Japan's Strange Mascots: Yuru-Kyara

Yuru-Kyara is an important key word in modern Japanese culture. Yuru-Kyara is a coined word. Yuru roughly translates to relaxed or loose, and Kyara means character. Put the two words together and you get the idea of a "goofy character".

Mascots are probably common in your country, too. They are especially famous for cheering on sports. Other companies create a cartoon character as a symbol for their products. Yuru-Kyara is the same. But we distinguish them from ordinary mascots.

What do you think is the difference?

It's about local governments making it happen. Its purpose is to revitalize the local community. Each local government has created a Yuru-Kyara. The process of making this work is the same. They would gather ideas for the character through a public call for help.

One of the first successful characters born from this idea was Hikonyan. He was created to revitalize the town of Hikone. The character is a combination of the region's famous samurai helmet and the legendary cat. This quickly gained popularity due to the perfection and familiarity of the design.

Knowing of this success, many local authorities emulated it. Local officials invited the public to come up with cute characters. They received ideas from many citizens. Most of them were amateur artists. But in the selection process, uniqueness took precedence over perfection. As a result, one after another, quirky characters were born. They are mascots that defy conventional thinking. They look eccentric and lack perfection. That's an important point. People like to see them in their unfinished form, as if they still have room to grow.

Yuru-Kyara is used for local events, tourism promotion, and other governmental purposes. They can also be used to commemorate a milestone year, such as a town's decades-long anniversary, when they invite public participation in character design.

Why did Yuru-Kyara succeed? Rural areas are poorly financed and depopulated. The idea to revitalize Yuru-Kyara is also drying up. However, Yuru-Kyara, which is an open call for ideas, is inexpensive to create. T-shirts, towels, pins badges, posters, key chains and other merchandise will also be sold. In addition, Yuru-Kyara has the support of the children and the whole family on its side.

Not every Yuru-Kyara mascot succeeds. It has its share of failures. They have to be tried and tested. But there are many success stories out there. This is a fact. Especially for regions that want to attract tourism, they need a mascot that is known throughout the country. The masses competed and tried to create interesting content.

Yuru-Kyara is not only required to participate in a parade, but also to perform. If he does something interesting, the media will adopt him. It's very good publicity. In this way, a lot of very unique and famous characters were born from many regions.

You can also look for Yuru-Kyara on the internet. It will be a strange and funny character discovery.

The Dark Era of Japanese Rock

When the Beatles had their big breakthrough in the UK, the mainstream of rock in the US music was still Elvis Presley's style.

But Bob Dylan already had the Beatles in mind. He showed interest in the Beatles after listening to "I Want to Hold Your Hand." Dylan was apparently impressed with their use of unique chords. But Bob was less impressed with their lyrics. Bob had turned his back on love songs and wrote songs against society. Later, John Lennon and Bob Dylan met in person. After that point, John’s writing changed. Gone were the upbeat love songs of earlier years. Instead, they had been replaced by socially conscious, introspective lyrics.

On the other hand, Bob Dylan was also influenced by the Beatles. He started performing on an electric guitar. It was criticized by many fans, but the lyrics changed as well. Right behind them, the post-Beatles movement had already begun. It became more pronounced in the late 1960s. From here to the 1970s, rock music finally entered a golden age. Numerous rock heroes were born during this period.

Oops!

This was a blog about explaining Japanese rock music. Let's change the subject.

In the 60's, Japanese style pop music was all the rage in Japan. It started as an imitation of western music. They named the category "KAYO-KYOKU". It was mainly bright and fashionable light love songs. At the same time, ENKA also gained mass popularity. Most of its supporters are of the post-middle age generation.

Japanese pop music evolved in its own way with these. It was embraced by the masses.

At that time, Japanese rock music was a modest pastime for a small group of young people. It was performed on a small stage called a "live house" and was supported by a small number of fans. In those days, singer songwriters took initiative.They sang in front of the public with a guitar. Japanese rock artists can't ignore them.

Singer songwriters were the pioneers of rock in their style.

However, it wasn't until the 70's that rock was fully recognized in Japan. GOLDEN CUPS, FLOWERS, DYNAMITES and HAPPY END. These bands were the pioneers of Japanese rock. But they never broke through.

The fundamental problem was this: the Japanese language doesn't fit in with rock. Japanese singers can’t naturally copy the vocal rhythms of western rock music. Generally, it takes more syllables in Japanese to express the same idea as an english singer. Early rockers in Japan invented lyrics that mixed Japanese and English to solve that.

