American & biker wannabe wins Miss Universe Japan 2015

[matsuki]

In LA we get called "hispanics" and "Mexicans" and this has morphed to "hismexicans."

Junsui ne...couldn't have put it better. Label everything "nama" and "junsui" and it sells!! (kinda like organic?)

The whole "unique" thing I'm just treating like you would humor a child. You can't watch any TV here without being reminded how unique, sugoi, and lucky they are to be Japanese. (Yesterday I was subjected to Sakana-kun eating fish and saying "I'm so happy to have been born Japanese!") Let it go...let it go....

[Yokohammer]

... (Yesterday I was subjected to Sakana-kun eating fish and saying "I'm so happy to have been born Japanese!") Let it go...let it go....

Because no other countries have fish ... or seasons, don't forget the seasons ... which of course means that you can't possibly have fish in season. Totally.

Actually, Sakana-kun really is lucky to have been born Japanese, because if he acted like that anywhere else he'd probably be joining the fish wearing concrete boots.

But really, there seems to be a huge multi-tentacled (sorry Yanps) "Japan is best country in world!" propaganda campaign going on right now, with all the "Gaijin are amazed at Japan!" and "Only a Japanese could pay this much attention to detail" and "Japan is the only country with 'omotenashi'" and all the other stomach churning flavours of self-praise that completely negate the fundamental myth of Japanese self-effacement and modesty. It is one huge cultural contradiction that has me wondering where the foundation went, but I also realise that all of that swagger is a veneer as thin as Japanese westernisation. Unfortunately it hides the really good stuff, which really is there, but is being overwhelmed by trivia like anime and manga and cosplay and all the vacuous reasons the media seem to come up with to validate Japan as a unique culture.

I don't get it. Japan has plenty of really old, deep culture that it can be truly proud of, and yet people keep coming up with all this utter tosh. And to bring this post back to the original subject, I can't see any reason why a Japanese-born "half" can't be a part of that.

[/today's rant]

[Samurai_Jerk]

Sort of like the idea that America is uniquely free, fair, and wealthy among all the nations.

[Yokohammer]

Sort of like the idea that American is uniquely free, fair, and wealthy among all the nations.

Don't get me started ... I stopped believing the American Dream myth a long time ago.
That's a country with a lot of potential though. If it could just get its act together.

[Wage Slave]

Sort of like the idea that America is uniquely free, fair, and wealthy among all the nations.

They tend not to use the world unique though - exceptionally free, fair and wealthy. Comes to more or less the same thing - unique and exceptional - compare and contrast.

[matsuki]

... (Yesterday I was subjected to Sakana-kun eating fish and saying "I'm so happy to have been born Japanese!") Let it go...let it go....

Because no other countries have fish ... or seasons, don't forget the seasons ... which of course means that you can't possibly have fish in season. Totally.

Actually, Sakana-kun really is lucky to have been born Japanese, because if he acted like that anywhere else he'd probably be joining the fish wearing concrete boots.

But really, there seems to be a huge multi-tentacled (sorry Yanps) "Japan is best country in world!" propaganda campaign going on right now, with all the "Gaijin are amazed at Japan!" and "Only a Japanese could pay this much attention to detail" and "Japan is the only country with 'omotenashi'" and all the other stomach churning flavours of self-praise that completely negate the fundamental myth of Japanese self-effacement and modesty. It is one huge cultural contradiction that has me wondering where the foundation went, but I also realise that all of that swagger is a veneer as thin as Japanese westernisation.

Don't forget the whole any Japanese living/working outside Japan is a "samurai" PR

I don't think it's a new trend though they certainly have cranked up the "nippon/nihonjin sugoi!!" level recently.

Unfortunately it hides the really good stuff, which really is there, but is being overwhelmed by trivia like anime and manga and cosplay and all the vacuous reasons the media seem to come up with to validate Japan as a unique culture.

I don't get it. Japan has plenty of really old, deep culture that it can be truly proud of, and yet people keep coming up with all this utter tosh. And to bring this post back to the original subject, I can't see any reason why a Japanese-born "half" can't be a part of that.

[/today's rant]

Pretty much THIS...

