Expression of Kawaii ('Cute'): Gender Reinforcement of Young
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Mariko Mori and the Globalization of Japanese “Cute”Culture
《藝術學研究》 2015 年 6 月,第十六期,頁 131-168 Mariko Mori and the Globalization of Japanese “Cute” Culture: Art and Pop Culture in the 1990s SooJin Lee Abstract This essay offers a cultural-historical exploration of the significance of the Japanese artist Mariko Mori (b. 1967) and her emergence as an international art star in the 1990s. After her New York gallery debut show in 1995, in which she exhibited what would later become known as her Made in Japan series— billboard-sized color photographs of herself striking poses in various “cute,” video-game avatar-like futuristic costumes—Mori quickly rose to stardom and became the poster child for a globalizing Japan at the end of the twentieth century. I argue that her Made in Japan series was created (in Japan) and received (in the Western-dominated art world) at a very specific moment in history, when contemporary Japanese art and popular culture had just begun to rise to international attention as emblematic and constitutive of Japan’s soft power. While most of the major writings on the series were published in the late 1990s, problematically the Western part of this criticism reveals a nascent and quite uneven understanding of the contemporary Japanese cultural references that Mori was making and using. I will examine this reception, and offer a counter-interpretation, analyzing the relationship between Mori’s Made in Japan photographs and Japanese pop culture, particularly by discussing the Japanese mass cultural aesthetic of kawaii (“cute”) in Mori’s art and persona. In so doing, I proffer an analogy between Mori and popular Japanimation characters, SooJin Lee received her PhD in Art History from the University of Illinois-Chicago and was a lecturer at the School of Art Institute of Chicago. -
The Otaku Phenomenon : Pop Culture, Fandom, and Religiosity in Contemporary Japan
University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations 12-2017 The otaku phenomenon : pop culture, fandom, and religiosity in contemporary Japan. Kendra Nicole Sheehan University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd Part of the Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, Japanese Studies Commons, and the Other Religion Commons Recommended Citation Sheehan, Kendra Nicole, "The otaku phenomenon : pop culture, fandom, and religiosity in contemporary Japan." (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2850. https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/2850 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE OTAKU PHENOMENON: POP CULTURE, FANDOM, AND RELIGIOSITY IN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN By Kendra Nicole Sheehan B.A., University of Louisville, 2010 M.A., University of Louisville, 2012 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Louisville in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Humanities Department of Humanities University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky December 2017 Copyright 2017 by Kendra Nicole Sheehan All rights reserved THE OTAKU PHENOMENON: POP CULTURE, FANDOM, AND RELIGIOSITY IN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN By Kendra Nicole Sheehan B.A., University of Louisville, 2010 M.A., University of Louisville, 2012 A Dissertation Approved on November 17, 2017 by the following Dissertation Committee: __________________________________ Dr. -
Kawaii Feeling in Tactile Material Perception
Kawaii Feeling in Tactile Material Perception Michiko Ohkura*, Shunta Osawa*, Tsuyoshi Komatsu** * College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology, {ohkura, l08021}@shibaura-it.ac.jp, ** Graduate School of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology, [email protected] Abstract: In the 21st century, the importance of kansei (affective) values has been recognized. How- ever, since few studies have focused on kawaii as a kansei value, we are researching its physical at- tributes of artificial products. We previously performed experiments on kawaii shapes, colors, and sizes. We also performed experiments on kawaii feelings in material perception using virtual ob- jects with various visual textures and actual materials with