Japanese Culture

[ZephyrLeanne]

Originally Posted by Autumn Demon

I don't know what you mean by foreign nationality, but if her biological father is American then she would be an American citizen, too. I know Japan doesn't allow dual citizenship, but children don't have to give up their other citizenships until 20 or something, I think.

It's 22, but failing to select one over the other means you lose your Japanese citizenship.

http://www.moj.go.jp/ENGLISH/information/tcon-01.html

[NaweG]

Originally Posted by ZephyrLeanne

With two handicapped kids:

1. Akiba is OUT. It's the most handicapped unfriendly place in Tokyo. If you really must however, limit your time there.

2. If you intend to be in Tokyo for a week, get a hotel close to a train station, and this.

2. Spend a day in Yokohama. Especially Chinatown.

3. Tsukiji.

4. Tokyo Tower.

5. Kamakura day-tripping. If only to get a view of Mt Fuji.

6. Kinugawa hot spring.

Oh, and get a JR EAST pass before you go.

Thanks for the suggestions. I planned Akiba to be just me anyway... you know... in case I ran into any special "scenery" :-)

[ZephyrLeanne]

Originally Posted by NaweG

Thanks for the suggestions. I planned Akiba to be just me anyway... you know... in case I ran into any special "scenery" :-)

You really should go alone to Akiba, but make sure your kids are chaperoned.

Akiba tends to be very squashed and crowded, with its reputation of being the least orderly place in Japan.

Oh, and I forgot, remember to pay a visit to the Ebisu Beer Garden. Many call it "Yebisu", but that's a brand name - the station there is Ebisu, on the JR Yamanote (the loop line on most subway/rail maps of Tokyo) Line.

Oh, and did I mention that the Yamanote will be your best friend in Tokyo?

[Vexx]

Not quite sure whether this thought belongs here or in the General Anime subforum, but as a tidbit on general Japanese bias on pop culture note this article. The article itself isn't the point - though its misleadingly implying that the street will be vehicle free when in fact its only on Sundays. Its the last paragraph:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-b...0101210a2.html

Akihabara massacre site again traffic-free

Kyodo News
A popular shopping street in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics and entertainment district will become a pedestrian zone again on Sundays from mid-January, two years and seven months after a shocking massacre at the site, law-enforcement sources said Thursday.
The plan, set to be officially decided Friday at the Tokyo Metropolitan Public Safety Committee, will make a part of Chuo-dori street in Akihabara vehicle-free every Sunday afternoon from Jan. 16 on a trial basis, the sources said.
The street had since 1973 been car-free for pedestrians from midday on Sundays and national holidays. It will now become a pedestrian zone from 1 p.m. on Sundays only.
Tomohiro Kato, 28, is still on trial on charges of driving a 2-ton truck into Chuo-dori street around 12:30 p.m. on June 8, 2008, running over and killing three men and then fatally stabbing four more people, while wounding 10 others.
Akihabara has grown into a center of pop culture, including "anime" and manga, and indecent street performances.

That last line, "indecent street performances" .... ... ... not just "street performances" (which can include various levels). Laugh or cry at this point, I suppose, but it reveals a bit of the mainstream antagonism towards the people who enjoy pop culture in Japan. The quotes around "anime" is also directly from the article. Manga, otoh, is read by nearly the entire population of Japan (though you're only "supposed" to read particular kinds depending on your status).

The authorities were never quite clear on how allowing MORE cars through the zone would prevent maniacs from running over pedestrians. One can suspect it was more the chance to stop all those "crazy otaku" from having a nice place to play.

[Kaze]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Not quite sure whether this thought belongs here or in the General Anime subforum, but as a tidbit on general Japanese bias on pop culture note this article. The article itself isn't the point - though its misleadingly implying that the street will be vehicle free when in fact its only on Sundays. Its the last paragraph:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-b...0101210a2.html

That last line, "indecent street performances" .... ... ... not just "street performances" (which can include various levels). Laugh or cry at this point, I suppose, but it reveals a bit of the mainstream antagonism towards the people who enjoy pop culture in Japan. The quotes around "anime" is also directly from the article. Manga, otoh, is read by nearly the entire population of Japan (though you're only "supposed" to read particular kinds depending on your status).

There was a massacre?
Huh?
Can't remember anything happening there of that magnitude.

And about the last paragraph,

See it this way
In japan, Manga is relatively accepted (People read it on the trains to and from work when they have the chance)

But Anime is not really accepted and actually looked down upon.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Kaze

There was a massacre?
Huh?
Can't remember anything happening there of that magnitude.

And about the last paragraph,

See it this way
In japan, Manga is relatively accepted (People read it on the trains to and from work when they have the chance)

But Anime is not really accepted and actually looked down upon.

Um... yeah, that's what I just was just referring to, the post was an example of it. That is well known to those who study the culture.

