skytree

skytree

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Bow down to your god Hello Kitty and our Sanrio Overlords

"Cute" Food and food related products// yuru-kyara


Takoyaki stands

Gudetama
small egg character, usually characterized as lazy. His name is kind of a pun, a play on tamago and gude gude, usually a describer of someone with no energy. Part of Sanrio (same company as Hello Kitty) He is though to embody ~~~~depression~~~~, but still employs aspects of the cute culture Japan is known for. He appears on all sort of merchandise, from slippers to towels to cookware. Many of these cute "mascots" (yuru-kyara)  are used to convey negative emotions, whereas in the West mascots and flagship characters are usually associated with positive emotions and cheering people up. These "negative" mascots are usually made to be cute in order to help alleviate some of the taboos, such as a cute character in a pharmacy for something people would not want to discuss (the article talks about cute poop icons.) The article also relates Shintoism and the existence of it's 8 million + gods as a reason why mascots are easily accepted in Japan, the author doesn't really explain this point any further, but  more research into this could be interesting. 

Sanrio Food Character Election
voting for Sanrio characters to become main characters. Winners of 2013 were Gudetama and KIRIMI-chan


Mascots (yuru-kyara) and Shintoism// Polytheistic religion
Gods-> idolized and worshiped
Yuru-kyara -> idolized, less worshiped (in some circles probably still worshiped)

Earthquake in Kumamoto in 2016, usage of Kumamon helped generate lots of funds to help the damaged area & contribute to a sense of happiness to people who partook in fundraising events involving the mascot. 
Kumamon has also generated ¥123.2 billion in revenue in Japan throughout 2012-13. These yuru kyara are not worshiped as a deity per se, but people subscribe to the "religion" of this culture the same way. 


Things to continue to research
-Relating anthropomorphism in Japanese culture and advertising today with anthropomorphism in Japanese culture and religious themes
            -historical significance
            -cute religious mascots (kamakura daibutsu merch from surrounding markets) (**** typing kawaii daibutsu into google search probably means im going to hell)
-gurokawaii//kimokawaii- weird food mascots 
Kobitodukan(こびとづかん)

-why this relates to food








Articles:
https://www.tofugu.com/japan/kimokawaii/
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/pagantama/2017/03/14/gods-mascots/
https://nippaku.wordpress.com/2015/11/12/antropomorphism-in-japanese-culture/
https://www.japantoday.com/smartphone/view/arts-culture/why-does-japan-love-fictional-characters-so-much
http://www.fluentu.com/japanese/blog/japanese-culture-mascots/
https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-07-31/one-japan-s-most-popular-mascots-egg-crippling-depression
https://blog.gaijinpot.com/kawaii-culture/
http://sanrio.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Food_Character_Election

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

In Praise of Shadows

It seems to me that Tanizaki's main point through out his essay is that "traditional" Japanese aesthetics are more pleasing than the rapidly changing aesthetic that was seen in Japan during this time of "modernization." He also uses metaphors to give praise to Japanese and Asian culture (the "shadows") and discuss the power-seeking nature of the West (the "light.") It does not seem that he is 100% against modernization or Western influence, but he gives some hints of nostalgia for things like the light hitting off of laquerware or the custom of Tsukimi.


I found the lengthy description on how to make persimmon leaf sushi very interesting, especially since he decided to go through the effort to lay out every step for the reader.

It seemed like a subtle way to discuss a more "traditional" food, and then he went on to say how he preferred it to sushi in Tokyo, which would be more "modern." It seems like he puts great pride in cultural aspects such as this, so much so that he shared the recipe with a reporter and the reader. He seems to hold a great deal of respect for "poor mountain people," saying that they probably have more refined palettes than city people. The most interesting part of his inclusion of this tidbit is that he was not the one to experience the sushi nor the culture himself, as he says he got the recipe from a friend.
 Some "Mountain People" in 1930
Tanizaki seems convinced within the section that "Japan" is slowly fading, ("Now one must travel to such small cities.... for the feel of Japan.") But it doesn't seem like he is very distressed about it. Very nostalgic, but he writes as though he jumps to both sides of the argument on Western influence. He writes as though he likes the contrast between the light and the shadows, and that with the new "light" the shadows are all the more obvious.

