The Japan Society Review 41
Book, Stage, Movie, Arts and Events Review

Issue 41 Volume 7 Number 5 (October 2012)

Rainbow streets
Ali Muskett explores Japanese fashion
Getting to know the Otaku
Lucy Searles faces up to a stereotype

Meehan attended a special charity viewing of Mitsuko Delivers
that was shown at the ICA on the anniversary of the 2011 Great
East Japan Earthquake. This film focuses on the life of a young,carefree but pregnant girl who, despite having no boyfriend,job or money, never loses her positive outlook on life andactively helps other people. Afterwards, Cortazzi reviews
another book that illustrates the viewpoint of a foreigner
observing Japanese customs and curiosities from his commuteon the Odakyu railway line. Next Ali Muskett considers a Japan
guidebook written for foreigners by a foreigner and then Susan
Meehan finishes this issue with a film review of a romantic story
surrounding a young photographer and three contrasting
women.
Michael Sullivan (Guest Editor), October 2012

This issue focuses on the young people of Japanese society
through the eyes of both foreigners and the Japanese
themselves. Sir Hugh Cortazzi starts off the issue with a review
of Reimagining Japan, The Quest for a Future That Works
which, as he highlights, covers the far-ranging challenges
that Japan faces, such as inadequate leadership as well as
young people who stay at home (not just their family home,
but also don’t venture abroad) and lack the necessary skills to
help revive the economy. Ali Muskett and Lucy Searles follow
this up with reviews of books covering alternative culture in
Japan; Japanese street style fashion and the infamous Otaku.
Ali finds that we should start raising questions about why
teenage culture, in relation to clothes, displays such creativity
in a country famous for conformity, while Lucy believes thatthe people labelled as Otaku are greatly misunderstood. Susan

1) Reimagining Japan, The Quest for a Future That Works
2) Japanese Street Style
3) Otaku Spaces
4) Mitsuko Delivers...........................................................

................................................................................................................................................................................................

Contents

5) Tokyo Commute, Japanese Customs and way of Life viewed fromthe Odakyu Line

6) A Gaijin’s Guide to Japan
7) Tokyo Park8) The Japanese Consumer, An Alternative Economic History ofModern Japan

EditorSean Curtin
Managing Editor
Jack Cooke
Staff Reviewers
Susan Meehan and Michael Sullivan
Special Reviewer
Sir Hugh Cortazzi
New reviewswww.japansociety.org.uk/resources/the-japan-society-review

