Posts Tagged: cool japan

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22
Apr 11

Akihabara: Electronic and Geek Wonderland

This week we’re taking a look at another famous part of Tokyo: Akihabara, the best place to find the latest electronics and computers. Not only will you find electronics, but you’ll also find anime DVDs, video games, manga and anime merchandise. This makes Akihabara a favorite place for anime fans to meet up and buy goods. The kind of merchandise you’ll find there have earned the area the nickname “Denki Gai,” or “Electric Town.”

Although they exist throughout Japan, maid cafes and other themed cafes are a popular mainstay in Akihabara. These cafes are watered-down versions of host and hostess clubs and cater to people with specific interests. The classic maid cafe features women in short-skirted maid outfits, whereas a foreign butler cafe may be filled with men from outside of Japan who call every lady guest their “princess.”

Don’t confuse Akihabara with the actual Akihabara nearby. This may be confusing, but the Akihabara “Electric Town” is actually called Soto-Kanda and is part of the Chiyoda ward. It’s called Akihabara because the train station that lets out into the area is called Akihabara. The actual Akihabara is in the nearby Taitou prefecture.

Akihabara “Electronic Town” is the site of a 2008 massacre in which a murderer drove a truck into a crowd and then jumped out of the truck to stab people with a dagger, killing a total of seven people and wounding ten others. In a country in which violent crime is extremely low (and guns are prohibited), the incident shocked the nation. The murderer, Tomohiro Kato, was tried and sentenced to death for the crimes. The pedestrian crossing in which the murders took place was closed until January 2011, when it opened only on a trial basis until June.

Have you ever been to Akihabara? Would you be interested in seeing what you can find for sale there? Did you hear about the Akihabara Massacre in 2008?

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4
Mar 11

Ginza: Glitz and Glamor

We’re taking a look at another area of Tokyo today: Ginza. Ginza is part of Chuo, one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo. Ginza is an upscale area of Tokyo, famous for department stores, restaurants, and other high-end boutiques and shops. The Apple Store and the Sony Store are among the most often visited stores in the area.

Ginza is a great place for window shopping, as you’ll find high-end international brands like Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Dior, as well as high-end Japanese department stores like Wako, Seibu, Matsuzakaya, and Mitsukoshi. However, be careful when spending money and remember the exchange rate. (A basic rule of thumb is to remember 100 yen equals $1, but the amount can actually vary quite a bit. At present 100 yen equals $1.22.) Many of the items for sale are rather expensive, although you’re likely to find something that’s more affordable.

Restaurants are rather high-end as well. Be careful to peruse menus before you sit down and remember the old adage if there’s no price on the menu: “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.” Sushi restaurants in Ginza can be especially expensive, with an average of a 20,000 to 70,000 yen bill ($243 to $850) per visit, depending on the number in your party. However, if you like the nightclub scene, you may be in paradise. Just be aware that the cover charge may be pricey. If you want to spend just a little less but still enjoy an elegant dining experience, try the coffee shops or tea houses in the area.

Don’t forget to take a look at the Kabuki-za in Ginza, one of the rare all-kabuki theaters in Japan. It was built in 1889.

Although this is largely true throughout Tokyo, most people who walk around in Ginza dress up in fashionable clothing. You’ll stand out in Japan as a foreigner, but you’ll especially turn heads if you wear typical comfortable tourist clothing.

Have you ever been to Ginza? Would you be interested in going to Ginza? Would you buy anything?

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4
Feb 11

The Japanese Love Hotel

Valentine’s Day is approaching and chances are, the love hotels in Japan will experience an increase in business. The Japanese love hotel (actually called “rabu hoteru,” the Japanese pronunciation of the English words “love” and “hotel”) is somewhat of a uniquely Japanese cultural phenomenon for adults.

Because the metropolitan areas of Japan are especially crowded, space is limited and many apartment buildings have thin walls that can make privacy a little difficult to come by. Living with family–which is much more culturally accepted for young adults before marriage in Japan than it is in Western countries–can also complicate trying to have sexual relations with a partner. In order to have some privacy, many couples look to have their sexual encounters at love hotels. (Of course, there are people having affairs and illicit encounters that turn to love hotels as well, but the majority of customers are couples in need of privacy.)

