The Meaning of Japan

P

polystyle

Well-known member
And Kurosawa's Dreams , among many of his other films
This one burned pretty hard in some sequences, the trailers try to make it sound more poetic then straight bleak


 
vershy versh

vershy versh

Well-known member
The BBC ran a promo for Tokyo 2020 (Olympics) during the football earlier and it was rammed with Japanese cultural signifiers: Ghost in the Shell-esque soundtrack, karaoke, arcades, fighting games, anime, gameshows, neon signs.

 
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Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Guns are so tightly controlled in Japan that the assassin built his own gun.

Contrast that to America, where in most states it's easier to get an AR-15 than unpasteurized cheese.
 
W

wg-

Well-known member
Well, the LDP has been ran by Nippon Kaigi affiliates since at least the mid-90s, and media there saying the assassin went for Abe after his mum got indoctrinated and gave away their all their savings (Unification Church it seems) for the good of the cause.

So I'm not sure trying to point-score against America is really that appropriate here. Variety of problems in both systems
 
W

wg-

Well-known member


I must admit i didnt realise the AR-15 church in America was also Unification Church (or, rather Unification Sanctuary/Rod of Iron)

Bit of synchronisity there

Unification Church Japan have confirmed the rumours about the assassin's mum this morning, though have played it down a little bit.
 
W

wg-

Well-known member


For some reason reading about this situation this morning i was thinking about those vans that drive round Tokyo advertising blowjobs & thought there's a lot of things i don't know about this country
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
wild greens said:
For some reason reading about this situation this morning i was thinking about those vans that drive round Tokyo advertising blowjobs & thought there's a lot of things i don't know about this country
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Weird. Surely anyone who's ever had a blowjob already knows they're great and wouldn't need a van to tell them?
 
R

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
i heard this a few years back - its a good listen
www.bbc.co.uk

BBC Radio 4 - Archive on 4, Misunderstanding Japan

What impact have western media representations had on our view of Japan and its people?
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

japan does inspire strong reactions in a way many other countries do not.
and people are often very firm and certain that their diagnosis/idea of japan is correct and others are not (they also LOVE pontificating on japan and japanese people). they see it through one particular lens and have trouble seeing it through any other.

so you get the people who love 'weird and crazy' japan (this might be the most populated group). then you get the people who are obsessed with the 'strictures' and prohibitive heirarchy of japanese society. then you get the people obsessed only with old japan, and think it should still be like the samurai era. then you get the people who have watched too many studio ghibli films... or too many takashi miike/anime/kurosawa/ozu (the ozu fans are prob the most annoying and insist on seeing ozu in other japanese films where there isnt really any ozu at all, but if its a family, and they are eating at a low table, they immediately think its ozu) films...
etc etc

basically people love generalising on japan.
 
woops

woops

is not like other people
rubberdingyrapids said:
japan does inspire strong reactions in a way many other countries do not.
and people are often very firm and certain that their diagnosis/idea of japan is correct and others are not (they also LOVE pontificating on japan and japanese people). they see it through one particular lens and have trouble seeing it through any other.
Click to expand...
perhaps because it's "only" 150 years or so since we knew much about the place?
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
rubberdingyrapids said:
i heard this a few years back - its a good listen
www.bbc.co.uk

BBC Radio 4 - Archive on 4, Misunderstanding Japan

What impact have western media representations had on our view of Japan and its people?
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

japan does inspire strong reactions in a way many other countries do not.
and people are often very firm and certain that their diagnosis/idea of japan is correct and others are not (they also LOVE pontificating on japan and japanese people). they see it through one particular lens and have trouble seeing it through any other.

so you get the people who love 'weird and crazy' japan (this might be the most populated group). then you get the people who are obsessed with the 'strictures' and prohibitive heirarchy of japanese society. then you get the people obsessed only with old japan, and think it should still be like the samurai era. then you get the people who have watched too many studio ghibli films... or too many takashi miike/anime/kurosawa/ozu (the ozu fans are prob the most annoying and insist on seeing ozu in other japanese films where there isnt really any ozu at all, but if its a family, and they are eating at a low table, they immediately think its ozu) films...
etc etc

basically people love generalising on japan.
Click to expand...
Don't forget the used-underwear-vending machines and the hentai!
 
Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
I get what you're saying though, Japan is a place westerners like to project their fantasies onto

My most recent misunderstanding of Japan (based on reading various reddit threads) is that its 1) very racist and 2) has a horrible poisonous work culture which leads to businessmen sleeping on park benches instead of going home

It is quite a collision in my head between studio ghibli and countryo racist
 
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