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In this section, current events, I will discuss the "goings on"
of Japan. This will be centered around the capital, Tokyo. I will
talk about popular music, magazines, tv, and places people go
to for fun.
Music | Television | Anime & Manga | Places to Go
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Japan, similar to the US, has a variety of musical genres: rock,
r and b, classical, traditional, their own original type of music,
and J-pop. J-pop, their most popular music form, is a mixture
of Japanese and English backed-up by a steady synthesizer beat.
One of the most famous J-pop performers is Amuro Namie. She has
been popular for most of the decade, with hit sings such as "Dreaming,"
which was enormous in 1997. Japan also has a firm rock following.
The MTV Viewer's choice award for Japan came from a rock group
called Hide. Rock followers in Japan are so ardent that they have
been known to commit suicide in a similar way to the death of
their favorite performers. Due to this, Japanese traditional music,
such as taiko drumming and folk singing, have been able to remain
popular. Taiko drumming is not only a type of music in Japan,
it is a pastime for many adults.
Music | Television | Anime & Manga | Places to Go | Back | Top
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Japan, being one of the most technological countries in the world,
has a variety of cable and satellite services. The cable serices
usually all offer the same channels. There are about ten basic
channels. They are the Japanese equivalent to NBC, ABC, FOX, WB,
and CBS. Similar to American television, Japanese television networks
show sitcoms, specials, soap operas, and the news. Some of the
most popular tv shows are called anime. Anime stands for animation.
I will discuss this in the next section. The other kind of television
programming is satellite television. THe main satellite system
is WOWOW. This offers 3 channels. Wowow is a movie channel similar
to HBO in that it offers American movies and sports. Wowow also
shows major anime movie series. The other two channels are NHK1
and 2. Both channels show Japanese sports specials and news.
Music | Television | Anime & Manga | Places to Go | Back | Top
After technology, Japan is probably the best known for its art
and entertainment in the form of anime and manga. Anime and manga
are the best selling forms of books and magazines in Japan. Manga
is a form of comic. They tend to be more detailed and graphic
than American comics. Manga are usually printed in magazines devoted
to manga. The most popular manga magazines are Shounen Jump and
Shounen magazine. Most of the famous mangas become animated, or
for short, anime. Anime is so popular in the world that many American
and European artists study anime for ideas on their own projects.
One of the most famous anime is Akira. The animation of it and
the graphical content have inspired artists for the last decade.
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Tokyo has one of the largest urban areas in the world. Due to this
fact there have been many areas around the city reserved for recreation
and shopping. These areas are huge, spanning miles in all degrees.
Two major areas are Shinjuku and Shibuya. Shinjuku is the largest
recreation and shopping area in Tokyo. There are skyscrapers 20
stories tall dedicated to department stores. One skyscraper includes
a three story department store, approximately one hundred restaurant
and a full-sized Imax theater! The main form of transportation
in Shinjuku is the train. Shinkuku station was featured in a recent
"Beastie Boys" video. It is two stories above ground and two stories
below ground. Shibuya station has one of the most famous intersections
in the world outside of ti. Shibuya "hachiko's" intersection regularly
is crossed by over 100,000 people a day. Besides shop people visiting
major areas can stop at one of the many "kissatens" or cafes to
grabe a bite, or see an "eiga" movie.
Music | Television | Anime & Manga | Places to Go | Back | Top
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