Love hotels are different than regular hotels in that they specifically cater to people having sex and giving couples privacy. Many of these hotels have no windows and discrete entrances so that couples don’t have to worry about being seen. They often also don’t have anyone manning the front desk (but they may). Instead, couples select a room via a computer screen and deposit the room key card on their way out in order to verify that they’ve left. Couples can also often purchase sex toys and costumes via vending machines.

Many of the love hotel rooms are themed to add to the excitement. Themes can include fetishes and may also include pop culture references like anime characters or even Hello Kitty. Some theme rooms don’t resemble bedrooms at all and recreate an entire scenario, like a bad student in detention after school with a teacher, an encounter on a train car, or a nurse providing a checkup for a patient.

Love hotels are not intended for long stays. After usually 10 pm, couples may choose to pay for an overnight stay. However, they may come to the hotel at any time and stay for a shorter period (called a “rest” stay) from anywhere between one and three hours. Rates vary by hotel, but a “rest” could cost around ¥2800 to ¥4500 (~US$34 to $55) and an overnight “stay” could cost about ¥7500 to ¥12,000 (~US$92 to $147).  Leaving the hotel  before you’ve finished with your stay is usually discouraged.

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21
Jan 11

Harajuku: Street Fashion Capital

Tokyo is Japan’s most populous city, so it’s no surprise that there are almost as many different sides to the city as there are people. For instance, there are 23 special wards in the city of Tokyo–just in the most populous area. You may have heard of some of these wards in pop culture references to Japan. These days, Harajuku is one of those pop culture words that’s popular even outside of Japan.

Harajuku isn’t a ward–it’s a section of the Shibuya ward, specifically around the Harajuku Station. But this small section of a Tokyo ward is famous globally as one of the fashion capitals of the world. However, the fashion you’ll find here is different from the high-class fashion you’ll find in other areas of Tokyo. The “street fashion” you’ll find on teenagers and young adults is usually bright, bold and one-of-a-kind.

The fashions tend to gravitate toward one of three styles: lolita, visual kei, and cosplay–however, in Harajuku, anything goes. The young people who show off their clothes in Harajuku take pride in creating their own mix-and-match designs.

Lolita: Lolita fashions (exclusively for women or men crossdressing) are somewhat reminiscent of Victorian-era clothes with much shorter skirts and a few modern accessories. There are a number of subcategories within the style, including “Gothic Lolita,” which makes use of mostly black and dark colors, and “Baby Lolita,” which emphasizes pastel colors and cutesy accessories.

Visual Kei: Visual kei, which we’ve covered as a musical genre, is known for theatrical outfits that mix Gothic black and dark colors as well as Victorian-era type of clothing. Brightly colored hair and kabuki-style makeup complete the ensembles.

Cosplay: Cosplay is short for “costume play” and it refers to dressing up as fictional characters. Most often in Japan, this refers to dressing as characters from anime, manga, video games, and famous bands, but it can also refer to roleplaying by wearing costumes, such as roleplaying as maids, nurses, and even schoolgirls.

Have you ever heard of Harajuku? Have you ever been to Harajuku? What do you think of the street fashion there?

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7
Jan 11

Anime, Manga, Video Games and the Non-Existent Youth Bill

On December 15th, the Tokyo Assembly (part of the local government) approved Bill 156, a reworking of an earlier-proposed bill referred to as “the Non-Existent Youth Bill.” Bill 156, sometimes called the Tokyo Youth Ordinance Act, is causing a stir in the Japanese entertainment industry because of its often vague and sometimes overly strict mandates for the creators, publishers, and sellers of anime, manga, and video games.

The original intent of the bill seemed to be aimed at what’s called “lolita” or “shota” content in an effort to protect the “non-existent” (fictional) youth and, in the government’s opinion, reduce deviancy and suicidal thoughts in the actual youth who may be exposed to these series. In Japan, strangely, what’s allowed in terms of potentially sexual content even when it comes to children (so long as they’re fictional characters) hasn’t been that regulated. “Lolikon” (“Lolita complex”) refers to anime, manga, and video games that feature (fictional) young girls in risque situations and “shotakon” (“Shotaro complex”), which is less popular but still somewhat prevalent, refers to the same with young (fictional) boys. While often risque, most of these types of series are not outright sexual (although some can be). Nevertheless, under the new law, any fictional character under the age of 13 must not be “wholly or partially naked” or shown wearing swimwear in anime, manga, or video games. However, all such content–including the outright sexual–will still be allowed if it’s sold exclusively to adults and not aired on TV.

