The Otaku
More and more we, as Americans are seeing other cultures intertwine with our own. With the introduction of TV, satellite and Internet it’s easy to find out more about a specific area in the world. Watching and reading about another culture you almost might make you obsessed with it. An Otaku is one such person.
Otaku is a term common with people who make a hobby out of watching Japanese animation or anime for short. Most of these people who watch the anime are regular people that go to work or school and need something to relax with. An Otaku, on the other hand is a person that obsesses over anime. “An otaku is an obsessive fan of any one particular theme, topic, or hobby. Perhaps the most common uses are anime otaku (who sometimes enjoy many days of excessive anime watching with no rest) and manga otaku (Japanese comic books).” (WordIQ par. 3) Anime is like a Drug for them. Otakus just need to watch anime. This However, it doesn’t just stop with watching.
One other thing that would define an Otaku is that they have a lot of collectables or even dress up like the characters they watch. "The otaku are an underground (subculture), but they are not opposed to the system per se," observed sociologist and University of Tokyo fellow Volker Grassmuck, who has studied the otaku extensively. "They change, manipulate and subvert ready-made products, but at the same time they are the apotheosis of consumerism and an ideal workforce for contemporary capitalism.” (Cyberpunk Project par. 29) They literally buy everything that has to do with the anime or at least try to make it. It’s amazing to talk to one of these individuals and find out how much time was spent working on their costume or how much money the spent getting a figurine imported from Japan. It’s almost good to have these types of people in a culture to spend the money even if they don’t have it.
o Working for the Herero's gives a Ju a donkey to ride as well as an outfit. Wages are minimum but it offers a calf in the long run and ability to offer relatives hospitality.
The role of a kahuna in the Hawaiian culture takes on the responsibility of keeping a balance between the people and the nation. In doing so, they apply their field of expertise towards assisting the aliʻi and the makaʻāinana. In ancient Hawai’i, there were many different types of kāhuna that had a skill set that contributed or benefited the community. In this paper I will discuss the different ways a kahuna achieves this type of balance within the lāhui. These kuleana include advising the aliʻi to make pono decisions, guiding the makaʻāinana in their daily lives and practices, and taking care of the spiritual side of the Hawaiian culture and traditional practices of the people.
By going to as many concerts as they can, fans help the band sell more and you help themselves look and feel like a bigger fan. I personally went to all of their bay area concerts and had to drive down to Pasadena, CA for one when they didn 't have a show here. This made me feel and seem very devoted to the band . Socializing is another big thing in the community of directioners, it helps you meet more people in the same community and creates friendships. For example, just last week I visited a friend in Stanford University who I met through One Direction and I 've made many other online friends that i have more in common with than people around me. Many fans devote their time to fan accounts that they have created to be able to connect with fans and talk about their problems and also talk about the bands
The drive to colonize the continent of Africa in the 19th centuries brought the European imperial powers against difficulties which had never been encountered before. One such difficulty is that of the local wildlife in Africa, such as lions or other big game animals. In The Man-Eaters of Tsavo, by Colonel John Patterson, a railway bridge project in East Africa is terrorized by a pair of man-eating lions. This completely true story shows the great difficulty in colonizing Africa by demonstrating the somewhat harsh environment of Africa.
usually built their homes on a river or stream valley and were scattered to take
I interviewed another adherent of this culture, and I was shocked by his remarks, such as,“Sometimes the saddest part of residing in this country of 'freedom of expression', is no matter what time period it might be, we will always be treated differently, or criticized for adhering an idea for just expressing ourselves as humans, and in my case I am shamed by others for watching anime and playing video games because of the repulsive, degrading, and ignorant remarks others make about the what I enjoy.” confirming the idea otakus get outcasted by the masses.(Rogers)(Here you should explain how you talk about how the others perspective did not affect how you feel about your
Kabuki is the most popular traditional style of Japanese drama. It has been named as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural
The Polynesian peoples have a lifestyle quite different than that of any other culture, as living on an island requires a level of flexible adaptability in order to cope with such a different, sometimes difficult environment. We see the way diverse cultures build their lives around their circumstances and how they respect them in their cultural myths and stories. The Polynesian legends emphasize the physical environment that they live in. They are quite different than any other region in the world, but the beauty and individuality of the Polynesian culture is prominent as seen in their mythology.
