It snowed in the bamboo forest. I did not care. I went to the forest at night. I did not mind the cold for I was born and raised where there were four seasons. Winters was always cold. There was always snow. Otherwise, I would have not called it much of a winter.
Here, many folks think Japan is the only country with four distinct seasons. I gave up years ago trying to dispel that. But it is always nice to see the rare little snow storm in Tokyo in spite of the chaos it causes. Because I, a fellow from a land where winter actually meant cold and snow, can imagine that there is a winter in Tokyo. For a day.
Nihonjinron: Just a couple of thoughts on why Jdramas aren’t as popular as Kdramas
I came across this great thread on quora that includes many great replies about why Jdramas are not as popular as Kdramas. I’d recommend the thread to anybody, but at the same time I’m not on quora so I’m going to give my two cents here.
First some things I don’t agree with. One user gave a great reply, but in her answer she mentioned two particular points that I couldn’t agree with.
First, I disagree that Jdramas aren’t doing as well because they are written by men while Kdramas have women writers. Some of Japan’s most popular screenwriters are female and there are plenty of female screenwriters across the broadcasting companies. I haven’t looked into the number of female producers or directors deeply, but they do exist. And active female screenwriters? Most definitely. Not to forget that female screenwriters contributed to the once explosive popularity of Jdramas across Asia. Talk about Getsu9 dramas and it’ll be hard to talk about Kitagawa Eriko as well.
Next, I disagree that Jdramas lack variety. The reality’s quite the opposite! Jdramas cover multiple genres from comedy, romance, crime, mystery, scifi, adventure and etc. In fact, the primary reason why I’m such a fan of them is precisely because they cover a broad spectrum of genres and topics.
Now for the things I agree with. One user, Michael Do gave a brilliantly comprehensive reply and goes in depth on an issue which I think is the most pertinent one as to why Jdramas are not as popular. That is, the lack of accessibility. Japanese companies are notoriously stringent in taking down illegally uploaded videos, which is fair. But in place of these, they hardly ever support legal avenues through which people can potentially watch said shows. Of course, with the increasing popularity of Netflix, we are starting to see more mainstream dramas on legal online avenues, however, most of the offerings are exclusive to Netflix Japan and do not include subtitles of other languages.
On top of that, which is not as discussed, is that in the early to mid 2000s when Kdrama was on the rise, Jdramas were sold at higher rates than Kdramas. As such, given the choice between them, international broadcasting companies were more reluctant to pick up on Jdramas. And as the Korean government and relevant parties made more effort to improve on their dramas, it effectively decreased the demand for Japanese drama.
Both of these I think, is linked to the fact that for a long time Japan never saw the need to look outward – and this sentiment is echoed by a character in one of my favourite dramas, Manhattan Love Story. Manhattan Love Story is a postmodern drama about people who gather in a café. Because the café is right next to a broadcasting company, these characters are all, in some way, connected to the entertainment business. Among them is a popular female screenwriter (probably based on Kitagawa Eriko), who, in a great self-reflexive moment in drama, complains about being given an award by an overseas awards ceremony. She laments ‘I write dramas for Japanese people.’ That, I think, encapsulates the mindset of the main players in the Japanese industry really well.
But why do the Japanese not look outward? Why the lack of motivation to venture overseas for so long? I think an attempt to answer this question has to start with a look at nihonjinron.
Essentially, nihonjinron are theories on what it means to be Japanese. It’s a broad genre that covers sociology, ethnology, anthropology and so on. Historically these texts emphasise how unique Japan is – and how special its position is in the world. Thoughts associated with the nihonjinron include how the Japanese are direct descendants of the gods, Japanese are homogenous (aka, biracial? You’re not really Japanese), that Japanese have their own unique set of thinking and moral values, and that the Japanese are leaders to their ‘backward’ Asian counterparts.