Bill 156 potentially impacts much more than just this somewhat contentious kind of content. In an effort to completely regulate the anime, manga, and video game industries, sexual content–even if just slightly risque and not outright sexual–may have to be censored if aired on TV. The Bill has also mandated that violence be toned down, which impacts some of the most popular anime and manga in the country. Content that features homosexual or incestual relationships may also be censored or, in the latter’s case, outright banned.

However, at the moment, all of the bill is vague and creators are struggling to understand what will and won’t be allowed. At the last minute, political opposition to the bill (who didn’t have enough power to overturn the bill) requested that a rider be attached to allow anime, manga and video games that are culturally relevant to remain uncensored and accessible to the general public. (The exact words of the bill ask censors to consider “merits based on artistic, social, educational, and satirical criticism criteria” when allowing content to be produced.) This may apply to such pieces of entertainment as the works of Studio Ghibli, which generally receive favorable reviews from critics and are enjoyed by the general population at large. However, this again is vague and may cause further confusion.

Another point of contention with Bill 156 is that it does not apply to live-action TV shows or movies, nor does it apply to books. Actual children can still be shown in swimwear, for example, and live-action movies can be as violent as they please. This leads many to believe that the bill is a movement sparked by anti-otaku (socially awkward extreme anime, manga, and video game fans) politicians with tenuous data at best how this kind of content “hurts” the Tokyo youth.

Publishers are creators are expected to comply by changing the type of new content they produce on April 1st; sellers are allowed to continue selling old material under pre-Bill 156 laws until July 1st. Publishers and creators are trying to protest the bill by withdrawing their presence at the Tokyo Animation Fair in March.

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2
Jul 10

Visual Kei Music: When Gothic Meets Flair

A style of music native to Japan with a sizeable following is Visual Kei (“visual” of course is an English word and “kei” means “style” in Japanese). This type of music is known for its performers’ visual style as much as their music, as they’re dressed in incredibly ornate fashion.

Visual Kei may owe some of its roots to flamboyantly colored and stylized ancient performance styles from Japan, such as kabuki and noh. They may also owe some of their style to glam rock singers, such as Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie). However, their look is largely unique and not quite exactly like any of these influences.

Visual Kei bands typically—but not always—wear clothes inspired by overly colorful or Gothic black-and-white Victorian-era European attire, with lots of ruffles and large, baggy sleeves. Feathers, ribbons and lace are common accessories. The band members’ hair is typically dyed bright colors and is styled in long, wavy or spiky style, but may also be elegantly tied back. The band members may also wear color contacts, since most Japanese people have dark brown eyes and they want to appear a little more European. (However, the contacts may also be a color not found in human eyes.)

The band members’ faces and exposed skin are also typically painted pure white, which is a direct connection to the kabuki and noh style of theatrics. (Pale, white skin is traditionally seen as a sign of beauty in Japan and may represent delicateness.) Perhaps more closely tied to the theatrical traditions of kabuki and noh is the fact that many Visual Kei bands feature at least one band member who dresses explicitly as a woman—despite being a man. All of the band members tend to embrace a sense of androgyny, but some more so than others.

The type of music you might hear from a Visual Kei band might be described as some sort of punk, classical music or operatic music and glam rock mix, with hints of metal. Songs can be both hard-core and upbeat or slow and ballad-like.

Visual Kei debuted in the late 1980s and was quite popular during the 1990s, but the popularity died down somewhat toward the end of the decade. It’s had a sort of revival since 2007, but it’s more popular these days with a core audience than a widespread one.

Here’s a taste of some Visual Kei:

~Versailles, a modern band~

~Malice Mizer, one of the most popular bands from the ‘90s (now disbanded)~

What do you think of Visual Kei music? What about the bands’ style? What do you think is more important to this genre of music, the music itself or the style of the band?

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12
May 10

Aidoru: The Japanese “Idol”

American Idol may have gotten North American audiences used to the idea of putting a person plucked from obscurity on a pedestal for his or her singing talent for a year or so before the idol (usually) fades back into obscurity, but the “idol” (aidoru in Japanese, but the word is taken from the English equivalent) has long been hot in Japan. Not always (but often) singers, the Japanese idol becomes a massive cross-media hit known more for her (we’ll get to that in a minute) looks and (possibly manufactured) personality than her talent.

