Three Books for Japanese Reading Practice (Beginners)

By Tom Wilkinson-Gamble

Are your Japanese reading skills not quite at the level to read a full-blown novel but still want to practice? Then this is the article you've been looking for. Lingo Mastery have published three books that, if studied in the order suggested below, can improve your skills enough to move onto short stories and novels.

Conversational Japanese Dialogues (2021)
This first book is the simplest out of the three. It contains 105 example conversations on topics ranging from order a meal at a restaurant to being hunted by pirates. Each line of Japanese is followed immediately by the same line in romaji. This creates a repeating pattern of kanji and kana followed by romaji. The Japanese text is then followed by an English translation. All Japanese is covered with furigana. 

Japanese Short Stories for Beginners (2020)

Japanese Short Stories for Beginners contains twenty simple 2-3 page stories ranging from a self-replicating machine that writes novels to a woman whose house is broken into by mute dwarf that is being hunted by the police. Each text is followed by an English translation and a summary, which also has its own translation. This is then followed by a list of important vocabulary covered in the text and then by five reading comprehension questions to test how well you understood the text. All Japanese is covered with furigana. 

Intermediate Japanese Short Stories (2021)

This intermediate version contains almost the exact same features as the beginners, but with one added twist: there is no translation for each main text. This means that learners cannot rely on a translation to help them, and must instead use their own understanding of the text to answer the comprehension questions. The ten texts are considerably harder than the beginners version and cover topics ranging from short horror stories to brief biographies on famous Japanese figures. Like the beginners version, all Japanese is covered with furigana.

 

誕生日

 慶太岩原より

こんにちは、みなさん！！そしてお久しぶりです！けいたです！

いきなりですが、今週の23日火曜日は僕の誕生日でした。イギリスに住んでいる皆さんは遠く離れた日本の誕生日の祝い方は全く違うんじゃないかと思われているかもしれませんが、僕はそんなに大きな違いはないと思います。日本での誕生日の祝い方は様々です。僕が小学生の時は人をたくさん呼んでパーティを開いてる子もいたし、僕みたいに友達は呼ばずに家族だけで過ごす人もいます。僕も2年前にホストファミリーの家でイギリスの誕生日の祝い方を経験しましたが、そんなに違いはなかった気がします。みんなでケーキを食べたり、プレゼントをもらったり、バースデーメッセージを書いたりなど…。バースデーメッセージといえば、イギリスではメッセージカードがいろんなお店で売られていますが、日本ではあまり見ません。全く書かないと言うわけではありませんが、Cardfactforyの様なメッセージカード専門店は僕は日本で見たことがありません。ここはもしかしたら大きな違いかもしれませんね。

バースデーソングですが、実は日本の歌も英語のものをそのまま訳しただけのものです。「ハッピバースデートゥユー♪」って歌います。これはHappy Birthday to youをそのままカタカナに変えただけです。でもこの事実から考察すると、もしかしたら日本の場合は誕生日文化を欧米から輸入しているのかもしれませんね。

みなさんの誕生日も最高のものになるといいですね。

A Brief Introduction to Shinto Music

By Emilio Cross-Songui

Music has played an important part in religion all over the world. From the indigenous people of South America to the grand cathedrals of West Europe, we can thank many of our initial music advancements to the religious ceremony and Japan is no exception. Even though today religious music still does not play an as important role, it still could appear in important events in life such as Birthdays, Festivals and Funerals. Shinto, meaning “the way of the gods” is an indigenous form of religious expression in Japan and dates back many thousands of years, thus it holds a strong cultural significance to the people of Japan. It is one of the two main religions with the close second being Buddhism.