Reimagining Japan The
Quest for a Future That
Works,
edited by McKinsey &Company
VIZ Media, LLC, San Francisco,2011
448 pages, $38.99
ISBN: 13:978-1-4215-4086-3
Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
This book brings together
essays about Japan and its future by almost ninety
different authors. The non-Japanese authors include
journalists such as Bill Emmott, academics such as John
Dower, Gerald Curtis and Ezra Vogel, authors such as Ian
Buruma and Pico Iyer, investment analysts such as Peter
Tasker and Jasper Koll, as well as industrialists such as
Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan. Japanese authors
come from all walks of life; industrialists include Masahiro
Sakane, the chairman of Komatsu, Yasuchika Hasegawa,the CEO of Takeda, Motoya Okada, the president of
AEON, Masayoshi Son, the CEO of Softbank, plus writers,
journalists, and sportsmen.
The chapter headings include some all embracing
themes such as ‘Renewal’ ‘Rethinking Japan’s Past – andFuture,’ ‘Restructuring Japan INC.’ and ‘Re-engaging
with the World.’ It is perhaps inevitable that with somany authors and themes the book is a pot-pourri andthere is good deal of repetition.
While there is fairly general agreement on the need forchange and new leadership there is no consensus on
how change is to be achieved.
The introduction by Dominic Barton sets out the main
themes. Many of the contributors note the reluctanceof young Japanese ‘to venture outside the safe cocoonof Japan.’ The Tohoku earthquake and the subsequenttsunami and nuclear disaster must surely have shaken
the idea that Japan is such a safe place: the disasters
could act as a catalyst for change.
Japan still lacks the necessary openness to the outside
world and there are signs that the sakoku [鎖国]mentality has not disappeared. Japanese continue to
see themselves as unique. This belief seems to lie behind
what has been called the ‘Galapagos Syndrome’ which
has led some companies to make products for theJapanese market which do not conform to international
standards.
Glenn Fukushima in an essay entitled ‘Unlocking Sakoku’notes that ‘Japan has the lowest level of inward foreigndirect investment in the OECD – by far.’ Tadashi Yanai,president of Fast Retailing, declares that ‘My Advice
to young people is simple: get out of Japan.’ But will
they? Masahiro Yamada points out in an essay entitled
2‘The Young and the Hopeless’ that ‘eighty percent of
unmarried Japanese between 18 and 35 live with theirparents.’ Bill Emmott in his essay headed ‘A Tale of Two
Futures’ thinks that ‘a quiet life amid genteel decline
could look tempting to many Japanese.’
Many contributors are concerned that Japan’s education
system does not encourage creativity and innovation.
Kazuhiro Fujihara, who came from business to serve as aprincipal in a Japanese junior high school, declares that
‘Japan is still educating children as it did fifty years ago.’
Japanese universities are no longer among the best in
the world.
Apart from more openness Japan needs to become
more diverse. Japanese codes of conduct designed topreserve harmony helped Japanese people to endure
the recent disasters. But ‘homogeneity can also be adisadvantage.’
The standard of English in Japanese companies basedin Japan is comparatively poor. ‘Japanese companies
do not reward staffs for their overseas experience or
qualifications and do not compete effectively to recruit
the ablest from abroad.’
Japanese companies do not make good use of Japanese
female talent. William H. Saito points out in an essayon ‘Expanding Japan’s social capital’ that ‘women holda minuscule 1.4 per cent of the board seats in Japan’s
leading companies, less than in Oman, Jordan andKuwait.’Japanese are proud of their manufacturing expertise,
but Japan can no longer compete in labour-intensive
industries. The productivity of Japanese service
industries is low and as one economist points out ‘such
inefficiency saps competitiveness.’
Richard Katz considers that a fundamental issue holdingback change is that ‘In Japan a workers primary social
safety net is his job. That creates tremendous politicalpressure to keep moribund and mediocre firms going.’
In a chapter entitled ‘Japan’s Globalization imperative’
three authors point out that ‘Japan accounted for 35
percent of the Fortune Global 500’s revenues in 1995
– and only 13 per cent in 2009,’ but they assert that ‘thesleeping giant that is Japan Inc has begun to awaken.’
Many authors bemoan the failures of Japanesepoliticians to provide adequate leadership. Changes
must be made and can be made as was demonstrated
so clearly in the Meiji period. The message is not new
but weak governments and inflexible superannuatedleaders have lacked the necessary sense of urgency.
Ordinary Japanese are increasingly dissatisfied withthe status quo and a few realists, ready to confront
the old guard, may now be coming to the fore. Gerald
Curtis declares that ‘The daunting reality is that Japan’s
political system is in the midst of a period of “creative
destruction.”’ He notes that the ‘close governmentbusiness relationship no longer exists. Fortunately
Issue 41 Volume 7 Number 5 (October 2012)

Japanese companies are no longer willing to accept
old-style administrative guidance.’
Japan’s demographic problems are highlighted by many
contributors. Various measures to deal with the ageing
society and a declining population are discussed, but
none seem likely to reverse current trends. Jasper Koll
asks: ‘Can it be that the combination of demographic
destiny, entrenched vested interests, and cultural
stubbornness leaves no other outcome but the relative
and absolute decline of a once great national economy?’
But he and others are reluctant to be too pessimistic.
Klaus Schwab reminds us that ‘twenty-one percent ofpatents granted in the US in 2009 were from Japan– equivalent to the shares of Germany, South Korea,
Taiwan, Canada, United Kingdom, France and China
combined.’ Stephen S. Roach thinks that ‘corporate
Japan has finally come to grips with tough competitive
challenges,’ although he notes that ‘gains in total factor
productivity averaged just 0.2 percent per year from
1991-2000, down from the 2.4 per cent average from
1983-1991.’‘. . . while the challenges facing Japan are
daunting the future need not be as bleak asJapanese demographics suggest.’
The nuclear issue features in many essays. The
Fukushima disaster has exacerbated Japan’s nuclear
allergy. Solar power and other alternative methodsof generating power can be harnessed but without
nuclear Japan will be unable to meet its climate charge
targets.
Some contributors focus on foreign policy issues
including relations with the US and with China. Hitoshi
Tanaka in an essay ‘Forging partnership with China’points out that ‘Japan is becoming less important toChina, while China is becoming more important toJapan.’ In an essay entitled ‘The Diplomacy Deficit’Paul Blustein takes the view that ‘Repeated bouts ofeconomic recession and stagnation over the past two
decades have sapped Japan’s already modest capacity
for exerting influence oversea . . . Nowhere is Japan’s
relative weakness more evident than in the WTO (World
trade Organization).’The overall message of this thought provoking
collection of essays is that while the challenges facing
Japan are daunting the future need not be as bleak asJapanese demographics suggest. The non-Japanese
authors sometimes seem more optimistic than someof the Japanese contributors. Japan clearly has manyfriends overseas.

