I found the final paragraph of if the millions of "Japan's Economy, at War with Itself" really interesting:

" Japanese now trapped in unproductive jobs are given better opportunities, Japan could enjoy the kind of renaissance now occurring in China and South Korea. If the role of women changes as fast in Japan as it has in China and South Korea, then the flood of highly educated women into productive jobs could further augment this boom." 

Recently Japan has become the new Reykjavík, replacing the Icelandic city as the most hip/popular vacation spot. The text was written in 2002, so I don't know much how Japan's economic status has changed in the past 17 years, but for most travelers and travel publications I know of, Japan, far more than China or South Korea, is among the most desired destiations for Western travelers to visit. I wonder if the influx of visitors helped change the job availability and/or gender roles in Japan, or if changes to these two things were important in inspiring the current wave of tourism. 

Professor Tsutsui covered the fascination Japan has with disaster movies - and huge, rather angry, creatures. The distinction made that Hollywood films are more “colorful” than Japan’s darker film customs makes total sense. What’s also interesting though, is that the darkness in Japanese films is also seen as joyful and humorous! Professor Tsutsui discussed the idea that the Japanese culture tends to translate their worst fears into something approachable and easy to defeat which is why huge turtle monsters are brought to life. The reality found in some of these movies is incredible. Today’s seminar taught me to trust my younger brother a lot more. He actually told me that Godzilla’s first film, the original made in 1954, is named Gojira which was confirmed in today’s seminar. I thought he was kidding! I should have known that his interest in everything Godzilla would have led him to do some research about it and therefore, I should have trusted him. It’s pretty awesome to think that an 11 year old can discuss the origins of a film that was made way before his time. He would have loved this session!

I have actually never seen a Godzilla movie in its entirety. Now I am thinking of maybe using it as my review movie just so I can be forced to see it in it's entirety.  In response to the PM lecture, I had never thought of these monster movies and destruction of Japan in movies as an outlet for the pain from the bombings. It was interesting to note that Professor William Tsuitsui reviews it as a co-existence of venting/healing  and enjoyment of the fantastical destruction in addition to hope and optimism woven throughout. I agree with this view. It was interesting to learn that the Godzilla movie maker was a pacifist and wanted to end nuclear testing/bombing and creation. 

In closing take aways: Japan's apocolyptic imagination remains realistic and continues to believe in the government/military ( very nationalistic ) . Japanese spirit is indominable.  There is not many people from WW2 left to remember the continued hauntings of painful period.  It is now used as black comedy.  However, it does serve as a social function : preparing us for the time it actually happens.

The dichotomy in Japanese pop culture is incredibly stark when one stops to really think about it. This is the country that has been destroyed thousands of times in stories and movies, (and has also suffered man-made and natural disasters in real life) but produced Hello Kitty, Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Mario Brothers, Harujku style and even maid cafes, where young women and men cosplay as servants or anime characters and serve patrons. Were these pop culture depictions of Japan's (or in some instances, the world's) distruction and consequential rebuilding a means of coping with the trauma inflicted by the atomic bomb and natural disasters, or were they simply a means to capitalize on fear? I did appreciate that Dr. Tsutsui presented many different perspectives on how scholars view the destruction themes in culture. I had never known that Godzilla was meant to be anti-nuclear weapons testing, and pro-science and pro-Japanese government and military. I also found it interesting that one perspective is that all of these depictions of Japan's destruction led to its population reacting and responding incredibly well when 3/11/11 or other, more modern disasters have happened. 

Are the opposing themes of cuteness and innocence prevalent in Japanese popular culture (many of which have made their way across the Pacific) a means of escaping the horrors of the destruction? This culture of cute started and flourished with more recent generations of Japanese, but the obsession continues into adulthood. It's not just kids who are collecting Hello Kitty, playing Nintendo video games, dressing in costumes, or reading/watching anime. This reminds me of the countless adults I know with Disneyland annual passes who don't have children, or all of the people who flock to ComiCon and dress as their favorite characters. For some, escaping reality and returning to a more innocent time is more desirable than confronting the struggles of reality. 

One culture, two very different means of coping.

I’ve been familiar with Murakami Takashi’s art for a while now, and was entirely unaware that, as Professor Tsutsui’s pointed out, his art is not just a fanciful Alice-in-Wonderland-eque creation, but rather it’s part of a larger national tradition of Japanese artists trying to help the nation process and deal with the traumatic past of the two atomic bombs and World War II military defeat. Even now, I have a hard time seeing how the majority of his sunny, floral prints are in fact responses to horrific acts of violence and national trauma. Still, I am really intrigued by this idea of film makers, artists, and storytellers becoming responsible for helping a nation process their grief when cultural norms and expectations prevent people from talking about the loss and dealing with it publicly. I know that the tradition of art therapy encourages people to use art to process their own loss, but I wonder if students could use art to deal with intergenerational, local, ethnic, or national tragedies.

Hi Cynthia,

In response to your question about whether the animated characters (Hello Kitty, Sailor Moon, etc.) were created as a means of coping with the trauma of the threats and destrcution, I think yes. It's almost as though producing these characters and similar animation shows creates a false sense of reality from Japan's actual state of mind. There's a clear division between what's real and what's made up, but there must be a reason on why peopl choose to blend the two (fiction and non-fiction) so closely together. I view it, similar to your perspective, as a mans of escape or rather momentary "break" from what's at stake.

Hi Sara,

I also was unaware that Takashi's art is a symbol for restoration. Now, I've definetly heard of art as an escape to cope with internal feelings, but I've never put that idea to a larger scale. Takashi's art, as Professor Tsutsui put it, is a coping method for an enture country. They see his art as theraputic - that's pretty awesome. I'm wondering now however, if Takashi has to create art with this purpose in mind. What would happen [ie. Japan's response] if his colorful and uplifting art suddenly become dark and moody? What do you think?