The "Akihibara massacre" was a disgruntled twit who drove his car into the pedestrian-only zone and ran over several people. He then jumped out and stabbed several more before he was finally subdued. Oddly enough, some of the media managed to pin the perpetrator's rage on otaku culture rather than his own series of disasters in life which had nothing to do with pop culture. There is an ongoing effort by some factions in the Japanese establishment to smear the entirety of pop culture as deviant or diverse... much like the "witchburners" of Western society keep looking for things to persecute. The Governor of the prefecture that Tokyo resides in is an ultra-nationalist jackass who is fervently anti-anime and anti-pop. The publishing industry (anime and manga) is boycotting the Tokyo International Anime expo because of his recent attempts to pass broadly written laws against publishing.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...kyo-anime-fair

[Autumn Demon]

Originally Posted by Vexx

The article itself isn't the point - though its misleadingly implying that the street will be vehicle free when in fact its only on Sundays.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-b...0101210a2.html

The authorities were never quite clear on how allowing MORE cars through the zone would prevent maniacs from running over pedestrians. One can suspect it was more the chance to stop all those "crazy otaku" from having a nice place to play.

This is great. Akihabara seems way too small when the main street has traffic on it. Chuuoo Street not being open to pedestrians can give it mechanical, lifeless feeling compared to other city centers in Tokyo. But it's still always a fun place.

[dangodaikazoku]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Laugh or cry at this point, I suppose, but it reveals a bit of the mainstream antagonism towards the people who enjoy pop culture in Japan.

If you think Japan is bad, the People's Republic of China is hell when it comes to antagonism towards pop culture (and *especially* Japanese pop culture) from conservative elements of society and government. Though it's fair to say that a majority of young people in China enjoy anime and manga, all whilst hating Japan as a political entity, the stuff is suppressed on almost all official channels of entertainment.

Ever wondered why 99% of DVDs in China are pirated, or why the Chinese fansubbing community is perhaps the largest and fastest in the world? Cost and population are not the only reasons. The fact is, there is no legal way of getting hold of most foreign films due to censorship. For young people in China, the "underground" is mainstream.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by dangodaikazoku

If you think Japan is bad, the People's Republic of China is hell when it comes to antagonism towards pop culture (and *especially* Japanese pop culture) from conservative elements of society and government. Though it's fair to say that a majority of young people in China enjoy anime and manga, all whilst hating Japan as a political entity, the stuff is suppressed on almost all official channels of entertainment.

Ever wondered why 99% of DVDs in China are pirated, or why the Chinese fansubbing community is perhaps the largest and fastest in the world? Cost and population are not the only reasons. The fact is, there is no legal way of getting hold of most foreign films due to censorship. For young people in China, the "underground" is mainstream.

This is true... but the thread is about Japanese Culture (it might be interesting to start a Chinese Culture thread, hint hint ). The hilarity of the poor attitude in Japan is that the anime/manga/pop industry is amazingly popular worldwide and a major perception of people's view of Japan. It is a legal business that is pulling in a fair wad of money (and therefore tax revenue) for the government. So being an ass like Ishihara with the aid of some compliant factions of the news media is just being stupid.

However, this sort of stupidity isn't confined to any particular country, only the flavors are unique.

[dangodaikazoku]

Originally Posted by Vexx

This is true... but the thread is about Japanese Culture (it might be interesting to start a Chinese Culture thread, hint hint ).

Yeah, though in a way, I was referring to the reception of Japanese culture in a country where it is officially suppressed and reviled yet widely popular

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by dangodaikazoku

Yeah, though in a way, I was referring to the reception of Japanese culture in a country where it is officially suppressed and reviled yet widely popular

My son spent his summer interning in Beijing (nano-tech research plus a lot of roaming the streets of Beijing, Shanghai, and points south) and a lot of interesting things to say about the official and pop culture (though I think he was trying to sample every food there was to have there, eating his way across China so to speak).

[ZephyrLeanne]

Here we go again...

Japanese man wounds 13 in knife attack

A Japanese man armed with a knife has stormed aboard two buses and wounded 13 people, mostly schoolchildren, outside a train station north-east of Tokyo, police and media reports say.

No one was killed, but Kyodo News agency reported that four of the injured had been stabbed, with the others hurt as they fled the scene.

A fire department spokesman said 11 of the injured were school students.

Advertisement: Story continues below
Police said they had arrested a 27-year-old unemployed man identified as Yuta Saito after the attacks in Toride city.

A police spokesman in Toride said the attacker boarded two buses, one of which was a school bus.

"The suspect got onto the buses and wielded a knife and slashed passengers in there," the spokesman said.

"The incident occurred on a school bus and then on another bus for ordinary citizens that were both parked in front of the station.

"We can say at this moment that at least 13 people were wounded."

One of those injured in the attack had wounds that would require several weeks in the hospital, while the others were not seriously injured, local fire department spokesman Shireka Iyoka said.

Witnesses to the morning rush-hour attacks subdued the attacker, who also sustained some injuries.

Jiji Press news agency said a 49-year-old woman and 11 junior high and high school students were among the injured.

The attacks occurred in front of Toride Station, Ibaraki prefecture, about 40 kilometres north-east of Tokyo.

