Change in American dominance- a new transnational flow and a rise of a Pan Asian

popular culture.Koichi Iwabuchi- ‘Contra-flows or the Cultural Logic of Uneven

Globalization?’

Yoshitaka Mori – ‘“ Winter Sonata”’ and Cultural Practices of Active Fans in Japan: Considering Middle-Aged Women as Cultural Agents’.

3 Key points of discussion.

• Change from American dominance and new transnational flows within Asia.

• Sharing of a Popular Culture in Asia- similarities and differences.

• Transnational flows and the Korean Wave- Case study- Winter Sonata.

Change from American dominance and new transnational flows within Asia.

• Changes in media flows away from America’s dominance.

• Glocalization- adapting cultural products to maximize market penetration.

• Examples of some TV programme formats that are exported overseas.

Exported TV formats.

• Kato chan ken chan gokigen terebiカトちゃんケンちゃんごきげんテレビ→America’s Funniest Home Videos.

Exported TV formats.

• Reality TV Shiawase Kazoku Keikaku 幸せ家族計画→　 The Happy Family Plan

Exported TV formats.

• Ryori no Tetsujin 料理の鉄人　 The Iron Chef.

Sharing of a Popular Culture in Asia- similarities and differences.

• Shedding the scars of Japanese colonialism.• Pan Asia- the rise and acceptance of Asian Pop

culture. Similarities and differences.• Tokyo Love Story The Jewel in the Palace.

The Korean Wave 　한류　韓流 Winter Sonata겨울연가 　冬のソナタ

• The Korean Wave incorporates music, broadcasting, movies and games.

• The Korean Wave has had a positive effect on Korea in Asia and for more recognition on a global scale it has been significant.

• Winter Sonata- redefining Japan’s cultural relationship with Korea.

What is the Winter Sonata?

• A love story that addresses modern day issues.

Significance of Winter Sonata.

• Winter Sonata’s role in changing Korea/Japan relations, the key players being Japanese women fans.

• Korean popular culture contributing to a grass roots movement in readdressing misunderstandings between the two countries

• Economic contribution

Japanese and Korean tourism.Blue- Japanese tourist travelling to Korea.

Orange- Korean tourist travelling to Japan.

Mori (2008, 130-1) assessment on Winter Sonata.

• it confronted Japanese into reassessing cultural ties with Korea

• Winter Sonata transformed commonly disregarded middle aged Japanese women into conspicuous fans

• Winter Sonata fans started in in-cooperating Korean customs into their daily lives. Mori likens the obsessive viewing practices of Japanese middle aged women familiar to a group known as Otaku in Japan- fan groups with compulsive tendencies.

A day in the life of a Winter Sonata fan. Permission granted Atsuko Tsujimoto.

Refererences• • Cho, Hae-Joang. 2005. Reading the “Korean Wave” as a Sign of Global Shift. KOREA JOURNAL/WINTER 2005. 45(4): 147-182.• • Brasor, Phillip. 2004. Korean wave may help erode discrimination, • The Japan Times, June 27, Media Mix section, Tokyo edition.• • Iwabuchi, Koichi. 2005. Discrepant Intimacy: Popular Culture Flows in East Asia. In Asian media studies : politics of subjectivities , eds. John

Nguyet Emi and Siew Keng Chua, 19-36. Malden, MA :Blackwell Pub.• • Iwabuchi, Koichi. 2007. Global flow and contra-flow. In MEDIA ON THE MOVE, ed/ Daya Kishan Thussu, 99-83.New York: Routledge.• • Mori, Yoshitaka. 2008. “Winter Sonata” and Cultural Practices of Active Fans in Jpaan: Considering Middle-Aged Women as Cultural Agents. In

East Asian Pop culture: analyzing the Korean wave, eds. Chua Beng Huat and Koichi Iwabuchi.127-141. London. Hong Kong University Press.• • Prideaux, Eric. 2005. Japan’s new Wave, The Japan Times, December 11, Features section, Tokyo.• • Salmon, Andrew. 2010. New Wave of pop culture redefines Korea, The Korea Times, May 5, Korea: From Rags to Riches (40-: Joint Project with

Korea Institute of Public Administration, Seoul edition.• • Shakai jijo. 2011. Shakai Jijo (Trends in Society). 2011. Tokyo. http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/honkawa/7100.html (accessed March 22, 2011).• • Shim, Doobo. 2006. Hybridity and the rise of Korean popular culture in Asia. MEDIA CULTURE & SOCIETY 28(1):25-44.• • Tsujimoto, Atsuko. 2011. Tuuchan no yonyon room. Tokyo. http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/evergreen43yon/folder/1596173.html

Questions

• What form of popular culture within your own cultural proximity attracts your attention?

• What similarities and differences can you relate to in the popular culture you enjoy?

• What is the future of a Pan Asian popular culture? Will it continue to move away from American dominance?