While the religion has been embedded into everyday Japanese life, such as having Shinto shrines in your house, Shinto music will often keep to important days of the year. This is mainly due to the fact that there is not a regular service. Unlike Muslims or Christians where you are required to turn up to your place of worship at least once a week, a Shintoists might turn up to a shine every so often for some good luck, with mass gatherings only happening during special events like weddings or festivals as well as not having full-time priests. While on the topic of religion, it's hard not to mention the other significant religion mentioned earlier, Buddhism. This is because both religions have co-existed together since their introduction from mainland china in the 6th century. Both religions line up quite nicely with their theological beliefs thus The Buddhist Church does not have any problem with the people of Japan following both. This had a unique effect on their ritual music as there was no difficulty differentiating musical texts for Shinto or Buddhist purposes. Their music was now intertwined; sometimes the same music would even be used for both religions with only the texts being changed.

Shinto music has different styles within the genre. One of those styles is called Kagura – Traditional Court Music. Kagura translates to “good music” but it is normally used as an umbrella turn to describe Shinto music. Kagura contains two subdivisions, the first is also called Kagura and the second is called Sato-Kagura. The Kagura style is used for imperial Shinto functions, and formal ceremonies at local shrines while Sato-Kagura music was Shinto folk and festival music. To go along with such an occasion, dance is also included and is said to be instrumental to the mythical creation of Shinto music. It is believed that the dance of the goddess Ame no Uzeme was the origin of Shinto music, therefore, sealing it as a sacred form of Japanese indigenous art.

Like the various styles of Western European classical music i.e. “Baroque” or “romanticism,” it was not just only music and prayer that Shintoism affected. The aforementioned dance is one example but is more like two sides of the same coin rather than one being reliant on the other. The next example is sculptures. as many sculptures would have been created to decorate temples and celebrate their deities. Finally, Poems also played an important part in Shinto music as many that survived from the ancient text could end up as lyrics in kagura songs. Those same documents may also provide lists of compositions, composers and particularly noteworthy performances.

There are two basic types of Kagura Songs: The first is “Torimono” songs, which are used to praise and seek aid from gods, and the second is called “Saibari” songs which are sung to praise the gods. Torimono and saibari western equivalence would be sacred and secular (earthly) music sung in the times of Bach and Vivaldi. But in the case of Shinto music, the accompaniment would basically be the same. Here are some examples of Torimono and Saibari poems translated to English:

A Torimono poem:

“As darkness falls on perilous slope of the mountain,

I cut a staff of sakaki wood.

This wood is from the mountain of god,

And with this sacred staff in my hands

I pray for the safety of this poor mountaineer.”

A Saibari Poem:

“Flying away, flying away,

The cranes head for Tamino Island,

As the tide flings the waves

On the beach of Naniwa.”

The saibari poems are part of a genre of art that was quite popular in the courts of Japan, but it was amongst the same type of poems that would have originated from the common folk music at the time.

Unique music calls for unique instruments so here are some examples of the instruments used to play kagura music:

This is called a Wagon but is also known as a Yamatogoto. It has six strings and is part of the Zither family. (other notable members of this family are the Koto and the Ichigenkin) but can be found across many cultures. The Wagon is tuned to a pentatonic scale (a five-note scale) but is arpeggiated rather than going down in note order like a western harp. So if you were to strum across the instrument, you would not hear a descending or ascending scale. This is also the precursor to the modern Japanese Koto.

The next instrument is called a Kagurabue:

This is a six holed bamboo flute also used in Kagura performances. If you wanted a different set of pitches for this instrument, you would adjust the length of the flute accordingly. The Kagurabue and Wagon would be used in conjunction with a nine-holed and double-reeded instrument called the Hichiriki as seen below:

Some percussion was also used during such performances and may also be held in the hands of a chorus of singers. They are the:

Shakubyoshi, which are used in a similar fashion to castanets. 

Suzu, This was traditionally carried and played by dancers who used them in their performances.

