Sewol Sinking Facts - Japanese Documentary

Somehow looking for Kim Namgil newest drama episode files has led me to finding this documentary from 2014. I do understand the logic behind it - after all people died in Sewol ferry sinking.

After Yet Another Ijime Suicide Students Meet to Ponder Over the Dignity of Life

Ijime is a huge problem in Japan that has a peculiar status - everybody knows about it and no one does a damn to address it and make a change. Because making a change is so hard in Japan lately, no one wants to be the first person to take a risk. 

Sending the demons away during Sōjinsai

A short article translated about the festival called Sōjinsai in Saitama prefecture. The main aim of the event is to banish the evil deities causing plagues and illness.

It's always held on the second Sunday of April.

Bookshelf Part 3

Another month, another post.
Last few weeks I've been reading lots of boring, scientific-ey stuff not worthy being mentioned here. Also, gros of those are in my own native language and I doubt anyone would be interested to hear about a book on hermeneutics.
Without further ado, let's do it!

Japanese literature for dummies Part 2

   Previously we took a closer look into hedonistic lives of high aristocracy of Heian who spent their lives devoted to pursuing pleasures and honing the literary skills (real or imagined). In other words - Part 1. The very same period gave us eternal Genji complex that every writer and work suffers from, and of course neverending battle between Spring and Autumn (I didn't mention it, Princess Nukada's poem in Man'you). Right now we will dissect more next periods in Japanese literature.

Japanese literature for dummies Part 1

   A short introduction to Japanese Literature. Otherwise known as You're-Not-Japanese-So-You-Won't-Understand. It's really short, because there's absolutely no use in writing elaborated post on something that is highly personal. Books are personal, same as music. I may like something, but other people may hate it with passion.

Safe Little Home

   This post serves only one purpose - to apprehend the meaning of double standards that are so pervasive in the academic world, be it thorough research or casual critical thinking. 

Problem lies in my own country's scientific and cultural establishment that rarely ventures beyond the boundaries, that doesn't feel the need to "boldly go where no one has gone before".

Apologies a la japonaise

   I have written this so many times, fanculture in Asia fascinates me almost on the same level as nationalism in Japan. Sadly, there is not even one opportunity for me to write any article dealing with that particular group of people so different from us like apes. We're not the same species, trust me, and I was a fangirl, sometimes still am. "Fanculture" fascinates me on the level more wise people than me called as "mysterium tremendum et fascinosum". And this is true, y'all.

In a year of big elections, Japan’s was Godzilla

   I have quite an obssession with Japan, spanning through over half of my life. Obssession swinging from delight to absolute hatred. Last Sunday I spent 8 straight hours glued to the main page of Asahi.com following the voting. Although the results didn't surprise me, I had this eerie feeling of witnessing something weird, something dangerous and kind of mental.

Below is Reuters article on the latest election in Japan.

My note: Japan Restoration Party is a nationalistic party led by Hashimoto Toru and Ishihara Shintaro, both very... erhm, unique men. OK, let's call them lunatics. 

Providing Korea will have Miss Park as the President, talks won't be nice and fluffy, me seems. Well, maybe less heated as with president Lee, but still.

Marry in a hurry

Picture from here.

   Usually it's a shotgun marriage leading to home disputes, fights and bloody divorce. Marriage between music and politics. Whenever politics is involved in art (be it music, literature or movies) the art ceases to retain its own principles. It becomes another tool implemented to turn the masses into kneadable dough.

JoongAngIlbo posted an article about comedy gag character singing the song "Animunida". The artistic values of the song are close to zero, since the very performer of it, Gyaru described the second song as “neither rap, nor a song, nor music.” But the problem lies elsewhere.

K-Gyaru

picture from here.

   This hater can't refrain from commenting on this spectacular event. Gyaru subculture is osmosing into other countries (believe me I saw them in Europe), so of course Korea's leading fashion criminal fashionista, that is The Diva, had to dress him-/her-/itself up as one. Of course all was done as a parody of a parody from a comedy live show. Just so such antis as myself could be easily shut down with: "you have no sense of humor! Oppa was joking!" Oh yeah, I do get it, his entire public persona is a huge joke right now, ha ha ha.

All jokes aside, gyaru subculture scares the living crap out of me, puzzles and makes me vomit. I find nothing cute in it.

Eh, Asia Asia...

   Yasukuni is not a typical shrine. Well, in terms of architecture - it's like every shinto shrine of the mixed, later type, nothing outstanding. But Yasukuni is now a symbol of Japanese neverending nationalism.

