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Pop culture
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Relatively few Japanese will be able to recommend a No play or tell you how to create an ikebana flower display. Ask them again to name their favourite comedian or karaoke song and the response will be instant. Popular culture rules in Japan and with 126 million avid consumers to draw upon, its products and buzzwords are all pervasive.
The West's familiarity with contemporary Japan - Muji's chic "no-brand" products, Sony's electronic gadgets, Godzilla movies, Yoko Ono - is very slender compared to the thousands of other goods, cultural phenomena and people that are unknown and totally mystifying to the average
nama-gaijin
(raw foreigner). The following is a general A to Z primer for the visitor who would like to appear clued up. More serious students should avail themselves of the wit and wisdom in Mark Schilling's illuminating
The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture
(Weatherhill). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Japan |