Issue 41 Volume 7 Number 5 (October 2012)

Japanese Street Styleby Pat Lyttle
Bloomsbury/A&C Black, 2012
128 pages, £19.99
ISBN: 978-1-4081-5671-1
Review by Ali Muskett

Japanese Street Style claims tobe ‘the first book of its kind to
showcase the most innovativeand cutting-edge looks in Japan today.’ There certainly
does seem to have been a gap in the market since Fruits
and Fresh Fruits (Shoichi Aoki, Phaidon, 2001 & 2005),
although many fans of Japanese street fashion would
probably rather fill that gap with the latest fashion
magazines and websites, rather than fork out £19.99
for a book of glossy photographs. That said, JapaneseStreet Style is a gorgeous, colourful book, which would
certainly brighten up any fashion-fan’s Muji coffee
table.
The photographer, Pat Lyttle, started out as a chef
specialising in Japanese cuisine, but soon realised hewas more at home in the world of fashion. Althoughuntrained as a photographer, he has photographedsome of the biggest celebrity names, including Betty
Davis and Joan Collins. Now Lyttle focuses on fashion,in particular Japanese street fashion, and has a website
and blog called JStreetstyle.
The majority of the pages of Japanese Street Styleare taken up with pictures of young Japanese people
posing in the latest street fashion trends. Poses range
from sultry and pouty, to happy-go-lucky and leaping in
the air. Many are making peace-signs with their fingers– I counted at least 32 peace-signs throughout the book– and this does become a little wearying. I suppose
it’s just a reflection of Japanese street style and youth
culture though, and I don’t blame the photographer forthis lack of creativity.
The fashion tribes and trends which the book covers
include: Lolita (Classical, Gothic, Elegant, Punk, Sweet,
Guro and Male), Dolly Kei, Kogal or Kogyaru, Ganguro,
Date Megane, Kigurumi, Visual Kei, and Decora. Brief
explanations of the styles are included at the beginningof the book, although the pictures beside them don’t
seem to match up, and aren’t labelled. It would havebeen nice to have included a small example picturewith each explanation – this is a photo book, after all.
Pat Lyttle is an excellent fashion photographer, andmanages to convey the spirit of his subjects’ charactersin his pictures. These young people are burstingwith life and energy, and generally look thrilled tobe photographed. Lyttle believes that, ‘Style is anexpression of one’s feelings – how you feel and how
you choose to display those feelings visually,’ andcertainly captures that essence in his photographs. In
3the book’s introduction he also notes that, ‘In Japanesesociety individuality has traditionally been viewed as lessof a positive thing while the group identity is strongly
encouraged. [ . . . ] But in Tokyo or Osaka you’ll findpossibly the largest concentration of individual styleon the planet, a unique teenage culture of individual
self-expression that seeks neither understanding nor
approval, but just to be itself.’ Japan is a country which
lives by the expression ‘The nail that sticks up will behammered down’ (出る釘は打たれる), so some people
might be surprised to see the wild fashion trends thatare becoming popular among young people in Japan
today. Seeing the creativity in some of these outfits –not just wearing a dress off-the-rack, but adapting andcustomising it to express something – makes me think
we should be paying more attention to the youth ofJapan, because they obviously have something to say.
While I simply can’t fault the photos in Japanese Street
Style, I found that the captions beside them didn’t always
adequately explain what fashion trend I was looking
at. This led me to wonder what the exact purpose ofthis book is – should I be learning something about
street fashion, or simply lusting after gorgeous clothes,accessories and shoes (oh my, the shoes!). If it’s the latter,then bravo Pat Lyttle. However, if it’s the former, I didfind the text lacking in places. Some captions describe
the outfits worn, including fashion brands and eventhe names of the models, whereas other photos arecompletely captionless, or include captions with odd
little bits of rhyme that I found wholly unnecessary andgrating (‘Four girls from Ame Mura lined up in a row.
Dressed in so many colours from their head to their toes’).
Throughout the book, the quality of the writing
simply doesn’t match the quality of the photographs.
Lyttle writes enthusiastically, showing his passion forJapanese street style, but his words seem to be based
more on opinion than research. In addition, the editing
and proof-reading throughout the book are, quite
frankly, sloppy. At the beginning of the book the blurb
about Punk Lolita appears on two different pages,
containing different information. Later in the book, two
captions have been switched, so that the descriptionof two Lolitas in the brand Baby the Stars Shine Brightsits beside an image of two Visual Kei girls splatteredin red paint. I had a sense of dejavu when I realisedthat one picture of some pretty pink rose shoes was
repeated on two separate pages. As gorgeous as theshoes were, I didn’t need to see them twice. And thenthere’s the reference to Dolly Kei ‘Taking its visual queue[sic] from Eastern European folklore and fairytales.’Otaku Spaces
by Patrick Galbraith
Chin Music Press, Seattle, 2012
240 pages, £15.99
ISBN: 9780984457656
Review by Lucy Searles
For many, even for theJapanese themselves, theconcept of the otaku is stillsomething misunderstood and often, misrepresented.
Despite a number of academic works being produced on
the idea; works that seek to define who otaku are, theirconsuming habits and the reasons for their interests, theotaku still remains a mystery and a source of fascination
for many in the west and in Japan. Otaku Spaces is a bookthat attempts to dispel some of these misconceptions by,rather than seeking to define what an otaku is, allowing
these people who are considered to have otaku interests,
to discuss their hobbies and the rationale behind them.
In many of the interviews, for example the interview withthe ‘race queen’ and model Mariru Harida, the idea of an
otaku as an anti-social and unfashionable person is totallydispelled – while her interests are reading manga andcollecting the related paraphernalia, the woman goesagainst the very definition of otaku that is explained as
the stereotype in the book’s introduction.
Galbraith begins by detailing the emergence of theconcept of an otaku – describing them as someone (while
there are female otaku’s, it is something that is generally
associated with males) who devotes their life to anime,
manga and games, who shuns work and responsibilities
and spends huge amounts of money collecting andobsessing on their hobbies. The book then goes onto