I have just scratched the surface of Shinto music as the instruments shown to you are used during the imperial or formal functions. Shinto has a rich history covering millennia and therefore had rough patches along the way. For example, it was used as an instrument of nationalism during the 1930s and consequently fell out of popularity after World War II. However, as mentioned earlier, it is still the leading religion in Japan today. Shinto and the music it has produced is embedded into the fundamental culture of Japan with it even appearing in pop culture like the 1995 film, Ghost in the shell. So from its mythical roots with a dancing goddess to being used to help fuel Japans cause during World War II and inspiring the opening music to a 90s classic, the religion and music it helps create still manages to capture the thoughts and feelings of the people that follow and listen to it.

Figures from Japanese History: Kyuichi Tokuda

By Tom Wilkinson-Gamble

Born in Nago in Okinawa in 1894, Kyuichu Tokuda is most famous for his chairmanship of the Japanese Communist Party in the 1940s and 1950s. After graduating as a lawyer from the Nihon University, he participated in formation of the party in 1922 and became a key member of its central committee. By the late 1920s, Japanese society had become increasingly right-wing and started to become dominated by the military. The 1925 Peace Preservation Law expanded police powers and allowed the Imperial government to more effectively silence political dissidents. In 1928, Tokuda was arrested by the Tokkō, the 'Special Higher Police', and imprisoned. He spent time in two different prisons across Japan: Abashiri Prison in Hokkaido and Fuchū Prison in Tokyo. He was, however, imprisoned alongside fellow communist Yoshio Shiga. Together they wrote Eighteen Years in Prison (1948), an autobiography about their experiences in prison. 

After their release from prison in October 1945, Tokuda and Shiga were joined by another communist leader who had been away in China, Senzo Nosaka. Nosaka had been leading Japanese People's Emancipation League, a Japanese resistance movement that re-educated captured Japanese soldiers in anti-fascist and socialist ideology. Together, the three men made up the core of the Japanese Communist Party and led them to relative electoral success in the post-war era. The JCP won 9.8% of the votes in the 1949 election, earning them 35 seats in the diet. 

This success, however, would not last. By the 1950s, the United States was becoming more and more engulfed in Cold War-fuelled anti-communist hysteria. Towards the end of the their occupation, the Americans introduced a new policy of 'reverse course'; communists and anyone believed to harbour communist sympathies, were purged from the Japanese administration. This led to a split in the JCP. One faction, led by Tokuda, wanted to pursue Maoist-inspired guerrilla war that would eventually end in revolution, whilst the other faction, under Nosaka, was happy to continue with more peaceful and democratic tactics. Nosaka continued in his role as the head of the party, guiding it in a peaceful direction, until 1958, when he was replaced by Kenji Miyamoto. 

Tokuda, meanwhile, fled to the newly formed People's Republic of China in October 1950, after surviving an assassination attempt. Though in exile, Tokuda was by no means powerless as he still remained in close contact with the party's more militant faction. Japanese communists, alongside Zainichi Korean and the Zengakuren, a left-leaning anarchist students union, rioted on May Day 1952 in protest against the first Japan-US Security Treaty. Tokuda's faction even attempted to emulate the rural Chinese guerilla movements of the 1930s and 1940s. The Mountain Village Operation Unit, though unsuccessful, attempted to wage a guerrilla war in the Japanese countryside in the hope of finally bringing about their revolution. Members of the unit are reported to have attacked police officers, bombed trains and committed acts of arson. The unit also published the pamphlet, 'How to Raise Flower Bulbs', which contained important information on guerrilla warfare tactics and how to do things such as build improvised explosives and make molotov-cocktails. This pamphlet was used as a template by a later Japanese communist group in the 1970s, the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front, and their own bomb-making manual Hara hara Tokei. Tokuda passed away in 1953, his time in charge leaving a dark stain on what was otherwise a relatively peaceful and progressive political party. 

Japanese Arcades: A Dying Breed?

