Multi(multi)cultural

Again - another day, another bizarre, but truly unique experience. We arranged to meet our friend Kota to visit his house and have dinner. First of all he took us to a very strange toy store that had a massive collection of geeks’, ‘otaku’ stuff and the usual porn section (that strangely was hidden from view at one end but completely in the open at the other). Harry had found heaven, and went on the spending spree that only an English Manga porn fan in Japan would do. What is slightly weird about these shops though is not really the juxtaposition of adult material with the most unhandably cute objects, but the prevalence of Disney merchandise. In Japan, Disney is shot into your optic nerve - it really is everywhere. Unless you have not been to school you will be aware of perhaps why this is. No need to say more.

Kota’s house I am led to believe is a typical middle-class Japanese house, and yes it certainly felt scarily familiar to what I am used to back home. What was interesting about Kota’s room was that he had lots and lots of paraphernalia - from posters of Clockwork Orange to toys of Kiss. This was laid out in a way that only a visual design student would arrange such possessions (you know, slightly laid back but everything’s still in it’s box). When asked about various objects Kota said ‘I don’t like’, or, ‘I don’t know this’, ‘I only like the look of’. So Kota had never watched the Kubrick classic or listened to Kiss but he simply liked the look of the objects. It was an assortment of objects which (maybe) were only personal on purely visual terms. Where was the emotion experience attached to the items? Is collecting really this weird? Do I do this? Well considering I previously just bought some tea coasters with bright colours and Japanese girls looking silly in blond wigs, and considering I don’t even drink tea – I guess yes, yes I do.





Needless to say the meal was full of new experiences and delicious items. After the meal Kota’s Mum played the Shamisen for us. A Norwegian, a Pakistani Brit, a Mexican, and a half Chinese-Malay, half Scottish Brit were watching, in a living room including a DVD player, a modern Japanese woman tune up a modern recreation of an ancient instrument with the aid of a cassette tape. Kota’s mum proceeded to play along with the cassette tape that included all the traditional minimalist sounds that I wanted to hear, due to far too many Oriental martial arts movies. I wonder what images were going through everyone elses’ minds, I think the Norwegian mentioned ‘Akira Kurosawa’ in the same sentence as ‘Kill Bill’. Completely brilliant.