Final impressions - Great Japanese Graphic design

For my final post for this blog, I would like to introduce one of my favorite and most lasting impressions of Japan. Japanese graphic design. As and experienced graphic designer, I immediately noticed that Japanese Graphic design is unique, clever, and often very well done. The Japanese traditional and pop cultures allow for designs that would never be possible in the west, many of these designs are truly innovative and charming. One interesting and common Japanese motif is using cuteness to help convey a message, or diffuse tension. This is especially effective when the content is sensitive and is good in sending out helpful reminders, while keeping every one's feelings from getting hurt.

For those with further interest, In the coming weeks I will organize and upload my full collection to my Flickr page.

Some of my favorites:

The sign reads, "construction ahead." (and therefore road closed) Road closures are a nuisance, but a great big photo of a cute puppy really softens the blow.


A poster about bad manners on the train. Don't be like the rude monkey! The message is strong, but the cuteness helps keep everyone from getting too offended.


(look close:) The barber shop's sign has three barber poles running with scissors. Your grandmother may have told you never to run with scissors, but in this case it really helps lend a feeling that your haircut will be speedy and efficient.

An old sign on an abandoned building. Probably designed in the 70's. The red circle shaped emblem is reminiscent of Japanese seals, and to a lesser degree, family crests.

Graphic design not only uses cuteness, but is also not afraid to use fear to get its message across.

Another poster of manners at the train station. The classy calligraphy reminds customers that manners is a matter of "heart."
One of my personal favorites: Murasaki shikibu would love to sell you a frying pan or appliance. (This is located in Uji city in Kyoto. Uji is known not only for it's tea but also for being the setting for the final 9 chapters of Murasaki Shikibu's heian period novel "The Tale of Genji.")

The Japanese Version - Products that show sterotypes

This is how Americans enjoy their coffee, lying on the hood of a convertible.
This clearly shows a highly iconic stereotype of American culture.
Many people in Japan were shocked to find out that I (an American) preferred tea to coffee.

Many "foreign" products often reveal stereotypes of the cultures they came from.

A "French" salon.

This free tour bus in Asakusa (Tokyo) features winking eyes, and a cheerful bus driver who loves to take foreign guests around. If you look carefully you can see he is wearing a "Ninja" headband, which is actually from a Naruto (comic/manga) anime cosplay outfit. His enthusiasm and friendly attitude are wonderful, but I can't help but think that he is only serving to deepen bizarre, if not charming, stereotypes that foreigners have towards Japan.

Religon In Japan - Shintoism and Liminality*.

Shintoism and Japanese culture is very concerned with the borders between things, in and out, uchi and soto, honne and tatemae, and most of all pure and unclean. Therefore things that lie on the threshold, things that are in grey areas or other forms of transition are very threatening in the Shinto mindset.

Mekari Jinja is located on the northernmost part of Kyushu and marks the narrow boundary between the islands of Kyushu and Honshu.　(note: photo is a work in progress composite panorama of over 40 separate images, so some visual glitches and inconsistencies are still present.)

During the Kuruma fire festival in Kyoto, the barrier between the inside and the outside of the shrine is carefully breached with a special ceremony.

A few other examples of liminality appearing in Japanese culture:

toori gates mark the entrance to shrines
miyajima's itsukushima shrine has a toori gate that marks the spaces between land and sea and the low tide and high tide.
gates on houses. even ones that have apparent function.
changes in the seasons, year end, beginning, solstices and equinoxes are all carefully marked and guarded with festivals, traditions and ceremonies.
salt is often placed on the boundaries of a property, on the cardinal directions creating a sort of spiritual barrier to protect the property from uncleanliness and promote good business.

*Via dictionary.com: The word liminality is defined as "the condition of being on a threshold or at the beginning of a process" and stems from the latin limen 'threshold'

Sports in Japan - hip hop dancing

Many Japanese young people have become increasingly bored with their own culture and are looking outward to other cultures. Hip hop dancing has become a bit of a dance craze in Japan, and while these dancers consider themselves to be acting very American, I find myslelf having a hard imaging very many Americans doing anything similar. Certinally, the incredible popularity hip-hop dancing enjoys as well as the enthusiasm and dedication with which Japanese persue it cannot be found easily in America. In the end, it is possible that the Japanese have formed a new genere of hip hop dancing.

Pop Culture in Japan- Cosplay (update)

Update: From my archives, video of cosplayers at the Kyoto costume institute.

Politics In Japan - Gaza protest in Yodoyabashi

In protest of the bombing raids in Gaza, as well as America's support of Israel, a demonstration was held in Yodoyabashi on January 10, 2009. This was one of many such protests held at the beginning of the new year across the globe. I was able to capture a some of the scenes from the rally. The complete photoset can be seen at my flickr page.

The sign reads: "Don't kill Gaza's children."

Sign captions include: "Don't kill!" "Don't allow Israel's attacks on Gaza, Don't allow Israel's genocide of Gaza!"

Sign on bottom right reads (in osaka-ben): We wanna stop war! Protect life.

