#Western Japan

[newsbites]

#cows #western Japan #news #world news

[fashionsfromhistory]

Sashiko Jacket

1850-1899 (Meiji Era)

Japan

Sashiko is a quilting technique that uses a running stitch to reinforce and prolong the life of a textile or to join together recycled pieces of cloth into a new garment. Japanese farmers used the technique to create warmer and more durable fabrics, and decorative sashiko stitching developed from this practical function. This robe’s embroidered design is dominated by three variations on the pattern of interlocking circles, called shippō-tsunagi. The bottom band features a design of waves.

The MET (Accession Number: 67.172.1)

#sashiko #fashion history #historical fashion #japanese fashion #non western fashion #japanese art #19th century #meiji era #quilting #japan #blue #off white #cotton #robe #jacket #1850s #1860s #1870s #1880s #1890s #the met

[saltyyetbland]

ngl im fucking terrified of how the fandom will act when the asian ccs get added and they are confronted with asian customs such as honorifics, asian cultural norms, and the language itself (ie words that are common in one language that sounds like a slur in another) and i know most of the fandom will be open and welcoming but idk im probably being way too pessimistic as someone who is asian and has seen the bs that people can spew esp regarding things like stereotypes

#qsmp #im being really negative rn cause im just really scared #im excited to see asian representation and i really hope to be proven wrong in my pessimism #but i will dropkick anyone who purposefully tries to misinterpret or villainize or sexualize or whatever my culture #its on fucking sight for those kinds of people #even people that just associate one thing for one culture ie japan with anime or korea with kpop #like i swear these countries and cultures are more than just that so please be open to learning more and not just make assumptions #also i am so very scared when it comes to cultural norms esp because qsmp is so damn western ethics and morality focused #i have many thoughts about this in particular but theyre way too complex #but yeah i really hope this event goes well and the new members feel welcomed

[mikeywayarchive]

The Outer Fields // Mar 11th 2023 // @ trashandglitter on twitter

#mikey way #gw #mcr #live #return #2023 #mar 2023 #3/11/23 #2023 nz/aus/japan tour #auckland #the outer fields at western springs #photo #originals

[arsonmurderandjaywalking]

I'm only on like chapter 4 but I really like the way Migi to Dali is handling the idea of irrational childhood fears when experienced by two twelve-year-olds with seemingly very little interaction with normal human society. like why WOULD the twins know what wigs are and why people have them? they don't need them to survive! they're completely superfluous! I don't think they've had much space for superfluous things. they're used to everything being a life-or-death matter with only each other and their wits to save them. thinking the parents are going to steal their hair and then make their escape on what looks to be a biplane is a very twelve-year-old thought process, but it makes sense that they would immediately assume they're in danger.

#migi to dali #migi and dali #also im really liking this weird eerie american suburbs vibe it has despite it being set in japan #adds to the surrealism element of it. its like reality but it isnt #also the mystery. like is this an alternate timeline where japan is more westernized? is it just these people? will this be explained? #who knows! certainly not me!

[ravelqueen]

KaiShin being cousins is whatever because it doesn't add any spice to it that isn't eclipsed by the spice of detective/thief

Weird puriteens losing their shit over it though? Hilarious, absolutely amazing.

They didn't even grow up together, they have none of the "guilt over wanting to fuck someone you grew up with as family" or anything and it's not like it's gonna impact some kids genetics lol

How were you shipping those two anyway if your incest squick is that self debilitating, their designs make this pairing almost functionally self cest.

Anyway please send me your Kaishin djs/ fic recs im suddenly invested

#detective conan #kuroba kaito #kudo shinichi #kaishin #fun fact 10% of all marriages world wide are cousin marriages #Also everyone saying this is the author being anti shipping those two? cousin marriage is legal in Japan #other places kaishin could totally marry: most of Western Europe Canada South America #so calm down

[emptyjunior]

Hey Shohei Ohtani is getting married!

He's a baseball pitcher from Japan and has a huge fanbase, yes cause of sports stuff, but also cause he's admittably Gorgeous and has eligible bachelor superstar Icon status.

And he's announced his engagement to a woman he won't name (although people have many theories out there.)

But I just wanted to take the time to say the people who love Shohei,.. keep it fun 🫵

Because maybe less than a year ago we had another announcement, Yuzuru Hanyu got married.

Beloved figure skating icon, the inspiration for the character Yuuri Katsuki, generally agreed upon heartthrob.

And he got married and received a lot of joking jealous messages,., And then a lot that were Not jokes.

