcognition, Inside/Outside, Bowing, Unlocking Meaning, Exemption from Meaning, Appendices, Stationery Shops, Violent Writing, Sign Chambers…

The portrayal of Japan in Roland Barthes's works appears both… alien and unique. Many readers have commented that when reading it...Symbol EmpireThey almost no longer recognized Japan, even though they themselves had traveled there before. However, Roland Barthes' colorful and unique prose, both pristine and insightful, is the highlight that creates the work's appeal. From the beginning, Roland Barthes determined that he was not trying to describe or analyze anything about Japan, but simply translating what he felt, in a deeply personal and autobiographical way.

Let's try reading a passage where he describes Japan's famous tempura:Tempura escapes the meaning we usually associate with fried food, which is heaviness. The batter rediscovers its essence: a dispersed, diluted, and light substance, almost milky, rather than a thick paste. Meeting the oil, this golden, shimmering milk is so delicate that it imprecisely envelops the food, revealing the pink of the shrimp, the green of the chili, the brown of the eggplant. This strips away from the breaded, battered, and dense texture that characterizes Western-style fried foods."

Unlike other purely travel books that delve into explaining the flavors or preparation methods of tempura, Roland Barthes chooses to present Japanese tempura as an object of semiotic study, with each symbol appearing, grasped and interpreted by the author in his own unique way, detached from its context and the identity of the place it belongs to.

Similarly, as Roland Barthes compared Bunraku puppetry to Western forms of puppetry, Bunraku is one of Japan's traditional theatrical arts, inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2003. Similar to kabuki theater, bunraku flourished during the Edo period (1603-1867) and is celebrated as one of the most sophisticated puppet art forms in the world. The puppets are half or two-thirds the size of real people and are manipulated by puppeteers.tayu"The narrator will handle the voiceovers for each character, and the music will be played on the shamisen, a popular three-stringed instrument in Japan."

While in the West, performances always focus on detailed embodiments, making the audience forget that it's just a performance, in Japan, under the vision of Roland Barthes, Bunraku puppetry aims to showcase artistic labor through the constant presence of people alongside the puppets. According to Roland Barthes, the performance is both invisible and visible; Japan is bringing the spirit of theater to life and fulfilling its proper role through this form of puppetry.

One of the unique interpretations inSymbol EmpireThat's when Roland Barthes said that going to a foreign place, where the language barrier was a great way for him to avoid appearing foolish and awkward. Then there's his keen eye for Japanese raw food cuisine, where the only act of preparation is "cut", without any further encroachment like Western cuisine."

The writer Maurice Pinguet commented on this work by Roland Barthes as follows:Japan, that Japan, his Japan – for Roland Barthes – was the utopian dream of desire."

ReadSymbol EmpireWe will always waver between two states: reality and dreams. Because the image of Japan that emerges is both real and elusive, a Japan that seems to exist not in reality but in the mind and vision of the genius Roland Barthes, now pulled out into words and displayed on the page. This writing style and way of thinking of Roland Barthes opens up a "private room" for himself, allowing him to freely paint his own picture of Japan without worrying about the colors in that painting encroaching on reality. Both Roland Barthes himself and...Symbol EmpireIt is a beautiful example of how we can combine our own perceptions and observations while still respecting the unique culture of each foreign land. AndSymbol EmpireIt not only offers a very unique and different Japan, but also serves as an endless source of inspiration for travelers from all over the world to observe and explore.

Arthur Golden and the misconceptions about Geisha

Conversely, the novelMemoirs of a Geisha, whose Vietnamese title isMemoirs of a Geishaor the recently re-released version has a different title.Autobiography of a GeishaThe work by author Arthur Golden has been embroiled in controversy regarding a Western man's perspective on Japan, and particularly on Geisha, even leading to lawsuits.

Author Arthur Golden graduated from Harvard University with a degree in art history, specializing in Japanese art. In 1980, he earned a bachelor's degree in Japanese history and worked in Tokyo for a time. To write...Memoirs of a Geisha) He spent fifteen years researching and interviewing Mineko Iwasaki, who was also the real-life model for the character Chiyo in the story.

Text inMemoirs of a GeishaArthur Golden's sharp, captivating storytelling, with its poetic ups and downs in a love story, and its vivid depictions of the lives of geishas and a Japan illuminated by the vibrant colors of elegant kimonos and hairpins, quickly became a bestseller upon its release in 1997. It sold 4 million copies in the US, was translated into 32 languages, and was adapted into a film.

Yet, Arthur Golden was sued by the very person he interviewed and used as a model and inspiration for his book, on two grounds: distortion and defamation.

