(１) Science

Nagoya University of Foreign Studies

August , 2019

The NUFS Times
Nagoya University of Foreign Studies

57 Takenoyama, Iwasakicho, Nissin, Aichi 470-0197 Japan

This ⋾3 edition is the collaboration of JSC903 exchange students and domestic students.

宕宒宅宒宗季宗守宇宇宜季宅守宄宕宖季宄宕守季宆宒宐完宑宊孤季季
季季季 宗宫宨宼季宺室宱宷季宷宲季宫宨宯害季季季季季季季季季
by Benjamin ETHERIDGE & Brittany F .BARDSLEY -MARCIAL
The robots are coming...but they are here to help you this time, thankfully. “My job is tohelp you in your time of need, I will pick you up when you need me and carry you when
you feel weak. I will be by your side in your golden years if you need me, I'm always
happy to help even if I am a robot and... a Kuma”- ROBEAR the bear.

be worn while carrying patients from a bed to awheelchair or to the toilet. These devices help toreduce the load on the caregiver's back, and canbe put on without help. Panasonic's AWN-03 is
an example of a wearable transfer aid, as this isused to help pick up heavier loads however, theAWN-03 has not currently been designed to be
used as a means to help carrying people but thistype of design could prove to be a future solution. Next, we have the non-wearable transfer
aids which tends to be a robot that is controlled
by a caregiver. They can use this to help in lifting the patient safely, and an example of this is
the strangely cute ROBEAR by Riken. This bear
(Pictured below) uses its strong arms and tactile
sensors to lift a person (whether sitting
or lying down, up to
135 lbs.) to anotherlocation. ROBEAR
can lift a patient up
from a bed, transfer
them from a bed to awheelchair, and various places. ROBEAR
also uses two cameras
and microphones totake cues from its
operator, truly fascinating!
Picture The
ROBEAR demonstrating how it can beused to help lift people in its care. Picture
provided by RIKEN.

Now let’s look at
this from another angle, we have all seenelderly people struggling to walk fromtime to time and wonder how difficult it
must be for them.
Well, there are ways
to improve this forthem. Why not use
The ROBEAR demonstrating how it can be used to help lift people in its care. Picture provided by RIKEN.
something like The
Most countries rely on a large youth population old and over (the highest since the census began Robot Assist Walker, designed by RT Works,
to support their economy and the elderlyin 1920). Meanwhile, Japan's Ministry ofwhich can help with walking?
through labor. However, in Japan recently, this Health, Labour and Welfare estimated in 2017
The RT walker uses a motor that helps the“population pyramid” has started to turn upside that the country's total fertility rate (the number
patient go up hills and applies brakes when godown. A mix of culture and technology advance- of children born to each woman in her lifetime)
ing downhill. These aids use sensors to judge
ment has caused the Japanese average lifespan was at 1.44.
movement and the immediate surrounding area,
to be the longest in the world creating an
For perspective, the rate to replace a popula- applying automatic power when necessary. They
“elderly population”. At the same time, youngtion as it grows old and dies is 2.1. With morealso include areas to hold small luggage or shoppeople are having fewer children, or no children
people to care for and fewer people to do the car- ping carts. Now, these issues probably don’t
at all. This means that soon, there will be fewer
ing, Japan has been forced to adapt by a variety seem too drastic to you, because you can probapeople to take care of the elderly and to generateof means. One of these means involves the use
bly move and your body listens to you but, one
tax dollars to pay for their care.
of medical robots as nurses or aids. A survey
day this may not be the case when we are all old“There is a real stress for care workers with- conducted with people aged between 15-50 from and grey and when that time comes, robots andin the care industry in the United Kingdom esboth the United Kingdom and Japan found that technology will be there to make things smooth
pecially from what I have seen, when I do my
80% of those who, when asked “Would you mind and easy for us!
check-ups in care homes, I always find there isa human controlled robot to help care for your“One of the main issues we have in the care
not enough staff members. I have even seen elfamily if needed” said they would not mind this.
industry is that a lot of patients cannot move
derly patients care for other elderly patients,
65% when asked “Would you give up your socialfrom one place to another without one of us
this is worrying and we need a solution, fast”
and work life to care for your elderly family” anneeding to help move them. It is not hard to dosays Dr Williams, a welsh general practitioner
swered “no” which, is the sad reality of some
but the problem is it can take up so much time
(GP doctor) of 30 years.
people in both countries.
and time is critical for us here, if there could beJapan is known to share this worrying issue,
Let’s look into some of the possible ways
a way around this problem we would save a lot
Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Comtechnology could help your family in the future! of time and use that time to help in other ways
munications released its “Japan Statisticaland we want to do is look after our patients”The first useful way technology can and isYearbook”, showcasing Japan's most recent popsays Stephanie Owens from the United Kingdom
already in use at some places are transfer aids
ulation census. The report stated that as of
who has been a caregiver for 10 years.
which come in 2 forms; ones that the care recipi2017, 27.7% of Japan's population are 65 years
ents wear, kind of like an exoskeleton. They can(２) Society