Just a whole campaign of people saying noooo whyy you can't do this, private messages and letters, the media following them everywhere, the media actively STALKING the couple and digging things up about his wife and her past and her life.

And then because Yuzuru Hanyu loved his wife, he divorced her. To protect her and release her from all that pressure.

And that's the end.

Well now that occurred, I have been seeing a lot of comments under Shohei's stuff and it's mostly lighthearted.,, But it looks a Little too familiar for my tastes.

Kind of the same tone of last time, and lots of conspiracy stuff of who the woman is.

And just wanted to say whether or not we get a name, whether or not she's already a famous person or not,, let's leave her be!

And where you might be tempted to write "I'm so sad" "no don't take him away from me" maybe just a casual "Congratulations!" Is in order instead.

These are people! These are people doing jobs who want to have lives and be married and literally nothing bad has happened around Shohei Ohtani's announcement yet, nothing but happy news, and I want to keep it that way.

For him and the one after him and maybe for one day if Yuzuru Hanyu feels safe enough to try again, let's keep it light and fun and Normal 🫵

So thank you everyone! Take this as a PSA and enjoy being a fan, just remember the responsibility of being a fan, do not take it lightly.

#this isn't even about Japanese idol vs western celebrity culture cause Ohtani's in LA on the dodgers #so like we overstep All these celebrities boundaries #lets take it back a sec #and I know it was the media not the fans who over stepped last time #but they did it cause there was an Audience to do it #sports #shohei ohtani #Japan #yuzuru hanyu #figure skating #baseball #marriage #fanbase #fandom #yuri on ice

[michichi69]

Wild Westalia Fanzine | Vengeance in Crimson Sands

#my art #Ameripan Revenge Western AU #wild westalia fanzine #hetalia #hws #hetalia world stars #hetalia fanart #historical hetalia #hetalia fandom #world stars hetalia #hws japan #nyotalia #nyo japan #hws america #hetalia japan #hetalia america #ameripan

[ltwilliammowett]

Black Ships

The Black Ships ( 黒船, romanized: kurofune, Edo period term) was the name given to Western vessels arriving in Japan in the 16th and 19th centuries.

Commodore Perry's fleet for his second visit to Japan in 1854 - Engraving from Gleason’s Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, Boston, May 15, 1852, Volume II, No. 20, page 305

In 1543, Portuguese initiated the first contacts, establishing a trade route linking Goa to Nagasaki. The large carracks engaged in this trade had the hull painted black with pitch, and the term came to represent all Western vessels. In 1639, after suppressing a rebellion blamed on the influence of Christian thought, the ruling Tokugawa shogunate retreated into an isolationist policy, the Sakoku. During this "locked state", contact with Japan by Westerners was restricted to Dutch traders on Dejima island at Nagasaki.

In 1844, William II of the Netherlands urged Japan to open also the mainland to trade, but was rejected. On 8 July, 1853, the U.S. Navy sent four warships into the bay at Edo and threatened to attack if Japan did not begin trade with the West. The ships were Mississippi, Plymouth, Saratoga, and Susquehanna of the Expedition for the opening of Japan, under the command of Commodore Matthew Perry. The expedition arrived on 14 July, 1853 at Uraga Harbor (present-day Yokosuka) in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Though their hulls were not black, their coal-fired steam engines belched black smoke.

Their arrival marked the reopening of the country to political dialogue after more than two hundred years of self-imposed isolation. Trade with Western nations followed five years later with the Treaty of Amity and Commerce. After this, the kurofune became a symbol of the end of isolation.

#naval history #black ships #short overview #before i get the asks what they are #western vessels #japan #16th-19th century #more about perry soon #age of sail #age of discovery #history

[crazywolfsthings]

I feel like people who say that Mizu wants to be a man and enjoys being one are forgetting the fact that Mizu did not choose to dress or act the way they do and was forced to do so as a child because people were looking for a girl, so their maid mom had her behave like a boy for her own safety. This was not his own choice.

And the reason why she gets upset when others insinuate that he's a woman is because women aren't allowed to do pretty much anything in their day and age, as we see when a woman is denied entrance into a town to sell goods to feed herself and her child because a man was not accompanying them.

Being a man provides them with so much more freedom and power to accomplish her goals, and if others discover he's a woman, she'll lose that freedom.

If you view him as trans, then that's fine, but you don't have the authority to say that's canon, and shouldn't get mad when others think about her as a woman or use she/her and they/them pronouns for them. If your argument is that everyone in the show uses he/him pronouns, then know that the creators of the show use she/her. All pronouns and headcanons are valid for Mizu.

