Comments on: Vending Machine Couture as Nation

By: Fury

Fury — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 04:29:31 +0000

I’m majoring in East Asian Studies at school, and nearly all of my friends emailed me the nytimes article. I was so frustrated, the major premise, as laotree said, seems to be “wacky Japan.” I thought “kooky Japan” at the time. and any single piece on this entire site would be better published in the nytimes. rock on Marx!

By: Captain

Captain — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 02:03:25 +0000

I agree about the need to add historical context. But I think in the case of Fujimori, Satomi knew who her audience was, providing what she thought would be nice color to the story. I seriously doubt she would have said the same thing to a Japanese reporter. And further, to think that somehow a salaryman staying out late in Kabukicho on the company dime is somehow linked to the days of lords and daimyo is a little silly.

When I was in the States two weeks ago this article was on the front page of the NY Times.

By: laotree

laotree — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 08:43:00 +0000

Finally this place gets heated up!
When I saw this article on the FRONT PAGE of the IHT (published by NYT) I couldn’t help but laugh. $800 a pop! I thought this would be the kind of thing Marxy would want to bring to the debate table. It’s silly the way the work is presented but I think reporters usually do a lousy (lazy) job writing about art unless that’s their specialty. A few years back I had a painting show and invited reporters from Chunichi and Kyoto Shimbun to write articles for it (in the local section for Shiga, mind you.) Because there was an anti-war slant to some of the work, and I didn’t have the 専門用語 to articulate the more complicated themes at play when interviewed, the resultant articles became: “Local resident foreigner opens gallery show of anti-war paintings.” It’s possible that the artist here got burned in a similar way, since “wacky Japan” stories are such a crowd-pleaser. This article did give me a good warm-up conversation piece for my classes though, so three cheers for sloppy reporting.

By: nate

nate — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 06:19:20 +0000

late to the party, but I was forwarded the NYT article by my credulous employer, who has lived in Japan for 5 years, and is not a drooling rube.

I don’t like the idea that the media gets to assume that people know when they’re being facetious, or when they’re overstressing unimportant ideas, or when they’re out and out lying. But I probably won’t ever have as much money and influence as judith miller.

By: Aceface

Aceface — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 05:55:47 +0000

I think both pieces are justifiable to my eyes.
Afterall,what Brooks quotes are Ms.Kataoka’s words who happened to be a Japanese.

And Fujimori did exploit the image of the Samurai projected upon himself,when he was running for the presidency in Peru.

French is using geisha as the metaphor and I think it is pretty acculate in the description of relationship between sex industry and male dominant Japanese society.

Telling historical background is often necessary to explain things happening in Japan to foreign audience who has little or no Japan knowledge.What I am criticizing is when that misleads the whole issues.

By: Captain

Captain — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:50:32 +0000

My first reaction was to the appearance of yet more unnecessary historical context. In this case, the ninja nonsense. Here are some others from the NYT past…

James Brook of the NYT was told by Alberto Fujimori’s bimbo, Satomi Kataoka, just after he fled Japan in 2005:

“I have to be samurai,” she concluded. “The samurai code says once you decide to look after someone, you do it to the end.”
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/11/21/news/fujimori.php

Howard French explains the background of the hostess club, after the disappearance of Lucie Blackman in 2000, as:

With lords separated from their spouses for long stretches, a culture of geisha and concubines flourished, and along with it, so did the idea that paying for sex and the company of women was normal. In modern Tokyo, with tiny houses and long commutes being the norm, receiving guests at home is impractical, and men instead stay out on the town, typically with their co-workers.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CEFDE163DF93AA1575AC0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print

By: M-Bone

M-Bone — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 22:11:12 +0000

Is it just me or is the “vending machine disguises to avoid crime” version of Japan more realistic than the “five years away from launching a nuke at Hong Kong xenophobic fascist militarist hell” version?

By: W. David MARX

W. David MARX — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:42:45 +0000

I am sure they are saying, “Finally, the NY Times has understood the real Japan – even in a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek piece!”

By: Aceface

Aceface — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:14:58 +0000

2channelers are enjoying the articles.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/dqnplus/archives/1046540.html

By: Kikuchiyo`s Journal » The NY Times really nailed that one

Kikuchiyo`s Journal » The NY Times really nailed that one — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 02:17:48 +0000

[...] was an apt response to the astonishing New York Times article about “Japanese wearing their hiding [...]