Nagoya University of Foreign Studies

August , 2019

守宻宦宨家家宬容宨季安宲宲宧季定室家宷宨季宬宱季宍室害室宱

Common produce stand that can be seen around the country. Photo: by Adam Wilson On June 21, 2019宋宲宺季宍室害室宱季宫室家季宰室宧宨季宪宵宨室宷季害宵宲宪宵宨家家孯季宼宨宷季宬宷季宬家季家宷宬宯宯季宱宲宷季宨宱宲宸宪宫孱宑宲宺季宲宷宫宨宵季宱室宷宬宲宱家季室宵宨季宥宨宪宬宱宱宬宱宪季宷宲季宱宲宷宬宦宨孱by Yuki HATA & Kenneth B. ELDER
The heel of a bread loaf, the piece of meat that is before they are forced to dispose of it. “We will
just a bit too chewy, the extra ginger in yourtry to cut food loss by 50 percent by 2030 fromkonbini bento you bought. These are all
the current level.” said Sadanobu Takemasu of
miniscule remains, that amount to nothing next Lawson’s in a major press briefing recently.
to the rest of the meal and are tossed out with
Such a goal can be commended, if it comes tothe rest of the rubbish each meal. This miniscule fruition.
amount multiple times a day, every day of theyear, for everyone in japan grows rapidly.
A study on food waste in Japan by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
estimated that a total of 37.86 million tons offood waste was generated in 2011 alone. This
amount includes the agricultural and farming
phase of production, the storage and transportation stage, the commercial, and the household aswell. The commercial and household sections of
the production chain though amounted to 53%
and 27% respectively, significantly larger portions than the other half of the chain. Still waste
can be managed, for example, the Japanese people have a robust sorting system so that thewaste can be recycled effectively. The IGES
found that the commercial stage, while making
the largest amount of waste, had the highest
percentage of waste being recycled, about 80% of
it. Yet the household sectors food waste had an
abysmal 4%. That's over 9.5 million tons ofwaste being incinerated or added to landfills in asingle year.
Several attempts at remedying this situation have come into effect since this study was
done. Some are done by the Japanese government, while others are initiated by companies in
A look at the daily waste from a relatively small
the food industry who are directly affected by
the costs of this waste. One of the more frequent konbini, Photo: by Authors On May 13, 2019places for people to get a quick bite to eat is theever present konbini. The big three branches
There are several government lead initiaeach deal with fair amounts of waste daily. Fam- tives also in effect, mainly tending to target the
ily Mart 15.9kg, Lawson 15.2kg, and Seven
consumer. The “NO FOODLOSS PROJECT” is a
Eleven 14.7kg each day. They have come up
nationwide campaign to reduce food waste, onewith their own unique means of solving the isjointly done between 6 different ministries. The
sue. Seven Eleven in June announced that they goal is to invoke the spirit of “Mottainai” which
will be having a rewards program for food that is is translated as both “what a waste” and “don’tclose to expire. If you are a member you could
be wasteful”. The idea is to only make what will
get up to 5% of the cost of the product as points be used, and to consume all that was made. Thisfor other purchases. Lawsons is also trialing aidea of mottainai is not new as it has been
similar program in select cities this summer.
around for quite some time but the government
This is all in a way to try and clear out products is now pushing for its resurgence. A more con-temporary creation is the 3010 campaign. Its
conception was in Matsumoto city back in 2011
and since has been adopted around the nation,even being officially endorsed by the Japanese
Ministry of the Environment. The focus is simple and multipurpose. The first 30 minutes of ameal should be focused on eating, same with thelast 10 minutes. The idea is that this will prevent food from being ignored or forgotten about,cold karaage is just not as appealing after all.
These changes sound beneficial and theJapanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries released a study that showed it to actually be so. Currently the waste derived fromfood is only about 28 million tons among thenearly 81 million tons of used food in Japan ayear, far better than years ago. This is not a
free pass to continue our current habits, nearly 6
and a half million tons of this food waste thatpeople can still eat safely. This is still nearly 8
percent of the whole food consumed. Charles
Boliko, head of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Liaison Office in Japan, once commented on this fact saying “In thecase of yoghurt, it can typically stay edible up to
two weeks after the expiration date, as long as it
remains in the refrigerator. The taste may
change, but your health is not at risk”
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries has stated that the waste is equal to
every Japanese person tossing out a bowl of rice
everyday. Still half of this food waste is fromhouseholds, these are places that individual action matters most. On a global scale this has
drawn some negative attention as well. After all
this amount of waste is about *twice* theamount of food that the UN World Food Program provides to some developing countries. A“Save Food” study on global food losses andwaste, was conducted in partnership with theSwedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology. It
indicated that a third of the food consumed globally, or 1.3 billion tonnes are lost or wasted eachyear. All these moves to improve food waste creation needs to go further if Japan wants to beleader in efficiency and cleanliness. This a lesson for all levels: government, corporate andconsumer.

