#culturepost

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Culture Post : KwaZulu 🐮

I do not own this video

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Culture Post : KwaZulu 🐮

I do not own this video.

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Culture Post | My cousins in Estcourt.

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Your Name - 君の名は - Review

(Image source: Funimation)           Your Name, known in Japanese as Kimi no Na wa (君の名は）and written and directed by the brilliant Makoto Shinkai, is not only one of the highest-grossing films ever in Japan, but an artistic and emotional masterpiece which keeps giving more just when you thought there is nothing else it can possibly offer. Although it was released in the summer of 2016, I did not first experience it until the fall of 2017 and have since watched it multiple times – it never fails to make me cry. With the combination of Shinkai's beautiful direction and vision, the gorgeousness of the animation, and the soundtrack written by the Japanese band, Radwimps, which turns each scene into a perfectly timed music video, it is a must-watch. Far from being just “one of the best teen movies in years” as labeled by David Sims of The Atlantic, it is one of the best movies in years, period. To get just a taste of the experience of Your Name, listen to the soundtrack here as you read!

     Your Name focuses on Taki Tachibana, a young man commuting to high school each day and working a part-time job as a waiter in the flurry of Tokyo city life, and Mitsuha Miyamizu, a high schooler living in the rural town of Itomori next to Tokyo who assists her grandmother and younger sister with running the family shrine. Mitsuha, who is somewhat fed up with the lack of anything in her small town wishes to live in Tokyo as an ikemen, or handsome boy – and she gets her wish. For reasons unknown, Mitsuha and Taki end up switching bodies repeatedly, living each others lives on random days and improving them as much as messing them up. The two learn to communicate with each other through leaving messages in their phones, and they establish a friendly, sometimes tumultuous, rhythm. However, Your Name is much more than a switching bodies rom-com – there are many cultural facts and themes which appear in the film and contribute to its plot and beauty. My discussion from here on out will have some spoilers, so beware!

(Image source: Wallpaper Access)           Unexpectedly to the viewer upon first watch, Your Name is not just a romance film, but a disaster movie. SPOILERS: Although they seem to be switching bodies in real time, Taki and Mitsuha are separated by three years, and the latter actually was killed by a part of a meteor than annihilated the entire town of Itomori. In the wake of the tragic 9.0 Tohoku Earthquake of 2011 that led to nearly 16,000 deaths, Your Name is a representation of the disaster culture in Japan and how vulnerable the population is to natural forces. Earthquakes occur daily, and being surrounded by water also means the territory is afflicted by tsunamis, flooding, and a number of other disasters. They are so prominent, the government has released a guide for citizens to have a plan to handle earthquakes, buildings are built to withstand them, and there are specific drills and plans in schools to ensure safety. Japan is very focused on forethought and preparing for unknown situations, somewhat because its citizens constantly live in a state of uncertainty. Your Name shows how this is applicable when nature acts beyond anyone's expectations – part of the meteor breaks off to hit Itomori unexpectedly – but also how the people are able to join together and rise up in the face of disaster, as Mitsuha, Taki, and their friends do in developing a plan to save the town. Disaster and the potential for it is a daily part of Japanese life, but Your Name also demonstrates the necessary preparedness for it and cultural aspects of its presence in Japan.