To be fair,Memoirs of a GeishaArthur Golden's work is not only literaryally satisfying but also provides readers with a comprehensive view of the differences in Japanese society before and after World War II. The long-standing cultural traditions and customs, as well as the training courses for Geisha/Geiko in Japan, are also described, allowing readers to visualize this world, which is often shrouded in mystery.

However, it was precisely at this point that Arthur Golden was criticized by Mineko Iwasaki. The image of the Geisha inMemoirs of a GeishaIt's easy to mistake them for courtesans, because his story focuses on women's conflicts, suggesting that the training in music, chess, poetry, and painting of geishas is to attract men's attention. Furthermore, the detail of geishas selling their virginity is a controversial element.

Geisha in Japan have existed for a long time, particularly during the Edo period, considered the peak of this profession. The reason for their emergence was that the noble Samurai class, known for their resilience and strength in battle, needed relaxation and entertainment after hours of fighting for their family's reputation. Geisha appeared to satisfy this need. Professional geisha were portrayed as multi-talented, skilled, and refined. Meeting a geisha was considered the most prestigious and high-class form of interaction during the Edo period. In Arthur Golden's work, the setting during the transition to World War II and the author's interpretation have led many to mistakenly believe that the time period depicted represents the peak of this profession, but this is not entirely accurate.

Geisha, if called in the Kansai language asGeikoorGeiki(meanartistThese are girls skilled in dancing, singing, playing traditional musical instruments, and especially possessing charming conversational abilities. They are entrusted with leading the conversation at high-society parties. They are not merely entertainers; on the contrary, they must be refined, articulate, and skillful. Geishas rarely appear in public and never use public transportation. Geishas always wear thick layers of makeup, bright red lipstick, and black and red eyeliner. They wear kimonos, do not marry, and work for patrons. Most importantly, they do not work as courtesans (called Oiran in Japan). Another point to note is that Geishas only serve at drinking parties, while tea parties are reserved for Maiko (apprentices preparing to become Geishas).

Those who love the author and his work might try to defend Arthur Golden by saying, “Anyway, since the title already has the word "Memoirs," he could have added the word "novel" instead.This is a way of defending himself, saying that Arthur Golden fictionalized and romanticized Mineko Iwasaki's story, turning it into a story with many thrilling elements and entirely based on his own perspective. Mineko Iwasaki's account was merely raw material for Arthur Golden to rewrite.

However, while romantic sentiment can be justified, betrayal is very difficult to forgive. Mineko Iwasaki requested that her identity be kept secret, but for some inexplicable reason, the author revealed her name. This was a betrayal to Mineko Iwasaki. She sued and won. The ransom amount was not disclosed. As for the retired geisha, Mineko Iwasaki, she began writing two autobiographies: "Geisha, a Life," published in the United States, and "Geisha of Gion," published in the United Kingdom. Both became bestsellers, serving as a response and vindication to the inaccurate portrayals of geisha in Arthur Golden's novels. Neither work has yet been translated or published in Vietnam.

Many Japanese people have asserted that if you are Japanese, you would likely not like the work.Memoirs of a GeishaFrom the novel to its film adaptation (starring three top Chinese actresses, Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li, and Zhang Ziyi), this is perhaps not surprising for a country like Japan, where culture is deeply ingrained in the identity of each individual. They would easily recognize the confusion and attempts to gloss over the knowledge gaps of foreigners when looking at their culture.

That proves that if we compare them...Symbol EmpireRoland Barthes's writing is subtle and intelligent, as he clearly defines this as his own Japan, written from the perspective of a foreigner visiting and experiencing this colorful land of the rising sun. This move helps him avoid accusations of cultural appropriation or cultural distortion, because it is simply his own portrayal of Japan.

CONCLUDE

In his *Sand Collection*, Italo Calvino wrote about traveling as follows:Traveling doesn't give us much knowledge (I knew this early on; I didn't need to go to the Far East to prove it), but it does reactivate our ability to use our eyes to read the world visually."

When we are not merely observing the world we are reading about, or more specifically, reading about a country, a place, a culture, we can easily insert our own unique perceptions. This is similar to reading novels or literature; each story is interpreted in a very personal way in each person's mind.

That's why we always yearn to travel, no matter how much others have shown us about a place. Nothing is real unless we've seen it with our own eyes; no image can be expressed unless our own eyes read it. Even if we sometimes misinterpret (like Arthur Golden) or interpret it with excessive aesthetic sensibility (like Roland Barthes), the good news is that it is precisely this unexplorable mystery of every culture that keeps us from ever becoming bored with the beauty of life. Our feet are constantly urged to travel, so that our eyes can both observe and experience the act of reading a place, a world.

Trinh Nam Tran - Photo: Ky Anh Tran