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With 22 images, thus concludes my visual anthropology of Japan blog!
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Kris' Visual Blog
07 December 2007 @ 01:52 pm
07 December 2007 @ 01:49 pm
Less well known than the cherry blossom viewing season is the autumn leaf viewing season.
I was surprised at the number of natives that show up at the temples with their cameras and children in tow to admire the autumn shades. It seems that nature is more highly valued than I had assumed!
I was surprised at the number of natives that show up at the temples with their cameras and children in tow to admire the autumn shades. It seems that nature is more highly valued than I had assumed!
03 December 2007 @ 11:44 am
For an unreligious nation, the amount of temples and shrines continues to astound me.
A fortune vending machine I found inside a temple!
At first, it seems a bit sacriligious, but I think it's an indication of the Japanese modernization of religion. Taking the modern times in to account, perhaps Japanese religion is way ahead of American Christianity.
Small temple nestled amongst apartment complexes in Sanjo, convinient!
A fortune vending machine I found inside a temple!
At first, it seems a bit sacriligious, but I think it's an indication of the Japanese modernization of religion. Taking the modern times in to account, perhaps Japanese religion is way ahead of American Christianity.
Small temple nestled amongst apartment complexes in Sanjo, convinient!
30 November 2007 @ 01:09 pm
The shopping malls and big companies have all brought out their holiday finest recently (read: before labor/thanksgiving day). Christmas in Japan is vastly different from the Christian version of Christmas, and focuses largely on the commercial aspect. This article made an interesting point: "For many Japanese, celebrating Christmas is similar to participating in a matsuri, where participants often do not consider which kami is being celebrated, but believe that the celebration is a tribute nevertheless."
An interesting point I've heard is that the Christmas decorations are removed promptly on the 25th, to make room for the larger New Years celebrations. Once again, the calendar days seem to play less of a role (as the Convinience store Lawson's big Halloween campaign was finished on the 30th of October).
27 November 2007 @ 11:13 am
The world famous fashion district Harajuku could be interpreted as a representation of a rapidly changing culture. Japan has been labeled a country where many wear suits to work - check out this New York Times article here. However, the Harajuku shopping district touts flashy clothing in bright colors and patterns:
and several subcultures, including frilly-lace coated lolitas, frequent the streets of Harajuku:
This may be an indication of a shift in culture, fading from suits to more expressive clothing choices. But how permanent and widespread a shift, time has yet to tell.
22 November 2007 @ 12:10 pm
Nothing gets up an appetite quicker than images of food! But Japan's restaurants do things a little differently than most - plastic food replicas! Most restaurants have a display case out front touting their edibles offerings in plastic form. I think a large reason why this is so common is the Japanese culture the presentation of food - the arrangement, colors, etc, play just as much a role in the dining experience as the taste.
I found an awesome article here that includes a brief history of plastic foods, as well as outlining the fascinating process of creating these synthetic munchies.
14 November 2007 @ 02:19 pm
I found the article in a fellow visual anthropology blogger's blog (link) an interesting post, in which she questioned the asthetics of excessive light.
As a home-stay student whose light source was recently removed from outside her window (I have for the past 3-odd months lived with the comforting glow of two elderly vending machines by my window), I feel I have a small amount authority to attest the light-usage in Japan. I feel that in any city of such size, large amounts of light cannot be avoided. The sheer mass of people requires a barrage of light sources to function, as everyone does not keep the same hours. While the choices of lighting may not be beautiful, they do serve a purpose. The blogger specifically mentioned pinball/pachinko parlors, in which the lighting tastes were questioned. But in most entertainment industries, bright colors and lights are used to draw the attention of prospective customers. I don't think this is any different from amusement centers or parks back home. The only difference may be the density of the city has forced them to be more frequently placed, and thus they may be more noticable than in other countries. I wouldn't liken the Japanese to 'moths' any more than any other culture, as we are all drawn towards the interesting, unique patterns light can create.
As a home-stay student whose light source was recently removed from outside her window (I have for the past 3-odd months lived with the comforting glow of two elderly vending machines by my window), I feel I have a small amount authority to attest the light-usage in Japan. I feel that in any city of such size, large amounts of light cannot be avoided. The sheer mass of people requires a barrage of light sources to function, as everyone does not keep the same hours. While the choices of lighting may not be beautiful, they do serve a purpose. The blogger specifically mentioned pinball/pachinko parlors, in which the lighting tastes were questioned. But in most entertainment industries, bright colors and lights are used to draw the attention of prospective customers. I don't think this is any different from amusement centers or parks back home. The only difference may be the density of the city has forced them to be more frequently placed, and thus they may be more noticable than in other countries. I wouldn't liken the Japanese to 'moths' any more than any other culture, as we are all drawn towards the interesting, unique patterns light can create.
14 November 2007 @ 01:48 pm
A Japanese friend of mine recently said that not many Japanese are bilingual - but I would beg to differ. The use of English is everywhere! And sometimes, that's all there is. For example, I found this image on the outside of a shoe store. The film 'fight club' is obviously being referenced. But the thing that really caught my attention was the times were given completely in English - and this trait is not an uncommon thing for stores. This implies that most Japanese must have a basic grasp of some english - while in America, signs in other languages are practically non-existant if the English it is translated from is not nearby.
At times, the use of english is more obviously artsy. In this case, the deck of cards motif an obvious western influence in this store's sign.
23 October 2007 @ 03:02 pm
Turtle with Kids, Hirakatashi playground.
The calm turtle owner looks on at the right. The children didn't have any supervision, and if it weren't for the turtle owner, the turtle would have ended up stomped on. A fellow visual anthropology blogger, noted the same freedom young children are allowed in his post here. A little dig through the internet reveals mixed reports on this - on one hand, parents take children to sterilized play structures (article), while the other they are allowed free range, as pictured above. A happy medium would be ideal - allowing children freedom, but supervision to ensure the safety of turtles everywhere.
A happy medium, caught on film at Nara Park. Less concern for safety, the parents (to the left, not pictured) allow exploration and interaction with their child's environment. Once again, a sharp contrast to the few sterilized playgrounds of Japan, and the norm for any culture.
19 October 2007 @ 01:42 pm
Digging through the archives of my professor's blog, I found one article that caught my attention right away: http://visualanthropologyofjapan.blogspo
In particular, a single word in the quote from Martinez (1997) caught my attention: "decontextualized." The blogger uses the quote, originally in reference to the british illustration of the japanese educational system, to imply that a collection of photographs by Philippe Chancel are confirming our already established views of North Korea, through fragmented images.
I don't particularly agree with the blogger's use of the word 'decontextualized," which to me implies Chancel had purposefully composed his images in such a biased way. As we have recently discussed in class, any image, no matter how spontaneous, will contain bias: what is shown in the frame, what is left out. How the objects within the frame are depicted: photographic techniques are critical to any photo, and particular techniques can make a scene brighter, more or less attractive, or in the case of Chancel, more "official, dogmatic, and clean" (see original post). Because of this, any image will always be 'decontextualized,' barring the audience being present at the actual event. How could any such photo exhibit, of any culture, be completely accurate and true to the culture it attempts to convey? In such a way, how can any image be "contexualized"?
The photographer in question has some pretty interesting images, you can check out his online portfolio at:
http://www.philippechancel.com/index.htm
Reference:
Martinez, D.P. (1997) "Burlesquing knowledge: Japanese quiz shows and models of knowledge" in Rethinking Visual Anthropology, Marcus Banks and Howard Morphey, eds. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
