Japan

I have always been enamored by Japan. It is my favorite country of Mongoloid natives. There are many facets of Japan that fascinate me.

I appreciate anime culture. I have to admit that I am not yet well-versed in anime as I would like to be, but I plan to get well-versed in the next few years. Anime is a genre all on its own. My former suitemate told me that even though anime involves Japanese characters, the characters have different colored hair.

I have, however, watched a few episodes of the American version of Sailor Moon where the girl is named Serena and has a cat named Luna. However, I plan on watching the whole series in the original Japanese uncut version. I hope to get the series DVD. I appreciate the fantasy and magic of the series. I love that the heroines have sailor names and are dressed in different colored sailor outfits. I hope to own the different colored sailor costumes one day. I also love the moon! I read on Wikipedia that Sailor Moon is a very sensitive girl. I was going through an emotional period and appreciated and empathized that Sailor Moon cries a lot because I was crying a lot those days. I also like that Sailor Moon does not get the best grades because I do not think that heroines have to be perfect.

I have watched the dubbed fantasy anime movies, Princess Mononoke and Paprika 4 1/2 years ago. I remember that I really enjoyed them since they were of the fantasy genre. I like that Princess Mononoke is about animals and that Paprika is about dreams, psychology, and inner lives. I plan to watch the original Japanese versions.

I would like to familiarize myself with Japanese live action movies, particularly Japanese romances. My friend, Veronica told me that in Japanese romance movies, the conservative culture is reflected in how there is rarely kissing.

Another facet of Japanese culture that fascinates me is Lolita fashion. I love how Japan is intrigued by English Victorian culture (a culture that I am fascinated by) and strives to emulate it in Lolita culture. The Lolita subsets include Classic Lolita, Sweet Lolita, Gothic Lolita, and Fairy Lolita. I especially like Sweet Lolita since it is so girly and cutesy and most Victorian and Fairy Lolita since it is so magical. Some of Lolita fashion derives from the Victorian Alice in Wonderland. My friend, Ginny told me that Lolita fashion has the aim of a sexual fetish--that it strives for the appearance of sweetness and innocence for sexual appeal. She told me that it derives from the title character in Lolita who is sexually appealing as a child. I told her that I like to incorporate the fashion since I like to have a sweet & innocence persona & I find the style beautiful. She told me that that's fine; as long as I am doing it for myself and not to attract a sexual fetish. I like the bonnets, bows, dresses and accessory dolls and lollipops of Sweet Lolita fashion. Once while walking in the streets of NYC, I saw two grown women dressed in pretty frocks and carrying dolls in one arm. I really hope that I can buy enough Lolita outfits when I have the money. I already have two jumper dresses with Alice on them and two matching bonnets.

 

 

 

I am fascinated by Harajuku in Tokyo. I love Gwen Stefani's brand, Harajuku Lovers, which is based on her band. I own many of their purses and clothing and plan to one day get a perfume of each character, which is like a doll. I love how in her song, "Harajuku Girls," Gwen Stefani describes Harajuku as a "Ping-Pong match" between the East and the West. So I bet that Harajuku tries to incorporate both eastern and western culture. I was wearing a Harajuku Lovers Alice in Wonderland top one day, and one Japanese girl told me that Harajuku is very a popular place to visit, especially for the young crowd. If I get to go to Japan, I would love to visit Harajuku and would shop there for many items, such as Lolita outfits.

 

I also love Sanrio, better known as the Hello Kitty brand. I own Hello Kitty's signature red Chubby Bunny bow along with many of different colored bows in Hello Kitty style. Hello Kitty is so cute as is her twin sister, Mimmy. The creator of Hello, Kitty must be intrigued by twins since there are numerous pairs of twins in the Hello, Kitty, the other noteworthy pair being the boy-girl twins, Kiki and Lala. Hello, Kitty, Mimmy, and Twin Stars are my favorite characters, and I own a number of their products. I particularly love my two musical jewelry boxes in the shape of a piano with rainbow keys in the colors red and pink. Both pianos have both Hello, Kitty and Mimmy on them. I hope to learn the stories of Hello, Kitty and watch the show.

 

 

 



My friend, Michael told me about this rabbit island in Japan called Ōkunoshima (大久野島). I would love to visit this island since I love rabbits, and I love the seaside! In a perfect world, I would take home a pure white rabbit with blue eyes, but realistically, they would possibly not survive in my climate.

I will now write about Japanese literature. My friend, Kat told me that there is a beautiful melancholy and subtlety in Japanese literature, compared to American literature.

I have wanted to read The Tale of Genji since seventh grade when I first heard of it as the world's first novel and a very voluminous work. It was first written and illustrated on handscrolls. I have owned a beautiful illustrated hardcover two-volume edition for years, but have yet to finish reading it. I have read that The Tale of Genji is full of digressions and streams-of-consciousness. Whenever I hear the usage, "I digress," I wish to turn to the master of digression, The Tale of Genji. I appreciate that every theme is in The Tale of Genji, including love & the supernatural, two of my favorite themes. I also love that The Tale of Genji is referred to as a psychological novel, a field that I am currently researching. Here is an excellent encyclopedic site on The Tale of Genji: http://www.taleofgenji.org/ 

 

The Memoirs of Geisha is another book set in Japan that is a well-known masterpiece. I read it nine years ago. I remember appreciating that Sayuri said that she is like water while her sister is like wood. I also love Sayuri's sweet, innocent, poetic, imaginative, storybook way of talking. I like that Sayuri has beautiful gray eyes. I love the name, Sayuri! I need to reread Memoirs of a Geisha.

I was introduced to Haruki Murakami in a creative writing workshop. We read the short story, "The Second Bakery Attack" from the collection, The Elephant Vanishes. A classmate thought that the represented Japanese culture was very similar to American culture. I have also read Sputnik, Sweetheart. A friend recommended the voluminous work, 1Q84 to me. 1Q84 has been entitled Murakami's magnum opus.

 

My friend, Michael also said that the political system of Japan is unique and powerful. I would like to look into that.

Japan is also very famous for its beautiful cherry blossoms. I hope to visit Japan during the cherry blossom season in spring.

 

I also have to mention that one of my best friends from college, Kabir grew up in Japan. He was the one that got me fascinated with Japanese culture. Through his sweet, mature personality, I have a good impression of Japanese culture.

I hope to add more to this discourse once I have familiarized myself more with all the above mentioned and travelled to Japan.