Sometimes in the 1970s, the idol boom began in Japan, strangely not after the cross-media popularity of a native Japanese woman in Japan, but of a French musician named Sylvie Vartan. Talent agencies formed keen to produce the next “idol,” the next young woman who would be plastered across all media outlets and become the next big “cash cow.”

Japanese idols are usually women, but some young men may be considered idols (men typically become idols through initially joining the music or acting industry, though, and don’t specifically set out to be an all-encompassing “idol.”) Idols are usually teenagers (specifically 14 to 16), but may be as young as 12 or so and as “old” as in their early 20s. Very few idols remain popular beyond their 20s, but there are a few memorable ones who have preserved and have been recognized for their talents in the long-term.

Idols may sing, act, or model (or all three), but they don’t necessarily have to have a “talent” and aren’t marketed for their one talent. The goal is to have the next, hot new idol permeate everything in the entertainment industry that she can. This typically means frequent appearances on talk shows, variety shows, radio shows, and game shows, as well as sponsorship deals. A Japanese idol must be pretty or cute (as deigned by the talent agency), thin, and must demonstrate a lovable, sweet personality in her appearances. Some are even known for being “lovable airheads” and gladly milk this personality portrayal for all that it’s worth. However, it’s well known that the overly cute “personality” is often just an act and there are sometimes gossip stories about how ruthless and mean—or conversely, how intelligent and down-to-earth—the idols can be when not “on camera.”

The Japanese idol industry is a tough, competitive industry for which thousands of young women compete each year. Only a few successful idols “survive” their few years of fame to become famous in the long-term, and those are usually the ones who have real talent and genuinely act like themselves when interviewed.

Do you know of any Japanese idols? Who are your favorites? Do you think it’s demeaning for women to become idols or does it at least provide a good start for women with genuine talent to become recognized?

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7
Apr 10

The Japanese Ministry Aims to Boost ‘Cool Japan’

According to The Yomiuri Shibun, the Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry recently revealed a plan to boost the “Cool Japan” culture internationally. What’s “Cool Japan”? Well, if you’re interested in this blog, you may already know and not realize it. “Cool Japan” is Japanese pop culture and other countries’ love for it, particularly Japanese food, fashion, anime/manga, and video games.

The Ministry’s strategy targets other parts of Asia, Europe, and North America. Currently, only 2% of these Japanese pop culture sales are actually made outside of the country. However, the “Cool Japan” industries employ over 2 million people in Japan and total about ¥45 trillion (about US$480 million) in sales annually, so adding to this total by focusing on foreign markets can boost employment and commerce in Japan considerably.

The proposal asks the Japan External Trade Organization and private Japanese consulting firms to provide assistance to companies that want to export their properties overseas, particularly small to midsize businesses that are struggling to get a foothold. Companies like Nintendo, for example, certainly won’t need the assistance, but they could still benefit from some of the proposed changes.

Japan’s largest book publisher, Kodansha, might have been ahead of the game. Long since one of the biggest manga publishers in Japan, multiple American manga publishers have licensed their work for North American publication over the past decade or so. Kodansha got a cut of the sales, but they largely left creative control over translation, presentation, and marketing to the American companies. This has led to a wide range of quality from title to title and publisher to publisher. Not so anymore, as Kodansha has stopped licensing its manga titles to American companies and let most of its licenses with American publishers expire in preparation for starting its own American division. This will employ more Japanese citizens, give Kodansha full profit over North American sales, and allow Kodansha better control over how their part of pop culture is presented outside of Japan. (However, they will still be distributed by an American company—Random House—and so are allowing some of their titles to continue publication with Del Rey, one of the top American publishers of manga.)

Another part of the Ministry’s strategy actually involves asking foreign creators to come to Japan to help create the “cool Japan” image that’s going to be exported. The Ministry hopes to accomplish this through a reform on the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law that will make issuing and keeping work visas easier for companies and immigrants.

Are you a fan of “Cool Japan”? What’s your favorite part of Japanese pop culture? Do you think it’s counterintuitive for the Ministry to want foreign creators to help them export the “Cool Japan” image? Why or why not?

