Temasek Polytechnic Japanese Cultural Group

Jazz is a genre of music that seems like a relic of the past but still shows some strong influence in Japanese media today. 

Some of these examples can be seen in anime openings such as:

Baccano (2008)

The anime opening of Baccano presents us with very flashy trumpet and saxophone solos in the beginning. This is very fitting considering that the premise of Baccano was set during the prohibition period where jazz was fairly popular and the opening theme pays homage to this through the big band arrangement of jazz. 

ACCA 13 (2017)

The opening of ACCA 13 presents us with some very chill jazz instrumentals accompanied by soothing vocals by the singer. The opening portrays a more modern version of jazz, smooth jazz in other words which is the genre of jazz that is most common today. 

Cowboy Bebop(1998)

The opening of the 1998 series, Tank, is very well known even among people who may not be well versed with the music genre of jazz. The famous saxophone solo was played by Masato Honda, who is a skilled saxophone player in Japan. 

But other than the opening themes of anime, are there any music anime/manga out there that is centred around the genre of jazz?

The answer is yes but the number is miniscule. 

One of these jazz animes also happen to be one of my favourites. 

Sakamichi no Apollon(2012)

The premise of the show is set in the 1960’s, in a world where American jazz musicians like John Coltrane, Chet Baker and Herbie Hancock dominated music charts and could be seen in many record label stores back then. The show features many well known jazz tracks such as ‘My Favourite Things’ , ‘Moanin’ and ‘But Not For Me’. This show helped to further my interest in jazz even more as I listened to the Japanese arrangements of such tracks. Its shows that there is indeed a difference between jazz of different countries and I highly recommend this show if you want to immerse yourself into the world of jazz.  

Blue Giant (2013)

Blue Giant is a shounen manga which brings us along the journey of a basketball player, Dai, who got interested in learning the saxophone. As we follow our young protagonist along his journey, we are introduced to the different music theories of both the classical and jazz world. The manga beautifully expresses each and every performance by the protagonist through the well drawn panels. Live studio recordings of songs mentioned in the manga are available online if you are interested to give jazz a try. 

This is one of my favourite mangas, I really hope they give this an anime adaptation ;-;

We always see people comparing Japan’s diet with American’s diet but what about our home country, Singapore? How different are we compared to them?

As an Asian country like Japan, there will be some similarities and differences.

School meals:

In Japan, schools use fresh ingredients and provide homemade lunch in schools. They have a set meal that alternates every day.

However, In Singapore, schools have stalls that sells different types of food. Some food sold may be considered processed. As the school cannot stop students from buying and consuming these processed foods, it may be frequently consumed.

Eating out:

Singaporeans’ lifestyle tend to be very busy and thus, most families eat out. However, when comparing it to Japanese people, the percentage of them eating out is lesser. As food delivery is more used, processed food such as fast food is frequently consumed. These foods contain a lot of oil and fat. 

When purchasing food, Singaporeans also tend to buy drinks or consume water when eating. This is different compared to Japan as they usually don’t consume any drinks such as bubble tea or canned drinks when they eat and usually drink the soup provided with the meal. 

Dessert:

As our desserts tend to be more like Americans’ deserts, it usually contains a lot of sugar. These high sugar treats are lesser seen in Japan as they tend to use fruits that are naturally sweet and try to use less sugar. 

Home meal:

They tend to eat rice, fish and vegetables for all 3 meals every day unlike Singaporeans. Japan also tend to have more variety in each meal and use healthier proteins such as beans and don’t consume as much meat. 

Singaporeans, however, consume a lot of meat during barbeques and steamboats which is on the rise lately. Japan’s meals also usually contain fruits which Singapore is trying to learn.

 

You can check out the difference between USA and Japan in terms of Fast food: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW4jOlyj-sM

Ref: https://www.insider.com/biggest-differences-japanese-and-american-diets-2018-4

The reasons behind Japan’s surgical mask trend

Now this is an increasingly common sight in Japan. Many of the population of this little island state seem to have taken to wearing surgical masks on a daily basis. Have you ever wondered why this is so? Here are some reasons why these masks are an increasing trend.

• Health and sickness

The most obvious and practical reason. When ill, Japanese people take it on themselves to prevent one’s own germs or sickness from spreading in public places; a critical point in the often extremely densely populated cities of Japan. With so many people in such close quarters, risk of disease and contagion is higher. Japanese are taught about prevention from a young age, and this can be seen clearly portrayed

Furthermore industrialization leaves quite a lot of harmful particles and chemicals in the air, of which the masks can help filter out most of them. Such pollution is most notable in the morning and late afternoons, when commute is at its peak.

