by yk_service | Apr 28, 2021 | Tokyo
Going, going, not quite gone: the “man’s man” Left: Yukio Mishima, an archetypical man’s man Middle: BOSS coffee ad (source) with samurai-inspired image of masculinity Right: LEON, the magazine for the “old guy” Showa Man is the embodiment of...
by yk_service | Apr 26, 2021 | Shanghai
In February 2021, China’s Education Ministry issued a notice that called on schools to reform their physical education lessons. The aim? To make boys more traditionally ‘manly’. This immediately generated huge controversy, colliding with the belief of young Chinese...
by yk_service | Apr 21, 2021 | Tokyo
Every nation has an identity, a narrative that it tells itself about its history, the character of its people, its preferences. Japan relies on an idealised collective imagination perhaps more than most, given its history of isolation and today’s continued resistance...
by yk_service | Apr 5, 2021 | Tokyo
To the very young, earlier generations’ lives must seem redolent of ancient history; and hearing too many details of pre-meme days either engenders a horrified shudder or absolute boredom. This is of course matched by their parents’ utter mystification at how they...
by yk_service | Mar 17, 2021 | Shanghai
As in many countries, marriage rates in China have been declining sharply. In a recent attempt to raise awareness of this, a hashtag was started by older users of the country’s main social media platform, Weibo: #结婚率创近10年来新低# or ‘marriage rate hits a new ten year...