Another interesting point Tanizaki talks about is Westerners uses of light. He discusses that in hotels and in public places, they are too full of light and dispel shadows. They also are a source of too much heat for Tanizaki. He does not enjoy electric lights nor the height of the ceilings in more western buildings, which mean that the lamps are closer overhead.
1930s Japanese chandelier
The electricity and Tanizaki's hatred of it creates another interesting instance of the shadow metaphor. Shadows are cool, usually light toned and not harsh. The Western buildings are covered in "garish" mosaics which make the entire building feel hot and oppressive. It's hard to find examples of these mosaics but imagining garishly colored art, compared to the tonal softness of ukiyo-e artists' work, it makes sense that Tanizaki would feel so strangled by the change. He also notes a change in light's usage, not for sewing or reading, but simply to make light. These changes are new to him and he naturally fights back against them. 


Do you think that the comparison of light/dark is an accurate depiction of the West/East relationship? Do you agree with how Tanizaki depicted both sides of this effort?

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Image Gallery

Introduction:
          I originally came to Japan just to see the sights of the amazing far East. I've heard so much about the amazing religious structures and the astounding way of life these people have. I, however, have become very interested in the treatment of children and the schooling system over here, as a teacher myself. These children are quite coddled! A child of these ages would be already at work in a factory when I was their age, not lazing about playing games. It seems as though schooling is very important to the families of these children, as well as it should be in today's world. The children in these schools seem to be very invested in work, but after school they have play and do not do any of the chores we have deemed for children. I, of course, have toys for my children, but how are they to get the farm work done if they have so much time dedicated to play? I think the family values of this culture are very strange, as the mother often takes care of the child far into maturation. These children are 5 to 10 years old and still getting special treatment? I find this interesting, and have collected a few interesting photographs with which to continue to show my point.



This child is enjoying his toy boat in a tub of water. This tub is one that would be used for washing, so in order to save water the child uses the dirty water left over after his mother cleans all of the clothes. The child himself is practically naked, wearing what looks like an apron. His kimono was probably washed by his mother, so he's currently waiting for it in whatever he could find. The boat was most likely bought at a store or fashioned by his father. There is a big smile on his face because he's having fun playing with his toys, and you know how boys like to both get a little dirty and run around without their skivvies on. 


Here, a native girl-child is pouring tea for a boy, possibly a brother. These women are taught early on to serve the men, and by the time they are adults, are completely subservient to their fathers and husbands. They both are wearing kimono, which are worn by men and women of any ages over here. They are decorated cloth tied closed with a thicker strip of cloth, usually silk for the wealthy. The Japanese have this particular way of making tea that occurs in a "tea ceremony," which usually ends up with the woman serving the man tea. The tea is a peculiar green liquid referred to as matcha. The matcha can come in either thin (薄茶 ) or thick (濃茶), although i personally find the thin to be more like traditional English tea. I think the thinner tea is the more pricey and rare as well, since it is like the tea we have back home. These children are practicing very well for their future, and I commend their studies after class, unlike the children at play. Both of these children will be well prepared to take on their respective roles in the household. 


Dolls are very popular toys for children in Japan. A lot of effort goes into making the doll and the kimono to go with it. Dolls are used as a teaching tactic for early family life, so they come in either gender for the children to play with. These dolls are made to look like them in order to install some maternal instinct that will kick in in the future. The mother's of these children will work for hours sewing clothing for these dolls, since the children do nothing but play here. I have not once seen an image of a Japanese child sewing, or doing much of anything besides playing. The parents also seem more invested in letting them play, as when the Father gets home he does not reprimand the child for not doing housework. Children get very dressed up all of the time, no matter what they are doing. Here the children are in full kimono, just to sit in the house and play. It's like wearing your sunday's best every day, no matter what your plans are.


