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Japan Popular Culture
Japanese popular culture not only reflects the
attitudes and
concerns of the present, but it provides a link to the
past.
Popular films, television programs, comics, and music all
developed
from older artistic and literary traditions, and many of
their
themes and styles of presentation can be traced to
traditional art
forms. Contemporary forms of popular culture, like the
traditional
forms, provide not only entertainment but also an escape
for the
contemporary Japanese from the problems of an industrial
world.
When asked how they spent their leisure time, 80 percent
of a
sample of men and women surveyed by the government in 1986
saiid
they averaged about two and one-half hours per weekday
watching
television, listening to the radio, and reading newspapers
or
magazines. Some 16 percent spent an average of two and
one-quarter
hours a day engaged in hobbies or amusements. Others spent
leisure
time participating in sports, socializing, and personal
study.
Teenagers and retired people reported more time spent on
all of
these activities than did other groups.
In the late 1980s, the family was the focus of leisure
activities, such as excursions to parks or shopping
districts.
Although Japan is often thought of as a hard-working
society with
little time for pleasure, the Japanese seek entertainment
wherever
they can. It is common to see Japanese commuters riding
the train
to work, enjoying their favorite comic book or listening
through
earphones to the latest in popular music on cassette
players.
Japan has about 100 million television sets in use, and
television is the main source of home entertainment and
information
for most of the population. The Japanese has a wide
variety of
programs to choose from, including the various dramas
(police,
crime, home, and samurai), cartoons, news, and game, quiz,
and
sports shows provide by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation
(Nippon
Hoso Kyokai--NHK) general station, the NHK educational
station, and
numerous commercial and independent stations. The violence
of the
samurai and police dramas and the scatological humor of
the
cartoons draws criticism from mothers and commentators.
Characters
in dramas and cartoons often reflect racial and gender
stereotypes.
Women news anchors are not given equal exposure in news
broadcasts,
and few women are portrayed on television in high career
positions.
Individuals also choose from a variety of types of
popular
entertainment. There is a large selection of musical
tapes, films,
television programs, and the products of a huge comic book
industry, among other forms of entertainment, from which
to choose
(see
Performing Arts;
Literature;
Films and Television
, ch. 3).
Data as of January 1994
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