[Vexx]

Why do people who want to "end their lives" always want a "bodyguard into Hell" to take with them? "I'm going to end my life by ruining a bunch of other people's lives who had nothing to do with my problems."
Bloody brilliant.

Of course, the way Japan news articles about violence are written, the "explanations" given by the perpetrator always have you saying, "........ what??? That makes no sense, no not even from an irrational view. He might as well have been quoted as saying "Nrglm Cthulhu Ptui" ".

[Autumn Demon]

I'd like to think these knife attackers are mentally ill and a result of bad mental health care in society.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Autumn Demon

I'd like to think these knife attackers are mentally ill and a result of bad mental health care in society.

That's actually more true than you might suspect. Japan doesn't do well at all when it comes to mental illness. Its like a drop-kick back to the US 1950s in that aspect. Mental illness isn't confronted, its side-stepped - people don't seek care, no one does an intervention. Its a vast hole in their otherwise fairly successful health care system (along with that nasty tendency to shuttle emergency patients til they die for "lack of beds" we read about a few times a year). In fact, if you look at a fair amount of anime, it deals with characters that we'd term mentally ill in the US (e.g. Mahoraba: Heartful Days) -- no one ever suggests she be treated, they just adjust to her multiple personalities. That isn't as fanciful as one might think.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Of course, the way Japan news articles about violence are written, the "explanations" given by the perpetrator always have you saying, "........ what??? That makes no sense, no not even from an irrational view. He might as well have been quoted as saying "Nrglm Cthulhu Ptui" ".

The thing that gets me is how quick the police and media are to identify the suspect, even before they're brought before a court. If the public reaction is anything like it's portrayed in this film then I feel sorry for the guy's family, regardless of what crimes he may have committed.

[NoemiChan]

Hey, does Japanese Emperors have surnames???

What happen if the heir is female?

From what clan will she choose her husband, will it be in the Fujiwara clan as well?

Will he rule as an Emperor or just a Consort?

[Sumeragi]

- The Koushitsu (Imperial Family) does not have a collective surname. However, every member of the Koushitsu has a title name (the -no-miya that comes ahead of the personal names), which are de facto surnames. For example, the current Tenno had the title "Tsugu-no-miya". Also, all imperial princesses and princesses lose their titles and membership in the imperial family upon marriage, unless they marry the Emperor or another member of the imperial family.

- The current succession law uses strict agnatic primogeniture, so there can be no more female tennos. Therfore, thre rest of the questions do not apply.



It might be because my great-grandmother was descended from the Fushimi-no-miya, but I'm really sensitve when it comes to the Koushitsu titles. My surname (Sumeragi) also has a hand on that.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by genjichan

Hey, does Japanese Emperors have surnames

They don't, but members of the Japanese nobility did use a variety of names as they grew up. It's pretty complicated, and I'm by no means an expert, but as far as I'm aware, there are childhood names; the names they adopt upon coming of age; and then, there are names they'd use that are more like official titles than actual personal names. For example, in the case of the emperors, they have reign titles, by which they were officially known once they ascended to the throne.

And, finally, there are the posthumous names, that is, the names by which the emperors are known after they'd passed away. In the case of the modern emperors since the Meiji Restoration, these posthumous names are the era names associated with their reigns, otherwise known as nengo. From 1868, the era/emperor names are: Meiji, Taisho, Showa and the current Heisei.

Originally Posted by genjichan

What happen if the heir is female?

Can't happen. Females cannot ascend to the throne. (Though there were female empresses in Japan's past, they were exceptions to the rule.)

For a while, there was the possibility that Princess Aiko might become the heir, but since the birth of her cousin, Prince Hisahito, that issue has become moot.

Originally Posted by genjichan

From what clan will she choose her husband, will it be in the Fujiwara clan as well? Will he rule as an Emperor or just a Consort?

The Fujiwara clan of old probably doesn't exist any more, at least not in the same form. The surname may still be in use today, it's no longer necessarily an indication of aristocratic lineage. So, no, the heir does not need to marry someone from the Fujiwara clan. Indeed, the Crown Prince chose a commoner, Crown Princess Masako, to be his wife.



More interestingly, though, I'm amused by the sheer coincidence of your questions. I've just finished reading the four published volumes of the manga series Ooku by Fumi Yoshinaga. The award-winning story depicts an alternative Tokugawa Japan, in which more than four fifths of the male population were wiped out by an epidemic, forcing Japan to eventually switch gender roles: the women became lords and leaders, while the precious few men left were reduced to prized studs at best, and prostitutes at worst.

It's a fascinating read, especially the second story arc detailing how women eventually became shoguns during the rule of Tokugawa Iemitsu (1623 to 1651). It offers an interesting perspective on gender/feminist issues in Japan today.

[Vexx]

Sadly, there *is* enormous PUBLIC support for allowing a female emperor and HISTORICALLY, there has been a female ruler or two. It *might* have happened if the Prince hadn't appeared. Still might happen... but I suspect you're going to have to wait until the whole WW2 bunch dies off, ending the ties to that period's "imperial Japan".