This image is startling, and i knew when i saw it, i had to have it. These children are meeting each other in order for their parents to find if they are suitable for each other in marriage. The children will only meet a handful of times before they are finally married by the age of 10. This is very similar to the cultural practices I have heard of in other countries in the Orient. Children are taught early on how to be a good wife and take care of children in order to be more appealing to their male counterpart and their father. In this image the girl is showing the boy a garden, possibly one she helped plant, in order to prove she can provide food and bring a cultivation skill to their future family. The boy is very impressed and has picked some of the flowers to bring back to his family to show them the skills this girl has.


There are school systems in Japan, and they are pretty decent. They seem to be based slightly on how we run our schools, with some changes. Most children, no matter social status, are able to go to school now. Actually, I believe it is mandatory for schooling. Lunches in Japan are quite an affair, as you receive a lot of food. Children in this image are probably dining on rice with some kind of meat, most likely fish. They don't seem to eat too much beef, although not for the same reason the people of India seem to not eat beef. These children have perfected the art of eating with chopsticks, probably because they have never encountered a fork before. Lord knows they'd make the switch right away. There are a lot of girls in this image, as there are not many girls in my classes back home. Many families are too poor to send their sons and daughters, so they usually just send their sons. Here, it seems like school exists on government handed-out spots, and not dependent on how wealthy you are.




Analysis
Most globetrotters captions were made about events they were not actually around to witness. A lot of my made up globetrotters captions pretended as though i was there, watching this little boy play, or these children eating. My GT is very interested in children and their interactions, especially how little they seem to work. This is because, around this time in Europe, children were just being granted freedom from child labor. Instead, European children were made to go to school, and then come home and work at the house, most likely tending a farm. Opposite gender children were generally kept separate also, so some of these images would be pretty shocking. There are a lot of assumptions made on little to know actual information on the East, such as arranging marriages and teaching women to serve husbands early. The majority of pictures being school images and play images would probably be what influenced my GT to claim that Japanese children do not work, however just because there are no images of it, doesn't mean it wasn't happening. Foreigners were more interested in domestics of women and children, and less about the chores children were doing, or what work they did outside of the home. There was also just a lot more understanding of children's needs to play, which is why they allowed for more freedom.
The strangest of the images has to be the one of the two girls playing with the dolls. The other images look candid enough that the children could be actually at play, but this one is very posed and unnatural. One girl looks at her doll, while the other girl looks at a spot on the floor with her doll seated next to her. Neither girl is facing each other or interacting with each other, so the image is very much for the viewer to feel as though they are peaking in on these children, and less about the actual act of playing. The child with the boat does look as though he's playing in a wash bucket, but I'd chalk that up to less dirty, more resourceful.
The image of the school children is very interesting because of the table they are seated at. It's not a traditional on-the-floor-with-cushions seating, but rather a Western style table. Meiji Japan was inspired by the Western school system, so they could have decided this was also an easier way to have children at this time eat, or this could have been a long changing tradition.


Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Project Proposal

In class we had discussed the way that tako is portrayed a cute a lot in advertisements and menus. It's become so big that it's rare to see a takoyaki stand without a cute octopus cartoon.


I want to look at not just cute tako cartoons, but other food that has been marketed as cute. Sushi and maki have also been subject to this "cute-ification," most commonly seen as plushies or cute accessories for young Japanese people.


It's interesting to see how Japan turns their food into "cute" and commercializes it. Even food many wouldn't consider "cute," like tonkatsu and curry, have been plushified or turned into toys.
 I want to know if there's any reason why Japanese people love food accessories, toys, and tend towards the "cute" advertisements. Americans do this too occasionally also have fleeting obsessions with certain food accessories (pizza and tacos.) But these fads eventually fade out. However, the obsession in Japan has seemed to continue, or even grow. I think this project would be interesting to look into and study further.