Ok guys, I used to leave comments every now and then on the Marmot's Hole (www.rjkoehler.com) mostly related to Japan and Korea relations. At times I would comment on Kpop, and in particular Kpop in Japan, and claims that Kpop was taking over the world. I guess that much like my posts on Genesis BBQ below, I was always struck by the hyperbolic ways in which the press (and predominately the Korean press) would report issues related to Kpops inevitable, if not already present, conquest of this little planet of ours. I questioned said conquest, and was promptly tarred and feathered. Mind you, I was NEVER saying that Kpop was NOT popular in Japan, nor was I saying that no one in the "West" would listen to Kpop, I was merely stating that much of the press was merely spin, and spin, generated by the Kpop production companies and the PR agencies they hired. The press rarely looked at the numbers, and rarely critically analyzed the info supplied to them by said PR agencies. I also argues that Jpop was a different beast from Kpop, as Jpop need not expand internationally, as the Japanese market is one of the largest music markets in the world, and as Japan may be one of the only countries in the world the music CD market can still generate profits. I explained the Kpop actively attempts to market itself overseas (especially in Japan) by making music in non-Korean tongues (especially Japanese) and hiring non-Korean producers and choreographers. For this, I was called a Korea hating Japanophile. Soooo... anyways... read the below Reuters story of of Yahoo, and found it to be one of the best articles out there on the Kpop invasion. Note that the article makes it clear that they are quoting PR agencies when the state the "invasion" language. They also explain reason as to why Kpop is generally better accepted outside of their home turf than Jpop. All in all, a well drafted article:
http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/news/korean-pop-music-conquer-world-131318270.html
Ultimately got tired of getting attacked every time I dared argue that maybe, just maybe Rain, or Girls Generation is not the new Michael Jackson or Beatles, so, stopped posting on the Marmot. In general, however, its a very well administered blog, run by a fellow NYer living in Asia. Cheers to him!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Beyond J-Pop
My first exposure to modern Japanese music occurred about 20 years ago. I was introduced to a neo-punk, Ramones inspired, all female trio from Osaka called "Shonen Knife" by a friend of mine. He was a mathematician and a reliable and constant source of sub-culture info.
Back then most were still using cassette tapes over CDs, and an MP3 was nothing more than a 3 digit alphanumeric code. Though I had heard that some places in the East Village sold imported Shonen Knife tapes at the time, my guess is they were really just selling knock-offs. Most of their U.S. based fans would listen to them via just such bootleg tapes. Their jump to the "main stream" (and I use that term liberally) occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s when a group of non-Japanese independent artists recorded a tribute album called, "Every Band Has A Shonen Knife Who Loves Them" and Shonen Knife was asked to open for Nirvana during their U.K. tour.
When I finally got to Japan myself, in 1993, I was surprised to find that Shonen Knife was virtually unknown in Japan... even in Osaka... their home base. This was particularly surprising to me, as Shonen Knife was one of the reasons that my interest in Japan began to grow during my early college years. I was never into anime or manga. Never into the martial arts. Shonen knife, however, they peaked my interest, and said interest continued to push me, ever so gently, towards the Pacific. Had my first exposure to Japanese music been J-pop, who knows if I would have ever boarded that Northwest Airlines flight to Osaka back in 93.
Back then most were still using cassette tapes over CDs, and an MP3 was nothing more than a 3 digit alphanumeric code. Though I had heard that some places in the East Village sold imported Shonen Knife tapes at the time, my guess is they were really just selling knock-offs. Most of their U.S. based fans would listen to them via just such bootleg tapes. Their jump to the "main stream" (and I use that term liberally) occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s when a group of non-Japanese independent artists recorded a tribute album called, "Every Band Has A Shonen Knife Who Loves Them" and Shonen Knife was asked to open for Nirvana during their U.K. tour.
When I finally got to Japan myself, in 1993, I was surprised to find that Shonen Knife was virtually unknown in Japan... even in Osaka... their home base. This was particularly surprising to me, as Shonen Knife was one of the reasons that my interest in Japan began to grow during my early college years. I was never into anime or manga. Never into the martial arts. Shonen knife, however, they peaked my interest, and said interest continued to push me, ever so gently, towards the Pacific. Had my first exposure to Japanese music been J-pop, who knows if I would have ever boarded that Northwest Airlines flight to Osaka back in 93.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
More on Righteous Chicken Conquest of the World
I do love the Genesis BBQ marketing/PR guys. In the first 15 seconds we get great lines like:
- Capturing the world with chicken
- delivering happiness to mankind across the world
They, however, no longer claim to have opened the first "Fast Food University" but now boast about their "one and only" Chicken University... nice!!!
