Happy in Hokkaido

Meet Colonel Sanders-san!

This was outside a KFC here in Sapporo. It's amazing how they "Japanize" foreign things like KFC. There's no escaping it here! (BTW, for some unknown reason his yukata has "Kenta sai" written on it, which means "the festival of Kenta"...)

A Japanese Enigma: Meet the "Loli-goth"

There's a very curious fashion enigma in Japan (among many others) called the "Loli-goth." (ロリゴス) This term is used to describe a specific look donned by teenage and young urban 20-somethings. The fashion is most prevalent in the Harajuku section of Tokyo, where one can buy all the fashion accessories needed to transform oneself into a "loli-goth." Here's an example of the look:

(This is so over-the-top that I can't help but laugh when I see people dressed like this in public! I promise you, this is for real folks! You can see this on any given day in the Harajuku area in Tokyo.)

The term "loli-goth" is a combination of two English words: "lolita" and "goth". Lolita refers to a young, highly-sexualized, attractive female who is sought after by an older man. (Read the plot synopsis of Stanley Kubrick's film Lolita to learn more about this.) The word goth, of course, refers to the dark, depressive and self-alienated social group that express itself by wearing dark clothing and presenting a kind of "vampire" look to the rest of the world.

Put the two together and you get highly sexualized girly energy meeting dark alienation. Only in Japan could these starkly different themes happily meld into one. To understand why this has happened - and what the hell is behind it all - let's look at how and where the whole trend started.

According to Wikipedia, the term "loli-goth" was first coined by a Japanese cross-dressing guitarist and clothing designer named Mana. It started in the late 1970s in the Kansai (Osaka) area, flourished in the mid to late 1990s and remains popular today. The style is rooted in Victorian, Edwardian and Rococo-era clothing styles. (Think "Anne of Green Gables" or "Alice in Wonderland" on crack!)

There are a few sub-types of "lolitas": "Kurororis" wear all black. "Shirororis" wear all white. And "Gurororis" wear grotesque or gory clothing/acessories to project an "injured look." (Think Alice in Wonderland's face through a windshield...) There are also "Sweet-lolis," who wear childish pastel colors and cute prints, while "Classic-lolis" wear mature-looking floral patterns. Here are some specimens:

I think the strangest part of this look is the handbags and other accessories the girls wear/carry. From Wikipedia: "Lolita outfits may be accessorized with other props, such as handbags, small backpacks and purses, sometimes in the shape of bats, coffins and crucifixes, as well as conspicuous pocket books, pocket watches and hat boxes. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are also common, and some brands even make special "gothic" teddy bears out of black leather or PVC."

Oh, and there is something for the boys too! "Ouji/Kodona/Dandy-loli."  Ouji in Japanese means "prince," and is modeled after clothing Victorian boys wore. The word "kodona" is a contraction of the Japanese words "kodomo" and "otona," which literally mean "child and "adult." The term was coined by the musician Ryutaro from the band Plastic Tree.

Because Victorian boys clothing is very feminine, it means Ouji-loli clothes can be worn by either sex, further blurring the androgynous line between male and female in Japanese society! This look includes somewhat masculine blouses and shirts, knickerbockers, knee-high socks top hats and newsboy caps.

On a side note, there are multiple fashion magazines in Japan solely dedicated to the loli-goth look. One is called "Gothic & Lolita Bible," and has over 100 pages dedicated to loli-goth fashion tips, photos, sewing patterns, catalog descriptions, decorating ideas and recipies. There's even a department store called Marui Young in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo that has four floors entirely devoted to loli fashions!

OK then......Even after trying to explain it in this post, even I still don't understand the whole loli-goth phenomenon. The point is somehow missing from the whole equation... I guess it's just one of the many weird, strange and out-of-the-blue things that can be chalked up to the generalization of: "It's Japan!"

Some stuff here is just very, very odd, and I don't think anyone from outside the country can ever fully understand things like the loli-goth. Hell, I don't think many Japanese people fully understand it either! But I believe the Japanese secretly like things to be odd, because it shrouds their culture in more mystery and "uniqueness."

I don't know about you, but I don't think a culture needs loli-goths in order to add extra layers of "mystery" to it... But then again, I can't think of a better way of making a culture more difficult to understand!

So Funny!

