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Showing posts from August, 2021

My third "Letter from Tokyo" for The Japan Society of Boston

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LETTER FROM TOKYO, JULY 2021: THE GAMAN GAMES One hot July day I was invited to give a TED Talk in Tokyo about “Japanamerica”  and “Cool Japan,” the government’s campaign to capitalize on the international appeal of Japanese popular culture. But I didn't feel cool at all, and I didn't want to speak again about manga and anime, so instead I gave a talk about gaman : the virtue of enduring adversity with patience and dignity, and without whining. Every July in Tokyo puts gaman to the test. The rainy season evaporates and the sun reclaims the sky, blasting over the city’s concrete with a vengeance. Tsuyu ’s misty speckles on your brow turn to smears of sweat. Venturing outside of your air-conditioned cave is a trial. And after only a few 100-degree days, you know you're in trouble when sitting on your veranda at midnight feels nearly as stultifying as a lunch-hour stroll at high noon. This July, Tokyo has the added trials of a fourth Covid-19 “state of emergency” until Sept

My feature story on VTubers

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Japan’s virtual YouTubers have millions of real subscribers — and make millions of real dollars How the pandemic mainstreamed VTubers, Japan's fictional YouTube celebrities. Rest of World/Kizunaai By ROLAND KELTS Virtual YouTuber Kizuna AI is the featured guest on Downtown DX, a decades-old prime-time variety show hosted by two of Japan’s most famous veteran comedians, Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada. Both pushing 60, the boomers joke about not knowing who or what she is, feigning ignorance. “What is this?” they ask, peering at the kinetic anime graphic, its eyelashes fluttering. “Who’s in there?”  But AI gets the last laugh. “Do you even know about us?” Matsumoto asks her, or the screen on the floor of the soundstage where she is manifesting today. “Of course I do!” AI replies in her squeaky chirp, spreading her arms, brushing away the question. “I know everyone here.” Then she beats one of the hosts at an impromptu game of rock-paper-scissors. “Do something now!” she shrie