August, 2019

Nagoya University of Foreign Studies(３) Society

Privacy
The Price of Privacy in Japan

When you want to be alone, are you willing to pay for it?
by Adam R. WILSON & Amin A. RISSAOUIIn many countries, privacy is available
simply because of geography. Single family homes with separating yards are very
affordable in many wide-open American
states. Some countries have less cultural pressure to be respectful of other people’s space. Japan, however, is very
densely populated and very respectful.
Tokyo’s streets are filled with people trying to move through daily life whilecausing as little inconvenience as possible. Whether or not a person’s presence
is actually inconvenient is irrelevant tomany Japanese people. The risk of being
seen as rude is high, so utmost precaution must be taken. These factors leave
few places for people to spend their freetime how they want. As a result, selling
privacy is big money.
The difficulty of finding privacy inJapan has caused several unusual industries to develop. Net-Cafes let customers
pay for the rental of personal cubicles
where they can work, study, or relax.
Karaoke clubs sell spaces for people to be
as loud as they want. Love hotels provide
a space for adults to guarantee privacy
during sex. Some restaurants even place
walls between customers and staff tolimit interaction as much as possible. All
Dense crowds in Shibuya pass Karaoke clubs andof these services, however, come at a price. Love might not be of much concern. But, this cost canother privacy-focused businesses.
hotels alone generate over 40 billion dollars each be a financial burden to students.
year in Japan . For wealthy individuals, thisWhen comparing the availability of privacy
in America to Japan, several key differences be- dent’s grades, and therefore their future careerŽǇŽƵĨĞĞůǇŽƵƌƉƌŝǀĂĐǇŝƐŶ͛ƚƉƌŽƚĞĐƚĞĚ͍come apparent. First is geography. The massive opportunities. Net-cafes and capsule rentals
amount of land in America makes single-family have now developed in order to tackle this issue.
homes much more common. A permanent, perPeople from all walks of life face the chalsonal, space allows for individuals to function lenge of finding privacy in Japan. As a result ofwith less concern for causing noise or disrupting this, it is important for individuals to be aware
others. Japan’s public transportation system is of how this challenge is affecting them. The lackextensive, making driving unnecessary for many of privacy can increase stress, but if the only
people. With this increased convenience comes option to achieve real privacy is to pay for it, is it
the loss of some privacy. Rather than commut- worth the sacrifice? People are forced to makeing alone by car, many Japanese share dense these choices daily. Finding the balance between
train cars. Within many Japanese cities, driving paying for privacy and surviving without re/Ɛ ŝƚ ŚĂƌĚ ĨŽƌ ǇŽƵ ƚŽ ĮŶĚ ƋƵŝĞƚ ƉůĂĐĞƐ ƚŽand parking is simply too inconvenient to be quires individuals to prioritize comfort in waysƐƚƵĚǇ͍
practical. For many Americans, car rides are an that many other countries do not.
opportunity to conduct phone calls or sing withLove hotels are also an industry developedout interruption. These differences have caused in response to the challenge of finding privacy.
commercialized privacy to be less common in Close-quarters and multi-generational homes
America.
can lead to some uncomfortable situations whenSo, how does the commercialization of priva- adults want to have sex. For many, the easiest
cy in Japan affect students? To learn more we option is to take a visit to a love hotel. Thesesurveyed students about their thoughts on pri- businesses guarantee complete privacy for a few
vacy in Japan.
hours, and can provide any amenity needed dur75 students responded to our question, “Do ing the stay. However, this can cost upwards ofyou feel that your privacy is vulnerable in Ja- 4,000 yen. Couples then have to choose between/ĨǇŽƵǁĂŶƚƚŽƐƚƵĚǇŝŶĂƋƵŝĞƚƉůĂĐĞ͕ĚŽǇŽƵpan?” 83% said “yes,” while only 17% felt their comfort or price.
privacy was secure. The population density of
As Japan’s population has grown, the chalƉĂǇŵŽŶĞǇĨŽƌŝƚ͍
Japan as well as the increase of technology jeop- lenge of finding privacy has only increased. Geardizes physical and digital privacy. Even in ography and cultural expectations create an enlocations where a person is physically alone, vironment where people must be hyper aware of
their data may be visible over Wi-Fi. Question 2, how they are impacting others. The difficulty of“Is it hard for you to find quiet places to study?” finding privacy impacts many aspects of daily
received 79 responses. 61% responded that it life, from education to romance. The easiest way
was difficult. Finally, students were asked if to guarantee privacy, however, requires paythey pay money for access to quiet study spaces. ment. Each individual must determine how
Over a third (35%) stated that they do. Effective much they are willing to pay. Privacy in Japan
studying is an essential part of the learning pro- will continue to become more commercialized as
The survey was conducted on Instagram. Numcess. Busy environments increase distractions, the years progress. Younger generations will
ber of respondents starting with the top graph:and therefore the amount of time wasted. The have to decide between paying for privacy, going75, 79, 83.
inability to study in private can impact a stu- without, or ignoring social norms.

