Wedding Tuna

This speaks for itself..

MOBILE TOILET!!

KOMATTA TOKI NI (FOR WHEN YOU'RE IN A BIND)!!!

GLEE

It's important to note that all good foreign things abroad when brought to Japan must be Japanified and put into a context which the Japanese can understand and relate. Case in point: the new hit TV show GLEE on FOX about a bunch of misfit teens in Ohio who form a glee club called New Directions.

You have probably gotten to witness their iconic high school struggles with popularity, puberty, and other teenage angst, all whilst jamming out to some rocking tunes. (Ironically my older brother was in the glee club in high school, and he and his glee club friends used to have singing parties in our basement. He lost his virginity at age 27.)

However, when you watch the below GLEE advert aired in Japan earlier this year, you naturally may think to yourself, how the f*ck does this advertise a show about a high school glee club? Believe it or not, 9 out of 10 Japanese polled after viewing this clipp affirmed their excitment to watch a satire drama about a bunch of American high school students in a glee club. Meanwhile 9 out of 10 American polled thought that it was a show about Akebono singing Journey songs with fat sumo children.

The point of this post is that clearly what works in America, will not work in Japan, a land where they drive their cars on the other side of the street, Godzilla rules, and George Michael's Last Christmas is the du rigueur Christmas song of choice.

STRONGURT -- INSTANT POTASSIUM AND NUTRIENTS ON THE GO

EW.........

Japanese Gov't Backed Fund Seeks to Foster Pimply Awkward American Anime Teens, Asahi Shimbun Reports

FUND TO BOLSTER ANIME EXPORTS

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

2010/04/07

"A government-backed fund to promote Japanese pop culture such as anime, videogames and music abroad is being proposed by the industry ministry.

The draft proposal, intended to be included in the government's growth strategy in June, would set up a public-private fund to support small and midsize companies that are currently struggling to find markets abroad.

The program would, for instance, secure distribution channels for smaller anime production companies by purchasing airtime from foreign TV broadcasters. It would be partly funded by institutional investors and could be set up by the end of the year.

The idea of government-led programs to promote cultural industries is partly inspired by South Korea's successful campaign to create the Korean cultural boom in Asia."


I think we can all expect Secretary of State Clinton to address growing American concerns about the fund's malicious degradation of America's youth:

1970's Western Pop Culture in Japan

SEA CHICKEN = TUNA FISH (THE CHICKEN OF THE SEA!)

KY

WOO HOO!! NIHONJINRON has it's first blog subscriber, who is serendipitously named KY.

Japanese love to abbreviate things: Rimokon = remote controler. Pasokon = personal computer. Conbini = convenience store. OL = office lady (a woman in the office whose primary roll is to pour tea for a bunch of old salarymen--clearly feminism has hit Japan hard).

Moving along, KY is short for Kuuki (air) ga Yomenai (cannot be read). It literally means that one is unable to read the air, which means that a person is "Clueless" or "just doesn't get it."

I assume you've beaten me to the point that when you see KY, naturally you think of KY Jelly.

I won't get into politics, but the KY expression became really popular when many Japanese wanted their former prime minister Abe outsted from office, claiming that he was a KY.

The lovely political banner reads "If the People's New Party is in power, farewell KY"

Would you vote for a party that gets rid of your KY? I know a lot of people that would be fucking pissed!!

Clearly the PNP campaign adviser is also a KY..



In any case, thanks KY for your nihonjinron inspiration..