[Samurai_Jerk]

Sort of like the idea that America is uniquely free, fair, and wealthy among all the nations.

They tend not to use the world unique though - exceptionally free, fair and wealthy. Comes to more or less the same thing - unique and exceptional - compare and contrast.

But they do use superlatives like "freest" and "best" a lot.

[matsuki]

Sort of like the idea that America is uniquely free, fair, and wealthy among all the nations.

They tend not to use the world unique though - exceptionally free, fair and wealthy. Comes to more or less the same thing - unique and exceptional - compare and contrast.

But they do use superlatives like "freest" and "best" a lot.

I remember being around 4 or 5 and kids running around doing all kinds of crazy shit to other kids...then turning around and saying "I can do whatever I want, it's a free country!!"

[legion]

The whole "unique" thing I'm just treating like you would humor a child. You can't watch any TV here without being reminded how unique, sugoi, and lucky they are to be Japanese. (Yesterday I was subjected to Sakana-kun eating fish and saying "I'm so happy to have been born Japanese!") Let it go...let it go....

I used to know a Japanese guy who developed an allergy to fish, I think they revoked his citizenship.

What gets me about this country is they profess to be so proud of things Japanese, then bury the beauty of the country in concrete and random telegraph wires. There are times when I am out riding and I catch a glimpse of what could be, and what is being referenced in Izakaya & Soba shop interior decor but generally the Japanese answer to a nice piece of scenery is to put in three vending machines and a prefabricated pachinko shop.

I do think there are a lot of very well meaning people who are already thinking about how best to make visitors feel welcome during the Olympics, which is the root cause of the "Japan is super" trend you are noticing. It has galvanized various governmental and non governmental bodies into "We must put our best face forward" mentality. To balance this over enthusiasm I recommend each government meeting adds an item to the agenda, "What would Debito-sama think?".

[matsuki]

Speaking of image..dare I ask, how many tourists/athletes will want to visit Taiji while they're here? If I were one of those dolphin/whale activists, one couldn't ask for better timing to make a scene.

[wagyl]

Taiji is not really on the tourist circuit. And what is more, when I last went through, I felt extremely uncomfortable mainly because I didn't want to be mistaken for an associate of the botherers/protesters/self-proclaimed pirates. It has all created an incredibly poisoned atmosphere.

[matsuki]

Taiji is not really on the tourist circuit. And what is more, when I last went through, I felt extremely uncomfortable mainly because I didn't want to be mistaken for an associate of the botherers/protesters/self-proclaimed pirates. It has all created an incredibly poisoned atmosphere.

So what you're saying is....there's a market for "I ♡ Whale Bacon" T-shirts after all? You'd never feel uncomfortable in one of those!

Seriously though, even the J-gov would be insane not to prepare for some sort of protest or something like that.

[wangta]

Taiji is not really on the tourist circuit. And what is more, when I last went through, I felt extremely uncomfortable mainly because I didn't want to be mistaken for an associate of the botherers/protesters/self-proclaimed pirates. It has all created an incredibly poisoned atmosphere.

I've never been there and I do question the IQ of the local Taiji population justifying luring beautiful and intelligent marine life into shallow waters and bashing them to death because "our ancestors did this and it is our culture". Taiji seems a lesson in what happens when the locals are too inbred.

Then again I've heard intelligent Japanese justifying other Japanese going off to Antarctica and other places to destroy whales wantonly and slice them up for pet food as well as kiddie meals "because it is Japanese culture". Fascinating that - I thought it is historically verifiable that the Japanese whalers of yore did no such thing as sailing around the Antarctic etc.

However, the solution to the disgusting butchery at Taiji is to get some Japanese business person on side and have him/her start up some group to promote tourism through dolphin watching and general 'green' tourism. Funding such a pilot program could also be done through non Japanese helping contribute financially and the people of Taiji could make a living. Then again that would take time, intercultural skills and the willingness to put their money where their mouths are as well as decent Japanese speaking ability and I am not sure those foreigners who hang out at Taiji actually have that.