various tactile textures. This article de- scribes the results of our new experiment on kawaii feeling in material perception using materials with various tactile textures corresponding with onomatopoeia, clarifying the phonic features of onomatopoeia with materials evaluated as kawaii. The obtained results are useful to make more at- tractive industrial products with material perception of kawaii feeling. Key words: kansei value, kawaii, tactile sensation, material perception, onomatopoeia 1. Introduction Recently, the kansei (affective) value has become crucial in industrials in Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) determined that it is the fourth most important characteristic of industrial products after function, reliability, and cost [1]. According to METI, it is important not only to offer new functions and competitive prices but also to create a new value to strengthen Japan’s industrial competitiveness. Focusing on kansei as a new value axis, METI launched the “Kansei Value Creation Initiative” in 2007 [1,2] and held a kansei value creation fair called the “Kansei-Japan Design Exhibition” at Les Arts Decoratifs (Museum of Decora- tive Arts) at the Palais du Louvre in Paris in December 2008. -
Global Pop Cultures. Moving Beyond the High–Low, East–West Divide Conference and Workshop Organized by Kyoto Seika University and Zurich University of the Arts (Zhdk)
Global Pop Cultures. Moving Beyond the High–Low, East–West Divide Conference and Workshop Organized by Kyoto Seika University and Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) Hosted by Kyoto Seika University Shared Campus July 29 — 31, 2019 Global Pop Cultures sities from Europe and Asia (see below). We consider Pop culture is one of the most salient driving forces in close cooperation as imperative to tackle issues of glob- the globalization and innovation of cultures. Pop is also al significance. We are convinced that especially the arts a sphere where politics, identities, and social questions can, and indeed ought to, play an important role in this are negotiated. Rather than denoting only the culture respect. Shared Campus endeavours to create connec- for and of the masses, pop is characterized by the dia- tions that bring value to students, faculty and research- lectical interplay between mainstream and subculture, ers by developing and offering joint transnational educa- their respective milieus and markets. Today, the theory tion and research activities. These collaborative ventures and practice of pop is thoroughly globalized and will enable participants to share knowledge and compe- hybrid. Pop exists only in plural. Global pop cultures are tences across cultural and disciplinary boundaries. characterized by a high degree of variability, plasticity, The platform is designed around thematic clusters of and connectivity. A further reason for the growing com- international relevance with a distinctive focus on trans- plexity of global pop cultures is the fact that pop is no cultural issues and cross-disciplinary collaboration. longer only a DIY culture of amateurs. -
AN 362 JAPANESE POPULAR CULTURE IES Abroad Tokyo
AN 362 JAPANESE POPULAR CULTURE IES Abroad Tokyo DESCRIPTION: This course examines contemporary Japanese popular culture from historical, social, and anthropological perspectives. The course will examine very recent topics in an attempt to understand Japanese culture as it exists today. The scope of topics examined will be wide ranging, including folklore, anime, manga, advertising, cinema, music, food and politics. As this last year was the 70th anniversary of the end of the end of World War II and an important year of reflection in Japan, special emphasis will be given to war memory, militarism, and pacifism in Japan’s postwar popular culture. The objective of this course is to provide students with an academic understanding of Japanese popular culture & mass culture through the study of scholarly perspectives from the fields of anthropology, sociology, and media studies. CREDITS: 3 CONTACT HOURS: 45 LANGUAGE OF PRESENTATION: English PREREQUSITES: None METHOD OF PRESENTATION: Class sessions will consist of active group discussions and student presentations. Assignments for the course consist of weekly responses to each week’s class, short response papers about class field trips, a final paper, and a final presentation. REQUIRED WORK AND FORM OF ASSESSMENT: • Class Participation – 25% • Presentation (Mid-term Exam) - 20% • Weekly Responses - 25% • Research Paper & Presentation (Final Exam) - 30% Course Participation Students are expected to attend all class meetings. The first and most important assignment is to read and reflect on the readings and come to class prepared to talk about them. One missed class turns an A into an A-, two missed classes turns it into a B-, three turns it into a C-, and so on. -
