damena yatsu 的个人资料The idiocies of a damena...照片日志留言簿更多  |  工具 帮助 |
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5月18日 Beautiful rubbish/きれいなゴミ There is no doubt that Japanese are masters at the art of wrapping things. Many times the often used phrase to express humbleness when giving a present "Kore wa tsumaranai mon desu ga" (This is just a small something but...) is nevertheless betrayed by an elaborated and intricate ribbon arrangement, which is worth more than the actual gift. But Japanese are not less creative at the art of discarding paper and cardboard. The symmetrical Lego-like structures made of bundles of various printed matter that neighbours erect in pavements could easy pass as art installations and are worthy candidates for the Turner Prize. Japanese are very meticulous indeed in how things are presented, such as individually packed sunflower seeds, but they also take recycling very seriously, otherwise they would run the risk of turning this island of salariman into an island of rubbish. 5月7日 Suntory CM vs Japan Bashing Before being labelled as another gaijin (外人) Japan basher, I will take this opportunity to write my first words of praise that appear in this blog about this wonderful country. But the temptation to add a word of criticism is just too excruciating, so here it goes. Japan bashing (日本バッシング) is an extremely convenient multi-purpose word used by those, especially of the political right, to shy away from any criticism made towards their own country. A bigoted people? Not quite, but Japanese politicians are members of the media certainly are. And now for something completely different. As I have written somewhere else Japanese tarento-loaded TV commercials are a far cry from originality and brainwork. Fortunately, from this pile of daft tarentos smacking their lips after drinking a beer, emerged the latest TV ads by drink giant Suntory, which have proved to be some of best of the last two years. The two ads here discussed feature actors Jun Kunimura (國村隼) and Ayumi Itou (伊藤 歩) in the roles of father and daughter respectively, and who, by the end of the TV spot, share a glass of Suntory old (オールド) whisky. 父の上京篇 (Dad goes to Tokyo) is already a classic. The daughter suddenly gets a phone call from his father who has arrived in Tokyo with the excuse of a fake business trip, but really to check if she is all right. Her daughter tells him that she is doing just fine (順調、順調、junchou, junchou), a lie she later confesses. However she also knows that her father has lied too. On his way back by train, the father admits how his little trick has been discovered (バレたか, bareta ka). Marvellous. In 父の誕生日 (Dad's birthday) the daughter, this time, phones her father asking him what kind of present he would like for his birthday. His father replies that he has none in mind and that at his age there is nothing to celebrate. While looking at pictures drawn by her daughter when she was a child he remembers how cute she was. At that very same moment the doorbell rings and the voice of her daughter is heard saying お届け物、娘さんから (otodokemono desu, musume san-karu/delivery from your daughter). Delightful. The combination of high-quality TV drama and masterful touches of indie cinema brought to life by the absolutely charming and convincing performance of the actors, elevates these two adverts to the realms of art. Parents and children hidden true feelings and thoughts, a staple of the classic Japanese TV drama, also immortalized in films by directors such as Ozu, are revealed by the actors speaking off-camera, blurring the line between fiction and documentary, TV commercial and film. The captivating music written and sung by Asei Kobayashi (小林亜星) that accompany these adverts has been used by Suntory old (オールド) whisky TV spots for more than 40 years. Two gems from the Japanese stupid box. For more information see these sites: Dad goes to Tokyo Dad's birthday |
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