A Japanese woman's face wrapped in a shawl reminds us that even though that we may all dress different, speak different languages, and live in different areas of the world, this is a problem that we cannot ignore. Genocide is much deeper than race and political boundaries. It is a matter of humans killing humans.
Sadly, based on the slim participation and media attendance of the protest, it is a message that may have largely been a cry to deaf ears.

Gender in Japan - Homosexualiy in Osaka The Kansai Rainbow Parade - 2008

Many people dressed up for the parade, and surprisingly had no reluctance whatsoever to getting their picture taken. However at the end of the parade there was a specifically marked section for people who did not want their pictures taken. This is a feature that is unheard of in American pride parades. Being outed as a homosexual is definitely something that many people still very afraid of in Japan.


A few quick facts about homosexuality in Japan.

• In 2007 the Kansai Rainbow parade had more than 1300 participants. Compare to my hometown of Salt Lake City had an estimated 50,000 participants. For reference the population of Salt Lake City and the surrounding valley is approximately 2,150,00. Whereas the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto population is 18,643,915. In other words, while relatively conservative Salt Lake City had over 2% of the population attend the event, Kansai had less than .001% in attendance. (These figures are based on my own, unscientific calculations.)

• There are no laws that prohibit homosexual behavior. There are also no laws in place to protect against discrimination.

• Until recently Japan did not allow it's citizens same sex marriages in countries where it was legal, but recently that has changed. (see article)

• Japan has a huge market for homosexually themed romance comic books, both pornographic and non- pornographic. However, the biggest demographic for the gay (guy on guy) literature is with young women. (However, there is apparently a very complex genre structure that carefully distinguishes between the various styles, content and target audiences.) For more info: Boys' Love," Yaoi, and Art Education: Issues of Power and Pedagogy

More photos:

A volunteer roams the parade route asking for donations.

A homo-erotic cosplay spin on Princess Mononoke.

The Parade procession, Crossing Famous Dotonbori.

The flag in the foreground is from one of many GLBT circles. These circles provide chances for GLBT people to have a chance to socialize and find support from people of similar age and interest. They are also a good alternative to bars and saunas for finding a relationship.

The sign reads "After the rain, comes the rainbow."
Gay rights have a very long way to go in Japan, however Japan may have a bright, rainbow colored future for gay couples after all.

For great photos from the parade, please visit my Kansai Rainbow Parade 2008 photoset at Flickr.

Pop Culture in Japan- Cosplay

On regular intervals, the Kyoto International Manga Museum holds cosplay events in its outdoor plaza. I took these photos on one such afternoon. I apologise for the poor image quality, as I had just bought my cameraphone and had not become fully aquainted with how to use it properly.

Below is a small sampling of photos from the event, for the full set please visit my Flickr page. There is also a larger set of of American cosplayers I took at MegaCon in Florida. It is worth noting here that American cosplayers are far more willing to appear in public with low grade hand made costumes than Japanese cosplayers.

Scenes from the Kyoto Manga Museum:

American Cosplayer VS Japanese Cosplayers. (top: America, bottom: Japan)

The Images below are from the famous "Jidai Matsuri" festival held in Kyoto every year. "Jidai" refers to the various periods in Japanese history. The festival consists of a historical costume parade. Is it possile this could be considered another more sophisticated form of cosplay?

Jidai Matsuri pictures from user nobuflickr via flickr.com

Click here to find more great pictures from "Jidai Matsuri" as well as other scenes from Japan.

Click here for more cosplay shots from The Manga Museum and Mega Con.

*Note it is worth noting that of the over 1,400 photos on my Flick page, this cosplay photo is my top photo for views, number of times favorited by other members, and number of comments.

荒木経惟 - NOBUYOSHI ARAKI

While most widely known for his erotic and bondage works, Araki works cover ground far greater than that of a simple pornographer. Having published/been published in approximately 250 publications, (source: World Cat Identities) it is possible that he is Japan's most prolific photographer.

After photographing Björk in the late nineties, his work began reach an international audience it would have not seen otherwise.

Araki experimented with processing his film at high temperatures, or allowing his fim to partially rot. This resulted in scenes suggestive of atomic warfare, Hiroshima, and Japan's own unresolved post-war guilt.

From youtube: Araki talks about this technique as well as his overall personal motivation and methodology behind photography. (narration, translated into english and pictures)




In part 2 he discusses the accidental foreshadowing of his wife's death as seen in their honeymoon pictures, and how this lead into his obsession with sex and death.

Björk by Araki
Even Björk, When seen though Araki's lens, suggests Japanese undertone.


Araki was interested in depecting 私東京 私写真- 'my tokyo' or 'my photography'
dirty, honest, sincere, sad, and sensual

"I believe Tokyo to have the highest concentration of sad people of any city." - Araki
(From Contacts Vol. 2, Portraits of Contemporary Photographers. )

the photographer himself

Neighborhood Hirakaida Shinkada-cho; 新寿温泉 New Long Life Hot Springs. A look into bathing culture in Japan.

