Interesting article!

[winterspel]

[Warning: Sexually explicit discussion of cultural customs in historical Japan found in the comments. Proceed at your own risk.]

Many thanks to icajoleu for forwarding this to me! :) I love that my friends keep an eye out for my crazy interests...this article is short but addresses a few different interesting ideas.

Harry Potter Loves MalfoyBy Jennifer

Comments

Re: Part 4

[riccichan]

Well, it was the "youth's" own choice if he wanted to graduate or not. If he was the son of a merchant, he surely would have wanted to start a family. But if he was living in (and on) the pleasure quarters, it would have been in his best interest not to take the genpuku ceremony. And no one would have frowned upon him (maybe his own peers would have teased him about it, but certainly not his clients).

I agree with you on the stigmatized fangirling matter, but I think in Japan it's even worse than here. But there's also a way around it which works pretty well at least in Japan - start a family, make your daughters fangirl JE and be one of those okaa-sans who, when interviewed, always say "Well, I'm accompanying my daughter who so wanted to go to this concert..." :)

Also, if you've been a fan of one of the older groups like SMAP or V6, it's perfectly normal to stay a fan, they're accomplished artists after all.

Hey, what am I supposed to say - I fangirl Nakajima Yûto! Granted, not in a "oh he's so sexy I want to rip his pants off of him" way (I reserve that for Tottsu *g*), but still, I'm looking forward to seeing him in other dorama roles. In Japan, I could never tell that to anyone. It's difficult even here, but I can make people understand that I find him cute and that I take an interest in him as a child actor. In Japan, that wouldn't interest people much, they'd just steer clear of me.

I just remembered the typical answer of the japanese exchange students coming here, after I've told them I like Johnny's Entertainment - "Oh, Johnny's, I was also a fan until I graduated highschool."

Re: Part 4

[ina]

I agree on the choice for the youth living in the pleasure quarters, but I think the son of a merchant probably got pressure to start a family at a certain age too.

As for the age restrictions to fangirling I think it's kind of typical that it's stricter in Japan, because there are more expectations there to act a certain way, like marry before you are 30, stop working and start a family.