(４) Global Issue

Nagoya University of Foreign Studies

August , 2019

Life in Japan
What is it like to be Different?
By Yolanda WELL RULL & Marina J. FUNES
The media suggests Japan welcomes
Pop Culture especially createsmany foreigners, but how far does
certain standards for ha-fu´s imthat welcoming hospitality go when
age which do not collaborate withforeigners do live in Japan? Nine peothe actual reality. They are exple at Nagoya University of Foreign
pected to fit into these stereoStudies talk about their experience
types, looks and behavior, which
as a foreigner living in Japan or evenmakes them objects of desire andas a Japanese citizen who feel foreign
dehumanizes them. Real life looks
themselves in their own country.
different for them, they don´t fit inJapan is getting more popular as
anywhere or they end up choosing
a country to visit for traveling and to
one of their ethnicities. For examimmigrate. While coming as a tourist
ple the mixed club Blenders, creis easy and fun, immigrating to Jaated by Selina, allows people topan and working here is far moreembrace themselves as they arecomplicated than most would expect.
without judgment.
Foreigners experience many difficulWith stereotypes in mind, disties when applying for visas and percrimination against foreigners
manent residency.
does exists. Many immigration
Right now, the only way for forbureaus won’t offer any assistanceeigners to enter Japan is by acquirin any other language but Japaing either a working, educational or
nese. Considering only foreigners
entertainment visa as well as a tourvisit these places and their lanist visa for a limited time. These viguage proficiency will vary, thissas are issued based on their certifiisn’t inclusive nor welcoming becates of eligibility and are valid for ahavior. As Julianna mentions,
fixed amount of time. These visas“only foreigners go to that place
can be renewed every few years if[Immigration Bureau] and no one
there is still a valid purpose of stay.
can speak English, which is inPermanent residency is only given tosane. Why is a place [such as thethose married to a Japanese citizen
Immigration Bureau] whereor to those proving a connection tothere’s no Japanese customers
Japan, but even in those cases it canand there are no translators [forbe revoked.
foreigners]? You have to bring“If I could keep both nationaliyour own. Someone has to transties, it’s going to be more comfortablelate for you”. Japanese often asfor me because sometimes I’m thinksume foreigners are oblivious toing ‘what if something wrong hapJapanese culture and customs
pens?’ and my visuals are Russian,even after living there for many
but I’m living in Japan. How can I
years. Discrimination can also
explain to people [that I] have been
affect Japanese people that act
living a long time in Japan? For aslike foreigners or do not follow thesurance, I’ll show the passport, but if
rules of Japanese society. Theypeople are watching me, [they would]
would be treated like outsiders
say that ‘you are not Japanese’” said Roman
and
face
more
discrimination than actual forAbove: Selina Rush, model with her father ProfesEguchi, a NUFS student.
eigners.
sor Philip Rush at NUFS
Japan’s Nationality Act states that citizens
Hiroko Tokumoto , a professor at NUFS, has
Below: Julianna Omura, Brazilian student at NUFS
with dual nationality have to choose only one
been
through discrimination not only with her(left) and Roman Eguchi, Japanese student atand therefore give up the other one by the age of NUFS.
family, but also within the workforce: “My col22. For many young adults possessing dual citileague, [said] to my face, ‘You know that you arezenship this can be difficult as people are forced
different from us.’ I told her that, ‘Yes I know it,
to choose one citizenship if they identify within Japan for a long time, especially of same eth- but I can’t do anything about it. It’s me.’ It took
both. “I had to choose when I was 22, but I still
nicities, end up creating their own communities them a long time to accept it, I think. [...] I say ‘Ihaven’t chosen because I don’t want to lose eiinside of Japan, but separate from locals. Ethwant to do’ or ‘I don’t want to do’ quite clearly.
ther passport and I have both identities, so I
nicity and gender also influence the discrimina- In Japanese culture, we don’t say that. So of
keep both and I think it’s not fair to choose one”, tion someone may face in Japan. Some of thecourse, you know they treat me as [...] not a realsaid Selina Rush, who is the daughter of Philipinterviewees mentioned stereotypes about ChiJapanese, not way of a foreigner, but in the midRush, a professor at NUFS. She has dual citizen- nese that they hear from Japanese: rude, loud,dle. [...] They say that it is very difficult to getship between Japan and the United Kingdom, as lazy, bad manners. Even Japanese media goesalong with me.”her mother is Japanese and Philip is British.
as far as giving the impression that Chinese are
Everyone has agreed that Japan needs more
These regulations exist but no one takes them
untrustworthy when the media reports crimes
diversity to benefit and enrich Japanese society,seriously, so it is nothing more than a rule with- that involves Chinese people. “I guess it depends and dual citizenship should be legal in Japan.
out actual repercussions.
on where you come from. I think for people who Recently the requirements for working visa have
After immigrating to Japan, foreigners face look like me, it's not that bad. I think it must be been lightened and many workers immigrated toother challenges, the first one is they obviously
harder for people of other ethnicities. Asians,
the country which had been unprecedented inlook different and are easily recognized as outpeople of African origins, I think it's much hard- Japanese history. Japanese people love foreignsiders. Generally, foreigners are welcomed toer. I think the only stereotype that I face is I'm
ers but are afraid of them and the changes comJapan but sometimes they also are treated like
expected to be an English speaker because of the ing along with them.
strangers. “They love you because you’re foreign- way I look, well, I speak English obviously, but
It is important for them to learn that being
er or they hate you because you’re foreigner, it’s not as my first language.” says Jakub Marszalcurious and allowing changes is going to be sur50/50. And it’s so funny [...], when you walkenko, a lecturer at NUFS. While they were many prising and bring many good things for themdown the street, lots of Japanese look at you just prejudices about Chinese people, other ethniciand their society. These changes don´t pose abecause you’re foreigners. And you can feel if
ties, specially western ethnicities are more acthreat to culture and customs, but the modernthat look is like an admiration look or is a ‘I hate cepted.
world requires to change and adjust to the flowyou’ look” says Julianna Omura, a NUFS stuAnother minority group in Japan that faces of time so everyone feels welcome everywhere.
dent.
special treatment are “ha-fu” and foreign ethnicMany still experience prejudices after living ities with ties to and raised in Japan. JapaneseAugust , 2019

