Roland Kelts's Blog, page 85

Japanamerica & "kawaii" @ Japan Day in Central Park, NYC

Brief clip of a video interview that was aired earlier this month on the big screens @ Japan Day in Central Park, NYC, the same day I was giving a talk in a Tokyo monolith, else I'd have been in the park in my house of flesh.
The pretty one in pink flouncing about Manhattan's late winter glums is Misako Aoki, one of Japan's three official kawaii taishi (ambassadors of cute), referenced in columns and ruminations below, and not always positively.
The full interview was shot blocks from my home i...

"Politics of Pop Culture" Part II tomorrow in Tokyo

Part II of Temple University Japan's "Politics of Pop Culture" conference takes place tomorrow, with a focus on gender. Anne Allison, Sharon Kinsella, David Slater and many other scholars will be speaking throughout the day. The full schedule is here.
If you're in town, join us. I'm told the venue will be fully air-conditioned.
Here are a couple of pics from Part I earlier this month:
Frederik L. Schodt's capacious and authoritative keynote address (above).
Me and Fred exchanging thoughts on o...

Tokyo's 'Virtual Porn / Nonexistent Youth' Law going down

Via ANN & Asahi--("Are they talking about ghosts or something?"):

The General Affairs Committee of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly has voted down the bill to regulate sexualized depictions of "nonexistent youths." The bill would prohibit sexualized depictions of "nonexistent youths" — such as in manga, anime, games, and other materials — from being sold to minors. Committee members from the Democratic Party of Japan (the largest faction in the assembly), the Japanese Communist Party, and the...

Celebrate Divorce in Tokyo

Tokyo sees rise in 'divorce ceremonies' As Japan's divorce rate soars, couples in Tokyo are ending their marriages with as much care as they began them.By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo Divorce ceremony planner Hiroki Terai with Daigo Teshima and his wife Saori Photo: SHIHO FUKADA The couple hold a hammer together to smash the ring to symbolise the end of their five-year marriage Photo: SHIHO...

Misunderstanding America: Tokyo Talk Report

SOFT POWER HARD TRUTHS / Soft power useful, but Japan needs to find smarter approach

Roland Kelts / Special to The Daily Yomiuri

"The Politics of Pop Culture" was the title and theme of an academic conference hosted by Temple University's Tokyo campus last weekend and featuring an international roster of scholars and authors. Topics included video games, otaku culture, anime and manga--and especially, the still nebulous concept of "soft power." Most participants were dubious about ...

new Japanamerica column on TRAVEL/HOME in Paper Sky (JP)

Japanamerica back in Tokyo June 5

I'll be humbly honored to share the stage with Fred, Anne, Rebecca, David, Kyle, Dave and others on June 5 for a stellar conference at Temple University Japan.
More info HERE
Join us.

Why 'Cool Japan' is over

SOFT POWER HARD TRUTHS / 'Cool Japan' no longer cuts it

Roland Kelts / Special to The Daily Yomiuri

American journalist Douglas McGray's 2002 Foreign Policy essay "Gross National Cool" crystallized for many not only evidence that contemporary Japan had become hip and attractive, but also a nifty phrase to go with it. From Boston to Australia, "cool Japan" subsequently appeared in the titles of academic conferences, essays and articles addressing everything from Japan's anime and manga imagery...

Aventuras en el Museo de Historia Natural - Parte 2

Anime Boston and anime iPad

The cosplayers, fans, artists and academics gleefully thronging the halls of the Hynes Convention Center earlier this month at "Anime Boston," a three-day convention, seemed to know they were breaking attendance records even before the final tally of 17,236 was announced to prove it. Their enthusiasm and spirited camaraderie were palpable. Boston's annual celebration of Japanese popular culture is listed among the top ten North American anime conventions by size; it is the largest of its...