I'm having a ball these days, seriously. So much is happening I stopped reading comments just to focus on main story (or stories). We all know about the feud between Japan and Korea regarding tiny islands of Dokdo (yes, I'm using Korean name). In 1910, when Japan annexed Korea, those island, as part of Korean teritory were included into the Japanese Empire. All ended on August 15, 1945 (yes, today, it's not a coincidence, wait for the later part) when Japan surrendered and all land returned to Koreans. Somehow Japan started to think that Dokdo should belong to them. Don't ask me why. Following this logic, maybe Seoul and few other cities (ah, hell, half of peninsula!) should belong to Japan too? No, let's not stop here, give Shandong, Shanghai, Philippines, Burma to Japan too. Just because.

Japanese Minotaur

   What do we remember about Minotaur myth? Minos, in order to get Poseidon's support in wars, pledged to sacrifice a splendid white bull to the god in case he wins. Poseidon helped, but the King decided to keep the divine bull for himself and offer some other, from his own cattle. Gods' revenge, as we know, is always heavy and merciless. This time, Aphrodite has made Pasiphaë fall in love with this bull. So Pasiphaë asked Dedalus to made a wooden cow for her so she could satisfy her needs. From this encounter a monster was born - Minotaur ("Bull of Minos").

Modern history of Japan is also this kind of monster, just when the country thought they tricked history - history payed back. And is paying still.

Non-ending Asian War

Picture from KoreaBang

   

   History is a tricky little bastard. European people en masse don't care what happened outside of the continent border, hell, they don't even care what happened inside. And I'm saying this as a fellow European person. This is why for most people what is happening in Asia, especially Far East Asia is absolutely of no relevance. I can understand it - why bother about things that happened or are happening thousands of kilometres away? Due to the fact that I've been into Asia history for the half of my life, the first news I check everyday is actualy asian news. And thanks to Japan, I now understand turpistic fascination of the ugliness and carcass. 

The unspeakable heresy

   While procrastinating because I'm stuck on last chapter of writing, I found this article on my daily feed. You all know I love nationalism issue, and especially Japanese one. It's very different from all other nationalisms (even such fierce and blind as Korean one). Article I quote below is not for any japanofile, so if you're one of them - don't read, because of course - Japan is a land of manga and bishonens, not genocide. The same goes for Korea - it's a nonsensical country of insane paradoxes, not minams and high-heels.

Asia Prince neglected

   See, there is a good reason why I can't take Japanese seriously. I was never an avid fan of either manga or anime. The series I read/watched was mostly non shoujo, so I can't really connect with all this fandom ("Evangelion" for Eva!!! *jeez, I'm a genius*). Worse, I despise this one and the whole yaoi genre as well. I guess I wrote once why I hate yaoi so much. Everyone is entitled to one's own opinion, some may love it, some may hate it. I'm a hater then.

According to Koreaboo:

"The Boss's label Open World Entertainment, as well as various Japanese sources have revealed news surrounding member Karam's first acting role in a movie.
The movie is an adaptation of a manga series of the same name, and revolves around the love story of two high-schoolers. The school's "Princess", in this case a young pretty male, and the "Prince", a girl with a tomboyish presence.
When the singer of Mizuki's (Ito Ohno) all-girl band Blaue Rosen moves overseas, Akira (Karam) is set to join them. While he first has to overcome Mizuki's suspicious misgivings, Akira dresses up as a girl to be able to fit in the band."

This is where things start to get really weird. 

Molotov cocktails in Seoul

A Chinese man, who claimed his grandmother was a “comfort woman” forced into sexual slavery by Japan’s military, hurled four Molotov cocktails at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul early Sunday morning.
The 36-year-old Lui, was apprehended at the scene after throwing the firebombs over the wall of the embassy at 8:18 a.m., according to Jongno Police Station.
Two of the four Molotov cocktails went over the embassy wall but did not catch fire. The attack caused no injury or property damage, police said.

Comfort women again

Article and interview on "comfort women" from Koreatimes.

Comfort Women new law

State should try to solve ‘comfort women’ issue

The Constitutional Court made a landmark ruling on Tuesday that it is the government’s duty to settle disputes over Japan’s refusal to compensate former “comfort women.” The decision carries significant implications as the court has expanded the scope of state obligations to better protect the basic rights of the people.

The court said it is unconstitutional for the government to make no tangible efforts to settle the disputes. It also stated that the government violated the rights of the comfort women forced to serve as sexual slaves for frontline Japanese soldiers during World War II. It made the same ruling for the Korean victims of the atom bombs dropped on Japan. 

Clashes again

I found two nice articles on JoongAngIlbo again.