Kyoto Journal Issue 15

The similarities between haiku and CM [Commercial Messages] are many: Both must conjure up vivid images within extremely limited frameworks — 17 syllables for haiku, 15 seconds for CM — both must work in special words — kigo seasonal references, sponsor or product names — both are inseparably linked to the lives of the common people, and as 17th century master poet Basho’s maxim of “unchanging flux” has it, both are constantly in search of the new and different. — Sei Keiko, Japanese CM: A Mirror of the ‘90s

O-oyabun, a Korean-born, tekiya-yakuza boss, after five years of delicate negotiations, had succeeded in ironing out a peace treaty among all the yakuzagangs in the Kanto area in 1983, a feat that earned him the nickname ‘Kissinger of the yakuza.’ Since then, all Kanto bosses have gathered once a year for a grand feast (approved by the police) to reconfirm the treaty. Once a month, representatives of the various gangs gather to discuss matters of trade and prevent any misunderstandings. — Jacob Raz, Insider/Outsider: The Way of the Yakuza

Folk legends often portray the female image in polarized opposites. They may be protective, nurturing, alluring — or dreadful, sinister or even destructive. Across many cultures, female symbols are used to represent both life and death; purity and pollution, virgin as well as whore. In Japan, the dual female symbol has become incarnate: the “education mama” (kyoiku mama) — or as she is often referred to, the “monster mama” (mama gon), a mother made both paragon and pariah by society and education. — Marie Thorsten, Education Mamas: The Social Creation of Monsters