All in all, Japanese Street Style is a bright, funbook containing interesting, beautifully shot
photographs full of character and energy. But, if
you’re looking for a place to learn about Japanesestreet style and fashion, I wouldn’t rely on this book.

4

Issue 41 Volume 7 Number 5 (October 2012)

describe the origins of the word and its use in Japanesesociety, briefly touching on the spread of the otaku
concept into the west. While this is important backgroundinformation, it is not an exhaustive study of the otaku,
and while a lot more could be offered on the topic the
purpose of the book is not for Galbraith to explain his
theories on what the otaku is, but rather to allow for thepeople themselves to help explain what being an otaku isto them. The book then moves onto the most interesting
section – the interviews and a look into the private spacesof the otaku.
While the interviews do demonstrate the expected otaku
images, the girlfriendless men who have hundreds offigurines of scantily clad teenage girls and the infamous‘hugging pillows’ that display young anime women,
they also offer some surprising insights. For example theinterview with Ryosuke Watanabe, who collects bannedmaterials – from Aum memorabilia to Japanese bike gangstickers and KKK badges, comes as an interesting contrast
with the anime obsessed interviewees later in the book,yet he expresses similar affections for his collection as theothers do – statements that confirm the otaku stereotypes
Galbraith describes in the introduction.
An interesting twist to the interview sections is theinclusion of the interviews with academics on the subject,
but also the interview with western otaku and Internet
celebrity Danny Choo. Choo, who himself writes on thesubject of the otaku on his website dannychoo.com froma personal perspective, offers an insight into otaku culture
as a western outsider who became interested in animeand manga, and whose interview is entertaining andinsightful.
Galbraith then discusses the public spaces of the otaku,
outlining the various Mecca across Japan that cater
exclusively to the diverse tastes of the nation’s otaku
consumers. The vivid descriptions serve more as a travel
guide than offering an in depth history, with the exceptionof the section on Akihabara, but by describing the public
spaces of the otaku, Galbraith is able to explain not only
the growth of otaku culture, but to show how it is steadily
becoming a more recognized sub-culture within Japan.
A highlight of Otaku Spaces is, of course, the beautiful
photographs that the book contains. From the brightly
coloured images of the rooms of the interviewees,
surrounded by their interests and hobbies to thewonderfully rich photographs of stores, cosplaying
teenagers and busy city scenes. A particularly wonderfulimage is the photograph of the cosplaying teenagers
at Nippombashi’s Street Festa, where the vibrant anime
characters stand out against the drab hustle and bustleof the city behind them. The photographs, which comecourtesy of the Tokyo-based photographer Androniki
Christodoulou, take the book from being simply an
academic analysis of the space of ‘otaku-ness’ to being
a wonderful celebration of it and widening the generalappeal of the book from a niche interest into something
Issue 41 Volume 7 Number 5 (October 2012)anyone interested in Japanese culture and photography
can access.
Galbraith has a brilliant knowledge on the subculture of
the otaku, and Otaku Spaces is a wonderful starting point
for anyone interested in this area of Japanese culture,whether it be academically or just from a personal interest.
The book is well referenced, providing plenty of food forthought and opportunities to pursue reading on the topic,
and the abundant photographs throughout the book put
a face to the interviewees – offering an even clearer peekinto the personal lives of this misunderstood group.

Mitsuko Delivers [ハラがコレなんで]Directed by Yuya Ishii
2011, 109 mins
Review by Susan Meehan

Mitsuko Delivers - the title
made me think of the very
funny film by the same
director with a similar title,
Sawako Decides [川の底から こんにちは] and it did
dispense the same style
good humour and feel good factor.
