Japan
- Thread starter MichaelM
- Start date
When I read about Japan, by Japanese writers or by travelers who went to Japan at the beginning of the 20 century, I feel at home. It is a very strange sensation, like I recognise things, maybe in another life I was there, who knows, it is something that I can not explain. I have to admit, I know the Japan of writers and of the great movie directors and for me this is enough to love Japan. One day I will go in this so strange country where people seems to me very gentle.
Then you have the other side of the story, how bad Japan was during the war. But also how much they suffered during the war even if this side of the story is ignored most often of the time. Like if the two atomic bombs they received were not happened.
If I was younger and not married I would try to go to Japan to live there. But eh! for now I am happy reading the fantastic authors this country have and see once in a while a good Kurosawa movie.
There is a very good documentary about Japan by the German director Wim Wenders who went to Japan talking about the Japan of today but also looking for the Japan of the great master director of movies, Ozu. A really interesting film.
Then you have the other side of the story, how bad Japan was during the war. But also how much they suffered during the war even if this side of the story is ignored most often of the time. Like if the two atomic bombs they received were not happened.
If I was younger and not married I would try to go to Japan to live there. But eh! for now I am happy reading the fantastic authors this country have and see once in a while a good Kurosawa movie.
There is a very good documentary about Japan by the German director Wim Wenders who went to Japan talking about the Japan of today but also looking for the Japan of the great master director of movies, Ozu. A really interesting film.
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Recently the Kyoto Animation studio was burned down, killing 34 people. The studio was known for treating it's workers better than any other studio. It was supposedly a lone nut. This is apparently the worst mass killing in Japan in a long time.
Kyoto Animation Fire: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Kyoto Animation Fire: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
@loreta, I couldn't get the link to work but found what may be the same video by searching for the visible title.
Tokyo-Ga - Pachinko & Mu
It was interesting to watch. It reminds me of Vegas slot machines with a unique flavor and style.
Yes Goyacobol, this 5 minutes are from the Wim Wenders movie. I don't understand why the link did not work. I put it here again if you want to see more about this movie.
@loreta ,
I think it is blocked for my country due to copyright grounds. For some reason I can still view them if I find the same title on YouTube though.
@MichaelM ,
This work ethic is killing many in Japan I think (as it can in any country if over done).
There is now a dropping birth rate in Japan due to all the stress of the daily expectations of many companies there. It may be more than just company policy as one union worker advocate points out but it is affecting the society as a whole.
I noticed this video while posting on the Pizzagate thread. The title mentions sex but the video is about much more than that and the word "company" can be taken as a double entendre.
I agree. It is a sort of perfectionism very dangerous for the health. Japan is so a strange country!
About work done and leave at 5, it is important to leave at 5 if your schedule says you work till 5. Your work is not you life, but a part of your life. I think so. You can be a very responsible person and leave at 5.
In Spain people now, because of the economic crisis, work in many places around 10 hours. Or more! They are abused by their boss. Aleta in her book about the Abyss talks about this, how it is important to say no, specially in the area of work. It is complicated. Specially when ethic or fear to loose your job is in the mire.
What an amazing county is Japan.
Goyacobol thanks for the video, it is so open eyes about Japan and Japanese. I am right when I say that Japan is like another planet, but a very sad one, where competition is number one law, women are lonely, men are infantilized and to have men that are like children is good for big corporations, the Beast that eat souls and flesh and brain. Horrible.
The Japan of this video reminds me Metropolis.
I am wondering if the 2 atomic bombs were the first step of the spiritual decline of Japan. So America killed not just thousand of Japanese but also the soul of Japan. It is just a though that came to my mind.
Thanks again.
The Japan of this video reminds me Metropolis.
I am wondering if the 2 atomic bombs were the first step of the spiritual decline of Japan. So America killed not just thousand of Japanese but also the soul of Japan. It is just a though that came to my mind.
Thanks again.
Regarding the suicide happened in Dentsu, no, I don’t believe that the overtime was the major problem. (like it says in the video goyacobol shared) Dentsu is EVIL “Korean”company… I imagine that their work ethic was toxic enough to damage her physically and psychologically. And the overtime narrative was so convenient for them to sweep the real problem under the rug. With my own personal experience, I can vividly imagine what kind of the environment she was working in. It’s sad.
BUT, again, this is just one part of Japanese culture (and still majority), though the young people are working less hours, putting out a lot of creativity, being happy to be the part of business communities, and having more business exchange globally etc. So, I see that the working culture is changing in the younger generation.
BUT, again, this is just one part of Japanese culture (and still majority), though the young people are working less hours, putting out a lot of creativity, being happy to be the part of business communities, and having more business exchange globally etc. So, I see that the working culture is changing in the younger generation.
People are saying that “karoshi =death by overwork” happens due to working overtime, which is a major problem in Japan… well, I think that working overtime itself is not really a problem. People work overtime for different reasons: some people want to make extra money, others just want to mingle with their colleagues, others would want to feel that they are more valued in the company, and the others just love to work a lot etc. The problem is people are culturally brainwashed that most of them lost their own critical thinking, self-confidence, and strength to fight back for their rights etc.
And IMHO, the culture that ‘they’ are imposing is not a real Japanese culture. The traditional culture is all about respecting nature, elderly, ancestors, and being true to yourself and all that. All of this has changed, and the situation got worse due to the manipulations of Japanese Bureaucracy-Media complex.
Oh yes, GHQ destroyed the spirit of people by using screen, sports, and sex. It’s still ongoing. They took over the Imperial system here by making the new emperor to enthrone and starting the new era, while tearing apart the old tradition from the inside-out. The media and school education are still leaning towards anti-Japanese policy. But, thanks to the internet and YouTube, the situation is slightly better that we have more media options, even though some information gets censored by google, as you know…
RT has a few documentaries on the disturbing effects hyper-modernity is having on people, especially in Japan were things are often taken to the extreme.
The first one is about young people who isolate themselves for years, living in their rooms:
The second one is really sad, it's about the elderly, forgotten by their families (because the traditional family structure is gone) who end up dying alone:
The first one is about young people who isolate themselves for years, living in their rooms:
“Hikikomori” is the other side of coin of sick-and die of overwork. These people pity themselves to the point where they can’t get out of their parasitic life, which for me is totally understandable, considering how demanding the society can be. (I think Korea and China are probably worse in that, however their cultures are different.)
What is worse, now the population of “Hikikomori” is aging. The government released the survey early this year. The population of hikikomori is aging, like more than half of them is now age 40-64.
I have seen on the news that parents of these mid-aged men hikikomori are like in 80’s. And they are still taking care of their adult-child, who doesn’t have a job, and doesn’t know how to cook etc. with their pension. The situation looked so pathetic… I have so much respect for the small number of people who are helping to mitigate this problem.
Age and % of Hikikomori:
