Globalization/The Japanese Version

Today's topic is Globalization. I didn't really care affects by Western culture until I watched the TV show in the class. Japanese use lots of English in daily life. Most Japanese people may say that using English is very cool and fashionable. That's why we use English to titles, music words, clothes and so on. I can remember that I often was asked "Why does Japanese people use English on the T-shirts?" " Why Japanese singers use English in their songs?" So, our lives fill with English. I couldn't appropriately answer, but this is sure that I have been studying English because I had have been affected by strange English in Japan.

As we watched the TV show, from 30 to 40 years ago Japanese were especially affected by Westerner. So, I tried to ask these people about English affects. This Takoyaki shop is located in front of Mandai which is located nearby Hirakata civic hospital(枚方市民病院). The shop sign say "フレンド"(Friend). I asked shop owner who is around 60 years olds.

Me: Why did you choose the word not "友達" but "friend"?

Owner: As you know, friend means intimate. So I want to come to this shop intimate atmosphere. Why chose English is fasionable and swanky.

This woman answered fasionable either. A shop sign in English has something power for collecting many customers to the shop. Japanese may believe so.

Can you recognize the picture is sushi restaurant? I couldn't recognize at first. There is the shop at Shinsaibashi. This shop sign is like including Chinese and Western culture to Japanese sushi!! I of course love sushi. I was very hungry when I took the photo. But I didn't enter the shop. I didn't WANT to enter it. Because Sushi is Japanese culture, if foreign culture make it, it's so untrustworthy. I of course had an interests but I couldn't incline toward entering the shop. Foreign culture sometimes may go Japanese culture down in value.

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Photographing Japan:Yurie Nagashima

http://www.switch-pub.co.jp/library/photo/026/#

http://www.switch-pub.co.jp/library/photo/026/#

Yurie Nagashima was born in Tokyo 1973. She won a Parco prize while she was at Musashino-Art college. She also won Kimura Ihei award in 2000 which was a same worth as Akutagawa award in the book world. (Akutagawa award is the most valuable book-award in Japan.) She became a famous woman photographer after taking semi nude of her family. She were working to open her exhibition in foreign countries.

She forcused on her family particularly her husband in her photojournals "Not Six". It means "a good-for-nothing" or "scoundrel". We can say it "ろくでなし". So, she used its word as a colloquial expression. I picked up two pictures from her photjournal "Not Six". She has taken a photo of her husband naturaly for seven years. He changed from others to a boyfriend, husband and a menber of family for her. She took natural photos in her life. I can feel comfortable from her book. I want to buy it. People who bought her photojournal "Not Six" from the Internet praised her natural "love" with her husband. Additionally, they said that they want to take a lover's photo or express their "love" with photos like Yurie Nagashima. So, we can feel same feeling from her photo. Can feel only Japanese? I really hear foreigner's opinions.

Souces:http://www.switch-pub.co.jp/library/photo/026/#

You can see opinions who bought the book but this site is Japanese.http://www.amazon.co.jp/not-six-%E9%95%B7%E5%B3%B6-%E6%9C%89%E9%87%8C%E6%9E%9D/dp/4884180143

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Japanese pop culture

Today's topic is "Japanese pop culture". I know lots of Japanese tradition or culture. But I don't know Japanese "pop" culture. This topic makes me confuse. So I took pictures of "modern" Japanese culture. Does it have different meaning "pop" and "modern"...!?

First picture is my favorite an amusement park which is called Game center(ゲームセンター). This is also located with the first line. It is different from パチンコ. In パチンコ, we can exchange profit to money, but in Game center, we just have fun to waste money. You must have fun!! Peaple from young to old usually use this amusement park. You can feel strange atmoaphere there.

Second picture is a humburger steak restaurant. Some foreign students may know this restaurant already. The appearance is very amazing! I misunderstood this building was also amusement park or something when I found it. Acutually, it was a restaurant. I sometime go to there to have dinner because it's very cheap! It is for young or family. This restaurant is multiple store. The first line has two this restaurants. Every this restaurant has like that appearance. We can clearly understand strategy of this store from this appearance, it must be for young or family. In Japan, there many strange building to aim at an specific age bracket.

You can see other びっくりドンキー's pictures from this link.http://portal.nifty.com/2008/12/15/b/

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