Nagoya University of Foreign Studies(５) Education

Japanese Education System

The Otorii of Miyajima Iland in front of Itsukushima Shurine

Away with the Japanese education system?
by Shiori SUGO & Thomas RENNICH
In an ongoing globalization Japan finds itself in a conflict between traditionalism andinternationalism. Students have always been influenced by changes in the educational
system.

In conclusion, it is safe to say that the Japanese education system definitely needs improvement. There are still a lot of problems,
things that could be handled differently as the
So before making statements if the current system can or should remain, Japan questionnaire shows. Some of the asked quesshould ask its citizens first. Since education forms how the future of Japan will be, both tions would require massive changes and more
students and working people should be asked. Forming a conclusive image of what citi- effort on the pupil’s side as well as the school’sside. Besides this it is important to point out
zens deem important is key and this is what NUFS newspaper has been striving for.
that while many people took part in this survey,
In order to get an overview of attitudes towards dents haven’t entered the job market yet andit can’t represent all students or all working peothe education system, five relevant questions
don’t have enough experience to evaluate theple of Japan. In addition while only five topics
have been chosen, ranging across various topics. current situation.
where chosen, it doesn’t automatically mean
Since school in Japan has always been a fullOne subject that has stood the test of time is that other problems don’t exist. The results oftime activity for students with classes and club
Japanese class, where old texts like poems get
the survey indicate that despite societal norms,
activities until the late hours, the question
analyzed, which leaves no room for variety.
people still have their own opinions, which cancomes up if the hours should be cut back in orEven though the subject is seen as very imbring things to a change that is well needed, toder to enable more social activities after school, portant to learn one’s culture there are also peo- make sure Japan’s youth is well prepared for thesimilar to how it is in Europe.
ple, who want it to be less significant. Interviews future.
While 65% of all students agreed to cutting on both fronts indicated that new texts from conback hours, the working field has a different
temporary authors should also be included, since
opinion. More than half of people in this field
their works also represent Japan’s culture. In
disagree and rather wants to let the system rethat regard it comes as no surprise that the mamain, however this doesn’t mean that bad inten- jority of students (59%) and working people
tions are behind this. Interviewed teachers(78%) want the subject to be less relevant.
simply responded that they couldn’t put in
The next topic shows a generational discrepenough hours doing their job and are thus earn- ancy, in both interest and experience. The typiing less. In addition people working outside the cal Japanese class consists of thirty to forty stueducation system mentioned that the school was dents, which in comparison to Germany’s twenty
usually the place, where they saw their friends. is quite a lot. Students were mostly undecided
As mentioned in the beginning Japan is get- on whether they would prefer smaller classes, ating increasingly international especially withtrend however is still visible with 57% approvthe Olympic Games coming up in 2020, so
ing. In comparison, all working people andspeaking English should be considered very im- teachers answered that they want the situation
portant. However, even though the government to change. Teachers gave the reason that theyis doing big efforts to push it, the lack of results can focus more on the single pupil, while workis pretty clear because many Japanese can bare- ing people agreed with the statement. Students
ly communicate in the language. Besides thisthough enjoy big classes because they don’t havethe youth shows a lot of interest in English
to participate as much if there are more stuspeaking countries, with the USA and Canada
dents.
being popular places for Japanese study abroad
Japan is considered a country in which thestudents. So should Japan teach their students
collective has a lot of power, so that Japan would
then to actually learn the language?
rather go by the book or with what the majority
Despite the above, students surprisingly
says instead of coming up with one’s own soluremain quite unsure with a 60-40 split wanting tion. This societal norm also plays a big role inmore support and the other side feeling no need the education system. Despite that it is imto learn more than what is already being taught portant to also acknowledge that a change isnow. Out of all the interviewed working people
happening right now and exactly that is visible
85% agreed to better education in English, stat- in the results. 80% of the students and 85% of
ing that in the future it will only get more imworking people want pupils to come up withportant, notably for the job market. In this case their own solutions instead of just memorizing
a generational difference is at hand, since stuthe textbook contents.