[Samurai_Jerk]

This fake news story is sending some people into a rage.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (The Adobo Chronicles) – It looked like a scene from the reality TV show, ‘The Apprentice.’ Donald Trump basically told the Miss Universe franchise holders of Japan and the Philippines : ‘You’re fired!’

Trump, the owner of the Miss Universe organization announced that he has decided to disqualify Miss Japan, Ariana Miyamoto, and the newly-crowned Miss Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach, from participating in this year’s Miss Universe Pageant.

The reason? Both beauty queens are ‘half and half,’ meaning Miss Japan is only half Japanese and Miss Philippines is half Filipina.

Twenty-year-old Miss Japan Ariana Miyamoto was born to a Japanese mother and an African-American father in Sasebo, Nagasaki, the location of a major American naval base.

Twenty six-year-old Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is a Filipino-German actress and model. She competed in the Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines) pageant three times, winning on her third attempt. (It pays to try and try again.)

In making his decision to disqualify the Asian candidates, Trump said, “the goal of Miss Universe is to choose a world beauty that represents her country to the fullest extent. Having a half and half candidate from any participating country is not in keeping with the Miss Universe ideals.”

[BigInJapan]

The beauty queen criticized for not being Japanese enough

Tokyo (CNN)A biracial beauty queen in Japan is facing criticism for not being Japanese enough.

Half-Japanese and half African-American, Miss Nagasaki Ariana Miyamoto is the first-ever mixed-race Miss Universe Japan.

Some say she doesn't represent Japan's demographic, while others champion the model, proud that she is overcoming racial hurdles and helping to expand the definition of what it means to be Japanese.

But changing perceptions here can be an uphill struggle. In a culture that typically prefers pale -- where "pure Japanese" white skin is considered a symbol of beauty -- the darker skinned Miyamoto's crowning last week was a revolution on the runway.

On a walk through Tokyo's Harajuku fashion district on Tuesday -- the statuesque 20-year-old attracted stares, photo takers, and curious crowds.
[Continued on CNN]

Why some critics think Japan’s Miss Universe contestant isn’t Japanese enough

By most of the rest of the the world’s standards, Ariana Miyamoto is thoroughly Japanese.

The 20-year-old model is a Japanese citizen, a native of Sasebo in Nagasaki prefecture with an advanced mastery of the art of Japanese calligraphy, according to RockeNewst24, a Tokyo-based news blog. Have you heard her speak Japanese, the language spoken by the people occupying the volcanic archipelago known as “Japan”? She does it really well — like a native speaker, without a trace of a foreign accent, because she is, in fact, Japanese.

And yet, Miyamoto made a point of preemptively, if politely, defending herself during her first meeting with the Japanese media after she was crowned Miss Universe Japan last week. The biracial beauty queen — the daughter of a Japanese woman and an African American man — said she may not “look Japanese” on the outside, but on the inside, her soul is replete with Japaneseness, according to the blog Kotaku.
[Continued on Washington Post]

[legion]

on the outside, but on the inside, her soul is replete with Japaneseness,

what she really meant was "kiss my ass muthafukkas, cos I is Miss Fuckin Universe Japan and you are just some fucking reporter guy trying to fill up your weenie little inches!"

[matsuki]

Yesterday, I got a lecture in "What Japanese should look like" from some 40-something year old couple that were otherwise quite pleasant. After they were done, they questioned the lemur with me if she chose a FG because she's haafu. (she's not haafu) The guy was like "I thought she was probably half but then when I saw her with an FG, I knew I was right." The wife even went into "even her makeup isn't Japanese, it's gaijin style makeup!" After the she broke the not-haafu news to them and the "honma?!-ing" died down I honestly think they walked away with a slightly wider outlook on "We Japanese."

Sidenote: By the way she was bouncing around and talking about her "ameeeeerican dream" I'm pretty sure the wife passed the non-lesbian test, even without checking how juicy she was.

[Coligny]

Sidenote: By the way she was bouncing around and talking about her "ameeeeerican dream" I'm pretty sure the wife passed the non-lesbian test, even without checking how juicy she was.

Gitmo, Fema death camps, NSA wiretapping, DHS over reach, police force militarisation...

There's still people calling that a dream ?