Can't help but wonder if the BBQ Chicken guys use the same PR guys as the North Koreans do. The interview with the group chairman, and their constant harping on the 50,000 stores by 2020 is rather classic! I salute you Genesis BBQ! May your reign be long and as illustrious as the juiciness of your first ever fried in olive oil chicken!
- Capturing the world with chicken
- delivering happiness to mankind across the world
They, however, no longer claim to have opened the first "Fast Food University" but now boast about their "one and only" Chicken University... nice!!!
Can't help but wonder if the BBQ Chicken guys use the same PR guys as the North Koreans do. The interview with the group chairman, and their constant harping on the 50,000 stores by 2020 is rather classic! I salute you Genesis BBQ! May your reign be long and as illustrious as the juiciness of your first ever fried in olive oil chicken!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Of Sound Trucks, Lunatics and the Use of Said Lunatics to Sell a Lie
Of Sound Trucks, Lunatics and the Use of Said Lunatics to Sell a Lie
It is that time of year ago. You know. That time. I used to think that the height of that time of year occurred in the heart of election season. But, as is often the case, I was wrong. It’s Uyoku time. Uyoku are the far right loony bin staffed, almost all black trucks which roam around certain key neighborhoods blaring far-right propaganda to all to pretend to not hear. Uyoku Time, apparently, reaches it’s zenith during key WWII related dates. Memorials for Hiroshima and Nagasaki were recently held, so the anniversary of the war’s end (or Japan’s surrender - back in my high school teacher days, I had a student ask me why “the world celebrates Japan’s defeat.” I politely responded that the world was celebrating the end of the war, and not Japan’s defeat, per se) is now at hand. This year is of particular import, as, much like a certain breed of cicada, we have the addition of the semi-annual apology to Korea (or China, or the Philippines, or America, or Australia, or Asia in general) to contend with. The Uyoku guys do not like these apologies. They feel that they are a sign of Japan’s weakness in the world. But, then again, who exactly are these Uyokyu guys? Are they all far-right nut jobs, or are they low-level Yakuza shaking down shop-owners by scaring away customers? Why don’t they get prosecuted? Every time I see a truck, I see lots and lots of police surrounding said trucks, but, really, no action is taken against them. Are there no sound ordinances in the municipality of Tokyo?
OK. Now for some more info. I work near the Prime Ministers residence, and I live near Japan’s governmental center. As such the Uyoku guys are more or less a cemented part of my Japan experience. The curious thing is, that NOBODY seems to like them. They are horribly loud and rude, in a country which embraces quiet and polite. On top of that, that which they espouse is so often at odds with the thoughts and feelings of the overwhelming majority of the Japanese population, yet, these nutsos’ (possibly, nutso like a fox?) words and deeds are often held forward as being representative of the will of the Japanese people. This couldn’t e further from the truth.
Japan is one of the least nationalistic countries I have ever encountered. To this day, teachers will protest if the principal attempts to fly the Japanese flag at a school graduation. Over Sixty years since America imposed the “peace-nik” article 9 of the Japanese constitution onto the Japanese people, the article still remains. America itself is now encouraging rescinding of said article, but, thus far, Japanese anti-nationalism and the peace curriculum taught at Japanese schools have prevented said changes. Furthermore, whereas it is still illegal to fly North Korean flags in Seoul, there is a North Korean University in Tokyo, and North Korean schools of various levels through out Japan, where not only is the North Korean flag displayed, but pictures of the Dear Leader and the Great Leader are posted side by side in each classroom, to match the style of fashionable Pyongyang. When (very few) Japanese protest these schools, the entire country is portrayed as an anti-Korean hell-hole filled with hateful racism. This clearly explains the plane loads of young Koreans matriculating at Japanese universities, and spending years working (and playing)in Japan. They are clearly coming to Japan to experience said hateful Japanese spirit first hand. Additionally, up until recently, millions of dollars earned in the quasi-legal Pachinko business, by people born and bred in Japan (often educated under above stated domestic Japanese North Korean school system) who insist on identifying themselves as North Korean, would flow, unobstructed from Japan to Korea. It was only recent outrage, created as a result of North Koreas admission that their spies were kidnapping teenaged girls from Japan and bringing them to Pyongyang, that led to the banning of such remittances.