(６) Culture

Nagoya University of Foreign Studies

August, 2019

The long black haired woman is coming back!
By Laurent LOUALOUP ＆ Nodoka NAKAGAWA
On 24 of March 2019 a new
psychological.” Professor Sento
horror movie called “Sadako”
also wanted to add morecame out in Japanese cinemas.
psychological aspects in his
Anybody who is interested inmodern horror movies.
horror movies knows Sadako
Thus, we asked professor Sento
Yamamura's character and her
about Sadako and the image of
cursed video tape.
the long black haired women.
Sadako is a ghost, yuurei,
According to him, the oldmore precisely, an allegory ofrepresentation of woman
onryou or vengeful spirit. This
onryou with long black hair andkind of ghost targets the livinga funeral white dress is an
to take revenge against theimage of death as well as anwrong it received while alive.
image of on’nen. On’nen means
An onryou can harm or kill“a deep-seated grudge” ortheir targets, or even cause“hatred” that explodes like anatural disasters to takecurse when a person, often arevenge. There are different
woman, dies with a strong
kinds of onryou but the mostfeeling of sorrow or rage.
famous kind is the long black
When professor Sento
haired woman, popularized byexplained what he thinks about
the new wave of Kaidan Eiga
the symbolism, he said: “The(Japanese ghost movies) at thedeadly pale face of Sadako
end of the 90's.
reminds me of traditional Noh
Sadako Yamamura is themasks, especially masks usedmost famous representation offor ghost characters.” But hethe unkempt long black-haired
said that the face of the ghost
woman onryou, in a white
woman in “Don’t Look Up” wasburial kimono and with a
too visible and the hairstyle
deadly pale face. She firstwas too “directly opposite”. So
appeared in the movie “Thehe changed the style of Sadako
Ring” (1998).
in “The Ring” by hiding her face
So, How did it start ? Howwith the hair. However he let
is it different from the first “Thejust one eye visible, in referenceRing” film in terms of Sadako's
to Oiwa-san.
representation? What kind of“I was disappointed by the styledifferences are there betweenof my first ghost in “Don’t Look
classic kaidan eiga andUp”, so the reason for thecontemporary Japanese horror
change was physical, notmovies?
conceptual.” However, for theThose are the kind of
sequel “Rasen” he decided toquestions that we askedchange Sadako because he felt
Takenori Sento, the movie
that she became closer to a
producer who is also a visualmonster than a yuurei. So, in
media professor at Nagoya“Rasen” Sadako became more
University of Arts and Sciences.
realistic and sensual, like a
He contributed from thefemme fatale. “But the public
Abobe: The most famous archetype of Japanese ghost: Sadako Yamamura
beginning of the “Boom of Jonly remembers the first
Below: Professor Sento in front of posters of the movies he produced.
Horrors” in the 90's with 3
Sadako who became an iconic
major movies for the genre hecharacter.”produced: “Don't Look Up” (1996),
Regarding the difference between“The Ring” (1998) andclassic kaidan eiga and modern horror“Rasen” (1998).
movies, professor Sento said that theAt the very beginning, professor
concept of on’nen disappeared little bySento received a visit from Nakata
little in Japanese horror movies. “The
Hideo who worked for the Nikkatsu
reason is that Japanese horror movies
Company. He said he wanted to do aare increasingly influenced bydocumentary about Joseph Losey.
Hollywood. Japanese filmmakers try to
But professor Sento wanted toscare and to surprise the spectator withmake a modern Japanese horrora lot of jumpscares or violent scenes. In
movie, because until now there were
the first “The Ring” the fear came fromonly Kaidan Eiga in Japan; a movie
the cursed video.”with a ghost like Oiwa-san. “Before
Finally, he said: “Now, the figure ofmaking a documentary about Joseph
the zombie coming from American
Losey, could we make a horror
culture spread out into Japanese cinema
movie ? ” he asked Nakata-san. He
and replaced the ghosts of the dead who
accepted the proposal and withcome back to haunt the living because
professor Sento and anotherthey have a strong volition.”
filmmaker called Takahashi Hiroshi and a new of fear.”The original plot was a suspense novel,
What kind of surprise will the newteam was created to make modern horror
not a horror. So we wanted to change the“Sadako” movie currently in theaters bring? Is
movies. The first project was “Don't Look Up”
suspense into a horror to make a modern
Sadako represented like a traditional ghost
follwed by “The Ring”.
Japanese horror movie. And during the project
woman or rather like a monster as a lot of fans
It was professor Sento who brought the big the keyword was: Sadako will replace Oiwaexpect? Or maybe has she changed into a totaly
funds and the rights to use the story “The Ring” san”.
new form?
from the best-seller written by Suzuki Koji to“We grew up with foreign movies. A movie
The best way to find out is to watch themake ”The Ring” movie.
like “Suspiria” (1977) by Dario Argento was formovie by yourself. See you at the cinema!
First, the purpose was to bring a new kind me a true horror movie, because the fear wasAugust, 2019