(Image source: kiminonawalove)      Next, Your Name presents a depiction of the religion, Shinto, and its presence in Japan through Mitsuha's involvement with her family's shrine. Along with her younger sister, she acts as a miko （巫女）, or female shrine maiden, and participates in dancing rituals and the making of kuchikamizake (口噛み酒）, a special kind of sake where rice is is chewed, spat out, and left to ferment. Mitsuha finds her position very embarrassing, especially when she must perform her miko duties in front of the judgmental eyes of her classmates, but the shrine's large presence in her life symbolizes the more traditional side of Japan. Her grandmother's devotion to the shrine and emphasis on her granddaughters' duties to be involved in running it also emphasizes how central tradition can be to a family. This is especially in contrast with Mitsuha's father, who has left the shrine for politics and, partially due to this, has been alienated from the family. The shrine has a large influence around Mitsuha's daily life and her character, and demonstrates how religion in Japan can impact a person even when it is more of a infused cultural and familial tradition than something the practitioner actively chooses to follow on their own.      Finally, Your Name portrays various aspects of the Japanese language which may be unnoticed to English speakers, beginning with the title itself. Based upon one of the last few lines of the movie, the title can be more directly translated as “your name is?”, asking a question that is unanswered, or existing as a sentence left incomplete. For me, this adds a different connotation where the film is in search of an answer, adhering to the theme of how it takes the protagonists on a search through time and space to find each other, while the English title is more absolute and final. Names are the focus, but the feeling of each sentence is different. In other instances of language, Taki and Mitsuha must navigate their worlds when switching bodies in terms of gender due to the pronoun for the self (the English equivalent of 'I') having many forms of expression in the Japanese language. A short comedic scene occurs when Mitsuha is in Taki's body with his friends, and she cycles through a number of pronouns, searching for the one Taki normally uses. Watashi （私）is is standard, but too feminine; watakushi （私）too formal; boku （僕）is masculine but not strong enough; but ore （俺）is the perfect fit, being masculine and carrying an air of confidence from the speaker. This is a joke lost on English audiences, showing the importance of the language to the comedy itself and also demonstrating the division between genders that starkly occurs in Japan. Pronouns like 'he' and 'she' are rarely used in reference to others, and gender portrayal gets to be chosen by the speaker themselves – still, as Mitsuha experiences here, that portrayal may be evaluated by others as strange until the pronoun they deem fitting is found. You can read more about Japanese pronouns – of which there are even more! – here.

(Image source: chimis-changa)      While Your Name is a timeless classic which can appeal to audiences of any age, gender, and culture, it is still distinctly Japanese, and there are many ways that fact is highlighted throughout the movie. If you are ready to go on an emotional journey, witness gorgeous animation, or have loved the Radwimps soundtrack you hopefully have been listening to while reading this review, please pick it up! If you are still on the fence if it is worth your time, check out the music video for Sparkle by Radwimps which features scenes from the movie – it will surely make you curious for more!

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News in Japan - 11.13-11.20.

Image source. Shinzo’s Sakura Scandal      On November 13th, Shinzo Abe, the prime minister of Japan, announced that the Japanese government’s annual cherry blossom viewing party would be canceled in 2020, the first time it has been called off since the tradition was born in 1952. This is in response to criticism claiming that he was planning to invite guests who were his supporters to the function, thus using taxpayer dollars intended for the event to further his own interest. Abe denied involvement on the 14th, and the event will be reviewed by the government. Still, an article from the 17th by the Jiji Press claims his opposition is anxious that he will respond as he has done in the past and dissolve the current session of the Japanese parliament, known as the Diet, for a snap election for the House of Representatives, all to distract from his current scandal. Abe has also been accused of potentially violating an election law for plans to use that same taxpayer money to host a dinner the night before the cherry blossom viewing party meant for his supports – however, the list of those guests has mysterious been lost. Abe firmly denies any of this questionable activity, but his opposition remains ruthless, indicating that the lost list is a rule violation itself.

Protesting Detainment

     In wake of a number of foreign national citizens being detained by immigration services for months in different parts of Japan, a protest was staged on November 14th in Tokyo. Some of the detainees have been held for over half a year and protested themselves through hunger strikes, leading to one Nigerian man's death this past June. Rallying for the release of the detainees, or at least reconsideration by the government of the policy leading to their psychologically harmful detainment, the protestors who gathered on Thursday numbered around one hundred. The government has yet to respond.  Daijosai

     From the evening of Thursday the 14th of November to early Friday morning, emperor Naruhito conducted the ceremony of Daijosai, a ritual done when a new emperor has ascended to the throne. The ceremony is extremely private with only a few in attendance, and is composed of offering food to the goddess thought to be the mother of the imperial line, Ameterasu, and praying to her for a good future. Daijosai requires the construction of two buildings which the government will tear down only a month or so after the ceremony, costing around 2.5 billion yen (roughly $23 million U. S. dollars) – some citizens have sued the government for this, claiming that the assistance of religious institutions by the government violates the constitution. The government acknowledges this, but has claimed that things are different when it comes to assisting the imperial family.

