wangta wrote:I don't think the kimono/yukata tradition in decline from what I've seen. If anything they're making a comeback along with tendencies towards nationalism that is a throwback to the one that saw Japanese leaders turn the country into a military state, but is instead glamorised as the good old days that have to be 'restored'.
I'm hearing a lot of younger people 20s to mid 30s expressing support for Ishihara's party and wacky ideas that the tea ceremony should be compulsory for all girls at school etc. Kimono and yukata wearing are part of this even though interest in traditional dress is also a positive reflection of their interest in Japanese traditions per se. I was interested to see propaganda posters in various places including shrines where it's proclaimed how lucky/good it is to be Japanese. There is no context such as in some other countries where these campaigns are used to tell the population that it's a good idea to help countries that don't have their fortunate circumstances.
I'm hearing the same shit and can't believe how ignorant most of the people agreeing with it are. Keep hearing a bunch of shit talk about the new S. Korea PM that is totally interchangeable with a description of Abe himself. Even had a good friend of mine go out of their way to mention they were certain "The US let Pearl Harbor happen! They knew it was coming and they let it happen!" before going on a tirade about how "too much Japanese money goes to Korea where the Japanese flag is so often burned, stepped on, and still more apologies are demanded." I also can't believe how many taxis I'm seeing lately with nationalistic stickers and shit on them. The best are the ones that also have Engrish stickers like "Japan Thank you!" Almost as ironic as the uyoku hummer I saw last week.