Nagoya University of Foreign Studies(７) Subculture

Virtual Idol,ĂŝŽƵŵŽ͊zŽƵ͛ƌĞĂsŝƌƚƵĂůzŽƵdƵďĞƌ͍͊ĂŶƉĞŽƉůĞƚƌƵƐƚĂƉĞƌƐŽŶĂůŝƚǇƚŚĂƚŝƐŶΖƚƌĞĂů͍tŚĂƚĚŽĞƐŝƚƚĂŬĞƚŽĐƌĞĂƚĞĂŶĂƵƚŚĞŶƟĐǀŝƌƚƵĂůĂǀĂƚĂƌ͍by Brittney BARDSLEY-MARCIAL & Arianna WELLS & Yukako EGUCHI
lar because she is virtual, or because she has a nice personality?” Both groups agreed on it
being because she was virtual.
Her actual content seemed secondary. This aligns with what
dedicated Japanese viewers havesaid as well. In a Japanese article written by Matsumoto Atsushi, Kizuna Ai’s popularity is
attributed mainly to what she
offered as a YouTuber at thattime --- being a beautiful andcheerful young girl in a sea ofJapanese YouTubers doing comedy. Frankly, she offered something new.
Our next question, “Whydoes Japan have such a strong
interest in these kinds of characters?” In both groups, some explained that it was partially due
to the young schoolgirl look already being a part of Japaneseculture, through Hatsune Miku
and anime. The fifth question
Photos; above; An ideal setup for creating a VirMany YouTube videos focus on the exploits andbrought a lot of responses and debate: “How docreative musings of online entertainers andyou feel about VTubers gaining popularity
tual YouTuber, according to Xsens: ©Xsens, 2019vloggers. An unusual choice to content creation
across the world?” The Japanese largely felt posBelow; Brittany dressed up as Kizuna Ai during
comes in the form of Virtual YouTubers.
itive, feeling glad that technology had improved
Halloween 2018 at the NUFS Halloween Party.
“VTubers” are online entertainers who use
to spread their take on content creation. The
virtual avatars to represent themselves in theiranswers were less positive in the foreigners
videos, and upload them onto YouTube. The avagroup. Many felt concern over becoming attars are generated by computer software, whichtached to a fake personality, who could be voiced
uses movements and facial expressions recorded
and created by anyone. They couldn't trust awith motion capturing technology. Their voices
content creator who was anonymous, such as
are otherwise human.
Kizuna Ai. This attitude shows that westerners
No matter how experienced or unskilled avalue authenticity.
VTuber is, all of them need some form of animaFinally, our last question was “If VTubers
tion software.
are so popular in Japan and gaining popularity
We'll start with two apps. One of them isacross the world, how come other countries
the Puppemoji (puppet and emoji) app, available
aren’t making their own local VTubers?” Thereon the Apple store for iOS devices for freewere a variety of answers: What was popular in(iPhone X and up). It uses a face-mapping cama culture may not translate well to other culera to transform any face into an animated chartures, especially cultures who don't have a histoacter, complete with voice distortion and the rery with animation or virtual idols. It would becording of facial expressions. There is also Holodifficult for another creator to do more than Kilive, an app that is similar to Puppemoji, but canzuna Ai was doing already (gaming, singing,
be used on iPhone and Android devices.
cooking, DIY crafting, vlogging). The general
Wright Flyer Live Entertainment (WFLE)
consensus that VTubers aren’t being created insells the ability for anyone to become a VTuber.
other countries because said countries haven't
WFLE allows users to use their “REALITY” sercreated a need for them.
vice to create their own virtual avatar and
These interviews intended to explore alivestream said avatar directly to subscribers.
niche part of Japanese culture that could potenThey offer special tools to enhance fan interactially have a worldwide impact. Tech companies
tion, and allow VTubers to appear together on
are investing millions of yen into VTubers. Kizuthe same stream (without the users having to bena Ai's audience has almost doubled since early
physically together in real life).
2018. She has also shown up at conventions, on
VTubers are essentially virtual AIs, much
television, and in advertisements, and on merlike Hatsune Miku,one of the most famous virtuchandise across Japan and also across the world.
al idols. Are VTubers really well-known enoughOur group wanted to see if virtual YouTuto warrant potential failure? If so, what is their culture. Unusual things in Japanese society will bers could integrate into a more western audiappeal? Could they reach the success of
stick out more to western eyes, since theseence, and perhaps see how Japanese VTubers
Hatsune Miku, who's lasted for well over a dec- things don't really exist within our own cultures. like Kizuna Ai will progress. The Japanese seeade, is virtually (and literally) everywhere, and Their responses to the interview questions also
her in a more positive light and excitement foreven performs at concerts? To test this, myreflect this intrigue as well.
her success while the western side appears moregroup decided to ask questions concerning virtuOne of the first questions we asked wascautious. Could you see yourself viewing videos
al AIs to a group of 12 people (half being foreign- “Have you heard of virtual idols or virtualfrom Kizuna Ai as you do with real YouTubers
ers and half being Japanese).
YouTubers?” All of our Westerners responded
in the future? Are you interested in trying out
The first thing we discovered was that more yes, while only very few of our Japanese interthe software to create your own virtual avatar?
Westerners knew about Hatsune Miku and Kiviewees knew of them. We showed both groups a With an increase in accessibility, this may hapzuna Ai than native Japanese people. We believe couple videos of Kizuna Ai as an example. Our
pen sooner than you expect.
part of this is due to the uniqueness of Japanese next question, “Do you think Kizuna Ai is popu-