The beginning of substantial rock music as the masses know it was the 1972 debut of CAROL. They were the legitimate heirs to rock and roll. They sang and played a mix of English and Japanese with a fierce eighth note beat. It was very stylish and anti-establishment. And it didn't appeal to the masses. But young people raved about how this was rock.

Japanese rock music had finally begun. However, the popularity of KAYO-KYOKU and ENKA was still overwhelming.

In order to be accepted by the masses, Japanese rock music was combined with elements of pop music. Pop groups with bands appeared on TV. There was a debate over whether or not to call them "rock artists". Thus, Japanese rock became an ambiguous form of citizenship in Japan. RC SUCCESSION, CREATION, THE MODS, CARMEN- MAKI & OZ, KAI-BAND and BOWWOW; old Japanese rock fans will remember the names of these bands. However, they were still unknown to the general public.

In the 80's, Japan finally entered a new era of music.

TO BE CONTINUED

Japanese Rock Music is Not Going to Die

What kind of music do you like to listen to?

When I was a student, I listened to many genres of music.

Folk, rock, pop, jazz, classical, new age, enka, et cetera.

What is it? Are you unaware of the last "enka" genre of music?

It is the national music genre of Japan.

For example, it is the American equivalent of country music or R&B.

For example, it is like the Brazilian samba.

For example, it is the equivalent of the French chanson.

To give an example, it might be the Jamaican equivalent of ska.

To give an example, it can even be compared to the Celtic music of Scotland.

For example, it could be compared to Argentine tango.

By way of example, it could be the Russian music Chastoshka.

For example, it could be the Kecak of Indonesia.

For example, it could be Bongo Flava from Tanzania....

This is not the end of the story.

Enka is, in essence, a uniquely Japanese developed genre of music that the Japanese prefer.

It is generally preferred by the post-middle age generation. Of course, even few younger people like it. Some children inherit enka from their grandparents or from their parents from an early age.

Do you want to know what kind of music enka is? It's hard to explain music in words.

To briefly summarize, enka is a musical genre in which people sing emotionally or sentimentally. It uses violins, acoustic guitars, organs, pianos, accordion, saxophone, etc. are used as accompaniment instruments. 

One feature is the lack of percussion instruments. Also, often the chorus singers liven up their songs. The content of the songs, not all of them, is predominantly sad love songs. So the chords in enka music are mostly minor chords.

For female singers, they mostly sing in kimonos. Beautiful kimonos are important and singers are very particular about their costumes.

Sorry.

The title of today's blog was "Japanese Rock", wasn't it?

Now, let me explain.

　

The Japanese rock genre is a relatively small one, in this world.

If I said that, someone would argue that's not true.

In fact, if you analyze Japanese rock music, it could be subdivided into smaller categories.

But that would be a minor classification.

There are those who say that the classification of genres is nonsense to begin with. I don't disagree with that either.

It's just a matter of convenience to label them.

What I'm referring to is superficial musical styles.

At this point, the opinions of the critics are unnecessary.

To be clear, Japanese rock was built as an extension of pop music.

In Japan's small (but powerful) music industry, rock can only survive under the dominance of commercialism.

They also have the option of being indie. But most of them don't even have the opportunity to make an album. And even if they do, there's no place to release them. That's a sad thing.

I think there are some Japanese artists who really want to rock, but the environment doesn't allow them to do so. To put it simply, they can't eat.

That's the problem with the nature of the Japanese music industry. At the same time, Japanese artists don't have the energy to break out of that environment.

Rock music is an aberration. It's always seemed that way in Japan.

Rock music began in Japan in the early 1950s. It was the era of Elvis Presley in the United States. He became very popular in Japan as well. At the time, they sang the lyrics of American hits translated into Japanese. That must have been quite a stretch; the Japanese rockers of the 50's were like mere impersonators. But a rabid fan base lifted them to stardom.

The Beatles took the world by storm in the 1960s. Japan was no exception. When they came to Japan, the craze was even stronger, and soon many sub-genre artists emerged.

This was called "Group Sounds" in Japan. The Spiders, The Tigers and Tempters were the most popular of all.