Deadly Intent

     Despite its relatively safe appearance, Japan has also had a number of curious crimes this week. An incident where a female sixth grader in Aomori prefecture was non-fatally stabbed in the throat was revealed on November 13th to have been the work of a 14 year-old middle school boy. Claiming to have wanted to kill someone, he is currently under arrest, and police are investigating his potential involvement in a similar case. Meanwhile, on November 18th an elderly woman in Fukui prefecture took responsibility for the murders of her husband and in-laws, who she claims to have strangled due to the heavy pressure of taking care of the three of them. Although it was suspected she may have taken medication to commit suicide, she was transported to a hospital, remains stable, and is awaiting further investigation into her case.

All sources found on Nexis Uni with accessible links added.

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TimelineJS Embed

Check out my Timeline about the life of Murasaki Shikibu, a Japanese historical figure known for writing the first novel, the Tale of Genji!

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The Southern All Stars

(image credit)

     On my first trip to Japan, I met a Japanese college student who liked music. He wore a leather jacket and said he was into rock, so when he sent me a song recommendation from his favorite band, I was expecting something hardcore, metal, and wild. What I didn't expect was to witness a man older than my father wearing shorts and singing his heart out about peace and love to a lit-up sea of thousands of people.

     As it turns out, the man was Keisuke Kuwata, founder and lead vocalist of the Japanese rock band, the Southern All Stars. Currently one of the most popular and long-lasting bands in Japan, the Southern All Stars – or SAS – debuted with Kuwata in 1978, composed of him and a number of other students from Aoyama Gakuin University in Shibuya, Tokyo. They have a history of over 40 years, and yet despite several hiatuses over the years as the members have gotten married, had children, and lived through the struggles of life, the band still stands strong.

     Similar to the Beatles in their diversity of sound, the All Stars use instruments like the traditional keyboard, guitar, and bass, but also incorporate orchestral sounds as well in their songs. ピースとハイライト (“Peace and Hi-lite”) uses brass instruments in a way that is joyful and festive, bringing an upbeat and happy feel to the track that blends perfectly with Kuwata's rich vibrato. アロエ (“Aloe”) utilizes beautiful violins for the chorus that nearly drown out every other instrument to create the chic, groovy feel of the song. The music video reflects this with the disco outfits, bright colors, and retro theme.

     Still, the Southern All Stars are not completely just about sound and image. Peace and Hi-lite (link above), released in 2013, contains some political commentary on the state of the world and Japan as well as the need for peace and harmony in the universe. In the music video, the band members appear as superhero characters, breaking up fights between businessmen and school children wearing masks to represent such world leaders as Barack Obama, Shinzo Abe, and Xi Jinping. The theme here is to limit tension and what may be senseless conflict to create a more unified planet. Jun Hongo, a writer for the Japan Times, notes that this sense of involvement is not characteristic for the All Stars, but nonetheless the track has still received positive praise from some.

     Although infrequent, the band has also sent specific messages like in 闘う戦士たちへ愛を込めて (loosely translated as “Include Love for the Fighting Warriors”). Accompanied by a riveting music video portraying everyday salarymen both in their daily lives and as a demons stumbling over each other, climbing up a pile of suited bodies that all look the same, the track comments on the tragedy of competition in Japanese working society. As the music video depicts so viscerally, coworkers may be drinking together one day while one tosses the other from the body-pile the next, all to get to the top. SAS does not seem to be demonizing these figures, but simply asking for sympathy for the state of the society and normality of apathetic ruthlessness.