 

• Fashion and cover up

To some, this may seem odd, but it has been proven that an increasing number of Japanese people use masks as an accessory. This has lead to the production of masks with designs, targeting comfort and looks as compared to the traditional surgical masks. Some wear masks to hide physical imperfections, or on days they just don’t want to use make-up. Masks cover hard-to-hide situations like pimples, zits, or scars. It’s an easy quick fix when you just want to cover yourself up for the day.

 

• Social related

Japan has a reserved culture which is very conscious of the judgement of others. Hence many who are shy and lacking in self-esteem sometimes wear masks as a way to add a degree of separation between society and themselves.

Sometimes, one feels the a needlessness to have to smile at people or just want to avoid conversations, masks serve as a way to tell others that they are not in the mood for social interactions.

Konnichiwa Minna san. My Name is Morishima and I’ll be talking to you about 3 Japanese Urban Legend that will keep you up at night.  Enjoy your final days while you still can. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

 

Kuchisake Onna

According to legend, When a child walks alone at night may encounter a woman wearing  a surgical mask. 

The woman will stop the child and ask the child “ I am PRETTY“.

If the child says No, She will kill the child with a pair of scissors that she is carrying with her

If  the child said yes, She will take off her surgical mask and revealed her slitted mouth.

After that she will ask again if she is pretty. 

If the child said yes, She will slit that child’s mouth just like her. 

If no, She will cut the child in HAlf.

It is Impossible to run away from her as she will keep on appearing in front of her victim. HAHAHAHAHAH

The Red Room

There is an internet legend about a pop-up window at it’s victim’s computer. 

The Image will show a door and a recorder voice will ask “Do you like~~”.

While it is simple, Just closed the window. Or is it that simple ? HAHAHAHAH. 

Even if you close the window, it will still keep on reappearing until it’s voice  fully reveal it’s question. 

“Do you like the RED ROOM?”

No matter how much you try to close up the the Pop-up window,

It will not close out.

Those who saw the pop-up will be dead.

Their wall will be painted red with their own blood.

Toire no Hanako-san

Legend has it when you went to the 3rd toilet of the girl’s bathroom of the 3rd floor and knock 3 times before asking “are you there, Hanako-San?”

You will hear a voice “ I am Here”

If you choose to enter the door, you will see a small girl  wearing a red skirts

What Happens next might varies depending on the school.

Sometimes bust through the door and drag the person into the stall and kill them.

But usually she will slightly open the door.

If you are brave enough to push the door, you will see Hananko-san.

Wanna try ? and see what will happen. HAHAHAHAHA.

That is all the time we have left. 

Thanks for reading and have a SWEET DREAM. 

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Hi everybody, how was your day?

When asked about popular tourists’ spots in Japan, Osaka Castle may be one of the most common response that we hear. So, what is the history behind this majestic castle and how did it become one of the famous tourist hotspots that we know of today? 

Osaka Castle (大坂城 or 大阪城, Ōsaka-jō), is in Chūō-ku, one of the 23 wards of Osaka, Japan. Its construction started in the year 1583 and was completed by 1597, by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. (Wikipedia, 2019). Osaka Castle was modelled after Azuchi Castle but outdid it in terms of size and grandeur. Azuchi Castle was the stronghold of Oda Nobunaga, one of the three great unifiers of Japan. 

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a powerful feudal warlord and the second of the three-great unifier of Japan, and Osaka Castle was built to display his might after the unification of Japan under his rule (Matt De Sousa, n.d.). However, Hideyoshi died the following year and Osaka Castle was destroyed during the attack by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the last of the three great unifiers of Japan, in 1615 (John Asano, 2017). Ironically, Osaka Castle was later rebuilt by the third son of Ieyasu, Tokugawa Hidetada, in 1626 (Burke, 2017).  Lightning struck and the castle was burned down in 1665, razed down again during the Meiji Restoration era in 1868 and badly damaged in 1931 during World War II (John Asano, 2017). 

Osaka Castle underwent restoration projects several times but was also destroyed several times during the process, until it was fully restored in 1997 (Japan-guide.com, n.d.). It, however, was recognized as a historical site and was repaired. It opened in 1948 to the public.

Modern day Osaka Castle is a monumental castle that was dealt with several setbacks, but continuously improved to become what it is today. It is “a beautiful testament to traditional architecture.”, with the colour scheme and design that is on the castle itself. The castle itself has been turned into a museum, where visitors can learn about the history of the castle and try some activities in the castle itself (Japan-guide.com, n.d.).  Also, in the castle, are elevators to make it easier for visitors to move about the castle (Japan-guide.com, n.d.). 

References: 

1. https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/a-brief-history-of-osaka-castle/
2. https://www.stripes.com/travel/osaka-shogun-s-castle-was-key-to-ancient-japanese-history-1.317332
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osaka_Castle
4. https://osaka-info.jp/en/page/osaka-castle
5. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4000.html