The screening at the ICA (11 March 2012), a year to the
day after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and a charity
showing organised by Adam Torel, Director of Third
Window Films, was a complete sell-out. Adam introduced
the film and said that the money raised would be donatedto the Fukushima International Festival for Children’s
Future. He also had DVDs on sale at a reduced price toraise money for the same cause. His initiative was rightfully
acknowledged with thunderous applause. He chose toshow Mitsuko Delivers due to its upbeat positive message
and because the film wraps up in Fukushima.
Mitsuko is pregnant and alone. We see photos of burly
American soldiers on one of her walls at home and assume
that one of them has knocked her up and dumped her.
She remains surprisingly undaunted and spirited.

‘For plucky Mitsuko everything is, quite
simply, either cool (iki) or uncool.’
She calls her parents and they have a cursory chat. They
are much happier to hear Mitsuko than she is to talk tothem. After confirming that all is well in California, she
hangs up. California?! Popping out of her flat, the familiar
Japanese landscape immediately becomes apparent.
She lives in a flat in Tokyo and pays a visit to her Japanese
doctor who pronounces that her delivery will mostprobably be tough as the pregnancy hasn’t ever reallysettled. The ever-optimistic Mitsuko pronounces she’ll be5fine and returns home.
Mitsuko clears out her flat and, with less than ¥300, walks
out following in the direction of the wind. Handing overher money to an unemployed man she is completely
broke and cannot even afford the taxi which takes her
to the modest working class alley where she lived as akid over 15 years ago. She barges in on the now rather
elderly and bedridden landlady, Kayo, who takes her in.
Settling back in, Mitsuko then goes to ‘Yoichi’s restaurant’for a generous helping of food.
For plucky Mitsuko everything is, quite simply, either
cool (iki) or uncool. Friendship is cool, a sour face is notcool; being dumped by her American lover is definitely
uncool. Though the landlady chastises her for her use of‘iki,’15 years back, in the years soon after the economic
bubble had burst, it was she who exhorted everyone tolive a ‘cool’ life and to help each other. Her mantras were
humanity and cool. Fifteen years on, all Kayo’s tenants inthe alley have left to buy their own flats, leaving her in thelurch.
Mitsuko and her parents had sojourned in the working
class alley only temporarily while waiting to be able toreopen their pachinko parlour. As they leave, little Yoichi
tells Mitsuko that they’ll marry when they’re older because
he loves her.
Back to the present, Yoichi is on ‘granny’ duty and visitsKayo. ‘That’s cool,’ observes Mitsuko, noticing that‘humanity’ has not totally disappeared. As Yoichi leaves
he announces that he will look after Mitsuko’s baby; she’s‘cool’ with that.
Mitsuko starts helping out at the restaurant by cleaning
tables and going out onto the street to pull in clients. She
turns around the ailing restaurant and proceeds to findother people to help.
Yoichi wants to marry Mitsuko but can’t. He wasabandoned as a kid and taken in by his kindly ‘uncle’ Jiro
who has cared for him ever since and, consequently, nevermarried. Mitsuko dreams up a plan and takes matters into
her own hands in order to encourage uncle Jiro to marryhis sweetheart, a coffee shop owner. She is in the midstof sorting out the lives of Jiro, his sweetheart, her son,
Kayo and Yoichi when she notices her parents are in thetenement. They’ve returned as their pachinko parlour has
failed again. They are stunned at seeing a heavily pregnant
Mistuko.
A bun fight ensues with the parents wanting an
explanation, Yoichi standing up for Mitsuko, Kayo notwanting to go to Fukushima, Jiro declining to marry thecoffee shop owner, Yoichi proclaiming that he will marryher instead and on and on.
Taking control and making everyone shut up, Mitsuko
drives them all to Fukushima, where the coffee shop
owner’s ill mother lives. A revived Kayo tells her that her
condition is all in her mind, Jiro finally asks for the coffee
shop owner’s hand. Mitsuko formidable as always will6

