Japan’s Popular Culture:participation and consumption

The basis of participation Mass consumption versus

individual expression Mediums of homogenization Alternative culture

Bounce Ko Gals What forms of individual expression do you see?

How would you categorize them in terms of participation and consumption?

What groups do you see? How are they structured and what rules do they

have? Any sign of alternative cultures or sub-cultures? What is this director saying about Japanese society?

• Consider the capacity for individual expression within a mass culture society.

Japan’s Popular Culture:participation and consumption

Japan’s Popular Cultureparticipation and consumption

The Basis of Participation Shumi (tastes or hobbies) Appreciation Practice Traditional & modern

education systems

Mass consumption versus individual expression From labor saving machines to consumption as expression The burdens of reciprocity Time pressures of modern life Emptiness of economic struggle Escape to Manga, Pachinko, Karaoke

Top Ten Leisure Activities in Japan (Uso!)

Centralized mediums of homogenization

Education Television Newspapers and

other publications Industrialization of

the arts National organization

in general

Hamasaki Ayumi

Empress of J-Pop

Alternative culture

Otaku, Lolitas, and other manga children

Street fashion, theatre, music Environmental groups and

communities Political activism Homosexual and bisexual

communities Deviant groups New religionsQuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.

21st Century Alternatives Freeters: 15 to 34; part-time or temporary employment; live as parasite singles

with parents; difficult to start a family and career later in life; moratorium, dream-pursuing, and no alternative types; approx. 2 million.

NEETS: “NOT currently engaged in EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION or TRAINING,” dropped out the work force and with little desire to join; 850,000.

Otaku: obsessive fans, usually male, preoccupied with manga, anime and computer games; subculture, shunning mass-market anime films or commercially successful characters, but great influence on mass culture; fan service, dating simulation, role playing; 1.7 million.

Hikikomori: young men who isolates themselves from society and family in a single room for at period exceeding six months to decades; live in fantasy world of manga, anime, and computer games; reasons—social pressure to conform, lack of own tatemae and honne, affluence, amae between mother and son, recession, education system; 50,000 to 1 million.

Coplay: dressing as characters from manga, anime, and video games; also television shows, movies, or Jpop music bands.

Field Population Market ScaleComics 1 million ¥ 100 billionAnimation 200,000 ¥ 20 billionIdols 800,000 ¥ 60 billionGames 800,000 ¥ 78 billionPC assembly 50,000 ¥ 32 billionAudio-visual equipment 220,000 ¥ 42 billionMobile IT equipment 150,000 ¥ 15 billionAutos 450,000 ¥ 172 billionTravel 2.2 million ¥ 712 billionFashion 250,000 ¥ 76 billionCameras 200,000 ¥ 75 billionRailways 140,000 ¥ 26 billionTotal 6.46 million ¥ 1,408 billion

Market Impact of the less fanatic Otaku

HK$ 92,919,300,000

Market Impact of the real fanatic OtakuField Population (*1) Market Scale (*2) Comics 350,000 ¥ 83 billionAnimation 110,000 ¥ 20 billion Idols (*3) 280,000 ¥ 61 billion Games 160,000 ¥ 21 billion PC assembly 190,000 ¥ 36 billion Audio-visual 60,000 ¥ 12 billionequipment Mobile IT 70,000 ¥ 8 billionequipmentAutos 140,000 ¥ 54 billionTravel 250,000 ¥ 81 billionFashion 40,000 ¥ 13 billionCameras 50,000 ¥ 18 billionRailways 20,000 ¥ 4 billionTotal 1.72 million ¥ 411 billion HK 27,123,400,00

Five Types of Otaku, from Six Criteria

Marketing to Otaku: the 3Cs Collection : Promote continuous consumption by adding

elements of collecting to products and services Creativity : Introduce products that could be converted or for

which there is room for reconstruction. Strengthen consumer attachment to a product by providing an outlet for creativity in consumer activities of the user.

Community : Promote consumer activities by providing a place to exchange/transmit information and demonstrate their own creative activities.

Summing up Can Japanese women

express themselves and assert their equal rights in what has been a male dominated society.

Does the education system in enable equal opportunity and individual expression.

•Does religion plays a significant role in shaping behavior and enriching life in Japan.•Is their room for individual expression within Japan’s mass culture society.