Some Prefer Nettles

Most Japanese traditions involve every aspect of Japanese life. These traditions have also evolved over a period of thousands of years. One common tradition that may seem very visible to outsiders is the traditional Japanese dress of the kimono. A kimono is a woven cotton undergarment. This dress was the basic dress for the Japanese until more recently where it is customary to wear the kimono just for important celebrations. These celebrations make up the many traditions within Japanese culture that aren't as visible as the kimono. It is within this part of the paper, we would like to look at the many traditions, identities and modernities in Japan and in the book, Some Prefer Nettles by Junichoro Tanizaki.

Among peers, art is often overlooked and is seldom

appreciated. During the end of the nineteenth century, also during the time of modern development in painting techniques, Japan entered the international world. Their culture made slight changes due to opposing virtues and renovating ideals pertaining to painting. Europe possessed many of the modernistic, innovative principles and inspired the Japanese tremendously. With the overwhelming influence of the European painting techniques, the Japanese style remained almost unaltered, yet accompanied with modernized standards. The European style migrated to Japan and imposed on the traditional and ancient methods. As a result, the patrons of the ancient style denied the effectual, European ways of artistic expression. Thus, the Japanese culture divided into two worlds: Traditional and Modern Western. Not only did European paintings inspire the Japanese, but also plays and theatrical sequences which were present in the book. Kaname and his wife went to a couple plays and he spoke of how he did not like how the characters were portrayed. "While the dramatists and novelists of the Edo period were able to create soft, lovely women, women who were likely to dissolve in tears on a man's knee, they were quite unable to create the sort of women a man would feel compelled to kneel before" (Tanizaki 37). Much of the Japanese theatre, art and even music was distasteful to Kaname because of his modern expectations and outlooks on things around him.

The Meiji Restoration was a period in Japan when massive changes occured. The goal of the Meiji Restoration was summarized in their motto, "A rich country, a strong military." In their quest to do so, the Meiji looked to the western civilizations. The Meiji sent young men to study abroad and learn new traits from the west. Before this drastic movement, the traditional Japanese society was largely isolated from all other civilizations. By doing this the Japanese managed to strengthen the economy, strengthen the government, and make social reforms. Meiji leaders made the economy a major priority. They encouraged Japan's business class to adopt western methods. The Japanese built railroads to allow the shipment of goods and transportation of people, a banking system to aid in the expansion of businesses and investors, improved ports to aid in the expansion of trade with other countries, and also organized a telegraph and postal system which enabled the spread of news quickly.

Another goal of the Meiji was to strengthen the government and make it a strong central power, equal to those of the western powers. In 1889 they adapted the German principles of government which set forth principles that all citizens were equal before the law. Like the German system, however, it gave the ruler autocratic power. A legislature, or diet, was formed, made up of one elected house and one house appointed to the emperor. But its power was extremely limited. Japan then established a western style bureaucracy with separate departments to supervise finance, the army, the navy, and education.

Meiji made social reforms to help appease the people and advance their society.