Anyways, back to the Uyuko guys. I saw a bunch of them protesting in front of Shinjuku station about 3 months ago, and interestingly, they were going on and on about how Japan’s alliance with America must be strengthened, to fight the dual threats of China and North Korea. This intrigued me. I always thought the Uyoku guys were more or less anti-foreign of any type. So, I did some digging. Just a little. It seems that the Uyoku guys (and many other Yakuza connected groups as well) used to get lots and lots of $$$ from the CIA, back in the days. The Uyuku guys were kind of like a “grass-roots” protesting group, who would harass anybody to the left. Its kind of hard to imagine today, but in the 1950s and 1960s Japan had many a leftist protest, and many a leftist movement.
And, finally, to the main point of this post. Yes, the sound truck guys, and the far right crew in Japan exists, BUT, nobody takes them seriously. They are allowed to exist, because Japan is as serious about Freedom of Speech, as America is, partly due to the fact that America wrote the Japanese Constitution. Their money, while previously linked to the CIA, now mostly comes from the Yakuza, and is often used as a means to extort cash from those that owe money to the Yakuza. Pointing to the Uyoku as a sign of Japan’s growing racist and xenophobic attitude is sloppy journalism at best, agenda filled at worst
It is that time of year ago. You know. That time. I used to think that the height of that time of year occurred in the heart of election season. But, as is often the case, I was wrong. It’s Uyoku time. Uyoku are the far right loony bin staffed, almost all black trucks which roam around certain key neighborhoods blaring far-right propaganda to all to pretend to not hear. Uyoku Time, apparently, reaches it’s zenith during key WWII related dates. Memorials for Hiroshima and Nagasaki were recently held, so the anniversary of the war’s end (or Japan’s surrender - back in my high school teacher days, I had a student ask me why “the world celebrates Japan’s defeat.” I politely responded that the world was celebrating the end of the war, and not Japan’s defeat, per se) is now at hand. This year is of particular import, as, much like a certain breed of cicada, we have the addition of the semi-annual apology to Korea (or China, or the Philippines, or America, or Australia, or Asia in general) to contend with. The Uyoku guys do not like these apologies. They feel that they are a sign of Japan’s weakness in the world. But, then again, who exactly are these Uyokyu guys? Are they all far-right nut jobs, or are they low-level Yakuza shaking down shop-owners by scaring away customers? Why don’t they get prosecuted? Every time I see a truck, I see lots and lots of police surrounding said trucks, but, really, no action is taken against them. Are there no sound ordinances in the municipality of Tokyo?
OK. Now for some more info. I work near the Prime Ministers residence, and I live near Japan’s governmental center. As such the Uyoku guys are more or less a cemented part of my Japan experience. The curious thing is, that NOBODY seems to like them. They are horribly loud and rude, in a country which embraces quiet and polite. On top of that, that which they espouse is so often at odds with the thoughts and feelings of the overwhelming majority of the Japanese population, yet, these nutsos’ (possibly, nutso like a fox?) words and deeds are often held forward as being representative of the will of the Japanese people. This couldn’t e further from the truth.
Japan is one of the least nationalistic countries I have ever encountered. To this day, teachers will protest if the principal attempts to fly the Japanese flag at a school graduation. Over Sixty years since America imposed the “peace-nik” article 9 of the Japanese constitution onto the Japanese people, the article still remains. America itself is now encouraging rescinding of said article, but, thus far, Japanese anti-nationalism and the peace curriculum taught at Japanese schools have prevented said changes. Furthermore, whereas it is still illegal to fly North Korean flags in Seoul, there is a North Korean University in Tokyo, and North Korean schools of various levels through out Japan, where not only is the North Korean flag displayed, but pictures of the Dear Leader and the Great Leader are posted side by side in each classroom, to match the style of fashionable Pyongyang. When (very few) Japanese protest these schools, the entire country is portrayed as an anti-Korean hell-hole filled with hateful racism. This clearly explains the plane loads of young Koreans matriculating at Japanese universities, and spending years working (and playing)in Japan. They are clearly coming to Japan to experience said hateful Japanese spirit first hand. Additionally, up until recently, millions of dollars earned in the quasi-legal Pachinko business, by people born and bred in Japan (often educated under above stated domestic Japanese North Korean school system) who insist on identifying themselves as North Korean, would flow, unobstructed from Japan to Korea. It was only recent outrage, created as a result of North Koreas admission that their spies were kidnapping teenaged girls from Japan and bringing them to Pyongyang, that led to the banning of such remittances.