Introduction to Japanese Popular Culture
Introduction to Japanese Popular Culture JAPA 360 – Fall 2019 Tuesday and Thursday, 4:30 - 5:45 Krug Hall 7 In the United States, there are dozens of yearly conventions celebrating Japanese popular culture, and the largest of these conventions can draw tens of thousands of attendees over the course of a single weekend. Hollywood has been fascinated by Japan for decades, and the aesthetics of Japanese illustration and animation have greatly influenced American artists, designers, and storytellers, many of whom grew up admiring Japanese cinema and televised cartoons. Japanese music and fashion have invaded American cultural institutions from MTV to Walmart, and the rapidly growing video game industry is dominated by Japanese intellectual property. In fact, certain cultural elements borrowed from Japan have become so naturalized within America that many people may not be aware of their Japanese origins. Behind the flash and glitter of the ephemera of Japanese popular culture lies a deep and fascinating history, as well as an intricate system of economic connections that support the production of media within Japan and its neighbors in East Asia. The purpose of this course is to study the cultural heritage of representative elements of Japanese media such as cinema, television, comics, music, and video games in order to better understand the entertainment industries that shape contemporary Japanese society and global mediascapes. We will begin in the early twentieth century and move through the Pacific War and its aftermath while reflecting on the role of popular culture in shaping political and national identities. We will then study anime and manga in an attempt to understand how characters and narratives are designed and marketed to appeal to different demographic audiences. -
Cuteness": the Aesthetics of Social Relations in a New Postwar Japanese Order
CAPITALIZING ON "CUTENESS": THE AESTHETICS OF SOCIAL RELATIONS IN A NEW POSTWAR JAPANESE ORDER Leila MADGE In the fall of 1988, Yoshida Kenji, the president of the San'yo Sago Bank in Okayama, made headline news in the economics section of leading Japa nese newspapers. Unlike most bank presidents appearing in the news at that time, Yoshida was not defending himself or his bank from accusations of wrongdoings. He had made the national news because of the new name he had chosen for his bank: Tomato Bank. The occasion for the new name was the bank's planned change in status from a savings and loan associa tion to a commercial bank following a recent reform in Japanese banking law. The hoopla that arose around the name "Tomato," along with the bank's bright red logo, was related to the associations that it conjured up in many Japanese minds, associations that somehow seemed incongruent with the image that banking institutions have traditionally held in Japan. Although there was some initial opposition among bank employees, who felt that the name Tomato sounded more appropriate for an agricul tural cooperative than for a bank, the public response seemed only posi tive. Although the conversion was not to take place for six months, Sanyo Sago was inundated with inquiries from people all over the country wish ing to open accounts at the new Tomato Bank. In interviews about the un expected popularity of the previously little-known prefectural bank, Yoshida explained that he thought it important to send the message that he was "breaking the status quo." A crucial element in the delivery of this message was the use of a name that would be perceived by the public as kawaii (cute, as translated in the Japan Times, 21 October 1988: 11). -
From the Japanese Traditional Edo Culture to Anime and Manga Takuji
