WOMEN, MEDIA AND CONSUMPTION IN JAPAN ConsumAsiaN Book Series edited by Brian Moeran and Lise Skov The ConsumAsiaN book series examines the way in which things and ideas about things are consumed in Asia, the role of consumption in the formation of attitudes, experiences, lifestyles and social relations, and the way in which consumption relates to the broader cultures and societies of which it is a part. The series consists of both single-authored monographs and edited selections of essays, and is interdisciplinary in approach. While seeking to map current and recent consumer trends in various aspects of Asian cultures, the series pays special attention to the interactions and influences among the countries concerned, as well as to the region as a whole in a global context. The volumes in the series apply up-to-date theoretical arguments frequently developed in Europe and America to non-western societies - both in order to analyse how consumption practices in Asia compare to those found elsewhere, and to develop new theories that match a specific Asian context. WOMEN, MEDIA AND CONSUMPTION IN JAPAN Edited by Lise Skov and Brian Moeran i~ ~~o~1~;n~~:up LONDON AND NEW YORK First Published in 1995 by Curzon Press Published 2013 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Ox on OX14 4RN 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10017, USA Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 1995 Lise Skov and Brian Moeran All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library o/Congress in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN 13: 978-0-700-70330-2 (pbk) CONTENTS Editors' note vii Acknowledgements ix Introduction: Hiding in the light: from Oshin to Yoshimoto Banana 1 Lise Skov and Brian Moeran 1 Interpreting Oshin - war, history and women in modern Japan 75 Paul A.S. Harvey 2 Reading Japanese in Katei Gaho: the art of being an upperc1ass woman 111 Brian Moeran 3 Antiphonal performances? Japanese women's magazines and women's voices 143 Nancy Rosenberger 4 Environmentalism seen through Japanese women's magazines 170 LiseSkov 5 Consuming bodies: constructing and representing the female body in contemporary Japanese print media 197 John Clammer 6 Cuties in Japan 220 Sharon Kinsella 7 The marketing of adolescence in Japan: buying and dreaming 255 Merry White v CONTENTS 8 Yoshimoto Banana's Kitchen, or the cultural logic of Japanese consumerism 274 John Whittier Treat References 299 List of contributors 310 Index 312 VI EDITORS' NOTE Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of the illustra tions reproduced in this book. Unfortunately, in some cases this has proved to be impossible. The authors and publishers would be pleased to hear from any copyright holders whom they have been unable to contact, and to print due acknowledgements in the next edition. vii This page intentionally left blank ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book would not have been possible without the help of a number of people and organizations. Firstly, we would like to thank the Japan Foundation, John Swire and Sons, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and the University of Hong Kong for providing the financial assistance which enabled us to hold a workshop on 'Women, Media and Consumption in Japan' at the end of November 1993. We are particularly grateful to Glen Docherty, Okazaki Kiyoshi, and Wang Gung Wu for their support at this time. Secondly, we would like to thank those who at various stages sat in on the workshop and acted as discussants of papers - Hazel Clark, Mike Featherstone, Jonathan Hall, Kuah Khun Eng, Jeremy Tambling, and Matthew Turner - as well as the two anonymous readers who read through the papers with great care, commenting on them with a rare combination of critical insight and perceptiveness. We are grateful, too, to Chan Lai Pek, Raymond Cheng, Lily Choi, Lai Mei Fong, Lee Chi Keung, and Wong Mei Ling for all their hard work in organizing and administering the less obvious but vital side of any academic gathering - including food, accommodation, transport ation, slide projectors and other technical equipment, and ticket refunds. All those who attended the workshop have contributed to this volume. We would like to thank them, not only for coming a long way during what was for some a Thanksgiving weekend, but for working so hard to finish their papers on time. Their cooperation has made our editorial task, never an easy one at the best of times, that much more pleasant. Finally, we say hej to Marie Lenstrup, our super-efficient ConsumAsiaN Network Coordinator, office cohabitant and still - believe it or not - good friend. Lise Skov and Brian Moeran IX