JAPANCASTING with Steve McCarty

Stakes and Stakeholders in the Japanese Educational System in Japancasting Podcast by Steve McCarty with Parveen Sharma, Ramesh C Sharma

BLOG LINK for the Podcast Outline and Summary -

https://eklavyaparv.com/edusomedia/japancasting-podcast/556-stakes-and-stakeholders-in-the-japanese-educational-system

This is a 26-minute presentation on Japanese education given to American schoolteachers visiting Osaka Jogakuin College. It is a critical view, and the situation has become more relaxed overall since the time of this presentation, which was delivered in 2005, but the fairly complete picture of factors affecting education in Japan is still a relevant set of issues.

As Prof Steve said about this episode: "My sons were going through Japanese public schools, and I tried to show the system from their viewpoint and that of my Japanese wife. Doing homework, for example, is a struggle against human nature. My wife tells them what they need to do to reach their goals, but, with so many gadgets to enjoy, they have to get into what anthropologists call a mood of willing. Since the time of this speech, the educational situation in Japan has become more relaxed, and the lazy boys have grown up to be surprisingly successful in Tokyo in the IT and entertainment industries." 

A Family goes through Japanese Education

Japanacasting Podcast reaches the 8th Milestone with this extensive and amazing interview of Prof Steve McCarty. The talk relates to modern times. He is so subtle in his answers that you cannot stop wondering about the precision of these ideas. When he says that being modern is not being Western - he erases a huge amount of doubts from our minds.

He explains how Japan has become an ideal land with flawless discipline and healthy life.When it comes to learning Japanese, he has logical answers about the worth and weightage of the Japanese Language. He has been truthfully honest with us when we listed the limitations of Japan in terms of intercultural communication. About India, we do have him telling us that we are much more than spices and Agra!

Parveen Sharma and Steve McCarty! 

This is a 28-minute question and answer session after a regular presentation on "Japanese People and Society" for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Participants on government scholarships for graduate school just arrived from India, Vietnam and Guatemala. They had questions on religion, the role of women, male-female relationships, and families in Japan.

This 11-minute podcast discusses the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites. Comparing Japan with Central Asia, it can be seen how Japan’s cultural treasures are very well preserved, but some sites in poor countries [for example, in Varanasi, India] that should be World Heritage Sites do not get enough community or outside support. This podcast explains how the Great Buddhas of Bamiyan did not get protected and were destroyed. This is a case of what “falling through the cracks” means. Furthermore, in discussing UNESCO’s acceptance of Japan’s Kii Mountain Range sacred sites, a deep cause of discrimination against women is revealed.

Japancasting Podcast is an attempt to unearth the intricacies of Japanese Culture. This, however, does not mean that there are complexities in the culture and history of Japan. But, we still see that there is a lot of depth in it, which can be a thing to feel amazed at. With Prof Steve McCarty, we are bringing episode 05 of the Podcast and invite you to visit the shared links as well.Episodes 2-4 were dedicated to understanding incredible legends connected to the island of Shikoku.

This nearly 10-minute episode discusses the Pilgrimage of Shikoku, the difficulty of historical accuracy, and separating the objective study of religions from religious faith or practice. Scholars or educators can get personally involved with religions, but it is very different to investigate the same religious phenomena through the academic study of religion.

This talk suggests further readings such as guidebooks to Shikoku and encyclopedia articles by the author, which can be found under https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology or https://wilmina.academia.edu/SteveMcCarty/Japan - with links to Japancasting audio and videos of Japan under https://japanned.hcommons.org/multimedia  

A gripping legend about the origin of Japan's most famous pilgrimage seems to prove reincarnation. This five-minute podcast recounts the miracle story and then poses discussion questions, which have been used educationally with groups to get at the underlying purpose of the legend. 

Reincarnation or What? Stone-Hand Temple and the Pilgrimage of Shikoku

Script: The Legend of Emon Saburo (listen to the podcast to hear the introduction and discussion questions as well).

Online EducationYou can subscribe to the Japancasting Podcast on Podchaser or Subscribe/Follow on Spotify. 

This podcast briefly summarizes and suggests discussion questions about the Bunraku story “Keisei Awa no Naruto.” Anime fans are familiar with Naruto, but it is actually the port city on Shikoku island nearest to the Osaka-Kobe area on the main island of Japan. Awa is the old name for Tokushima Prefecture, where this Bunraku is still performed. A puppet play would be an entertainment fit for a child, you might think. But this is a story of the utmost sadness or pathos of the human predicament. It is also similar in a way to the tragedy “Oedipus Rex,” the play by Sophocles in ancient Greece. Oedipus could not escape his fate, and neither could this poor family.

Read the Transcript:

https://eklavyaparv.com/edusomedia/japancasting-podcast/546-fatalism-and-pathos-in-a-bunraku-puppet-play

The Woman Diver: Discovering Deep East Asian Values

One of the oldest professions is that of the diver for pearls or humbler offerings of the sea. Akiko Takemoto and Steve McCarty have translated a heart-rending story from various Japanese versions, as a prehistoric legend moved from oral to written traditions over millennia. To help readers ponder its significance, brief discussion points for college or secondary school classes follow the story.This podcast renders the ancient folktale "Ama" into English, investigates its origins, and attempts to interpret its timeless significance. From a prehistoric oral tradition, it evolved into the temple chronicle of Shidoji in Kagawa Prefecture and a Noh play with its setting there. In modern times the ama are women who dive for pearls and the like, but from the earliest times, men and women dove for seaweed, fish, and so forth. The story thus becomes "The Woman Diver" with the division of labor, whereas the title was originally or simply "The Diver," who was in any case a woman. The following translation is based on the Noh script, Kagawa folktales, and legends, but the central motifs remain perennially the same: the woman makes the ultimate sacrifice for her husband, to raise the future status of her son.

READ the TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://eklavyaparv.com/edusomedia/japancasting-podcast/545-japancasting-the-woman-diver-ama-folktale

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Japancasting Podcast with Steve McCarty - Introduction and Trailer

Japancasting Podcasts by Steve McCarty are mostly short, free podcasts giving insight into Japan. There are lectures, interviews with professors, English or bilingual performances by students, and lessons that schools or universities may use. For everyone interested in Japan, including learners of English or Japanese.

New Episode - Every Tuesday

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