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26
Mar 10

Japanese Television: Dorama

In the U.S., the goal of virtually every television show is to get renewed for another season. The successful shows are renewed for a total of three, five, ten or even twenty years (The Simpsons, if you’re wondering) even if, as fans often discover, the longer a show runs, the weaker the writing and the quality of the production becomes. In many parts of the world, though, what is effectively known as the mini-series in America is the standard for fictional shows.

Japan is one such example. There are many long-running variety shows, reality shows and shows aimed at children, but the vast majority of fictional shows in Japanese TV are short-running. Only when a show is really quite successful will it get a sequel series—but even that sequel series will run for a pre-determined amount of time or may even be a one-time special bonus episode. In lieu of a TV-original sequel special, the very most popular Japanese shows—shows that get as much as 30 to 50% of the viewership, which is quite remarkable—might get a cinematic-release movie sequel instead, but this happens somewhat rarely.

Rather than the comedy sitcom or the long-running crime-solving drama series, the dorama or “drama” (the word is taken from English) is the standard of live-action Japanese fictional shows. With few exceptions, a dorama begins as a 12- or 13-episode series (each episode runs an hour with commercials) with a complete story contained therein. In other words, shows won’t end on monumental cliffhangers in the hopes of getting renewed (which, in America, often leads to disappointed fans if the show isn’t renewed and questions go unanswered). They end happily, as is most often the case, or at least they end with all questions answered and the storyline satisfactorily wrapped up.

If the show is popular enough for another 12- or 13-episode sequel series or at least a 2-hour one-time sequel special episode, the story in the sequel will be new and not a continuation of unanswered plot points from the original series. That’s not to say that more “drama” won’t ensue in the dorama, as a happy ending from the original series is often turned on its head so that the sequel can be full of conflict again, but if you never saw the sequel, you ought to be left satisfied with the original ending.

Japanese dorama shows air throughout the day, but the evening shows are the most popular. Because shows generally last only 12 or 13 weeks, new seasons start four times a year and there is no “off” season for new shows like there is in America during the summer. Dorama shows are often based on original stories, but they’re also frequently based on popular novels, light novels, and manga (graphic novels).

Do you like that popular American shows keep on airing or would you rather they end before they get less interesting? Do you like the idea of having a new favorite show four times a year?

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16
Mar 10

Enka Music

Enka music is a uniquely Japanese style of music that’s popular with the older generations of Japanese in particular. As the enka singers dress in traditional Japanese kimono during their performances and sing slow ballads in vibrato style, you might think that enka is a very ancient form of Japanese singing. Although enka does have its roots in traditional Japanese music, it’s actually a cultural pop music phenomenon developed during the 20th century.

Modern enka became popular after World War II. The lyrics of the songs, like blues songs in the West, most often deal with sadness, lost love, death, and dealing with difficult trials. However, the music does usually include some self-encouragement to persevere even through difficult times.

Another characteristic of enka music is the vibrato. Vibrato is when a singer sings a note at a fluctuating pitch. The effect is a bit echo-like. The type of vibrato that enka singers employ is called kobushi and it’s a slightly different style of vibrato that that employed by opera singers, as the pitch only fluctuates to one degree.

Kitajima Saburou is generally considered to be the country’s most famous enka singer. His most popular songs in the 1960s and 1970s often made it to the top 10 positions on popular music charts. He continues to release singles and even released one earlier this year at the age of 73.

Here’s a performance by Kitajima in the early 1990s:

Kitajima Saburou

The music hasn’t been particularly popular with young Japanese for the past few decades, although that’s changing thanks to a few pop music stars trying out the genre and the debut of artists like Jero, who better appeal to young Japanese. Jero (Jerome Charles White, Jr.), whose maternal grandmother was Japanese, became Japan’s first professional African-American enka singer when he debuted in 2008 to rave reviews. Jero appreciated the art form while growing up and decided to pursue it professionally after moving to Japan as an adult to teach English and work as a computer programmer. He became famous only 2 months after his debut. Unlike the native Japanese enka singers, Jero chose not to wear traditional Japanese clothing during his performances and instead wears American hip-hop baggy clothes and jewelry. The contrast of his voice and style of singing with his clothing makes for very surprising performances!

See Jero perform enka with another enka singer here:

Jero

You can see Jero in the United States this spring, starting later this month! Click here for more information.

What do you think of enka music? Had you ever heard any before you read it here in this post? What do you think of Jero’s performance and style?

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