One of the most fascinating things about Japanese culture, I think, is the otaku. I’m not one by any means, and I don’t at all understand them, but I find them fascinating. I’m not sure in what way – I think it’s at least in a “what the heck makes them tick” sort of way. I don’t dislike them or hate them, I just don’t understand them. I don’t understand cosplay, for example. To me, it’s just a waste of time and effort. Why bother with it? I’ve seen people spend a… Read More »オタク… 何？
Every year, around springtime, the cherry trees in Japan (sakura, or 桜) bloom. It’s only for a few days, and I’m to understand it is justifiably considered a national treasure. People come from all over the world to see the beautiful blooming of the cherry trees, and there is much said in Japanese art and music about the cherry trees. In fact, several AKB48 songs reference cherry trees, such as Sakura No Hanabiratchi, Sakura No Shiori, and maybe one of the more heartrending, Sakura no Ki Ni Narou: I will… Read More »Sakura
Today I decided to “pop” into Anime Pop, a small store dedicated to Anime on Airport Rd. just north of Koenig. When you walk in, there are two aisles full of anime stuff. Figures, magazines, books, pins, plushes, the works. If you are interested at all in anime, this is the place for you in Austin (though Gift World might have something you’re interested in). Perusing the figures, the thing that struck me the most is that nearly every single female is scantily clad to various levels, to the point… Read More »Japanese Food and Stores in Austin, Part 4
If you ever see an idol concert, don’t only pay attention to the performers – if you do, you’ll be missing out on what is perhaps the most unique aspect of Japanese concerts. That is wotagei. It seems that wota, or people who are devoted fans of a particular idol group, coordinate very advanced dances for particular songs, using glowsticks, and then perform them in the audience while the performers are dancing on stage. Let me repeat this: there is an entirely different performance, synced to the stage performers, happening in… Read More »Wotagei
One thing that has singularly impressed me about Japanese culture is their utter dedication to pranks. Here in America, a prank is a pie in the face or pulling a chair out. But the Japanese take it to an absolutely absurd level. One prank, however, has to take the cake. In this prank, they led the Japanese idol group to a concert hall in the middle of nowhere, built an entire building in the middle of the hall with collapsible walls, waited for them to go to sleep, bussed in 400… Read More »Pranks
A few days ago, I stumbled upon this interview with Akimoto Yasushi, the mastermind of AKB48 and all of its different sister groups. I listened. I was thoughtful. And then I lost a little respect for him. I have posted previously about AKB48. My feelings about them have been conflicted ever since watching “Heavy Rotation” – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a music video with more sexualized connotations since “Anaconda” (though in fairness I don’t watch many at all). These are girls of various ages wearing… Read More »Akimoto Yasushi – Good or Evil?
Ever since I started learning Japanese, I’ve made it a personal goal to try to understand idol culture, because I feel that in doing so maybe I can understand a little more about what makes the larger Japanese culture tick. I want to discuss two idols: Kusumi Koharu and Minegishi Minami. Because in looking at their individual cases, I think it becomes a little clearer what it’s all about. In 2013, Minegishi-san was caught spending the night with a man. She faced expulsion from the group she was an idol… Read More »A Tale of two Idols
In my ever widening exploration of Japanese popular culture, I have run into a few groups in the style of Morning Musume. AKB48 and its sisters, etc. One thing I particularly liked about Morning Musume was, in its golden days, the way the girls all seemed like sisters. I realize that a lot of this could have been scripted, but I don’t think all of it was. They were a small group, I think thirteen or fifteen at most, and they worked closely together. As girls cycled in and out,… Read More »AKB48