By Louis Walker

SEGA Ikebukuro GIGO was a mammoth 9 story arcade located in Toshima, Ikebukuro, and was loved by both tourists and locals alike. But September 20th saw it close its doors for the final time after 28 years of service. And while this particular closure was due to a lease expiry, it’s become an all too familiar sight over recent years. Such is the decline in popularity that SEGA’s parent company (Sega Sammy Holdings Inc.) even sold off a whopping 85% of their arcade division last year to amusement company Genda, after suffering ‘significant losses’ due to COVID-19.

This is something that has been an issue since long before the COVID-19 pandemic though. The number of arcades in Japan stood at over 26,000 in 1986 compared to just over 4,000 in 2021. A lot of this is due to reduced footfall as home video games continued to advance to the point that they exceeded their arcade counterparts graphically. However, part of this sharp decline is also due to the rise of large multistory arcades by video game giants such as SEGA and Taito, replacing the plethora of small, locally run affairs. Whilst this means that the numbers aren’t completely representative of the reduction in popularity, the overall trend is still in sharp decline.

After visiting some of these arcades back in 2018, it’s fair to say that they offer a completely unique experience compared to what is offered here in the west. Each floor offers a different experience, with new games, new prizes and even photo booths available to enjoy. Many of these games never see official releases outside of Japan either, so you’d be hard pressed to find games such as Taiko no Tatsujin (Drum Master) and Cho Chabudai Gaeshi! (Super Table Flip!) except for in specialised places like Arcade Club in Bury. 

It would be such a shame to see these arcades close for good, since they are so much more than just a place to play video games, they’re a place where friends can hang out and just have a good time in general. However, it seems that COVID-19 may very well be the final nail in the coffin for an industry already in constant decline. As of November 2021, tourists still aren’t allowed into the country and if this doesn’t change soon, then the damage will be irreparable and a sight which was once seen by many will be gone forever…

Japanese Music Recommendations

 By Marius Evans

From City Pop to J-Pop to J-metal, Japanese music continues to remain popular worldwide. Despite a lot of people associating Japanese music nowadays with anime soundtracks and J-Pop, Japanese musicians are innovating in multiple genres such as Ambient, Rap, Funk, and Rock. 80s Japanese City Pop has come to influence many new genres such as Vaporwave and Future Funk. Moreover, the huge industry that is the Japanese videogame market contributes many original soundtracks (OSTs) that are timeless such as Final Fantasy, Zelda, and Mario Kart.

Japanese traditional music is wonderful and Japan has a range of traditional instruments that offer very unique sounds. One such instrument is the Koto, the national instrument of Japan, which is a stringed instrument that is plucked and played on the ground. The Koto traditionally has 13 or 17 strings. Watch this performance for an illustration of how beautiful a Koto is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDTp_YQizqE.

Taiko drums are another traditional instrument from Japan (a performance using them can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZagsLrNzg3I). The word “Taiko”  in Japanese refers to any drum, so to refer to this specific style of traditional Japanese drums use the word “Wadaiko”.

Now I will move onto some personal recommendations for Japanese musicians and bands. For Japanese Rock I would recommend listening to SHISHAMO and Base Ball Bear. Kyrary Pamyu Pamyu is a great Japanese pop artist, along with Perfume. Japanese rap artists such as lyrical school, Fla$hbacks, Senninsyou, and Itto are terrific. Fishmans and The Wisely Brothers are also excellent Japanese bands. UNCHAIN and Sekaiichi are great funk rock bands. For ambient music, check out Chihei Hatakeyama and Daisuke Miyatani. The Japanese jazz fusion artist Tatsuro Yamashita is incredible, and great playlist containing Japanese jazz-fusion can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIEMLgb9vjk&list=PLVoNVDHDK-7K8pdYru5eQfDEZU7BnAeCN&index=1.

If you’re looking for more Japanese music to listen to, give my Spotify playlist of Japanese music a listen to, it contains 9 hours and 54 minutes of Japanese Rap, Indie Rock, Jazz, Funk, and Pop. The playlist can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4mkgy6sbBlnPUeHY53DgfY?si=e8d51c86dc674feb.

