Postmodern Youth in Japan

I hope you enjoy these pictures. I think they speak for themselves. I saw this couple in Ikebukuro. They seem to capture at least a stereotypical glimpse of what being "postmodern" in Japan is all about. The "PM" word is a label, by the way, that gets applied indiscriminately sometimes (like I'm doing here). I started reading a book once about postmodernism in Japan. The authors suggested that Japan was never "modern" but skipped directly to "postmodern." Furthermore, they said, postmodernism may be a natural fit for Japanese people, because the culture is already geared that way.

I don't know. It sounds interesting. The book was translated. I think the translator/editor tried to reach the pinnacle of academic language with the result that it was almost impossible for me to comprehend, so I never got past the first chapter.

I'm writing this post from a cybercafe in Singapore. We've spent the last week here and in Indonesia attending a conference and enjoying a quick vacation. As of yesterday, I had eaten so much spicy noodles that my internal system went kaput. I tried for a quick fix by eating a huge bowl of bran at the hotel yesterday and again this morning. All I can say is it's working. I'm sure you don't want to know all this, but hey, you've got to eat when you're in Singapore! Tomorrow we're going to Little India and Chinatown, so more bran for breakfast in the morning.

Being in Singapore certainly puts Japan in another perspective. I must say it's really nice here when you're not drenched in sweat. It's seems like everything is so new -- even the people. Singapore is constantly under construction. In fact, our Singaporan friend says that few historical buildings remain, and that the entire city is constantly being recreated. The thing I notice is that the city is build for people to get out there and live in it -- eating, mixing, walking, etc. My wife and I went out on a "date" today and ate alongside the river.

Ok, my time on this computer is almost up! More on Singapore when we get back to Tokyo...

Posted by jw at March 25, 2004 11:27 PM