This has nothing to do with Japan or teaching, but it came up while I was doing a Google image search this evening. It's so funny that I had to post it here for your viewing pleasure:

I'll Stand, Thank You

This strange article appeared in Mainichi Daily News lately. It definitely adds some color to arguement that Japanese men are more effeminate and submissive than Western men are... Enjoy!

Sexlessness and sedentary urination both sad signs of modern times, says shrink

Sunday Mainichi 01/27

Experts say a growing tendency for Japanese men to sit down and pee could be a sign that the gender gap is closing and affecting couples' sex lives, according to Sunday Mainichi (1/27).

Shocking reports late last year showed almost half of Japanese men urinated while sitting down in their toilets at home, instead of standing to piddle as is customary among males.

A survey of Japanese men in their 30s to 50s by Matsushita Electric Works revealed that 49 percent sit down to wee, a staggering threefold increase on the 15 percent who reported the same proclivity when the company first conducted the poll back in 1999.

"A 2004 survey showed there was clearly a growing tendency for Japanese men to sit while urinating," a Matsushita Electric Works spokesman tells Sunday Mainichi. "In response to that, our company in 2006 came out with the industry's largest toilet seats to make it easier for men to sit down and relieve themselves in comfort."

Matsushita Electric Works says it believes the biggest factor behind men taking their weight off while whizzing is insistence from wives, who generally have to clean up if they spray. Experts, however, aren't as easily convinced.

"Speaking from a psychiatrist's point of view, being able to see oneself urinate the furthest possible distance brings joy to men in a feeling that stems back to the old days of hunting and gathering," shrink Katsumi Harima tells Sunday Mainichi. "Perhaps the trend we're seeing suggests the gender aspect of that role is no longer as strong as it once was."

Harima says the sitting tendency may also be the result of modern lifestyles that have been behind so many couples also becoming sexless.

Other experts point to the survey results that show the younger the man the more likely he is to sit down to pee, note that children nowadays are playing less outside and have fewer opportunities to go through the male rite of passage of showing buddies how far they can spray their urine, thus making them more willing to accept suggestions that they take a seat when they need to relieve themselves. Harima is not so sure.

"I'd say that space has more to do with it than anything else," he tells Sunday Mainichi. "There aren't too many homes out there that can afford the space to install a urinal." (By Ryann Connell)

Engrish Exercise Videos!

It's aerobic exercise shows like this that cause Japanese people to think that America's so dangerous. Check out this video and listen to what the girls are saying in English. They are supposedly preparing people who might travel to the U.S. and get robbed... (The funny part comes about halfway through this video.)

Check out this video: Insane Japanese Aerobics - Zujkin Gals

Don't Walk Drunk in the Snow!

Our supervisor here in Sapporo sent this information to all of us Sapporo JETs today. I think it's funny that the Japanese even have guidelines for walking during the winter time. There's even a web site for this information! How typically Japanese...

My favorite tip is No. 2 on this page: "Walking drunk":

                                                                 
                        

1. Hurrying
            
             - Hurrying can cause you to be less vigilant about where you’re stepping. And if you do happen to fall, you’ll hit the ground extra hard. Walk one step at a time, taking your time.
            
            
2. Walking drunk
            
             - Being drunk lowers your agility and alertness, and increases the likelihood of an injurious fall.
            
            
3. Walking without paying attention to your footing
            
             - Letting your attention wander, such as by talking on your mobile phone, looking at a map, or watching the scenery, raises your risk of falling.
            
            
4. Walking with both hands full
             - Such walking makes it difficult to react in the event of a slip, so you’re more prone to an injurious fall. If you start to lose your balance, you’ll be able to regain it better if your hands are free.

This is Ridiculous

This YouTube clip was posted on my friend Jake Mauer's blog. How low has TV stooped?

What really gets me about this clip isn't that they pitted a man against a bear in a hotdog eating contest, but how serious the commentators are about this. Especially the comment about Kobeyashi's "athletic build." What the hell does that have to do with eating hotdogs?

Here it is, for your viewing pleasure: (you may want these 4 minutes of your life back after watching this.)

Just for Laughs

Just for fun, I had a friend take a picture of a "Queen" in front of a Queen Amusement Parlor (which was actually a pachinko parlor). Hope you're amused... :-)