Love, Hate & Don't Understand.

[Hayden]

Love, Hate & Don't Understand.

These are 5 things that I Love, Hate & Don't Understand about the country I live in. Japan.

What about you, where you live?


5 Things I Love About Japan

- Low petty crime makes you feel secure whenever and where ever you are
- The food is simply marvellous. And the variety you can get is top notch.
- You are never bored in a city like Tokyo. Always something to do!
- Japanese people are extremely service-minded and courteous.
- Public transportation is abundant, on time, and clean!

5 Things I Hate About Japan

- Earthquakes. You know that sooner or later there's gonna be another big one.
- It's expensive to live here, and apartments are generally rather small.
- Japanese people's lack of flexibility can be frustrating.
- Honne and Tatemae
- Japanese working hours tend to be ridiculously long.

5 Things I Simply Don't Understand About Japan

- Fried fish and rice for breakfast.
- Yamamba fashion.
- The fascination of Pachinko.
- J-Pop.
- Japanese people patience to wait countless hours for anything.

[TitianWasp]

Re: Love, Hate & Don't Understand.

What are "Honne, Tatemae & Yamamba fashion"?

[Hayden]

Re: Love, Hate & Don't Understand.

Honne and tatemae are Japanese words that describe a Japanese social phenomena.

Honne (本音) refers to a person's true feelings and desires. These may be contrary to what is expected by society or what is required according to one's position and circumstances, and they are often kept hidden, except with one's closest friends.

Tatemae (建前), literally "façade," is the behaviour and opinions one displays in public. Tatemae is what is expected by society and required according to one's position and circumstances, and these may or may not match one's honne.

In the West, we might call it "two faced", but it's not quite the same exactly thing.

[TitianWasp]

Re: Love, Hate & Don't Understand.

I've heard of the concept (my family does a lot of business in Japan). I think people do the same thing in Western Countries, but perhaps not so rigidly - at least not to the point of having proper names for it. I have heard that we Americans are considered frank and open to the point of being considered somewhat childlike/ish, but I don't think that it's the same across all strata of society or region.

What is Yamamba fashion?

[Hayden]

Re: Love, Hate & Don't Understand.

Yamamba !!!

[TitianWasp]

Re: Love, Hate & Don't Understand.

....completely baffled....

Ok, what is all this? They are dressed very much like my daughter's Barbies after she's had a go at them. 60's meets 80's meets anime?

[Hayden]

Re: Love, Hate & Don't Understand.

A Yamamba girl will start with the bleached white hair and heavy tan of the "black" girl, the yamamba adds white lipstick, white eye makeup, and sometimes brightly colored contacts, plastic clothing, and eye-catching accessories.

Being a yamanba is to be an extreme practitioner of the "black girl" fashion. Some yamanba wear stuffed animals as decorations, talk with a slurred speech, and enjoy shiny neon or day-glo colors.

The deep "black girl" tan is in direct conflict with traditional Japanese ideas of feminine beauty, that of the palest skin.

They also speak with slang terms and use fashion in an unconventional way, being regarded as the "bad girls" of Japan.
If Mariah Carey and Bono had a baby girl in Japan she would grow up to be a Yamamba.

[*Emma*]

Re: Love, Hate & Don't Understand.

Thats like.... weird...

[hrgillespie]

Re: Love, Hate & Don't Understand.

Very weird kind of like our "goths" in reverse as far as darkness vs color It sounds like a social rebellion against what their culture stands for ........

[Alexa]

Re: Love, Hate & Don't Understand.

Very interesting thanks for sharing

The Yamaba girls remind me of permatanned, overly blonde WAGs