Anyways, back to the Uyuko guys. I saw a bunch of them protesting in front of Shinjuku station about 3 months ago, and interestingly, they were going on and on about how Japan’s alliance with America must be strengthened, to fight the dual threats of China and North Korea. This intrigued me. I always thought the Uyoku guys were more or less anti-foreign of any type. So, I did some digging. Just a little. It seems that the Uyoku guys (and many other Yakuza connected groups as well) used to get lots and lots of $$$ from the CIA, back in the days. The Uyuku guys were kind of like a “grass-roots” protesting group, who would harass anybody to the left. Its kind of hard to imagine today, but in the 1950s and 1960s Japan had many a leftist protest, and many a leftist movement.
And, finally, to the main point of this post. Yes, the sound truck guys, and the far right crew in Japan exists, BUT, nobody takes them seriously. They are allowed to exist, because Japan is as serious about Freedom of Speech, as America is, partly due to the fact that America wrote the Japanese Constitution. Their money, while previously linked to the CIA, now mostly comes from the Yakuza, and is often used as a means to extort cash from those that owe money to the Yakuza. Pointing to the Uyoku as a sign of Japan’s growing racist and xenophobic attitude is sloppy journalism at best, agenda filled at worst
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Sarcasm in Japan (or why I still haven't quite figured out what is funny in Japan)
OK guys. Taking the lazy blogger's approach to posting as of late. Basically, I will push out an idea. Expose you to a video. Allow ideas to be processed (and possibly even discussed).
I used to teach at a high school in Osaka, Japan. That was 15 years back. (I am getting old!!) I remember enjoying teaching my students the difference between sarcasm, satire, irony and cynicism. I found it ever so amusing that the Japanese had one word (or so I thought) for all four. The was is "hiniku." I later found out that though "hiniku" did mean sarcasm, satire, irony and cynicism, the Japanese language did have words to describe each individual literary tool cited above. But, alas. those words can be discussed at a later time.
Basically, however, I have convinced myself that as Japanese had but one word for sarcasm, satire, irony and cynicism, most Japanese could not appreciate the "dark humor" that often comes from the use of sarcasm, satire, irony and cynicism. I convinced myself that this was the case by watching Japanese comedians who were enamored by the use of physical comedy... Abbott and Costello kind of stuff... early Jim Carey kind of stuff.
In particular, I was recently lamenting that my Cartoon Network has no Adult Swim, and as a result, I am forced to rely on DVDs from the states to watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law.
Anyways... now that I am back in Japan, and now that my Japanese has gotten a bit better, I am starting to see, that, like with most things, I was wrong. There is some crazy subtle, dark and every so HINIKU comedy coming out of Japan.
For example, I have revently been enjoying an animation series called, "The World of Golden Eggs" about, interestingly enough, life at a U.S. high school (apparently on crack). Here's a clip:
I used to teach at a high school in Osaka, Japan. That was 15 years back. (I am getting old!!) I remember enjoying teaching my students the difference between sarcasm, satire, irony and cynicism. I found it ever so amusing that the Japanese had one word (or so I thought) for all four. The was is "hiniku." I later found out that though "hiniku" did mean sarcasm, satire, irony and cynicism, the Japanese language did have words to describe each individual literary tool cited above. But, alas. those words can be discussed at a later time.
Basically, however, I have convinced myself that as Japanese had but one word for sarcasm, satire, irony and cynicism, most Japanese could not appreciate the "dark humor" that often comes from the use of sarcasm, satire, irony and cynicism. I convinced myself that this was the case by watching Japanese comedians who were enamored by the use of physical comedy... Abbott and Costello kind of stuff... early Jim Carey kind of stuff.
In particular, I was recently lamenting that my Cartoon Network has no Adult Swim, and as a result, I am forced to rely on DVDs from the states to watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law.
Anyways... now that I am back in Japan, and now that my Japanese has gotten a bit better, I am starting to see, that, like with most things, I was wrong. There is some crazy subtle, dark and every so HINIKU comedy coming out of Japan.
For example, I have revently been enjoying an animation series called, "The World of Golden Eggs" about, interestingly enough, life at a U.S. high school (apparently on crack). Here's a clip:
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Genesis BBQ
This may be the best video EVER made...