I have an interesting point to make about Japanese rock music. In Japan, rock music was already popularized in the 60's and was absorbed by the huge pop industry. This phenomenon would occur 20 years later in the U.S. and the U.K. In the '60s, Western artists were inclined to be anti-establishment. That was during the Vietnam War and the Cold War. It was Rock's mission to stand up to the state and power. It was embraced and nurtured by many young people.

In Japan, those anti-capitalism movements were the domain of folk artists and students. Rock musicians were less interested in politics. During this period, Japanese rockers fell into the underground.

The 70s saw an interesting development in the Japanese pop scene. Anti-establishment folk descended, pop folk renamed itself called “New Music”, and started appearing on TV. 

They didn't talk about politics, but sang the Love Song, which was very popular. There was a huge response. It was like having 100 SImon & Garfunkels in the house.

Again, it was the rise of industrialist music.

The US and the UK had a similar thing happen in the 80s. Music videos went viral, visuals became important, and Michael surpassed the Jacksons. In rock, fashion was more important than musicality. Western rock, too, was brought under the control of capitalism.

The number of idol-like rock artists in the US and UK  increased dramatically. It was a huge success as an industry.

In the meantime, Japanese rock was like a subway. They kept running through the dark tunnels.

I'm sorry. The story of Japanese rock music is still going on.

to be continued.

Great Ice Cream in Japan

The hot season is finally here.

People can't get enough of ice cream in the summer.

It's cool and sweet, and it relieves the uncomfortable heat of summer.

In the USA we have so many ice creams. Do you think any of them are sweet and tasty?　Or do you have a favorite ice cream?

I love Haagen-Dazs ice cream. However, it's expensive and I rarely get a chance to eat it.

I usually buy the following brands of ice cream. Those are very good enough for me.

Blue Bunny, Breyer's, Edy's and Turkey Hill, Friendly's, Baskin-Robbins, Dairy Queen, etc...

Which brand of ice cream do you like? You might say, no, it's not the brand, it's the type of flavor that determines it. I agree with you.

I personally like vanilla ice cream. Besides that, I like flavors like caramel, coffee, and mint. In addition, ice cream with fruit juice is also a favorite of mine. Strawberries, blueberries, oranges and pineapple work well when it's hot.

My wife is a big fan of peanut butter flavored ice cream.

Our kids welcome chocolate-type ice cream. Especially the double dunker, which drives them crazy.

By the way, what kind of ice cream do the Japanese eat?

What do you think is different in Japan compared to the US?

Allow me to share with you some of my ice cream preferences in Japan.

The Great Popular Ice Creams in Japan

1 Häagen-Dazs Vanilla

This is amazing. American ice cream is at the top of the list. Häagen-Dazs is loved all over the world. The Japanese don't really appreciate foods that are too sweet. But Häagen-Dazs' vanilla flavor is just the right sweetness for the Japanese. It's a simple but deep taste.

I have no objection to it at all.

But what's surprising is that the next most popular Haagen-Dazs ice cream is the green tea flavored one. Have you ever tasted green tea?　Many people in the United States are familiar with green tea. Matcha is green tea with sugar added to it. But did you know it exists in Häagen-Dazs?　It's a perfect harmony of milk and matcha. You should look for it and be sure to eat it.

2 YUKIMI DAIFUKU

This is an original Japanese product. It's very unique and a big hit that every Japanese person knows. It's a vanilla ice cream wrapped in a soft rice cake.

Originally, DAIFUKU is a sweet red bean cake wrapped in a rice cake. YUKIMI DAIFUKU was created in Japan more than 300 years ago. It means "rice cake". Ice cream and rice cakes have been combined into an unprecedented food product. It tastes like a miracle!

3 MONA-OW

This ice cream is also not available in the US, unfortunately. It uses an ingredient that is somewhere between a wafer and a waffle. It's adapted from an old Japanese pastry called MONAKA. In essence, it's vanilla ice cream wrapped in a very thin waffle. It has a great texture when you bite into it with your teeth, and the process of melting in your mouth, along with the ice cream, is what makes it so special. It feels so wonderful. It's hard to explain. I can only tell you to eat it when you come to Japan. Frankly it's delicious. There is also an ice cream similar to this one. It's the same thing, but with more chocolate inside. This is also very popular.

4 AZUKI-BAR

This translates into English as "Just Frozen Sweet Red Bean with Stick"".

It's a special process that adds milk, freezes the red bean and converts it into a popsicle. 