J-Horror Watchlist for Halloween 2021

By Tom Wilkinson-Gamble

Any true horror fan will be at least partially familiar with J-horror and even those who spend Halloween night behind the couch crutching a torch and a crucifix may still be aware of the yuurei, the quintessential and internationally recognised image of a Japanese ghost; female, long black hair and dressed in a white burial kimono. To celebrate this, the spookiest time of the year, I've put together a suggested watch list to enjoy the very best of modern Japanese horror cinema. 

The Ring Franchise (1996-2019)

Based on Koji Suzuki's 1991 novel of the same name, the original Ring movie was was released in 1998 as a generally faithful adaption of the novel, although there were a few slight differences. The male lead, Kazuyuki Asakawa, was changed to a woman, Reiko Asakawa, and the lead's assistant was changed from a male lead to an ex-husband. Other than that, the main plot remained virtually identical; after watching a curse video tape containing the spirit of a vengeful ghost, Sadako Yamamura, a person receives a phone call telling them they will die in seven days. It is then up to Reiko to find Sadako's remains and give her a proper burial in order to appease her spirit. A sequel to Ring, Spiral (1998), was adapted from Suzuki's second book but was released to generally negative reviews. A sequel, Ring 2 (1999), was then created but it's plot was completely separate from the original novels. This split led to the creation of two separate timelines. One, independent from the books, that contains Ring 2 and Sadako (2019) and another, adapted faithful from the novels, containing Spiral, Sadako 3D (2012) and Sadako 3D 2 (2013). A prequal to the original film, and therefore applicable to both timelines, Ring:0 Birthday, was released in 2000. Three television series based on the first and second books were produced. The first, pre-dating the original film, in 1995 and the other two both in 1999. Outside of Japan, Ring has been remade for both Western and Korean audiences. The Ring Virus was released in Korea in 1999. The Western Hollywood series contains four films. The Ring (2002) is similar to the Japanese original as Hollywood kept the female lead, but the main difference is that Sadako, who was always a groan woman, was replaced by Samara, a ten year old girl. Young Samara remained constant through out all the Western remakes. The Ring was then followed by a short film, Rings, and a sequel, Ring 2, both released in 2005. The last and and most recently released entry is the vaguely related sequel Rings, released in 2017. 

The Ju-On Franchise (1998-2020)

If the Ring is not the most famous J-horror franchise, then this is the next strongest candidate. Unlike the Ring, however, Ju-On, or 'The Grudge' as its known in English, is not based on a book. However, novelisations of almost every film have been written retroactively. The plot revolves around a cursed house inhabited by the spirits of a young wife, Kayako Saeki, and her son, Toshio, who were killed by their abusive father/husband. The fact that Kayoko's death rattle has become one of the most famous noises in the whole of horror, is a testament to the fame and success of the series. Like the Ring, the series contains multiple timelines. The first timeline can be traced back to the two short films Katasumi (Corner) and 4444444444, both released in 1998. This was followed by Ju-On: The Curse and Ju-On: The Curse 2, both released in 2000 and then Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) and Ju-On: The Grudge 2 (2003). These six were followed by two ten-year-anniversary specials, Ju-On: Black Ghost and Ju-On: White Ghost, both released in 2009. The second timeline consists of two films, a 2014 reboot of the series, Ju-On: The Beginning of the End and it's 2015 sequel Ju-On: The Final Curse. The third timeline is currently only one film; the crossover movie with the Ring Sadako vs Kayako (2016). All three timelines were followed by an exceptional prequal series, Ju-On: Origins, that was produced by Netflix and released in 2020. It consists of six episodes set between 1988 and 1997 and functions as a prequal to the original timeline. Like the Ring, Ju-On was adapted by Hollywood for a Western audience. The Western series currently consists of four films: The Grudge (2004), The Grudge 2 (2006), The Grudge 3 (2009) and, most recently, The Grudge (2020). One difference between the Western Ring and the Western Grudge is that, in The Grudge, the antagonist ghost, remained Japanese. Unlike in the Ring, were Sadako was replaced by Samara. Given the prevalence of the stereotypical 'ghost girl' in Western horror since the early 2000s, both the Ju-On and Ring franchises can be credited with introducing the yuurei to the West.

