Japanese Culture

[Endless Soul]

So I was working on one of my projects this weekend, and I was doing a bit of research online, when I came across these videos on youtube. Apparently there is a TV show in Japan called Plamo Tsukurou that gives tutorials on building plastic scale models. I had never heard of it, and frankly I'm quite amazed that there's airtime devoted to this hobby. This is unheard of (at least in the States).

Spoiler for Some of the videos I found, and there's even a girl model builder:

I really like the Japanese version of Mr. Rogers. at the end of the build, he commenting over the completed diorama with a pint of Guiness.

Here's Tomoe Ogoshi (or Okoshi) building a Gundam AMX-004. Idiotic comments all over the place. She has a website too.

Same girl building a Type 97 Chi-Ha Tank.

This one is pretty old (2006) and focuses on the VF-0S from Macross Zero, so apparently this show has been around a while. Hmmm smoking around your model kits ~tsk~tsk~.

This guy dresses like an 80's rock star, but his skills are quite good. Also, there's a visit to Tamiya headquarters, and our host is accompanied by a very nice looking Tamiya representative.

So my question is, and I think I may already know the answer but I'd like some input anyways, is scale modeling more accepted and celebrated in Japan? Sure, I speak with other modelers from around the world (thanks internet!) but I can't think of any other country that has a dedicated TV show on the hobby.

Endless "Thumbs up for geek girls!" Soul

[TinyRedLeaf]

Japan's pursuit of cute spawns US$30b industry

VIDEO: AFP

Gifu (July 6, Fri): Police forces use them; shops can't do without them; power companies have them — and sack them when they become unpopular. No marketing or public information campaign is complete without them. Cute, cuddly — or startling — characters are everywhere in Japan.

While marketers the world over have long understood the value of an oversized cartoon animal who can persuade children to part with their pocket money, those in Japan know it is also an effective way to reach their parents.

And despite the tepid economy, there is money to be made: The licensed-character industry, including copyrights and merchandising, is worth a whopping US$30 billion a year — more than Japanese people spend on books annually.

But it's not just the big names — Hello Kitty or Pokemon — that draw the crowds and their cash.

A two-day "grand assembly" in the central Japan city of Gifu attracted around 120,000 visitors who were entertained by 47 adult-sized mascots, one from each prefecture, who treated visitors to songs, dances and endless photo opportunities.

The yuru-kyara (suggesting "laid back character") often represent regions or towns, taking their inspiration from locally famous foods, personalities, animals, industries or occasionally a combination.

Characters roamed shopping arcades, chased by children holding balloons — and adults with cellphones — who were eager to shake hands and take pictures.

Many visitors said growing up surrounded by characters like these meant they could continue to appreciate them into middle age.

"Even in adulthood, we find no mental block to them and think they are cute," said Mrs Aki Kamikara, 38. "I'll do Internet searches when I get home as I found some new characters I like," she said. Her husband, Yuichi, 42, said it had been worth the trip.

"There are a lot of characters I don't see usually, ranging from interesting ones to good ones," he said. "It's fun."

Mr Noriaki Sato, president of Radetzky, the event-planning company that organised the get-together in Gifu, said characters speak to the Japanese mindset. "Anime and manga have taken deep root in Japan and people are familiar with many characters from a young age," he told AFP as Yanana, a svelte female body with a large square head posed for pictures a few steps away.

Those inside the suits agreed that they were part of something that chimed with the nation's collective soul.

"Japanese people like characters a lot," said a man in a red mask from the central city of Tsu. "From children to elderly people, they are pleased when characters appear at events… This is a culture peculiar to Japan that we should take pride in."

AFP

[Azuma Denton]

One thing i wanna ask for a long time. (But i keep forget it )

In anime, the characters seldom take a morning shower before going to school/work. Is it usual there??

[Sumeragi]

Most people tend to just wash their hair, given how people usually take a bath in the evening. Unless you're like me who is a shower person.

[Ridwan]

It's pretty convenient to live outside tropical belt. There's no way you'll survive stink-less in humidity and heat around here without at least bathing twice a day.