continue to look out for Yoichi and, in the middle ofbucolic Fukushima fields, having sorted everyone’s lives
out, she is about to deliver!
Good and hilarious in parts and despite having a ballsy
and gorgeous heroine, Mitsuko Delivers has, on thewhole, a weak plot and no character development. It
is also predictable and too long to hold one’s attention
throughout.

Tokyo Commute,
Japanese Customs andway of Life viewed fromthe Odakyu Line
by A. Robert Lee
Renaissance Books, Folkestone,
2011
214 pages including glossary,£16.00ISBN 978-1-89823-06-3
Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
This is a fun book containing amusing vignettes. Readers
who have lived in the Tokyo suburbs and commuted
daily on one of the many private railway lines may
well feel nostalgic when they look at this little book.
The author used to commute on the Odakyu line to
the Shinjuku concourse from Mukōgaoka station. He
observed with amusement the daily scenes and thenotices in Japanese English. These may no longer
be quite as absurd as those recorded by Basil Hall
Chamberlain in late Meiji Japan under ‘English as she
is Japped’ in his compendium of Things Japanese, butthey can still raise a smile and sometimes bewilderment.
Outside a bread shop Lee saw a sign reading ‘Scandinavia’s
Smell.’ On a truck belonging to Zest Bakery the following
was painted on the sides; ‘The secret of delicious is athing flatly crushed when eating. The delicious sourcethat exists so on the inside is spread in the whole.’ Likeother foreigners he found the names ‘Pocari Sweat’and ‘Calpis’ for soft drinks unappealing. The advert ‘Kirin
sparkling hop’ raised an eyebrow. He was amused bya notice in the train which instructed him to ‘Be carefulin case of an emergency stop being made to avoid
an accident’ and by a temporary notice while repairs
were being made which instructed him: ‘Please use
elevator to go up to the underground concourse.’
Some advertisements by Japanese companies struck
him as odd ‘Bridgestone –Let’s green drive,’ but foreigncompanies could be equally strange e.g. ‘BraunMorning Report.’ In Narita duty free he saw the following
notices ‘Be nice or leave hanging pendant,’ ‘Diesel
Issue 41 Volume 7 Number 5 (October 2012)Male Perfume: Evel for life.’ A shop selling Shiseido
cosmetics had some ‘Shimmer black eye palette.’
Some of the conversations which he overheard and which
he describes as ‘Plain old-fashioned, non-stop natter’
often sounded peculiar. Of course practically everyone
was constantly on their mobiles (keitai in Japanese)
Lee includes many literary allusions which may appeal
to some intellectual readers. He describes various
excursions and local sites, but this is not a guidebook. The drawings are evocative. Overall the bookwould have been improved by more rigorous editing.
This book is likely to appeal more to old Japan
hands than to someone who has never been
to Japan and who might find it puzzling.