The word Ainu means human being in the Ainu language. Over the last 120 years the traditions of the Ainu people has changed with the times. Nevertheless the culture has been painstakingly past down onto the younger generation from their grandparents. It is estimated that there are somewhere near 50,000 to 100,000 ainu people living in japan. The Ainu culture originates in the northern island of japan called Hokkaido. Currently everything about the Ainu people is the same as all the other Japanese people. The Ainu folklore falls into many categories Epics that last for many days and range from sunset till dawn. Another type of folklore is uway picara unlike the other epics they do not have melodies; it has many different stories with complicated plots. In the present day in life the Ainu no longer wear traditional garments as everyday clothes. The fabric of this traditional costume is woven with thread made form tree bark. Until the recent past both formal, and informal clothes were made from the bark of some kinds of elms and Japanese linden. Fabrics made from tree bark were embroidered with unique patterns made with pieces of cotton cloth and thread.
Anime, or Japanese animation, is a style of animation most recognizable by characters with large eyes and beautifully detailed backgrounds. Once people watch anime, they will find besides spectacular animation, anime has complex characters and deep stories, many of which teach morals and values. Anime is very popular in Japan; it has also gained a following in America and is beginning to hit the mainstream.
Kawaii is a fast growing phenomenon worldwide. Kawaii by translation just means cute. This phenomenon first emerged in Japan. The cute culture is so surprising due to the fact that it is so different from the roles and the typical Japanese look which is that of the Japanese Salaryman. It is also extremely different from the lifestyle of the Salaryman. Other than the Kawaii look there have also been various subcultures that have recently emerged that aim to subvert the mainstream culture this include the Gothic Lolita which is the cute look mixed into a goth as well as the Ganguro girl which resembles a Malibu Barbie with light hair and extreme tans.
...oribund culture and that to such an extent that we stand in danger of losing it.
Yoko Ogawa’s “Revenge” was an entertaining but frustrating puzzle. These eleven stories loosely relate. However, to the extent that the stories relate, they relate only in pieces. It is hard to see coherent link. However, there are a few notable links that this paper analyzes. As Ogawa says through one of her characters, her work has the power to make the reader, “plunge” into the “icy current running under her words.” It is impossible for readers to thaw her “icy current”. However, it poses the kind of challenge that absorbs readers as they try chipping away at the icy details that connect her work.
Anime is an art form as it expresses cultural phenomena about Japan and its people. Like most other countries, cartoon has existed in Japan throughout the 20th century and onward, which began with traditional drawings and comics that dealt with political, social, and historical themes. However, what separates anime from the rest is that the anime included a huge portion of Japanese culture within it. In every series that aired, they include special holidays like Natsu Matsuri—summer festival, tea ceremony, traditional clothing such as kimono, etc.
Anime plays a big role in Japanese pop culture and has also influenced others. An anime, short for animation, often consists of a series of episodes that portrays some kind of story. Anime is the general term that is used for referring to all animation series in general from Japan. It has become widespread, accounting for at least sixty percent of the world’s cartoons. Some highly known ones include: Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Dragon Ball Z, Power Rangers, Astro Boy, and Spirited Away. In every anime, there is always a theme that goes along with it that relates to Japanese culture or society in some way. A popular theme that occurs in some anime is Shinto. It is the oldest religion and also the most major part of Japanese culture. Shinto is the belief of Kami or gods. It is literally translated to “the way of the gods”. You can often tell the difference between cartoons and anime by looking at two things: the animations or art and the theme or story. In Anime, the animations will always look similar to reality and there will also be a story of some sort relating to life. On the other hand, cartoons often have character animations that are often “flat” and do not give a realistic look to it and are often made just for comedy.