How Japanese wallflowers turned into celebrities: self-mockery and self-revelation of the female comedy duo Harisenbon

ABSTRACT

This study examines the Japanese female comedy duo Harisenbon. By examining their approach to comedy and their reception by Japanese media and society, it discusses how they use their “ugly”, “fat” and “skinny” personas to expose Japanese social pressures upon women. It considers how both comedians present a self-image that apparently matches their stage characters, and how their interactions with mainstream media endorses the very social norms they ridicule, without directly challenging or satirising them, even if this leaves space for destabilising the assumptions on which they are based. It observes that one half of the duo, who is more successful than the other, might be due to her willingness to mock her own appearance more savagely.     

‘Hold that Pose!’ Photography and kabuki in Kitano Takeshi's Kikujiro

This article examines Kitano Takeshi's film Kikujiro (Kikujirō no Natsu, 1999) from two directions: first, as an as an experiment in moving versus still photography, and second, as an exploration of time, memory and Japanese identity. I argue that it is in Kitano's cinematic use of elements from the kabuki drama that the two aspects come together. Kitano plays upon the conventions of both kabuki and film media to highlight the significance of the ‘still shot’ as it functions in human memory. By presenting moments of the story in the format of a child's photograph album, Kitano is able to explore ideas of ‘adult’ and ‘child’ as equally arbitrary constructions. Throughout Kikujiro, Kitano draws on a rich tradition of film, drama and television convention in order to explore the idea of where identity comes from – does it come from the past, the present, or do we make it up ourselves? Kitano places emphasis on the still mie pose to heighten emotion and draw attention to the present moment. By contrasting this method against that of photography, Kitano juxtaposes past and present modes of expression, enabling him to interrogate notions of time and the supposed timelessness of art. Finally, Kitano's critical use of the past locates identity not in some distant, unobtainable myth of the nation, but in the lived experience of each individual as a human being.     

台湾人民反抗日本殖民者的斗争

1895年,清政府与日本国政府签订《马关条约》,台湾从此沦为日本殖民地长达50年之久。对日本殖民者的残酷统治压迫,台湾人民进行了长期英勇的斗争,给日本殖民者以沉重打击。台湾人民反抗日本殖民者的斗争,是中华民族抵抗日本帝国主义侵略的重要组成部分,是中国近代史上波澜壮阔的群众爱国救亡运动的光辉篇章。     

不能忘却的历史：日本侵略者对天津的经济掠夺

“七七”事变后,日军侵占天津并实行殖民统治,残酷地掠夺天津经济,导致天津经济凋零衰败,大大加深了天津殖民地化的程度。回溯日本侵略者对天津经济的掠夺,不仅是为了铭记过去的历史,更重要的是维护亚洲和世界的公平与正义,使战争和苦难不再重演,实现世界的永久和平与合作发展。     

论抗日战争精神

爱国主义精神、民族精神、奉献精神、斗争精神是抗日战争精神的基本内涵。永恒性、民族性和时代性是抗日战争精神体现出的三个基本特征。在新的历史条件下要进一步发扬伟大的抗日战争精神,为构建社会主义和谐社会和实现中华民族的伟大复兴做出新贡献。     

中日水法体系与管理机制的立法比较

日本的水法体系是在整体环境观指导下的统一水环境立法,在调整客体和调整方式上体现了整体环境保护观。从法律调整方式上看,整体环境观指导下的调整方式体现为水资源开发、利用和消费全过程的环境保护。日本的水资源管理体制能够及时有效地协调人力资源,有利于对污染源的及时处理。总结日本的经验,立足于我国国情,抓住我国当前治理水污染的重点,形成水资源开发利用、水环境污染控制、生态系统保护基本政策和原则的环境与资源统一的综合性的水法体系。同时依靠科学加强国际交流合作,培养高素质的环保人员从事环保工作,普及水资源保护知识,最终实现水资源的可持续利用。     

日本女性史研究概况

随着西方社会性别论尤其是约翰.斯科特(Joan Scott)"历史与社会性别"概念的传入和影响,日本女性史研究有了很大的发展,成为这时期学界最令人注目的领域之一。其研究成果构建了"性.身体.生殖论""、近代以前家族史"、"近代家族论"等研究领域。这些研究几乎都是在社会性别维度和视角下展开的。     

中日女大学生综合素质和适应能力的差异

问卷调查了大连大学女子学院和日本福冈女学院大学生,探讨了综合素质和适应能力的培养要素,揭示了家庭生活环境与文化背景的影响,增进了中日青年的相互理解。     

走到十字路口的日本法科大学院制度

本文介绍了日本借鉴美国法学教育模式建立的日本法科大学院制度和新司法考试制度的背景、理念,重点阐释了日本法科大学院在实施中出现的问题和挑战,对新的法律职业教育模式与旧有制度之间的冲突和矛盾进行了深入分析,并将日本制度和韩国的制度改革作了比较法上的研究,提出了一些值得深入思考的看法。     

日本智库对中国崛起的研究

日本智库在对华决策方面发挥着重要作用,目前日本智库对于中国崛起的研究较多。多数日本智库看好中国崛起的前景,认为中国崛起在经济上给日本带来了许多机遇,同时也提出了在军事和战略上的各种隐忧。他们认为应加强同中国的交流与合作,抓住中国崛起带来的各种机遇,另一方面也要针对中国崛起可能带来的威胁加强防范。