A Gaijin’s Guide to Japanby Ben Stevens
The Friday Project, 2009272 pages
ISBN-10 1906321213
Review by Ali Muskett
A Gaijin’s Guide to Japan isa fine place to start if you
have a mild interest in Japan
which needs nurturing.
However, if you’re alreadya bit of a Japanophile, it
might not be the best bookfor you to read. It is written in an A-Z format, and doesn’treally go into any one topic in much depth (‘Buddhism’
is a mere three pages, for example, while ‘sushi‘ barely
makes a page).
As a comment on style, I would like to note that theauthor tends to use a strange mixture of spellings ofJapanese words, which results in some entries being
found in slightly bizarre places. For example, the entry
about ‘Capsule Hotels’ isn’t found under ‘C’ where I
would expect to find it, or even under ‘H’ for hotel.
It’s under ‘K.’ Why? Because the Japanese spelling for
capsule hotel is “kapuseru hoteru” (written as カプセルホテル in katakana). But, to be honest, the average ‘gaijin’reading this book probably isn’t going to know that.
This is a book written for foreigners – foreigners who areinterested in Japan but feel they need an A-Z guide – soI don’t think it’s very sensible to order things by their
Japanese spelling (unless they are recognised words,
such as sushi or kimono). I wouldn’t mind so much if he
was consistent (although I would still disagree with the
choice). However, ‘Kapuseru Hoteru’ (Capsule Hotel),‘Chikatetsu Sarin Jiken’ [地下鉄サリン事件] (Subway
Sarin Incident, which does at least have the English
Issue 41 Volume 7 Number 5 (October 2012)translation, although it’s still under ‘C’), ‘Sarariman’ [サラリーマン] (Salaryman) and ‘Hosutesu Bar’ [ホステスバー] (Hostess Bar) are all under their Japanese spellings.
So why then use the correct English spelling for otherentries, such as ‘Taxis’ or ‘Golf,’ which can be written in
katakana, too. And why can I find shrine under ‘J’ for‘Jinja’ [神社] (the Japanese word for shrine) but temples
under ‘Temples’, not ‘(o)tera’ [お寺] (the Japanese word).
It just isn’t consistent.
Another comment on style, is regarding listing by
surname. Of course, I can’t dispute that ‘David Beckham’(who, believe it or not, makes an appearance in this bookalong with Cameron Diaz) be listed under ‘B’. However,Japanese pop-punk band ‘Shonen Knife‘ [少年ナイフ]
can be found under ‘K’ – ‘Knife, Shonen’. Isn’t that likelisting the Sex Pistols under ‘Pistols, Sex’?!
As a final comment on style, I must add that I would love
to have a chat with the copy-editors on this book, as I
noticed a number of simple errors whilst reading (to list
just one example, on page 28, ‘packed Toyo commuter
trains’, I assume, should read ‘Tokyo commuter trains’).
However, this was a review copy, so I guess there’s achance this was an early print.
Ben Stevens only lived in Japan for about a year I
think, although according to his website he returns
to Nagasaki every year, presumably to see his wife’s
family. I don’t doubt that he knows a lot about Japan,
and I’m sure his Japanese is probably better than mine
(having a Japanese wife usually helps with that!), but I
still think that one year’s experience does not maketh
a comprehensive A-Z guide on Japan! I feel there aremany glaring oversights in this book and, whilst I amaware that, of course, not everything can be included,
I wonder how Stevens could have missed such entries
as ‘Omamori’ [御守] (or, ‘Good luck charms’ – the kind
you buy at shrines) or ‘Eikaiwa’ [英会話] (or, ‘English
Conversation Schools’), which would surely interest
the typical reader of this book. There is an entry for‘Sensu’ [扇子] (the Japanese folding fan), but I don’trecall seeing any mention at all of ‘Uchiwa’ [うちわ],the popular Japanese flat fan, which everyone uses atsummer festivals. Even if it’s not worthy of its own entry,
I would be inclined to give it a mention under ‘Sensu’.
(And, this is a personal gripe, which I understand isn’t
important to most people . . . On page 92, Stevens
mentions Kit Kats, but fails to mention that there are,in fact, many interesting and bizarre regional flavoursof Kit Kat in Japan. He simply mentions the green tea
flavoured ones. He’s missing out if he hasn’t experienced
Hokkaido’s ‘Jagga Butter’ [じゃがバター味 キットカット](jacket potato with butter) flavoured Kit Kats!
A Gaijin’s Guide to Japan is supposed to be a light,
amusing read. But I found the humour pretty hitor-miss, and at times I found the author’s attitude
towards Japanese culture and customs, quite frankly,
insulting. Insulting to the Japanese, and insulting to7other foreigners living in Japan and actually wanting tolearn about the culture and experience new things. For
example, at the end of the short entry on ‘Keigo’ [敬語](or, honorific speech), the author writes ‘However, don’t
worry about it if you’re a gaijin, as it’s yet another thing
you’re not supposed to know the slightest thing about.’
OK. If you say so, Mr. Stevens. As the old saying goes,‘you can’t judge a book by the cover,’ but this book does
have an awesome cover.

