SO SO FLY

I just had an epiphany: Japanese fashion is the greatest thing ever....ever. The men and women here are so extremely stylish, its impossible not to notice. I also can't help but notice the fact that its been getting colder and colder in Japan (February is indeed the worst month in Japan) but the women are by no means wearing more clothes. On the snowiest of days you can still see 100lb/45Kg girls in high heels, short skirts, and perfect hair.....god bless 'em.

Many Japanese girls don't even question it. They just say that "Fashion requires patience." This may just be the man in me, but I think everyone (especially American women, hint hint) can learn something from this. Japanese really like to look their best, and it most definitely shows. The high heels in 6cm of snow might be a little too much, but I appreciate the effort. Whats so wrong about looking great every hour of every day???... Nothing

When I first got to Japan, I was immediately attracted to almost every women (and some men) I saw. I thought it was because everyone was so healthy. Being healthy doesn't hurt, but the biggest factor HAS to be that the Japanese (both boys and girls) put how they look ahead of unimportant things like comfort, and functionality.

本当に日本がめっちゃ好きだよ！

Hello Again!

Its time for more on Japanese sub-culture. Perhaps I should share a few stories to give you an idea as to why this country is so great. I guess these aren't really stories so much as points...

1. During my first few weeks in Japan, some friends and I went to a club. We were there from around 10pm to 5am. And from the time we entered, my friend set his camera down on a table right on the dance floor. During the night he proceeded to take pictures and set the camera down on the table when he wasn't using it. And surprise surprise, the camera lasted 7 hours in a busy club, unattended, without being stolen...amazing.
2. Recently, an inebriated friend of mine left his man purse/bag in a bar in Osaka. He returned the next day and was greeted by warm faces and his bag was returned. Not just returned, but the 20,000+円 inside the bag still remained.
3. I myself have left my 三万円電子辞書 (30000 yen denshi jisho) in various locations in Japan, and I have been surprised time and again to see it returned.

Getting the point?? I'm quite tempted to test this even further by leaving my wallet in the middle of Kiyomizudera, 清水寺, and see how fast it is returned.

The people in this country are so incredibly nice/honest. I'm not speaking for everyone of course, but I've noticed a general kindness in everyone in the Kansai area.

I truly love this country

My Japan

ラブホテル、what a concept...

Greetings,
This past weekend, I stumbled upon another Japanese cultural/entertainment' adventure. Again, if you are looking for the kind of Japanese culture you see on television, I'm sorry. Walking around Namba, Shinsaibashi, and Umeda you can not help but notice the surplus of love hotels, ラブホテル. What an interesting concept - classy (no sarcasm, but don't quote me if you happen to visit one in Hirakatashi) hotels that you can pay for by the hour, located in high populated areas. Japan is truly the country of convenience.

These hotels are extremely popular in Japan; some filled to capacity by 10:15pm (true story) in the middle of the week. I don't necessarily view this as a sexual obsession in Japan, but rather an adaptation to the fact that many young adults live at home, and many Japanese homes are located outside of major cities. Even if the homes/apartments are located inside the city, they may not be big enough for two people to stay in comfortably. The sex industry in Japan likely also contributes to the high number of love hotels, but convenience is probably the driving force.

I am not saying that all Japanese are comfortable with the idea of going to a love hotel. Some Japanese, even young adults, still find the idea a little odd. Maybe I have become used to the idea, but I now compare love hotels to beer and cigarette vending machines. They are not sleazy in themselves, but I can understand those that are uncomfortable with the idea.

Here are some interesting links if you are interested/intrigued

http://www.hotel-fine.co.jp/ - This hotel is complete with point cards, prizes, 100+ inch projection television, etc.

http://www.love-hotels.jp/osaka/directory.html - just to give you an idea of the number of hotels in the Osaka area.

Take Care

Expensive 'cultural' experience

I had intended to make my next post about something a little more cultural, but I had the opportunity to attend a watered down mizu shoubai 'event' in Umeda, Osaka (no pun intended). This past Friday some friends and I payed a visit to a bunny bar. This is on the lower end (financially) of mizu shoubai but was nevertheless an interesting cultural experience.

We were lured in to this fine establishment by a sweet talking Japanese girl who appeared to be no older than 18. I was a little wary at first because the bunny bar concept was still new to me.
A Bunny Bar, is not the kind of thing you see a lot of in America. I think the closest comparison is Hooters, but the atmosphere is completely different. The atmosphere inside the bar was hardly sexual, except for the outfits of course. The women seemed genuinely friendly and never really forced us to drink. The girls would ask lots of questions and always smile. We were essentially paying more to drink at this bar because the women were made to talk to us. I guess I dont really see the harm in this kind of business, but I still don't quite see the need for this kind of business. I think the fact that I am a foreigner makes it easy for me to remove myself from the situation. Long story short, we actually managed to leave the bar after spending only 3000yen, not too bad.

Upon coming to japan I found the whole idea of mizu shoubai and the trillions of yen a year sex industry very interesting. How did this phenomenon come about and why is there a need for it? Is there so much stress in Japanese society that this is not only needed, but common place??
Hopefully I will have some answers in the near future.


If you are interested, there is a great documentary about host clubs in Osaka entitled The Great Happiness Space

http://www.thegreathappinessspace.com/

A Little Shoukai

Greetings,

My name is Jonathan Evans. I am an American ( I use this term quite loosely) who is living in the greatest country in the world - Japan.

More specifically, I am studying at Kansai Gaidai University, 関西外大. After living in Japan for 4 months, I have had some time to pick up on Japanese culture. This culture is far too complicated to pick up in 4 months, but I would like to offer some firsthand insight into life in Japan.

I will not go into too much detail now, but Japan is currently going through enormous change (by Japanese standards). Yet, I feel that some things in Japan may never change. Like I said before, this culture is extremely complicated....just stay tuned!

In the very near future, I will cover topics such as:

Japanese businesses
Fashion, ideas of beauty, kawaii culture
Host/Hostess clubs
Japanese morals and non-religion