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Kwansei Gakuin University Repository 1 Kwansei Gakuin University Social Sciences Review Vol.19, 2014 Nishinomiya, Japan Roots of Cool Japan: From the Japanese Traditional Edo Culture to Anime and Manga Takuji OKUNO Japan’s transition from making things to making tales Japanese popular culture, known as “Cool Japan,” includes animations, comics, video games, figures, and J-pops that are highly acclaimed in Europe and the United States as well as throughout Asia. From the 1970s to the 1980s, Japan gained confidence in its ability to “make things” because consumers around the world embraced its manufactured products such as electric home appliances and automobiles with open arms in preference to the products of other advanced countries. However, at the beginning of the Heisei era, the bubble in the Japanese economy suddenly burst and Japan’s gross national product (GNP) plummeted, resulting in what is termed “the burst of economic bubble of 1990.” Relatively cheaper manufactured products from other Asian countries gained precedence over Japanese products. In response, many Japanese manufacturers moved their production plants to other Asian countries, particularly settling in mainland China, where labor costs were lower than in Japan. The recession was protracted and the Japanese people suffered from a sense low confidence in their abilities to overcome the recession. By the late 1990s, Prime Ministers Mori and, subsequently, Koizumi responded to Japanese political leader Heizo Takenaka’s advocacy of an information technology (IT) revolution in Japan as a way to beat the recession. -
Hier Gezeigte Ausstellung Wurde Von Der Japanischen IHK Zu Düsseldorf E.V
WAN IM D E L SPARTN FT ER A D H C E S R T ZEIT R I W W R N D N JAPAN U 160 JAHRE www.jihk.de 160 Jahre Wirtschaftspartner Wirtschaftsbeziehungen zwischen Japan und Nordrhein-Westfalen im Wandel der Zeit Japanische IHK zu Düsseldorf Service für japanische Unternehmen in Deutschland www.jihk.de Die Gründung der Japanischen Industrie- und Handelskammer hatte einen ganz wichtigen Grund: Man wollte vermeiden, dass japanische Firmen doppelt besteuert werden. Heute, 55 Jahre nach ihrer Gründung, ist sie die Ansprechpartnerin für alle Belange der japanischen Unternehmen in Deutschland und größte ihrer Art in Europa. Eigeninitiative lohnt sich 1966 schlossen sich 66 japanische Unternehmen, die sich in Düsseldorf und Umgebung niedergelassen hatten, zur Japanischen Industrie- und Handelskammer zu Düsseldorf e.V., kurz JIHK, zusammen 1967 wurde das Abkommen zur Vermeidung der Doppelbesteuerung von beiden Staaten ratifiziert 1971 reifte auch die Idee, einen japanischen Garten im Nordpark anzulegen, der vollständig von japanischen Firmen finanziert und 1975 feierlich eröffnet wurde 1978 folgte der Umzug ins Deutsch-Japanische Center. Von damals 265 stiegen die Mit- Erster dt.-jap. Mittagstisch im Restaurant gliedszahlen der JIHK stetig an. Nippon-Kan, 1960er Jahre ©Stadtarchiv Düsseldorf Heute ist die Japanische IHK zu Düsseldorf e.V. mit deutschlandweit 537 Mitgliedern der mitgliederstärkste japanische Unternehmerverband in Europa. 160 Jahre Wirtschaftspartner Wirtschaftsbeziehungen zwischen Japan und Nordrhein-Westfalen im Wandel der Zeit 2 Japanische IHK zu Düsseldorf Ein bleibender Mehrwert Die JIHK setzt sich seit ihrer Gründung für die Überwindung von Handelsbarrieren ein. Ge- meinsam mit weiteren Akteuren engagierte sie sich beispielsweise für den Abschluss des Freihandelsabkommens zwischen der EU und Japan, das am 01.02.2019 in Kraft trat. -
Cool Japan Strategy
Cool Japan Strategy January 2012 Creative Industries Division Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry The Japanese economy—status and issues: Population decline and decreased growth potential Japan’s nominal GDP decreased by 55 trillion yen over the three years from 2008 to 2011. Japan's real economic growth rate fell to 1% and below during the 2000s. In the future, the declining population of productive age is expected to lower growth potential. 