(８) City Topic

Nagoya University of Foreign Studies

August , 2019

Idols in Japan
Life of an Idol. ‘Anjo Shotengai Kanban Musume’
It’s hard work being perfect.
How do idols overcome this?
by Kainoa K. WRIGHT & Setsuka KUBOTA

The work which won the Grand Prix. The design
which emphasized S-curve is original.

Abobe: Anjo Shotengai Idol Kanban Musume
In the West, discussion of idols is next to nonAnjo Shotengai’s members.
dancing on stage.
existent. However, in East Asian countries idols
Idols in Japan require pristine images ofBelow: Their colorful shoes.
play a very unique role not only in the culture
themselves in order to sell their characters. As abut the communities created out of it. The focus
result, their social media accounts are often
of this topic is usually centered around the idols’heavily managed so that their image is mainfanbase. Hardly anyone talks about the idols
tained. We asked Anjo Shotengai about how
themselves. What is it like in the life of a Japathey manage their social media pages and blogs.
nese Idol? How does an idol handle their audiOne idol said that they don't write anything negence? What motivates them to continue pursuative on their social media because it reflects
ing their career? The rise of Japanese idol
negatively on the rest of their group. The mangroups has had a major impact on Japanese sociager of this group stated that there are in fact
ety and culture. However, what impact has thisrules that exist in regards to social media posts.
had in the idols’ personal lives?
Some specific rules being that, if you are in highIdols have only recently been prominent inschool, you may not post past midnight, nor talkJapanese culture and only started becoming
about test taking, and may not use direct mesknown around the late 1900s. Since then Japansaging on Twitter.
has seen many different variations of idol groups
Idols are constantly in the public eye. Eveemerge all around the country, along with their self was a fan of idol groups from a very young
ry aspect of their personas needs to meet strict
own type of “work culture”. In general, idols
age. So her parents and dance teacher encourstandards. As the industry continues to grow,must be able to pull in fans with more than just aged her to audition for Anjo’s idol group.
people will hopefully be able to see that idols
their singing and dancing. As a result, idols are
An idol’s job is to maintain a cheerful anddeserve the same respect as any other person. It
not only selling their merchandise and music,
lively persona, but they face challenges like any is easy to forget about the normalcies of life
but their personalities.
other person with a job. When asked about thewhen the people you look up to most seem conThe strength of a fanbase determines thebiggest challenge about being an idol, Rui saidveniently content, but each and every person
longevity of an idol group. To learn more aboutthat it's hard to balance her school and idol life, with a career has something driving them when
the topic we interviewed a local idol group from especially when there is a test coming up. She
the curtains close. With any type of celebrity thethe town of Anjo named “Anjo Shotengai Idol
says that it can be hard to find time to study on choice has to be made on how to interact with
Kanban Musume”. When asked about what
the weekends as idol activities are often held on the fans and how to connect with those who only
made them want to be an idol, one member, Ka- Saturday and Sunday. Idols must work to make see what is being shown to them at face value.
non, said that she wanted people to know moresure that their focus on schools does not disapabout what made her town special. What inpoint fans. Even if a big test is approaching, fansspires people to become an idol can vary greatly. will still want to see their favorite groups perEditor in Chief: Kazuhiko KOJIMA
Anzu, another member, said that her main rea- form. Finding the right balance between their
Adviser: Hiroko TOKUMOTO
son for choosing to be an idol was that she heridol group and school is a challenge for many of Proofreader: Jakub MARSZALENKO