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The personal log of Peter Payne, owner of JLIST.com, the home of "wacky things from Japan"

Monday, September 07, 2009

Senpai and Kohai in Japan

I write a lot about the Japanese concepts of senpai, an upperclassman in a school or a senior in an organization, and kohai, the opposite, and how important these concepts are for understanding the country. Foreigners in Japan unconsciously pick up on the senior/junior system, too, and try to help newly arrived visitors get their "gaijin legs" as quickly as possible, just as they were helped by others when they got here. Back when I was an English teacher, a friend of mine and I took a newly-arrived teacher at our school out for drinks so we could get to know him. I suddenly realized the situation we were in, and said to my friend (in Japanese, so the new teacher wouldn't understand), "You and I are the senpai here. We have to pay for these drinks." He nodded, aware of the social obligation of our situation, and the two of us picked up the tab over the protests of the new guy. The role of a senpai is a complex one: you get extra respect, but you must act as a mentor and help those under you.

What was your first senpai anime? I'd have to go with the classic Orange Road.

6 Comments:

Blogger chris said...

Ahh... Jump,"delicious comic" edition of KOR. How natsukashii(even though it ended 6 months before I made 1.) First Senpai Manga? I'd have to say it was Nurse Angel Ririka SOS.

1:27 PM

 
Blogger Peter in Japan said...

I remember watching anime and understanding so little of it, it wasn't funny. Yet I watched nonetheless, trying to eek out some meaning. Without a doubt, part of the reason Japan and anime is so mysterious to us is that we don't comprehend it, it being in a foreign language.

1:49 PM

 
Blogger chris said...

Well, I'm sure you're speaking in past tense when you say "don't comprehend it". Yes, back in the day when I would watch anime that was "raw", it strangely intrigued me. Part of the reason why I wanted to learn Japanese. Funny, for a while my anime fandom had become slightly jaded, but I was becoming obsessed with anything Japanese.

1:57 PM

 
Blogger Peter in Japan said...

Yes, back in the 80s when I was watching Orange Road. I remember writing synopses for other people without actually understanding much of the story at all -- I'd taken like 1-2 years of Nihongo at the time. I definitely worry about kids today. I learned Japanese partially so I could read Maison Ikkoku, the best Takahashi Rumiko manga ever (natch, considering all the other works). Today though you can read it all in English.

2:00 PM

 
Blogger Lord said...

I'm a magician, and I visited Japan, to tour the magic bars of Tokyo and give lectures, and almost all the Japanese magicians called me either sensei or senpai. It took a while for me to get used to being called that.

6:11 PM

 
Blogger Peter in Japan said...

Interesting. There are times when honorifics can be confusing. For example, certain jobs are always called "sensei" no matter what your relationship to the person is.

7:50 PM

 

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