Uzumaki (2000)

Adapted from the Junji Ito manga of the same name, Uzumaki, literally 'Spiral', takes place in a fictional town that is plagued by a curse causing people to become obsessed with spirals before eventually succumbing to madness and eventual suicide. The film is quite gory at parts and includes a scene where a woman commits suicide by jumping into a washing machine. An anime adaptation of the original manga will be released in October of next year. 

Suicide Club (2001)

One of two more philosophical novels on this list, Suicide Club, known as 'Suicide Circle' in Japan, tackles a serious sociological problem particular to Japan. Following the release of the fictional J-pop group's new song Mail Me, Japan is hit by wave after wave of mass suicide amongst the nations the youth. The most poignant and infamous scene being a moment where 54 schoolgirls commit suicide en masse by throwing themselves in front of a train. The police are left with almost no leads until they find rolls of skin made from the victims. This, as well as a call-in by an anonymous hacker leads them to a strange underground glam-rock group lead by a man known as 'Genesis' who is thought to be linked to the suicide craze. The main theme of the film is obvious, however, the prevalence of J-pop groups and music may be alluding to either a) how prevalent suicide in Japanese society, or b) how copycat suicides can spread easily in the modern world due to the increased power of the media. Unsurprisingly, this film is extremely disturbing as it contains numerous scenes of suicide as well as an extremely graphic rape scene. A novelisation was written in 2002 and a prequal, Noriko's Dinner Table, was released in 2006. 

Dark Water (2002)

Based on one of the short stories from Koji Suzuki's anthology of the same name, Dark Water follows a single mother and her daughter as they move into a run-down and dilapidated apartment building. Before long, a leak appears on the celling from which water from the roof's water tank begins to drip through. The daughter, Ikuko Matsubara, begins to see the ghost of girl, Mitsuko Kawai, who disappeared mysteriously the previous year, before she herself vanishes. It is up to her mother, Yoshimi, to find her daughter before its too late. A Western remake of the same name was released in 2005. 

Kairo (2001)

As the other of the two more philosophical films on this list, Kairo, literally 'Pulse', contains two parallel story lines where the characters must deal with a seemingly unstoppable number of ghosts that are bleeding over into the physical via the internet. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who served as both director and writer of the film, deserves enormous praise for predicting, more than 15 years before the true rise of the social media, that the internet, something that designed to bring people together, would have the opposite effect and up making the world a lonelier and emptier place. 

Battle Royale (2000)

Based on the 1999 novel of the same name, Battle Royale takes place in an alternate Japan controlled by the dystopian Republic of Greater East Asia regime where, every year, in order counter act increasing anti-social behaviour amongst the nation's youth, a high-school class is picked to fight to the death until only one student remains. When both the film, and the original novel, were originally first released, they were extremely controversial, as the Japanese diet was concerned about the impact that showing such graphic student-on-student violent could have on Japanese society. The diet was partially proved right in 2004 when a 12 year old girl, Satomi Mitarai, murdered her classmate with a box cutter after having both read the book and seen the film. It took 10 years for the original un-edited version to be shown in the West. A sequel, Battle Royale 2: Requiem, that further expanded the lore, was released in 2003. 

Noroi (2005)

Noroi, literally 'curse', is the only found-footage film on the list, a trope taken from the West that does not appear to be as popular in Japan then it is in its homeland. The film is presented as a documentary, fictional of course, and follows an director who wants to produce a documentary on the paranormal. His discoveries and investigations into the supernatural lead him to a cursed remote village being terrorised by a demon that had accidently been set loose in a Shinto ritual that went wrong.