I’m a fan of golden age Japanese cinema directors, and their surprised reactions to the positive reception of their films are well-documented. They didn’t think films made for a Japanese audience could be understood or appreciated by a foreign audience – and that has a lot to do with this concept of a unique identity and way of thinking as Japanese people. In the same way I feel that Japanese execs kind of have a ‘I don’t think these foreign people are actually gonna GET this’. So marketing to an international audience is not the first thing on their minds.
Then I think that this idea that geographically Japan is part of Asia but not really a part of Asia hinders them from expanding. I remember back when people were really interested in Japanese entertainment, early 2000s when Korean entertainment was just starting to make its mark in Asia but not quite the force it is now. Back then you’d be hard-pressed to find any artiste that would want to have a concert in, say, Singapore or attend an Asian awards show. The furthest some would venture to would be Taiwan, which historically has ties with Japan. So the underlying sentiment seems to be, ‘This is an Asian thing – I’m not really part of y’all.’ And the interesting thing is that this thought is so pervasive that as an Asian I too sometimes felt that Japan was kind of unique. But that kind of haughtiness led to their inwardness and downfall.
Lastly I want to talk about the decline of the international Jdrama fandom. Decline of the fandom is due to Japan not marketing its shows outside of Japan, but the decline of the fandom may lead to Japan being unable to market its shows successfully outside of Japan too. Chicken and egg? Yes.
I love Jdramas, I really do, but Japan’s crackdown on fans who devote time and effort into subbing work and growing an international fandom has really hurt its reach. A weakened, wary fandom results in less subbed works, which leads to less exposure – especially when no legal forms of exposure exist. Big TV companies need to start partnering with Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime on a larger scale – allowing them to market these shows to an international audience, if needs be. It’s all about motivation – motivation to adapt, change and explore new methods. I’m slowly starting to become more optimistic as I see the media streaming trifecta (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon) start to produce more interesting originals, but I hope it’s not a case of too little too late.
What I do know is that there is still a fanbase for Japanese dramas. People like me who adore them, yes, for their uniqueness, for the language, for the atmosphere, for the outlook on community and life, and for the diversity. Japan, please acknowledge us.
Les Nippologies et l’identité japonaise – partie II
Les Nippologies et l’identité japonaise – partie II
Malgré le grand succès qu’ont connu, à partir des années 70, les théories émises par les nippologies au sujet de l’identité japonaise, celles-ci ont fait l’objet de vives critiques de la part d’un certain nombre d’intellectuels japonais contemporains. Leurs critiques se sont principalement situées sur le caractère nationaliste des discours des nippologies. La déesse Amaterasu, qui selon le shintō…
As part of an independent study while I was abroad in Japan for 2 months I decided to try and understand how and why League of Legends had not become such a phenomenon in Japan as it had throughout the rest of the world. This paper is a short introduction into the topic and the issues grounded in facts. Please don’t read too much into the “Why they will be the best” because it’s only my personal…
Japan’s first biracial beauty queen doesn’t see her crowning as a sign the country’s ingrained aversion to immigration is softening.
“Japan is always saying it’s globalizing, but I feel it hasn’t yet dealt with basics such as racial discrimination,” said Ariana Miyamoto, who has a Japanese mother and African-American father. “Things may have changed in places like Tokyo, but if you go into the countryside, things haven’t really changed at all.”
Popular opinion is against opening up Japan to foreign workers, despite having a population that is aging at the fastest pace in the developed world and dying off at a record rate. Miyamoto disagrees with this prevailing view. “We should invite in people from all over the world to share their cultures with us,” she said.
In person, the 20-year-old exudes the same self-confidence that helped her beat 43 others to take the 2015 Miss Universe Japan crown last month. It’s a quality that’s come in handy, given that her brown skin and curly hair made her a target of racial abuse in her native Nagasaki Prefecture and, more recently, on social media.
Read the full Bloomberg Business interview with Ariana Miyamoto by Kevin Buckland and Isabel Reynolds.