[American Oyaji]

Still better than Detroit...

image.jpg

Hey, I'm LIVING in Detroit these days....

And for the record, this girl is RIDICULOUSLY fine! I'm trying to arrange her marriage to my eldest son if I can't snag this young bird.

Really, Once she gains a little bit of weight...WOOHOO!!! Sky's the limit with her.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I don't think she has the frame to carry the weight.

[American Oyaji]

I don't mean a lot of weight, just normal weight that maturity puts on a woman after 20 or so

[Coligny]

I don't mean a lot of weight, just normal weight that maturity puts on a woman after 20 or so

Is maturity a metaphor for cheezeburgers ?

[Mike Oxlong]

I've been called n****r and had trash thrown at me': First mixed race Miss Japan hits out at the 'spasmodic vomit of racial abuse' she's suffered because father is African-American
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... rican.html

[Samurai_Jerk]

I wonder how many people are actually upset by her win. With stories like this there are always going to be jerk offs online who write racist shit even if they don't really mean it. Twitter comments and the like are an easy way for lazy reporters to make it look like there's serious controversy where there isn't.

[matsuki]

SJ's probably right but I don't see over hyped racism in this case being a bad thing....it forces the average J-person out of the SOP "racism doesn't exist in Japan" mindset.

Divided from the Asian and Russian land masses by fierce currents, many Japanese have long believed in a myth of racial purity, although the islands' inhabitants are a result of a hodge-podge of different migrations mainly from Korea, China and the south seas.
The only 'native Japanese' are the Caucasian-looking Ainu people, pushed to near-extinction to Japan's northernmost reaches.

Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrns

[Samurai_Jerk]

SJ's probably right but I don't see over hyped racism in this case being a bad thing....it forces the average J-person out of the SOP "racism doesn't exist in Japan" mindset.

Divided from the Asian and Russian land masses by fierce currents, many Japanese have long believed in a myth of racial purity, although the islands' inhabitants are a result of a hodge-podge of different migrations mainly from Korea, China and the south seas.
The only 'native Japanese' are the Caucasian-looking Ainu people, pushed to near-extinction to Japan's northernmost reaches.

Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrns

I realize that quotes were used around native Japanese but the Ainu didn't exactly spring out of the ground of old Yamato.

Anyway, she's growing on me with every photo.

[matsuki]

Anyway, she's growing on me with every photo.

She looks a million times better than the runner ups pictured.

外人は見る目ない

[Coligny]

I wonder how many people are actually upset by her win. With stories like this there are always going to be jerk offs online who write racist shit even if they don't really mean it. Twitter comments and the like are an easy way for lazy reporters to make it look like there's serious controversy where there isn't.

If i could throw trash with twitter, my life would be much more simple...

What day is twitter gomi ?

[Russell]

I wonder how many people are actually upset by her win. With stories like this there are always going to be jerk offs online who write racist shit even if they don't really mean it. Twitter comments and the like are an easy way for lazy reporters to make it look like there's serious controversy where there isn't.

If i could throw trash with twitter, my life would be much more simple...

What day is twitter gomi ?

You didn't ask what day is FG gomi?!?

[kurogane]

Anyway, she's growing on me with every photo.

I'm actually going the other way: she's not pretty or sexy enough (way too slim), her ears are funny, her face a touch goofy and she doesn't look remotely Japanese. Nice smile, though. I was wondering why such a seemingly nice young woman would subject herself to that sort of organised degradation but after listening to the interview posted above I remember remembering that just because you're half doesn't necessarily mean you can't also be half stupid. I wish her all the best, and hope her meat is highly praised and graded. I predict a Jpaanese victory even more cynical than was her selection as Miss Japan.

Oh, and seconded on the origins of the Ainu, but once again: The Japanese are native to Japan, probably the only people that can so claim, and if you disagree I say Poopy Doop to You!!!!!!!! (Hint: April Fool's is over but that's also a trick; a tautology, if I am not mistaken. The Answer will be broadcast after the news............ )

Any other explanation or claim is Choko Cholo quibbling. I am thinking of starting a club where we go around and beat newbie FG journos until they bleed from their mucous menbranes if they use that old Victorian era racist crap ever again.