[Azuma Denton]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

Most people tend to just wash their hair, given how people usually take a bath in the evening. Unless you're like me who is a shower person.

Well, i am the opposite of Japanesse people. I bath completely on morning, and sometimes bath before night, given sometimes i arrive at my room late at night.


Well, in tropical land like Indonesia, it can make you wanna bath every 2-3 hours because of the humidity.

[Ridwan]

Originally Posted by Azuma Denton

Well, i am the opposite of Japanesse people. I bath completely on morning, and sometimes bath before night, given sometimes i arrive at my room late at night.


Well, in tropical land like Indonesia, it can make you wanna bath every 2-3 hours because of the humidity.

It gets better when you live in coastal cities. I currently reside deep in Pasundan hinterland which is notoriously cold for Indonesian term. And indeed, 12 o'clock in here feels like 8 o'clock in an East Kalimantan port city.

[Vexx]

For those interested in the Shinto belief system often seen or used in anime and manga, this site is a fair starter point:

http://www.isejingu.or.jp/shosai/english/index.htm

(thanks to Rev. Koichi Barrish of the Tsubaki America Grand Shrine).

[ChainLegacy]

Originally Posted by Vexx

For those interested in the Shinto belief system often seen or used in anime and manga, this site is a fair starter point:

http://www.isejingu.or.jp/shosai/english/index.htm

(thanks to Rev. Koichi Barrish of the Tsubaki America Grand Shrine).

Indeed, I found the Shinto beliefs about bathing to be quite interesting when I first heard them. It was for this reason historically the 'more advanced' Europeans seemed like stinky barbarians after being holed up on ships for days.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by ChainLegacy

It was for this reason historically the 'more advanced' Europeans seemed like stinky barbarians after being holed up on ships for days.

After teen-aged "Japonais" Yune has been in France for a few days, she finally tells Claude that she needs to take a bath. Claude, 19th century Parisian that he is, finds this quite surprising. He also says that it's a waste of water and would annoy his neighbors.

It's in episode four of Ikoku Meiru no Croisee.

[Duo Maxwell]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask...

I'm doing research about Kimono, but there is not many sites that have good (and big) pictures of the kimono fabric pattern. Does anyone know any place I can find those images? Preferably the old and/or extravagant one.

[Sumeragi]

Are you researching to buy, for school, or for hobby/pleasure?

[Duo Maxwell]

Mostly for drawing and designing, but it's also part of my hobby, as I'm interested in women's clothing, especially those traditional ones.

[ChainLegacy]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

After teen-aged "Japonais" Yune has been in France for a few days, she finally tells Claude that she needs to take a bath. Claude, 19th century Parisian that he is, finds this quite surprising. He also says that it's a waste of water and would annoy his neighbors.

It's in episode four of Ikoku Meiru no Croisee.

Ah, that's great, I didn't know there'd be a direct reference to this clash of cultures in the anime world.

Luckily we Westerners have caught up in that regard. Well, most of us, anyways...

[TinyRedLeaf]

Don't know if this topic had been brought up before in this thread. A simple keyword search threw up several possibilities and I don't have time to check them all. If it's a repeat, my apologies in advance.

Basically, I've been wondering about the relationships between grown children and their parents in Japan. I'd just watched Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki over the weekend and, if you aren't aware, the movie is essentially a loving tribute to mothers, among other things.

Here's a part of my overall question: To what extent does mainstream anime accurately reflect family relationships? As many of you may have observed, parents are usually not present in many anime series. They're usually not included to keep the cast small and plot-relevant, or else they are simply written out of the picture altogether (eg, the protagonists' parents died while they were still children, forcing them to grow up either alone or in the care of relatives).

More importantly, I'm curious about the extent to which grown-up children keep in touch with their parents. I get the impression that Japanese families are similar to Western families in this regard, that is, parents — particularly the poor hardworking mothers — are essentially left alone in home towns once the children have flown the coop.

