MADE IN KAWASAKI 工業地帯が生んだヒップホップクルー BAD HOP

 This week I took a look into the counter culture world of Japanese Hip Hop stemming from the impoverished areas of Tokyo. The 20 minute documentary by Vice Japan serves as a look into the upbringing behind of one of the largest JHop groups of Japan- Bad Hop. The video itself served as a unique look into an aspect of Japanese society that I was unfamiliar with, including the impoverished status of its lower class members or Burakau, as they turned to organized crime and violence from a young age to survive. Coming from the industrial side of Tokyo Kawasaki, with poor living conditions and even worse opportunity, the rappers in the video talk about the role of crime and the Yakuza that it played in their upbringing.

 

 The film also caused me to draw connection to other documentary works surrounding poorly received  music and the all or nothing attitude of people trying to break into the industry: Decline of Western Civilization II. All in all the video itself was interesting as was the introduction into JHop groups like Bad Hop or Maddy Soma.

Old Enough! Japanese Reality TV

    For this weeks reading/listening activity, I selected the Japanese reality TV show Old Enough!(はじめてのおつかい) on Netflix. 

    Following a different child every episode as they perform their first errands, the show serves as a great introduction into Japanese daily life, in addition to demonstrating the differences in climate and economic makeup of different prefectures.  As someone knew to the language, and with a grasp of the language equal or less than the children focused on the show- the program is perfect for those learning Japanese. It teaches rudimentary vocabulary like that of Police, Ambulance, and Firetruck. The episodes themselves come in quick easily digestible 10-15 minute long clips. I definitely have come to enjoy this representation of Reality TV over the the American equivalent.

Tsukiji Fish Market

As I continued to dive into the Japanese culture, I decided to explore one of the most famous tourist attractions of Japan, responsible for bringing in international tourists for the last couple decades: The Tsukiji Fish Market. More specifically I focused on the art of breaking down and selling a fish at a fish monger stand, in the process getting the history of both the stall and the use of fish in Japan.

The market was stunning, as was the amount of care and interest that the workers and owners placed in the creation of their product. The stall was responsible for the supply of over 1000 restauraunts all across the globe, many of which being high end or michellin rated. It was interesting to compare the market to others I have been to myself, seeming to be a farmers market crossed with the Chelsea Meat Market in NYC, but with the odd exception of consisting of stalls that have existed longer than many US States.

After watching I was able to locate and identify various phrases associated with the language, both from class and general knowledge, including Oishii and Maguro. But since the video was largely speciallized in terms of the skill displayed and the history behind food culture, it was largely informational.

One Cut of the Dead

For my viewing/listening activity, I watched the 2019 Horror, Comedy, Documentary: One Cut of the Dead. Easily one of the best things I have watched in the last year, maybe even one of the best things I've watched ever. The film consists of a 25-minute single cut, handheld shot of a zombie movie crew being attacked by actual zombies, before transitioning into the planning and extended shots that demonstrate all the actions and problems that resulted in the film looking the way it did.

While I did have English subtitles on, I was presently surprised how much I was able to follow along with the dialogue and actions of the film based purely on the two initial weeks of class. As I go forward with the class, it will be interesting to see at what point I feel comfortable consuming media, like this hour-and-a-half movie, with Japanese subtitles, or even the possibility of no subtitles at all.