Shunsuke Hirano

Shunsuke Hirano is a fellow student of mine at Kansai Gaidai University. As a member of Japanese society, while still being exposed to a lot of foreign cultures that may hold beliefs contrary to what he was brought up with, I felt he would be a good example of a modern Japanese citizen of our generation. Today, globalization is happening at a rapid rate with the internet and the ease at which its contents can be accessed. Shun, preparing to go to America, is adapting to several aspects of the culture, while still maintaining key traits of what one may consider a Japanese person. Talking to shun, I was able to learn a little bit of the nuances of the Osaka region and the culture it breeds. As opposed to several other parts of Japan, Shun describes Osaka as more vibrant and bold and this is represented in the dialect spoken here. It leaves room for sarcasm and a very particular type of humor that is not necessarily found throughout the rest of Japan. Shun is the son of a talented baseball player, and thus found himself naturally interested in the sport. Having played for several years, he identifies with “yakyu” as having been his main interest for a long time.  It is interesting to see that technology makes it very easy for him to access what it means to be “American” and implement that into his lifestyle, in preparation for his future.   Shun grew up in Fukui, an a more rural area than here. There, the traditional Japanese culture seems to have been a more prominent influence than in Hirakata. Here, he finds himself becoming more open to being able to both relate and implement the values of other cultures as well. These pictures make it evident that Shun is a humorous and light-hearted person. He refused to let me take a serious portrait of him, saying that it would misrepresent his personality.