The Who and Where

So, just to go along with my title, I'm going to talk about the picture of a person first and then the place. :)


Source? [Number 04]

So, let me just start out by saying that the main reason why I chose this picture is because it's the one that related to me the most. Being an addict to fashion and all things stylish, I have done the double mirror thing...

With that out in the open, let's analyze the girl, shall we? Girls, then and now, spend a good amount of time getting dolled up for something (like a hot date, just for fun, habit, or other reasons]. This girl obviously cares about her fashion choices (that is if she had one) for she is using mirrors to check out her hairdo. Japanese women cared deeply about their hair so much that they would either have it professionally styled and/or get it done every few days. In order to prevent their hair from being messed up as they slept, they would have their heads elevated from the base of the neck.

Notice how the girl stares at herself in the mirror. She's staring directly down at the mirror, concentrated on her hairdo. Notice the way she had posed her body, perfectly still in order to best get a glance at any loose hairs. Her one arm is relax and gentle (the one she is looking at) and the other is stiff. This allows her to have complete control over the line of view. To me, it seems as though there is a wrinkle on her forehead. Looking at the picture more closely, there are a few strands/chunk of hair that came loose. This could be causing the girl to be frustrated for she spent all that time on her hair, getting her hair done, or the hairdresser messed up the hairdo. Her mouth is also slightly turned down, adding to the frustrated look.

Now for the place!


Source (again!)[Number 15]

I absolutely love the beauty of this picture! My first impression of it was how simple the architectural was and how involved the Japanese with nature.

The houses are made of a very simple design. Instead of the roofs being made of tiles or shingles like in the Americas, the Japanese roofs were made of thatch, giving a more naturalistic feeling. It was even more available than shingles, which made it easier for those in the lower classes to get a hold of them. The Japanese had worked around nature in order to build their villages. Notice how the trail leading upwards has rocks in the way as well being uneven. The trail even follows the way of nature, rather than forcing nature to do what the humans want (to make their lives easier by having a shorter/more direct walking path by making the path go straight through the hills.) Basically, Japan is one with nature and respects the beauty of it.

Party Rock!

Source

This is a picture of the Dutch having a dinner party with the Japanese during the early 1800s. The reason why I choose this one was how the Dutch were portrayed. All the Dutch men are eating down and eating while the Japanese (only three) are standing up and attending to the men.

Let's start with the outside the room, beyond the focus point of the dinner. The boats outside are the same big black ship that the foreigners used. The Japanese at that time did not use giants ships, but rather small-sized boats. For example, if you look closely over the green railing corner, on the right-hand side, there appears to be a small, yet simple light tan (fishing?) boat. This is, judging by the minimalist design of the boat, belongs to the Japanese.

Now, let's move on to the actual room, shall we? Here we see seven Dutch men sitting at a table eating a meal that is including a meat of some sort, chicken, something to drink, possibly rice, and what seems to be liquor. Notice how they are helping themselves to their own food and drinks. In Japan, for those of you who do not know, it's impolite/rude to pour your own drink. (Yes, they might not know that and just being themselves/following their own cultural customs, but I found this interesting.) The two Japanese women are standing behind the men serving them possibly more food, while the tanned male across the room is bringing more to the guests. And last but not least is the neko-chan (or cat). Because there is a cat laying down in the room with everyone else present, this makes me believe that this was taking place in a home (since Cat Cafes weren't invented back then).

There's a Party in My Tummy!

Source: Google Images. http://www.fourhman.com/blog/images/pocky-romance.jpg

For this assignment, I decided to do Teaching for Japan but then I switched it to Ganguro, an advertisement Ben Stiller did in Japan, and then a Britney Spears Suki Candy commercial. I finally landed on everyone's favorite Japanese import... POCKY!

Right off the bat, one could see this beautiful woman in a romantic, floral-filled field as she gazes into the distance. Her clothing and the Pocky she is holding are both the same color. However, what pops out the most in the picture is the bright blue Pocky box in the right hand corner.

So let's go into more detail about this woman. As she stares into the distance, she gives off that innocent look of being in love. The words, "それはそれはハッピーなデコ," encourages that romanticized feeling of love. Is she necessarily thinking of a lover? Most likely. Is it human? No, it's the Pocky. She has an innocent love for this delicious biscuit treat. To add unto this image of innocent love, her outfit and fields of flowers are shades of light hues, majority of them being the color pink. Pink is the color symbol for innocence, happiness, and sweetness. All these adjectives are non-verbally describing the taste and feeling of the Pocky that she is promoting. The word "happy" even appears in the text, further assuring us of the happiness it will bring.

To put it frankly, this type of Pocky will bring you happiness if you eat it as well as give you the feeling of an innocent love you may had once in your life.