The World is at war with Transfat. BBQ leads today's well being era!!
Genesis BBQ began a revolution in the history of chicken, with the birth of the world's first olive chicken!
IN THE HISTORY OF CHICKEN!!!!
The World is at war with Transfat. BBQ leads today's well being era!!
Genesis BBQ began a revolution in the history of chicken, with the birth of the world's first olive chicken!
IN THE HISTORY OF CHICKEN!!!!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
It's Nobody's Business but the Turks
So, my mother called me this morning to announce that my father, in a flash of inspiration, booked a trip to Constantinople for the 2 of them. They are leaving NYC for the other city so nice, it was named twice (actually, thrice, if we include Byzantium). When I responded to the news with a simple, "Oh, Istanbul, that's lovely." My mom retorted, "No, Constantinople." To which I stated, "Yes, I know, Istanbul, Turkey." To which my mother responded yet again, "No son, its Constantinoupoli," using the actual Greek word for the city, "we are Greek, don't forget that."
Yes, yes, I know. I'm Greek. A descendant of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and all that. I was reminded of this “fact” every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (we studied why it was that God chose to write his new testament in Greek on Tuesdays and Thursdays) in Greek School in Queens, NY. As such, I choose to side with reason. I hope my parents enjoy their trip to Istanbul, Turkey, and I hope the enjoy comparing dome sizes between the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. The Hagia Sophia was built 1000 years before a Turkish sultan failed to build a larger dome for the Blue Mosque. Said Sultan wanted to prove that Ottoman engineers were just as good, if not better, than Greek and Roman engineers who had died over a millenium earlier. Said Sultan built a lovely mosques, but failed at his dome size conquering goal. When it comes to dome size (as with most things), size matters.
If only Greek engineers could be as kick ass today, as they were way back then. Then, maybe, I would start referring to the city my parents are visiting, by a name other than that selected by the country currently exercising sovereignty over the city with the name in dispute. You know. The one partly encompassed by walls built by Christian Greeks and Hellenized Romans to keep out the Ottoman hordes. You know. The hordes which more or less allowed for the free practice of religion and commerce. Those hordes.
Now for the all-important Japan tie-in:
During the recent election for the upper house of the Japanese parliament, I was subjected to speech after speech made by various candidates from various parties, in which said candidates, universally declared, "Japan will not become another Greece - if I am elected.” There was a time in which the reverse statement would have won praise from the polis. There was a time in which every polis in the entire world, would have rallied around the leader who would have promised to shine the light of Hellenism upon the land. That day is gone. Constantinople is a name that must be earned; it is not a state of mind. I sincerely hope my parents enjoy their trip to Istanbul, Turkey.
Yes, yes, I know. I'm Greek. A descendant of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and all that. I was reminded of this “fact” every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (we studied why it was that God chose to write his new testament in Greek on Tuesdays and Thursdays) in Greek School in Queens, NY. As such, I choose to side with reason. I hope my parents enjoy their trip to Istanbul, Turkey, and I hope the enjoy comparing dome sizes between the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. The Hagia Sophia was built 1000 years before a Turkish sultan failed to build a larger dome for the Blue Mosque. Said Sultan wanted to prove that Ottoman engineers were just as good, if not better, than Greek and Roman engineers who had died over a millenium earlier. Said Sultan built a lovely mosques, but failed at his dome size conquering goal. When it comes to dome size (as with most things), size matters.
If only Greek engineers could be as kick ass today, as they were way back then. Then, maybe, I would start referring to the city my parents are visiting, by a name other than that selected by the country currently exercising sovereignty over the city with the name in dispute. You know. The one partly encompassed by walls built by Christian Greeks and Hellenized Romans to keep out the Ottoman hordes. You know. The hordes which more or less allowed for the free practice of religion and commerce. Those hordes.
Now for the all-important Japan tie-in:
During the recent election for the upper house of the Japanese parliament, I was subjected to speech after speech made by various candidates from various parties, in which said candidates, universally declared, "Japan will not become another Greece - if I am elected.” There was a time in which the reverse statement would have won praise from the polis. There was a time in which every polis in the entire world, would have rallied around the leader who would have promised to shine the light of Hellenism upon the land. That day is gone. Constantinople is a name that must be earned; it is not a state of mind. I sincerely hope my parents enjoy their trip to Istanbul, Turkey.
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