At the jazz bar where Koji works in the evenings wealso encounter his beautiful sister Misaki, dextrously
played by Manami Konishi [小西真奈美]. Misaki, who
has always looked out for her adorable brother who isnine years younger, turns out to be his step-sister. She
also, it transcends, has unresolved feelings for him.

Tokyo Park (東京公園)

It is at this juncture that Koji phones Matsushima toquit his assignment and resolves his affairs much tothe viewers’ delight.

directed by Shinji
Aoyama (青山 真治)
2011, 119 minutes
Review by Susan Meehan

While Koji continues his spiral tour of Tokyo parks,
he gradually becomes aware of the need to sort out
some of his own sentimental affairs. The assignmentis, in many ways, a kind of maze which Koji successfully
navigates, ably finding the end point.

All in all, this is a light and enjoyable film with plentyof zany and metaphysical moments and a good jazzsound score to boot.

Tokyo Park, based on anovel by Shoji Yukiya[小路幸也], opens with
university student andaspiring photographer
Koji, played by risingheart-throb
HarumaMiura (三浦 春馬), taking
photos in a Tokyo park.
He directs his lens towards a beautiful woman pushinga pram (played by Haruka Igawa [井川遥]) and, unable
to ignore her, snaps away. There is just enough time toinstinctively flinch at this breach of privacy before Koji
is confronted by Takashi Matsushima, played by Hiroshi
Takahashi [高橋洋]. Matsushima chastises carefree Koji
for taking photos without permission, but proceeds
to call him the next day asking him to tail the woman
and baby who pick a different park to walk in each day.
This assignment is to become Koji’s day job; he is totake photographs and email them to Matsushima ona daily basis.

‘While Koji continues his spiral tour ofTokyo parks, he gradually becomes awareof the need to sort out some of his own
sentimental affairs.’

Following Koji in pursuit of his photographic targets
who continue to chastely keep to themselves, it iseasy to wonder whether Koji is falling in love withthe mother and whether that is what Matsushima
had intended from the start – playing the victim andfurther adding to his jealousy and angst. Koji seems to
enjoy and pursue the project as something more thanjust a job.

* Susan Meehan gets up close with author Kazuo
Ishiguro.

This film was shown at the Premiere Japan 2011 eventat the Barbican and was preceded by an original shortfilms by students from the University of the Arts London.
All films in Premiere Japan 2011 were preceded byoriginal short films by students from the University of
the Arts London. Unfortunately I only watched the firstone, ‘A Day in Regent’s Place Museum’ by Ami Kanki
in its entirety. It is light, funny and superb playfully
showing how people interact with the structures near
Regent’s Place; a fountain and an Antony Gormley
statue feature.

In the next issue . . .

* Hugh Cortazzi examines the many etchings of
Bernard Leach.

Love and isolation are central to the film and areoften talked about by Koji with his goofy friend Miyu,
beautifully acted by Nana Eikura [榮倉 奈々], by far thefilm’s most engaging character. As well as hobblingaround on crutches, uninjured but practising how to
use crutches should she ever need to use them, she
generally amuses Koji with her zaniness. Deep down,
however, she cannot get over the loss of her boyfriend
and Koji’s best friend, Hiro (Shota Sometani –染谷 将太) or can she?
8

Issue 41 Volume 7 Number 5 (October 2012)