blog series 3 japan fashion
Shirt dresses have become a hit this spring and summer, adding momentum to the trend in one-piece dresses that began a few seasons ago. Women from all walks of life, from the teenage girls who gather in Tokyo's Harajuku district and the "gals" of Shibuya - with their taste for tanned skin, makeup, and flashy clothes - to working women and middle-aged homemakers, are discovering the appeal of these dresses. The main reason for shirt dresses' popularity is the myriad of ways in which they can be worn. They make a great one-piece dress and can also be turned into office wear with the addition of a jacket or cardigan. They look good over leggings, skinny jeans, cropped pants, and other slim-line bottoms and enable women who are self-conscious about their legs to cover up. Dresses are enjoying growing favor for a number of other reasons. Though just a single article of clothing, they let women look chic and feminine and spare them the need to coordinate separates. They also afford freedom of movement and feel good to wear. Some women say dresses provide cover for their waists and hips and make it easy to create a new silhouette. Delicate, feminine skirts suggestive of spring are already appearing ahead of the full arrival of the season, perhaps due to the unusually mild winter Japan has experienced. The skirts that were in fashion the previous spring were natural and simple garments in white or undyed cotton and other casual skirts, such as tight denim skirts. But in spring 2007 the storefronts of boutiques and department stores are abloom with skirts in diverse colors, patterns, designs, and details, tempting women to buy. Other than their above-knee length, this season's popular skirts are highly varied. Overall, the focus is on shaped, voluminous skirts with generous flares or with puffed hips or hems. Examples include gathered skirts made of sheer fabric, such as chiffon or crepe, in pinkish beige and other pale colors; balloon skirts with rounded hems; pleated skirts that give an air of refined grace; and tiered skirts, the most feminine style of all.
blog series 2 Media
The importance of the media for every day life in modern, industrialised societies is reflected in an ever increasing number of publications on the media, media ownership and media control.The media are undergoing rapid changes in Japan and elsewhere in the industrialised world, particularly with regard to the increase in multi media technologies and the introduction of digital services. The importance of the media for every day life in modern, industrialised societies is reflected in an ever-increasing number of publications on the media, media ownership and media control. In addition, the media's roles for political and social change, their function as promoter of commercialism, their importance for information and entertainment and the media's use of language are some of the topics that have been and continue to be widely discussed. Japanese readers have a choice of approximately 120 daily newspapers with a total of 50 million copies of set papers. Over the last decade, television has clearly come to surpass newspapers as Japan's main information and entertainment medium. For a long time, newspapers were regarded as the most influential information medium in Japan, although audience attitudes towards television changed with the emergence of commercial news broadcasting in the mid-1980s. Newspapers have lost their predominance as the most useful medium for news, information and commentary to television. For many years, Japan lagged behind in Internet access and Internet-related technology development compared to the US. Between January 1977 and March 1999, there were 12 times as many Internet related patents in the US than in Japan. In addition, the many recent changes to the Japanese media environment, including increased access to Internet, satellite and cable services, as well as the broadcast services, warrant continuing observation and analysis with regard to their impact on the interactive relationship between the media and their audiences.
blog series 1 japan communication
Japan and the U.S. are two very different cultures when it comes to nonverbal communication. Some of these differences are dress and eye contactIt is very rare that Japanese people entertain in their own homes and it is customary to go out. If you are invited to a Japanese family home there is also dress codes you should follow there. Never wear shoes into a home or a restaurant without the owner telling you to do so. There will be a small hallway between the door and living area of most Japanese homes called a genkan, before you enter the genkan you should remove your hat, gloves, coat and shoes. Eye contact is another major misunderstanding between our culture and the Japanese. In America, establishing eye contact during a conversation shows interest, and honesty. Avoidance of eye contact in the U.S. would show that you weren’t interested, were dishonest or were trying to be sly. In Japan the opposite is true, eye contact shows that you are being aggressive, rude, insistent to be equal or belligerent. In Japan it would be perfectly normal for someone you were talking to them to keep shifting their eyes away from you during your conversation. Japan and America are two vastly different cultures in almost every respect of life. It would seem that these cultural differences in communication would make international business between the two nearly impossible. However, international business occurs thousands of times daily between the two, some Japanese companies are even listed on American stock exchanges. Dress and eye contact are just a few of the differences in communications between our cultures and since these differences will never just go away all we can do is strive to better understand them to make communications between our nations go more smoothly.
japan
Two of the biggest economies in the world, Japan and the U.S., have remarkably different forms of communication. Some differences are obvious like language and currency, and some are not as obvious like nonverbal communication. Japan and the U.S. are two very different cultures when it comes to nonverbal communication. Some of these differences are kinesics, dress and eye contact.Dress is another place where cultural differences can be seen in forms of nonverbal communication between the U.S. and Japan. For an American traveling to Japan it is important to know the vast differences in accepted dress, especially for a business environment. While the U.S. has very relaxed dress codes in most aspects of life, the Japanese have a much more controlled dress code.
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