s0apgun Wrote:I was a little upset at the typical shock factors he was using about Japan. However he seemed to redeem himself a little with an honest look at where these things originated. The filming they did for the metal band was pretty cool and the rope tieing girl o_o...I agree, I think he had trouble understanding some of the cultural differences. But yeah the bondage and dominance thing was pretty... unusual.. It's not my thing but it sure was interesting.
ryanjmack Wrote:I really hate to see stuff like that because it makes it sound like it's "a thing" in Japan. You could just as easily find it in America. I understand that it makes good TV, but it just plays into people's preconceptions about this country.s0apgun Wrote:I was a little upset at the typical shock factors he was using about Japan. However he seemed to redeem himself a little with an honest look at where these things originated. The filming they did for the metal band was pretty cool and the rope tieing girl o_o...I agree, I think he had trouble understanding some of the cultural differences. But yeah the bondage and dominance thing was pretty... unusual.. It's not my thing but it sure was interesting.
JapaneseRuleOf7 Wrote:I really hate to see stuff like that because it makes it sound like it's "a thing" in Japan. You could just as easily find it in America. I understand that it makes good TV, but it just plays into people's preconceptions about this country.The purpose of the episode was to explore subcultures in Tokyo. They did however make it seem as though a good amount of people in Tokyo are in to bondage and hentai.
TheVinster Wrote:People who find it interesting probably know nothing about Japan. For those looking for something deeper than the typical "Japan sure is crazy, huh" shit probably need not invest their time in this."There is also a competitive and rigid culture that gives way to some unique subcultures. Bourdain has traveled to Tokyo countless times, but on this trip he is in search of the city's dark, extreme, and bizarrely fetishistic underside".
ryanjmack Wrote:Well no shit.TheVinster Wrote:People who find it interesting probably know nothing about Japan. For those looking for something deeper than the typical "Japan sure is crazy, huh" shit probably need not invest their time in this."There is also a competitive and rigid culture that gives way to some unique subcultures. Bourdain has traveled to Tokyo countless times, but on this trip he is in search of the city's dark, extreme, and bizarrely fetishistic underside".
If the description doesn't sound interesting, don't watch it. It doesn't claim to be anything more than what is stated.
s0apgun Wrote:Almost everyday when I'm browsing Reddit 9 out of 10 posts about Japan are on some shit similar to what was shown in this show. It really sucks the mass majority of people in this country (USA) have so many negative preconceptions about Japan. Its also the reason I hardly tell people anymore that I'm studying Japanese with intentions of moving there. They never respond with something positive. Responses are usually in the realm of the following: radiation, train rape, sex addicts, no sex at all, tentacle porn, suicide, and otaku. Super annoying. /rantTotally agree with you.
dtcamero Wrote:yet everyone is criticizing this guy who has probably done more drugs drank more alcohol and slept with more women than anyone in this forum for thinking it's unique and funny/interesting/culturally relevant (fyi he's not the only one).You do realize it's a show, right? These 40 minutes about Japan are scripted. This wasn't an impromptu trip to Japan because hey I need a new episode for my show. I'm okay with the guy, he had a decent show on Travel Channel a few years ago when I actually watched TV. That doesn't make this episode about Japan anymore insightful. Their idea of unique is a culture having fetishes? Right. At any rate the food parts were somewhat interesting.
you can criticize him for coming off like the awkward uncle at the college party, but he's not as knowledgable about japanese as we have become studying the language. So to say he should have been cooler about it all is very gaijinpot guys. like you've all gone far too native to dain to this level of excitement.
Anthony Bourdain from 40:5 Wrote:What is weird? What is strange? What do those things even mean, anyway? Sure, a lot of what you've seen looks different from maybe the mainstream. It's certainly different from the way we portray ourselves, see ourselves, at least, our daytime selves. But roughly 50% of all movies rented in American hotel rooms are adult films. The American porn industry, catering exactly to the kinds of dark urges we've been talking about, but even nastier, is a 12 billion dollar a year industry that dwarfs the Hollywood product. Our own obsessions, arguably, are at least as crazy, violent, and lurid as Japan's. And we tend to actually carry out our violent fantasies more frequently. Maybe with that fetishism, that attention to detail, comes some kind of excellence in other fields. Maybe there's a line from there to here. So, who's crazy now?
dtcamero Wrote:what's so uniquely japanese about bondage? have you ever seen shibari?yeah, i have. shibari becomes interesting when you realize that it originated from martial arts. i checked it now, but there's no mention of it in the video. he simply states that there's rope bondage in japan.
umetani666 Wrote:so he makes a film about 'weird' aspects of japan and then concludes how japan is often viewed as 'weird' in the west. that's lazy. he's basically just reproducing stereotypes about 'weird japan'.He doesn't just conclude that the West views Japan as weird. He points out that this perception is hypocritical because, at least in the United States, people express their darker emotions by committing acts of violence. In contrast, Japanese express similar emotions artistically through erotic comics and kinbaku/shibari. Basically, the West deals with dark emotions by immediately satisfying them through violence, whereas Japan deals with those emotions by exploring them through art. I don't see this conclusion as reproducing stereotypes at all. It's challenging them.
umetani666 Wrote:i have a japanese friend who's really into bondage, s/m and tea ceremony. that latter baffled me, so i asked what's the connection between the three. she then went on explaining me about sadistic elements in tea ceremony. now, that was something unexpected and it offered a totally new perspective. i would watch a video about that.Could you tell us how she explained the connection between bondage, s/m, and the tea ceremony? How about the "sadistic elements in tea ceremony?" You can't just bring up interesting anecdotes like that, and then not elaborate at all!
umetani666 Wrote:she then went on explaining me about sadistic elements in tea ceremony. now, that was something unexpected and it offered a totally new perspective. i would watch a video about that.Every society is full of institutionalized sadism and masochism if you *really* want to put that filter on. >_>a
raharney Wrote:"I heard they don't talk to each other because they all play video games all the time. Is that true?"Er... this one seems to be well on its way... if you replace videogames with smartphones/cell phones. :p
Oh FO!
JusenkyoGuide Wrote:If you live on a train: yes. Otherwise, no.raharney Wrote:"I heard they don't talk to each other because they all play video games all the time. Is that true?"Er... this one seems to be well on its way... if you replace videogames with smartphones/cell phones. :p
Oh FO!