It is one of the most popular of the many hard popsicles. It's one of the all-time best ice cream candies, happily eaten by children and old people alike.

5 GariGari-Kun

This is another popsicle bar. They are very popular, especially with children. It has a very refreshing soda flavor with artificial blue color. It's refreshing to take a bite of this frozen popsicle bar. The summer heat is instantly blown away.

These are just a few of the ice creams and popsicles that Japan has to offer.

I’ll tell you just a few more examples.

Ice-No-Mi

These are little balls of Gelato that go in your mouth. You picture frozen popsicle balls. They contain fruit juice inside them. Grapes, peaches, strawberries, pears, grapefruit, etc. are all real fruit. Their surfaces are coated with frozen popsicles and their interiors are soft fruit juices. Gelato. It's a very well contrived little ice cream ball. It comes in a cold storage pouch with twelve pieces each. It's like frozen fruit.

Black Chocolate Bar Ice

The package and the contents of this one look just like a regular chocolate bar, but in fact, it's an ice candy chocolate. It tastes so good and cold with real chocolate flavor.

When the weather gets hotter, ice cream is what I want to eat every day.

Now, do you have an ice cream that you are proud to introduce to us?

The Camera as a Hobby

Do you take photos?

When most young people hear this, they associate photography with smartphones.

Today's younger generation believes that "taking pictures" means taking pictures with a smartphone.

We all tend to think that way.

It's a camera crisis.

Photos are inherently taken with a camera. The phone’s camera is just an accessory to your phone. However, smartphone cameras have evolved remarkably in recent years. Digital cameras took 20 years to grow, but smartphones have caught up with them in five years. Do you think so?

It's true that the latest smartphone cameras are getting better. But they are still too artificial. Smartphone cameras are much better, but the processing of photos is frivolous.

CANON and NIKON ruled the world's leading edge since the days of films in the camera industry. Since the digital age, SONY has also grown rapidly and is competing with each other in technology. 

These days, companies are enthusiastic about full size cameras. It emphasizes the differences from smartphone cameras. Full size cameras offer unparalleled image quality and a variety of added value. They offer superior shutter speed, brightness, autofocus, and continuous shooting functions, and are ideal for amateurs. You can also take photos like a professional photographer.

The camera is an optical instrument and can take very natural images.

But you might say that the same complaint was made when film cameras were replaced by digital. Photographers are pointing out that film is a more natural picture.

Yes, that's certainly true. History repeats itself.

But professional photographers have all moved on to digital cameras, too. So I can understand why the younger generation is abandoning compact cameras and gravitating towards smartphones.

I myself use three different types of cameras - DSLRs, compact cameras, and smartphone cameras.

I use DSLRs when I take photos as works of art. I carry a compact camera with me on a daily basis and take snapshots of landscapes and wildlife. A smartphone is mainly for recording. When I’m shopping, I take pictures of items that interest me. When we want to let someone know something, we send them a picture. It can let them know a lot of information faster than writing a text. Smartphone cameras have that kind of convenience.

But if you want to take better pictures, you should acquire your own camera. This is because it allows you to take more beautiful and unique pictures.

Among other things, the DSLR camera is very flexible. It makes your work more three-dimensional, crisp and inspiring. Sometimes you can swap lenses and get more results than you want.

A great photo isn't just a transient thing to look at on your phone; it's a work of art and can be displayed on your wall. Or, view them on the big screen of a large TV.

If the big size and difficulty of the camera is bothersome to you, I recommend a compact camera.These days, compact cameras are so powerful that they can automatically take the pictures you want to take at high quality.

If you can't tell the difference between a photo on your phone, please look at a camera that has a zoom function. It's a marvel.

These days, there are zoom cameras with 30x, 40x, and even 60x+ magnification.

Imagine that. Seeing your own big picture of the moon on your computer screen, taken by yourself.

No matter how advanced our smartphones are, it's optically impossible.

I get pleasure from the magnification of things that are too far away to see. It's very exciting. But the electronic zoom of a smartphone is disappointing. But the image quality of a compact camera is acceptable for most people.

Every morning I go for a walk. I always carry my camera with me then. I take pictures of unassuming scenes on street corners. At that time, I always take two types of pictures: wide angle and magnified. They look very different depending on the angle. It's a new discovery. The camera also allows me to shoot dogs and cats from a distance.

