Post by Ariella Crisano on Oct 22, 2015 2:16:34 GMT
I think that kasai realizes what he has in Tokyo. Tokyo is very similar to NYC in this story. Like NYC, Tokyo is a cultural melting pot in this story. It's a place where kasai can experience his own rich culture, but at the same time, he can also get cultural experiences from other places. I think that's what he means when he says that Tokyo hasn't changed. Even after coming back, Tokyo hasn't changed and still has this mixture of cultures. And I think that's why he laughs when the worker says Merry Christmas to the American soldiers.
I think at times, he finds Tokyo a bit hypocritical, but in an entertaining way. There are Japanese people trying to imitate other cultures so much that they are wishing happy holidays to the American soldiers who are technically the enemy. To him it's funny to hear these people wishing merry Christmas to the Americans. But I believe he also finds Tokyo to be a wonderful opportunity to enrich his own knowledge of foreign cultures such as seeing a movie or reading different books and having the opportunity to learn and celebrate foreign holidays.
Discussion question:
One thing that made me curious was the reaction to the subject of "Ariel". Why do you think kasai reacts the way he does when it is brought up?
I think at times, he finds Tokyo a bit hypocritical, but in an entertaining way. There are Japanese people trying to imitate other cultures so much that they are wishing happy holidays to the American soldiers who are technically the enemy. To him it's funny to hear these people wishing merry Christmas to the Americans. But I believe he also finds Tokyo to be a wonderful opportunity to enrich his own knowledge of foreign cultures such as seeing a movie or reading different books and having the opportunity to learn and celebrate foreign holidays.
Discussion question:
One thing that made me curious was the reaction to the subject of "Ariel". Why do you think kasai reacts the way he does when it is brought up?