#Blue Eye Samurai #crazywolfsthings #I love Mizu and enjoy all headcanons #Cis/trans/GNC/nonbinary/fluid/etc. #Hate the ones that are trying to gatekeep #Did I use all pronouns when referring to Mizu #Yes #Don't get a chance to do that often #Don't like it #Then that's a skill issue #Go watch Blue Eye Samurai people #I need more fanfics and fan art #You can watch the first episode on YouTube #The rest is on Netflix #Please #I need more of this show #Also #Don't force modern Western views on characters from 1600 Japan #If I accidentally do that #Let me know

[kaladinkholins]

Seeing fan discussions about Blue Eye Samurai and especially Mizu's identity is so annoying sometimes. So let me just talk about it real quick.

First off, I have to emphasise that different interpretations of the text are always important when discussing fiction. That's how the whole branch of literary studies came to be, and what literary criticism and analysis is all about: people would each have their own interpretation of what the text is saying, each person applying a different lens or theory through which to approach the text (ie. queer theory, feminist theory, reader response theory, postcolonial theory, etc) when analysing it. And while yes, you can just take everything the authors say as gospel, strictly doing so would leave little room for further analysis and subjective interpretation, and both of these are absolutely necessary when having any meaningful discussion about a piece of media.

With that being said, when discussing Blue Eye Samurai, and Mizu's character in particular, I always see people only ever interpret her through a queer lens. Because when discussing themes of identity, yes, a queer reading can definitely apply, and in Mizu's story, queer themes are definitely present. Mizu has to hide her body and do her best to pass in a cisheteronormative society; she presents as a man 99% of the time and is shown to be more comfortable in men's spaces (sword-fighting) than in female spaces (homemaking). Thus, there's nothing wrong with a queer reading at all. Hell, some queer theorists interpret Jo March from Little Women as transmasc and that's totally valid, because like all analyses, they are subjective and argumentative; you have the choice to agree with an interpretation or you can oppose it and form your own.

To that end, I know many are equally adamant that Mizu is strictly a woman, and that's also also a completely valid reading of the text, and aligns with the canon "Word of God", as the creators' intention was to make her a woman. And certainly, feminist themes in the show are undeniably present and greatly colour the narrative, and Episode 4 & 5 are the clearest demonstrations of this: Mizu's protectiveness of Madame Kaji and her girls, Mizu's trauma after killing Kinuyo, her line to Akemi about how little options women have in life, and the way her husband had scorned her for being more capable than him in battle.

I myself personally fall into the camp of Mizu leaning towards womanhood, so i tend to prefer to use she/her pronouns for her, though I don't think she's strictly a cis woman, so I do still interpret her under the non-binary umbrella. But that's besides my point.

My gripe here, and the thing that spurred me to write this post, is that rarely does this fandom even touch upon the more predominant themes of colonialism and postcolonial identities within the story. So it definitely irks me when people say that the show presenting Mizu being cishet is "boring." While it's completely fine to have your opinion and to want queer rep, a statement like that just feels dismissive of the rest of the representation that the show has to offer. And it's frustrating because I know why this is a prevalent sentiment; because fandom culture is usually very white, so of course a majority of the fandom places greater value on a queer narrative (that aligns only with Western ideas of queerness) over a postcolonial, non-Western narrative.

And that relates to how, I feel, people tend to forget, or perhaps just downplay, that the crux of Mizu's internal conflict and her struggle to survive is due to her being mixed-race.

Because while she can blend in rather seamlessly into male society by binding and dressing in men's clothing and lowering her voice and being the best goddamn swordsman there is, she cannot hide her blue eyes. Even with her glasses, you can still see the colour of her eyes from her side profile, and her glasses are constantly thrown off her face in battle. Her blue eyes are the central point to her marginalisation and Otherness within a hegemonic society. It's why everyone calls her ugly or a monster or a demon or deformed; just because she looks different. She is both white and Japanese but accepted in neither societies. Her deepest hatred of herself stems primarily from this hybridised and alienated identity. It's the whole reason why she's so intent on revenge and started learning the way of the sword in the first place; not to fit in better as a man, but to kill the white men who made her this way. These things are intrinsic to her character and to her arc.

Thus, to refuse to engage with these themes and dismiss the importance of how the representation of her racial Otherness speaks to themes of colonialism and racial oppression just feels tone-deaf to the show's message. Because even if Mizu is a cishet woman in canon, that doesn't make her story any less important, because while you as a white queer person living in the West may feel unrepresented, it is still giving a voice to the stories of people of colour, mixed-race folks, and the myriad of marginalised racial/ethnic/cultural groups in non-Western societies.