(I get the impression that Western parents greatly look forward to this "coming of age". For starters, they get to have the house back all to themselves! No more pesky children messing up the place and unwilling to do their fair share of chores! Yay!)

Do understand that I'm speaking as a person who grew up and lives in a city-state. People in Singapore, and in cities like Hong Kong, tend to be very close to their parents — both physically and emotionally — often living with them all the way till they are married. There is little to no stigma about not leaving to set up your own home, as is often the case in the West. (Partly because homes are extraordinarily expensive, and also because, culturally, parents in both cities do like to have their children nearby, even after they've moved out.)

[Guernsey]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Don't know if this topic had been brought up before in this thread. A simple keyword search threw up several possibilities and I don't have time to check them all. If it's a repeat, my apologies in advance.

Basically, I've been wondering about the relationships between grown children and their parents in Japan. I'd just watched Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki over the weekend and, if you aren't aware, the movie is essentially a loving tribute to mothers, among other things.

Here's a part of my overall question: To what extent does mainstream anime accurately reflect family relationships? As many of you may have observed, parents are usually not present in many anime series. They're usually not included to keep the cast small and plot-relevant, or else they are simply written out of the picture altogether (eg, the protagonists' parents died while they were still children, forcing them to grow up either alone or in the care of relatives).

More importantly, I'm curious about the extent to which grown-up children keep in touch with their parents. I get the impression that Japanese families are similar to Western families in this regard, that is, parents — particularly the poor hardworking mothers — are essentially left alone in home towns once the children have flown the coop.

(I get the impression that Western parents greatly look forward to this "coming of age". For starters, they get to have the house back all to themselves! No more pesky children messing up the place and unwilling to do their fair share of chores! Yay!)

Do understand that I'm speaking as a person who grew up and lives in a city-state. People in Singapore, and in cities like Hong Kong, tend to be very close to their parents — both physically and emotionally — often living with them all the way till they are married. There is little to no stigma about not leaving to set up your own home, as is often the case in the West. (Partly because homes are extraordinarily expensive, and also because, culturally, parents in both cities do like to have their children nearby, even after they've moved out.)

I am not sure but doesn't that usually apply to shonen adventure stories? I know my family who came from a Haitian background keep their family in touch. I come from a huge family especially on my father's side, he even has cousins and uncles that even he doesn't know about. I still keep in touch with them but that is only because I live with them and unlike American families (my family has a haitian background), they don't usually kick out chiildren until they can afford to do so or just plain leave the house.

[Vexx]

Just a note, Americans don't *all* kick their kids out at 18 or 22, it is an out-of-date meme. The last two decades have pretty much decimated that habit between the cost of housing and the lack of living wage jobs. Anecdotally, almost all of both my son's friends live with their parents at least part time or move in and out as their finances allow (all these young adults are in their 20s). The "nuclear urban" family bubble of the second half of the 20th century is fading as families pool resources so they can avoid living on the streets.

In my case, my older son is living with us while he starts a small business. He has lived on his own off and on. My other son was able to swing a job on graduation and is currently living in Los Angeles, but if he goes back to grad school and its near us he's certainly welcome to "return to the commune" so to speak. All we ask is that people who live in the house contribute to the maintenance and help pay bills as they are able to. Los Angeles son now pays his part of the cell bill, for example, and completely supporting himself now. My older son pays his own bills (car, ins), contributes to the food bill, and helps with house maintenance/remodeling projects.

[LeoXiao]

One of my best friends, after doing an exchange year in Germany, ended up going to university there. All signs currently point to him finishing school there, getting married there, and pretty much becoming German. He's his parent's only child and they aren't too happy about this. But what can they do?

I think that modern parents often have this dilemma where in order for their children to succeed it becomes a must for them to leave their parents forever (visits don't really count lol), and then when the parents are old they become lonely. Even in my case, with two siblings, my parents have only another five years or so before my younger brother goes off to college and they are the only ones left in the house. Sure the kids can come back and visit but it's not the same.

But who knows. maybe when I'm done with school I'll end up moving back and find a job where I grew up.

