News Sushi: Morsels of News from Japan and Beyond #31
It is Friday and that means it is time for the World Famous, soon to be Intergalactic Famous, News Sushi from our very own, Hamish Downie. He brings us a decidedly different slant on Pop Culture as viewed through the lens of a non-native living in Japan. Thank you Hamish for your insights.
Welcome one and all to this week’s column. It’s great to have you here. Thank you for being a reader, and thank you to Ben and Keith for giving me a space to write.
Please ignore actual footage from my blog (hamishdownie.wordpress.com)… I still believe my publicist at Drumpf Inc that my blog is the most visited site on the planet. (JK)
Jokes aside, I’m sorry, but I have no interview this week…
Let’s just say there’s been a situation that was out of my control.
So, let’s get to the article proper… DJ Please!
NEWS SUSHI presents… “Pride Fair Brisbane Australia 2018 – DJ OzYBoY Set”
NEWS SUSHI… POPS!
Should K-POP Idols be allowed to date?
Some background to this. Singers and Dancers in Boy and Girl Groups in Japan and East Asia often sign contracts that they are not allowed to date while they are in the group. This is why they are called an ‘idol’. The idea is that they are ‘dating’ their fans. So, when they are discovered to be dating someone, it’s seen as an act of betrayal to their fans. This is explored in the anime film “Perfect Blue” to great effect.
A few years ago, a J-Pop singer shaved her head in an act of contrition to save her job in the AKB48 group after she was discovered dating someone: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-21299324
Two years ago, a J-POP singer won the right in court to date: https://www.sbs.com.au/popasia/blog/2016/01/20/japanese-pop-star-wins-right-have-boyfriend-landmark-court-ruling – but I wonder if this was let pass because she was dating a fan?
Of course, readers will know (or remember) when girls were distraught over Paul McCartney marrying during the Beatles heyday. But, I don’t think there’s ever been a rule that they cannot date!
Here’s a video asking the person on the street of Korea what they think about this:
What do you think? Sound off below.
NEWS SUSHI… ADMIRES
Don’t you just love looking at how movies get make? Something that looks like it all happened spontaneously is often preplanned years in advance. Akira Kurosawa’s storyboards side-by-side
Akira Kurosawa storyboards side-by-side with the final frames from the film. from r/Filmmakers
Cheesy!
FYI, I’m allergic to dairy, so this next visualisation is everything that I shouldn’t eat… but, still…
You know that restaurant scene from When Harry Met Sally? … pic.twitter.com/gnIwjG9m9t
— MiMi Aye (@meemalee) September 11, 2018
I want to eat this. Who is with me?
The Whistle
A 45 year old Latinx trans man returns to his birthplace – Albuquerque, New Mexico – in search for the origin of a secret lesbian code he learned when he identified as a teenage dyke in the 80s.
The Whistle is a documentary film that will tell the story of a secret code created by and shared among young dykes in 1970s/80s Albuquerque as a means of self-¬identification and finding community.
The Whistle (extended trailer) from StormMiguel Florez on Vimeo.
To learn more go to dykewhistle.com
https://www.facebook.com/TheDykeWhistle/
Want to help make The Whistle happen? Pitch in on our GoFundMe campaign! gofundme.com/stormmiguel
Want to live inside a cartoon? Now, here’s your chance: Saya Fujikawa has turned her house into a living cartoon.
Would you like to live here?
And now for our hot link of the week!
NEWS SUSHI… POETRY
“The Nightly New Year” by Hamish Downie
Auld Lang Syne signals,
a shop closing in Japan,
“get out, get out” – it seems to ring in my ears –
but I sit, sipping my drink,
ignorant to it’s cries,
And celebrate the nightly new year.
Cheers, to you. Japan.
And your mysterious ways.
NEWS SUSHI… Laughs…
I understand you are "afraid" of skeletons, but as your doctor I cannot remove yours or condone it's removal.
This happens every year around this time.
— Off- Duty Banter Bashir (DS9) (@BashirFaq) September 28, 2018
It’s funny because it’s true…
@mollyjane_k pic.twitter.com/nQbAszbOou
— Steve Horton (@tropicalsteve) September 14, 2018
Well, it looks like we’re done for the week… so until next time…
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I need to visit that cartoon house! PS- Loving the excessive use of Gumby.