My favorite thing to do is to shoot wild birds. Birds are cautious and quick and difficult to photograph. But a high-powered zoom camera makes it easy. The sight of a cute little bird comforts the viewer. It makes me feel very tender. I also photograph deer, squirrels, rabbits and other wildlife. It's a very enjoyable moment.

I also enjoy the majestic scenery. When I shoot forests and valleys at maximum zoom, I can see some unexpected things.

For these reasons, photography with my camera is one of my most favorite hobbies.

I hope you all enjoy taking great shots with your cameras.

What Sports are Popular in Japan?

Japan is home to a huge variety of sports.

In the field of professional sports, baseball, soccer, golf and sumo are very popular.

Professional baseball and soccer have league systems. Both have produced international level athlete heroes. Every year, outstanding players are transferred to major leagues abroad.

Professional baseball is made up of two league systems. There are six teams in each. In a year, the six teams compete for a championship. The number one team in the two leagues with the most wins battles it out for the last time. This is the final game to determine the king of Japan. A lot of Japanese people pay attention to it.

Soccer is also very popular in Japan. In the J-League, the best players are the ones who play for the European and south American clubs. They have received offers from teams to play abroad. Japan's national football team is always thinking about the World Cup. The people of Japan also have high expectations for them.

　

Baseball and soccer are also popular amateur sports. A large number of Japanese people aspire to become professionals. Even those who don't, play them as a hobby themselves.

These two sports are very competitive. However, bowling has the largest population of people actually playing in Japan. It is played by a whopping 19 million Japanese. In the past, bowling championships were always televised on TV. However these days, jogging tends to take the top spot in the sporting population in Japan due to the growing health consciousness.

By the way, what is the most popular sport in the world?

Soccer?　No, it's not. It's basketball. It has 450 million players around the world. That's because basketball has about the same number of student players, male and female. By the way, second place is 250 million football. In third place are 150 million in cricket and 110 million in tennis. Are these surprising for you?

In Japan, high school baseball is as popular as professional baseball. This is a special phenomenon.

It’s not seen in other countries. It really is as popular as professional sports. It is not college. Only high school baseball is exceptionally popular.

Twice a year, in spring and summer, high school baseball teams from all over Japan gather to compete for the top spot in Japan in a tournament system. Cheering squads from their respective hometowns will gather at the baseball field in large numbers. And they cheer with unusual enthusiasm. This is televised and always attracts the same amount of attention as professional baseball.

　

There are many other sports that are popular in Japan.

Sumo wrestling was called a national sport and was often championed as more than a sport, it was a national event. However recently, foreign wrestlers have been dominating the championships.

And a unique and popular sport in Japan is the relay marathon. It is especially noticeable in the New Year's competition. People flock to the streets and cheer on the runners. It is televised and is the news of the next day.

Because of Japan's small size and high information density, once an athlete  has gained the attention of the public, he or she becomes very popular. At one time, martial arts were very popular in Japan.

Recently, the Rugby World Cup held in Japan has attracted a lot of attention.

Each has its own ups and downs in popularity. It is easy for the Japanese to seek out new heroes.

Popular sports, both professional and amateur, include golf, martial arts and professional wrestling.

Other sports such as tennis, basketball, table tennis and volleyball are also in the spotlight whenever a standout talent emerges.

Other forms of public gambling, such as horse racing, bicycle and boat racing, also maintain a certain level of popularity.

　

Originally, Tokyo was scheduled to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020. It has been postponed to next year, but the Japanese athletes are not giving up. They remain highly motivated and are still training hard.

At the Olympic, medals are expected to be awarded in the following sports.

Wrestling, badminton, tennis, baseball, table tennis, judo, swimming and gymnastics

These disciplines have won a lot of medals in the past Olympics. There are a lot of talented athletes in these disciplines, and I am confident that they will do well. 

“sport climbing” has been added to the Olympics as a new sport. I am paying special attention. This is a new sport event. There are three events: speed, bouldering and lead. Japan is home to some of the world's best climbers in both men's and women's sports. It is a simple sport, but I am confident that they will win medals.

Japan also holds the top ranking in the world in skateboarding. They have won the world championships. Therefore, they are expected to have a good chance to win a gold medal.

Karate has also been entered as a new sport for the Olympics. Karate is a martial art that originated in Japan, so I hope that they will achieve great results.

As you can see, Japan is a country that is very interested in a wide variety of sports.

I hope we can get along with people all over the world through sports.