2002年10月10日 木曜日

gen at kanai dot net

by Justin Hall

Biculturalism

gen at kanai dot net is a lively web log frequently updated with a lot of links to stories on politics, games, culture and Asia. Gen, who posted here about Chanpon music, looks like a good Chanpon newswatcher.

Posted by Justin Hall at 2002年10月10日 15:43

Comments

Gen - if you read this, I wonder, what is your interest in Chanpon issues? Are you from a mixed-culture background? A visitor to this part of the world? Or the media of this part of the world?

2- Gen

Justin, I'm nisei, first-generation Japanese-American, working at a Japanese company, so I definitely lead the Chanpon life here in NYC.

I've been visiting my extended family in Japan since I was a child. I love visiting Japan, especially in the Spring or the Fall, especially Kobe, but living there for an extended period of time has many challenges for someone who looks Japanese, speaks Japanese, understands Japanese culture, but isn't "Japanese/Nihonjin" per se.

I've also worked for some of the most prominent Japanese companies in the US, and have begun to understand the challenges/benefits to the business cultures in Japan and the US after many business trips and collaborative projects.

It's interesting to see the swing in management from the 1980's when the world could not get enough of Japanese management practices, to now when it's clear that Japanese business practices are holding Japan back from significant reform. That has roots which go back to Japanese education and other issues too, but that's a topic worthy of it's own article.

I like to stay abreast of what is happening in Japan for my own sake as I am looking for signs of positive change in Japan - signs that will point to Japan's re-emergence into the global economy and global culture. It's not to say that Japan has completely fallen out of the consciousness of the rest of the world, (already 2 Nobel prize-winners this year) but that it's status is greatly diminished from what it had risen to (much like the Nikkei itself.)

I am bicultural and ethnically am 100% Japanese. I can't get away from that so I'm doing my best to understand "what is Chanpon" in my own way.

3- livelylivelylively

i wish justin hall was electro-shocked every time he used the word "lively".

Justin, that is a challenging question as it could be addressed from many perspectives.

In terms of content, the foreign media seems to cover the recession/ economic/ business news and Japanese pop culture.

In terms of sources, it's clear that the foreign media is starting to move away from Japan towards China, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, and other sectors of growth in Asia (see Aug 12th. NY Times article on foreign media bureaus closing in Tokyo.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/12/business/retirement/12JAPA.html

So Japanese media sources are going to have to do more to get the word out to the media consumers out there. The Japanese papers who do have websites don't spent enough time or resouces translating content for non-Japanese audiences. Their websites are not compelling and don't encourage even an information maven like me to keep coming back. To be honest, I also trust non-Japanese media sources more as well, always keeping in mind that all media sources have their biases.

The bottom line: I think that the mainstream Japanese media (in general) is part of the problem with Japan because they do not present a diversity of perspectives and they cannot seem to foster/create/represent changes in Japanese society. Without a wider representation of views, and a more proactive philosophy, I'm not encouraged about their future role in enabling positive change in Japan.



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