2019/01/25

sample 7 words of 43 selected Japanese words (new book by Mari Fujimoto)

Sampling of 7 of the words featured in Mari Fujimoto's January 24, 2019 book.

Book link at amazon (Canada), Ikigai & Other Japanese Words to Live By Hardcover

Mari Fujimoto (Author, Queens College, New York), Simon Winchester (Foreword), Michael Kenna (Photographer)
https://www.amazon.ca/Ikigai-Other-Japanese-Words-Live/dp/1911130889

2019/01/23

about Zainichi Koreans living in Japan for generations (new book announced)

cross-posted from H-Japan with permission of the author, Jackie Kim-Wachutka.

https://networks.h-net.org/node/20904/discussions/3580589/new-book-announce=
ment-zainichi-korean-women-japan-voices


excerpt,

Featuring in-depth interviews from 1994 to the present, three generations
of Zainichi Korean women-- those who migrated from colonial Korea before or
during WWII and the Asia-Pacific War-- and their Japan-born descendants share
their version of history, revealing their lives as members of an ethnic
minority. Discovering voices within constricting patriarchal traditions,
the women in this book are now able to tell their history. Ethnography,
interviews, and the women's personal and creative writings offer an
in-depth look into their intergenerational dynamics and provide a new way
of exploring the hidden inner world of migrant women and the different ways
displacement affects subsequent generations.

2019/01/09

wedding documentary in Fukui-ken (34 minutes)

Customs and planning for weddings in Japan have changed since the Showa period. But in Echizen-city the kimono merchants and downtown business association have come up with a fall event to attract visitors and local interest. The clothing and customs of parents and grandparents are put on display by preparing for a demonstration of the earlier styles and rituals.

A colleague based in the area who used to work in TV news and entertainment keeps his skills sharp by producing short documentaries like this one. With his permission, here is the link for "Showa no Hanayome Gyoretsu" to enjoy the Japanese-only language track, https://youtu.be/7PiEP2IgjjQ

2019/01/04

social changes - story about "monk ticketed for driving in Buddhist robes"

As society changes and things get more complicated in Japan, this story illustrates what happens when high-tech police in Fukui-ken see a monk wearing his Buddhist robes and driving a car.
=-=-=-=-=-= EXCERPT:

... ...Fukui Prefecture's regulations for enforcing the Road Traffic Law state that driving a vehicle in clothing that might affect safe driving is prohibited. The police officer is believed to have decided that the monk's robe violated this regulation and so cited him with a traffic ticket.


According to local reports, the monk was driving to a memorial service when he was stopped in Fukui on Sept. 16 around 10 a.m. The monk was told he could not wear kimono to drive and received a ticket with a ¥6,000 fine. The violation, according to the ticket, was "driving in attire that hinders vehicle operation."


The monk is refusing to pay the fine and said he would like to "clearly state at a trial that I can drive safely in a monk's robe."