[Irenicus]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

More importantly, I'm curious about the extent to which grown-up children keep in touch with their parents. I get the impression that Japanese families are similar to Western families in this regard, that is, parents — particularly the poor hardworking mothers — are essentially left alone in home towns once the children have flown the coop.

Warning: anecdote/thoughts. As you no doubt are fully aware (being most certainly wiser than I am and all), anecdotes don't make for very good statistics.

I think, however, that it maybe a bit of an insight.

I once did homestay in Japan, living with a family that lives in one of the satellite cities around Osaka's metropolitan core. They had two children, both adults (10+ years older than I am), the older daughter is married and lives with her husband in Osaka itself, while the younger son lives with the parents; he works and has a lot of friends and hobbies and everything, not a NEET (a cool jazz guy, actually). It didn't seem to be anything unusual. On the other hand, a Japanese college friend there has family in Yokohama, near Tokyo; he visited home during the new years holiday when I was there.

So, here's what I think:

1) I believe it is natural to stay at your parents' home as an adult. There's not really a "you leave at 18" culture in Japan unless you're in an orphanage or something and have to leave when you turn legally adult.

2) The "leaving home" situation you implied seem to be a different phenomenon: young people move to college, to work and establish their lives in the cities, while their parents, the elderly, live in the countryside. The city-country age gap in Japan is huge, and for a reason. Younger people leave home not because their parents kicked them out or society looked down upon them, but because the opportunities lie in the great metropolitan areas. In other words, it is more of a geographical issue than a culture of "independence" as the cliché goes in the West -- though, as Vexx-jiisan mentioned, it is a bit of a false cliché by now with the storm of the Great Recession hitting many American families...including my own.

3) Nonetheless, many Japanese do indeed keep in touch. They have their own version of the American "family" Christmas, wherein during the summer the city-to-countryside traffic -- trains, roads, even planes -- become extremely clogged as younger Japanese returned home to their families for the yearly Obon festival.

4) Being as it is both modern and traditional, Japan has a wide variety of family models. Large families with deep generational ties, nuclear families in city "mansions" (i.e. apartments), single parent families that desperately needed childcare services (childcare rationing is a relatively important issue there), broken families...


For all the harsh and unfair judgements thrown at anime over the years, the one which argues that it fails to represent the typical Japanese family is among the fairest and closest to the truth, in my opinion -- although it must be noted that anime is under no obligation to do so anyway (escapism and fantasy and all). If anything, something like a Ghibli movie captures the tone of Japanese family life far better.

[willx]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Just a note, Americans don't *all* kick their kids out at 18 or 22, it is an out-of-date meme. The last two decades have pretty much decimated that habit between the cost of housing and the lack of living wage jobs. Anecdotally, almost all of both my son's friends live with their parents at least part time or move in and out as their finances allow (all these young adults are in their 20s). The "nuclear urban" family bubble of the second half of the 20th century is fading as families pool resources so they can avoid living on the streets.

In my case, my older son is living with us while he starts a small business. He has lived on his own off and on. My other son was able to swing a job on graduation and is currently living in Los Angeles, but if he goes back to grad school and its near us he's certainly welcome to "return to the commune" so to speak. All we ask is that people who live in the house contribute to the maintenance and help pay bills as they are able to. Los Angeles son now pays his part of the cell bill, for example, and completely supporting himself now. My older son pays his own bills (car, ins), contributes to the food bill, and helps with house maintenance/remodeling projects.

^ This. Right after graduation from University, even after I got my current job (which is ridiculously high paying) .. I still lived at home for awhile. I worked to help pay for my tuition, but student loans can be crushing.

Keep in mind that I'm in Canada as well, so my tuition bills were MUCH lower than those graduating out of the U.S. and I didn't live on campus during my education. I read somewhere that the average student graduates from college with >$25,000 in debt.. Much higher if you go for Masters+ .. and factor in a terrible job market

I'm out on my own now, far away from all my family, but that's my choice. They'd actually much rather prefer me to be closer to home .. then again I'm of Chinese descent so maybe it's a cultural thing too.