     The Southern All Stars likely has a couple decades left ahead of them, and they will only continue to gain in popularity and make people happy and reflective with their music. Although I was surprised with their sound when I first encountered them, I hope that many others will get to learn of them and their artistry as well.

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Japan’s Debt May Be Higher Than You Think

     Known as one of the most powerful nations in the world due to its technological and economic advancements, it may come as a surprise to some to learn that Japan is in debt. That is, deeply, deeply in debt – around 233% of the GDP, to be exact.

     According to an article by Peter Pham in 2017, the director of One Road Research, the nation has been plagued with growing debt since 1997, attempting to use deflation as a way to manage it since even before, in the early 90s. Through the progression of the stock market stagnation around that time and the bailing out of several organizations by the government, Japan currently holds the highest amount of debt worldwide, as can be seen in the international comparison graph above taken from a government report. Pham notes that since “most of Japan's debt … [is] held by its own citizens” it increases the likelihood the country will be able to pull itself out of the large hole it has dug, but Pham still believes it to be nearly impossible for the entire debt to be paid off.

     Still, Japan is trying its best. Since 2012, it has implemented the method of Abenomics, named after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who has attempted to create a way to strengthen the economy. A report from the Japanese government in January, 2014, describes that Abenomics is composed of “three arrows,” or principles used to create its strategy. First is the “bold monetary policy,” where market prices are examined and heightened so more money can enter the market. Second is the “flexible fiscal policy,” defined as the government's aim to reduce deflation. Finally, the third arrow is the “structural reform of the economy” – this encourages investment by corporations and hopes to support and increase the number of women and elderly in the workforce, expand the general market, and create further economic connections abroad. In sum, Japan hopes to build the economy back up and encourage growth in the market so it can begin repaying its debts. This specific report notes that there had been some progress with Abenomics, and that within just a year, it showed much promise.

     However, will it continue to do so in the future? Researchers Yvan Guillemette and Jan Stráský examined exactly the effect the three arrows may have on the Japanese economy using a simulation model in an article from 2015. Relating that the debt has grow exponentially since its state of 70% of the GDP in 1992, they believe it stems from both deficit in funds and high interest rates of the domestic companies from which the government borrows money. Although they agree with the government that Abenomics has the ability to have an impact on decreasing debt, a process which could potentially begin in 2020, the results of their study imply that the use of the three arrows – in the most perfect conditions – may only decrease it to around 200% of the GDP by 2035. While this is a dent in the percentage, it still would remain overwhelmingly high.

     Perhaps the largest way the debt impacts the general public is through consistent increases in consumption tax, which is used as a way to acquire funds. As of October 1st, 2019, the tax has officially risen to 10% for most products, while the former percentage of 8% still applies for select goods. The population may not be happy with this, but Dr. Kazumasa Oguro from Hosei University in Tokyo explained the need for it in 2016 when the increase to 10% was being discussed for implementation in 2017. Citing among a few reasons that public finances in Japan would only be maintainable until 2030 or so with the then current tax rate and that the declining population would lead to little to no growth in the GDP due to the reduced workforce, Oguro believed the tax increase would not only be preferable, but necessary. Thus, it seems rather fortunate that his wish has become a reality.

     While it may take sometime for the debt to decrease, and although it may never fully vanish, Japan is somehow staying afloat with an appearance as if nothing is amiss. Dr. Masaharu Takenaka from Kyoto's Ryukoku University pieces together in an article that “the total fund excess (or savings excess) matches the total fund deficiency” in the economy, making it so the country walks on a very thin tightrope, surviving while in peril. Abenomics may not be enough to solve such a huge issue, especially when it needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. In order to keep the economic situation manageable, Takenaka believes “fiscal reconstruction … is still essential,” so hopefully this can occur somehow in the future. Like many of the earthquakes that shake Japan, the high debt looms over the economy, threatening to cause destruction if not prepared for sufficiently. Hopefully, the country can prepare just as well for economic disasters as it does for natural ones.