New Long Life Hot Springs 新寿温泉

Japanese people love the bath.
In order to enjoy a nice bath, many people will plan entire vacations around taking a trip to a famous hot spring, but for everyday occasions, the neighborhood onsen (hot spring) or sento (bath house) will do just fine.

Bathing in Japan is for much more than just cleaning the body. It is a way to relax, enjoy nature, experience the seasons, and also an important social mechanism.

Japanese has a very structured social hierarchy. The bath house (or hot spring) is a place where people can shed their clothes and symbolically shed their social position. Everyone is equal when they are enjoying a bath. As cares and stress begin to melt away, people open up and talk with eachother.
A small sento often can function as an informal neighborhood meeting spot. One is likely to bump into a neighbor or someone else they might know.

On my first visit to "New Long Life Hot Springs", I was warmly greeted by other customers on my way in who both informed me of the hot spring's hours as well as welcomed me into the neighborhood.

Here are some excellent links for more information and scenes of Japanese culture.

A sign informs visitors of what kind of baths can be enjoyed at the Onsen.
Included is: sauna, seasonal bath, fresh cold water bath, electric bath, infrared reclining bath, and ultrasonic bath.


A typical interior of a Japanese bathhouse. (photo from flickr user nolabwork)

Here are some excellent links for more information and scenes of Japanese culture.

A guide to Japanese bath etiquette from Japan-guide.com.

From Ping Mag:
Sento: A Glimpse Into Japanese Bathhouse Culture
(warning: contains some mild, non sexual nudity)

Also from Ping Mag:
Sento Art: Public Bath House Paintings

From Fuji TV via JapanProbe
The dying art of public bath house painting, via fuji TV

The Japanese People - Profile: WADAIKO MIYABI 和太鼓雅

The Japanese people are well known for their remarkable ability to form groups and work together well within those groups. This applies to many aspects of Japanese culture, not only school and business situations but also to the fine arts and leisure time.

One such group is WADAIKO MIYABI, a traditional Japanese percussion ensemble based out of Neyagawa, Osaka. Members meet twice each week to practice, prepare for performances, and to enjoy each others' company and friendship. Many of the pieces express specific aspects of Osaka's culture and history. The overall atmosphere of the group carries Osaka's distinct laid back, open, and optimistic flavor.

Tools of the trade:hinoki drumstics, bamboo flute and rehearsal uniform. Rehearsal uniforms build a sense of unity and belonging, and are considered an enjoyable part of taiko rather than a clothing restriction.

Members rehearsing in a community center in Neyagawa.

A scene from a performance at Hattori Ryokuchi Park.


Another scene from the Hattori Ryokuchi Park performance.

WADAIKO MIYABI is a beautiful expression of the Japanese group-oriented mentality, Japanese performance arts, as well as a great example of the energetic, easy going, and friendly nature of Osakans.

I asked Fujimoto san, principal bamboo flute player and senior member of Wadaiko Miyabi, why she comes to Taiko. She said, "Everyone does their best and brings what they can to the group. When we all work together, some how magically, we end up with something that is far greater than the sum of its parts. So I could never quit."

For more information and photos, visit them on their web page.
or visit them at their up coming Cherry Blossom Concert on March 21, 2009, 2:00PM at the Hall at the Negawa City Sogo Center.

Performance photos and group photo courtesy of Wadaiko Miyabi.

Japan - current impressions - a land of extremes

Japan can often seem to be a land of extreme polar opposites. These cultural extremes can often found in very close proximity to each other. This apparent polarization seems to be hardly a source of friction for Japanese, nor does it's existence seem to be particularly important nor noticed by Japanese people.

Below: starkly contrasting environments, less than an hour apart:

Congested, vibrant, and gaudy Nanba (Osaka)

Autumn leaves make a patchwork quilt of color in Kyoto, near Nanzenji

This may possibly largely foreign reaction to Japan, it is still a valid one and also can be useful as paradigm for exploring Japanese culture.
These distinct contrasts paint a picture of Japanese society as one in which a diverse and mature culture is well preserved, continually cultivated, and constantly evolving.
America, in comparison, seems to lack this quality. In spite of its relatively diverse ethnic population, typical American cultural motifs tend to evidence America to be a land of absolute cultural mediocrity.

More images:

A lightbulb dealer in Akihabara, Tokyo. Neon Lights in it's Osaka counterpart, Shinsaibashi.

More autumnal scenes in Kyoto.

Some more examples of polarization within Japanese culture:

extreme elegance vs. extreme vulgarity
(wabi-sabi vs. school girl rape porno comic books)

extreme austerity vs. the extremely gaudy
(black and white calligraphy vs. plastic cute encrusted everything)

extreme minimalism vs. extreme sensory overload
(the elegance of a Japanese style room (和室) vs. a pachinko parlour)

extreme tradition vs. extreme avant garde and modernity
(kimono commonly used as everyday wear vs. this as everyday wear)

extreme low crime vs. a thriving mafia

extreme kindness and hospitality vs. being eternally labeled an outsider

chaos and crowds vs. quiet serenity and calm