#blue eye samurai #mizu blue eye samurai #fandom critical #blue eye samurai meta #wank.mp3 #shut up haydar #fandom.rtf #this is a bit of rant but the prevalent whiteness of fandom in general just gets on my nerves i'm sorry #giving me flashbacks to a:tla fandom fr cuz it's the same shit! people love to devalue the stories of non-white non-western identities #also to be clear i am a southeast asian living in southeast asia and similar to mizu i am often alienated for having mixed ethnic ancestry #and even for speaking english (bcs my granddad served the fuckin. british colonials. so my fam speaks mostly in english) #cuz where im from it's still extremely hegemonic racist patriarchal misogynistic homophobic like the setting in the show #so like even though the story is set in historical japan and may seem far-removed from the experiences of a US or european audience #those of us outside the west and in the global south still face a lot of the struggles that mizu goes through till this very day #so please dont just dismiss that. it feels incredibly tone-deaf #okay rant over

[fashionsfromhistory]

Unlined Summer Kimono

c.1876

A pond with carp and water lilies adorns the lower part of this kimono, and morning glories bloom at the shoulders. This early summer scene is resist dyed and painted on a blue-and-white ground of high-quality silk gauze (ro), subtly patterned in the weave with goldfish in water. The donor’s grandmother, one of four generations of female textile artists, wore this summer kimono during her thirteenth year, around 1876, for her jūsan-mairi (literally, “thirteenth temple visit”) to Arashiyama Hōrinji, a temple in Saga, Kyoto, to receive blessings as she entered adolescence. The kimono has three family crests: one on the center of the back and one on each sleeve.

The MET (Accession Number: 2006.73.2)

#kimono #japanese fashion #fashion history #historical fashion #non western fashion #1870s #19th century #1876 #blue #off white #japan #fish #floral #meiji era #the met #popular

[kojiarakiartworks]

October 2023 JAPAN AOMORI TSUGARU SA

© KOJI ARAKI Art Works

Daily life and every small thing is the gate to the universe ：）

#October #2023 #October 2023 #JAPAN #AOMORI #TSUGARU #TSUGARU SA #SA #western dandelion #dandelion #sky #cloud #tree #weed #photographers on tumblr #b&w photography #black and white photography #monochrome photograph #original photography #photography #koji araki art works #PENTAX K1 #SIGMA 15mm 2.8 EX Fisheye #Fisheye #SIGMA #PENTAX

[hajihiko]

The 'Hiko is a lousy chef' thing reminded me of a question I've always had in Danganronpa: Where did Fuyuhiko get the burger he was eating when Hajime met him in the diner??? Did Monomi make it? Did he just order it an it magically appeared? I feel like if that were the case, he wouldn't have eaten it. So I can only conclude that the materials for making a burger are there and he made it himself. So he's probably a lousy chef, but rich upbringing be damned, my boy can work a grill.

Honestly i think something like grilling a burger is one of those few practical things he's expected to know at least a little bit, not because it's useful to be able to cook but because grilling the meats is kind of a 'Man' thing to do and it would be embarrassing if he sucked at it

So you're right! Don't ask him to make anything else though

#He also used to go fishing with his dad and is expected to be super physically strong (source: side games and FTE) #And while idk if being the Grill Man is a thing in japan too he does seem to take a lot from western mafia as well as Yakuza #Someone: haha funny what-if #Me: whips out dossier ACTUALLY WHAT I THINK IS-- #Not an art #Talky talky Tuesday

[mikeywayarchive]

The Outer Fields at Western Springs // Mar 11th 2023 // David Watson

#mikey way #mcr #live #return #2023 #mar 2023 #3/11/23 #2023 nz/aus/japan tour #auckland #the outer fields at western springs #photo #originals

[lesbicastagna]

by the way. june (first ever yaoi magazine) 1988 number with keiko takemiya cover and devilman ova ad on the back.

credit of the pics @ Ioglady on twitter. tried to find scans from mandarake or similars but, as is often the case with old magazines, didn't have any luck.

#and before you ask i did check all other avaiable numbers for the type of ads they would put #thinking. well this is a silly coincidence ^-^ #all the other ads i could find were related to gay things like western films with homoerotic tones or even ads related to places of queer #life in japan. so. make of that what you will ♡ #a #hate reposting stuff :/ but ive been looking for the past hour and unless ppl who own physical copies and sometimes post pics like these #these magazines are Not scanned online with any sort of regularity...especially not within english speaking circles and thats also my limi