55 trillion yen decrease ○ Nominal GDP (annualized), January–March 2008: 517 trillion yen in nominal GDP in ○ Nominal GDP (annualized) April–June 2011: 462 trillion yen three years Past and projected change in Japan's population of Past and projected economic growth rates productive age (10,000 persons) 00~–1414 population歳人口 1515–~6464 population歳人口 6565 歳以上人口and older population (Change(年度平均変化率:%) in average annual rate: %) Impact就業者数の変化の影響 on number of persons employed 14,000 Productivity生産性(就業者一人当たり実質 (real GDP per employed person)GDP )成長率growth rate 13,000 4.5 Real実質 GDPGDP growth成長率 rate 12,000 2,941 4.0 1.2 11,000 10,000 3.0 9,000 8,000 2.0 3,764 1.5 7,000 3.3 0.7 0.4 0.3 0.5 1.0 6,000 8,128 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 5,000 0.0 4,000 4,930 -0.3 -0.6 -0.7 3,000 -1.0 2,000 19801980s年代 19901990s年代 20002000s年代 20102010s年代 20202020s年代 (fiscal(年度) years) 1,000 1,648 821 0 Note: Labor force participation rates by sex and age are assumed to remain level from 2009. -
Popular Culture of Japanese Anime in the Digital Age and the Impact on Nationalism of Young Indonesian Citizens
IJSS.Vol.14, No.1, September 2018 POPULAR CULTURE OF JAPANESE ANIME IN THE DIGITAL AGE AND THE IMPACT ON NATIONALISM OF YOUNG INDONESIAN CITIZENS Wisnu Hatami4 Abstract This research explores the impact of Japanese popular culture in digital era to Indonesia’s young citizen nationalism. Globalization make a life easier, include how to get information. With the digital era, people could get information in another country very fast and the research between globalization and nasionalism growing. This paper based on research of phenomenology about Anime’s Japanese popular culture of Association of Highschool Nihon No Kurabu in Bandung. The amount of informants is twelve and the data collected through interview, observation and documentation study. The result of the research showed that anime’s Japanese popular culture interested informants with the value, character, visual and storyline in that anime. Then, the informants would study about another Japanese popular culture than Indonesia’s traditional cultures. Keywords: Japanese popular culture; anime; nationalism; young citizen 4Yogyakarta State University 37 Wisnu Hatami: Popular Culture of Japanese Anime Introduction culture of Indonesia. One culture that is The spirit of nationalism of young currently favored by young citizens is citizens today is doubtful. Young citizens, Japanese popular culture. especially students seem to be trapped in the With the ease of accessing various Japanese life of his youth and forget his responsibilities anime it is feared there will be a shift of values as the next generation of nation and state. In received by young citizens or teenagers who fact, as a young citizen it is fitting to prepare still do not have a strong identity due to the themselves to be citizens who have the ability embedded values in the Japanese anime civic knowledge, civic skill, and civic storyline. -
Introduction 1. Businessweek, June 26, 1989. 2. Businessweek, July 17
Notes Introduction 1. Businessweek, June 26, 1989. 2. Businessweek, July 17,1989. 3. Clyde Prestowitz, Trading Places, pp. 11, 27. 4. Japan 1989: An International Comparison. 5. Ibid. 6. See Eugene Kaplan, Japan: The Government-Business Relationship for the most detailed account of this thesis. See Marvin Wolf, The Japanese Conspiracy, for a highly polemical version. 7. For the best account see Hugh Patrick and Henry Rosovsky, Japan: The New Economic Giant. • 8. Akio Morita and Shintaro Ishihara, The Japan That Can Say No, xeroxed copy. 9. Ibid., pp. 8-14, 19-26,52-60. The growing emotionalism with which Japanese respond to foreign criticism of Japanese neomercantilism is vividly reflected in the chapters by Ishihara, who makes a range of unfounded and/or highly irresponsible assertions such as "the roots of the US - Japan friction lie in the soil of racial prejudice", "Americans behave more like mad dogs than watchdogs", "the only reason why they could use the atomic bomb on Japan was because of their racial attitude toward Japan", "the US Congress is too hysterical to trust", or "Americans suggest the possible physical occupation of Japan in case Japan engages in semiconductor trade with the Soviet Union". Ibid., pp. 11, 12, 18, 52, 65. 10. Japan 1989. 11. Economist, April 29, 1989. 12. See William Nester, The Foundations 0/ Japanese Power, 1990. 13. Chalmers Johnson, The Industrial Policy Debate, p.5. 14. Yamamura, 1989. 15. Mordechai E., Keirinin, "How Closed is Japan's Market?: Additional Evidence", World Economy, vol.11, no. 4, July 1989, p.539. 16. Economist, September 6, 1989.