With about two thirds of the population commuting every day, the railways system is the beating heart of Tokyo’s urban daily life. Major railway stations, which primarily function as nodes in the...Show moreWith about two thirds of the population commuting every day, the railways system is the beating heart of Tokyo’s urban daily life. Major railway stations, which primarily function as nodes in the transportation network, have developed from humble wooden structures into massive sites of consumption, destination themselves, which act as economic, social and cultural hubs. A major factor behind this development is private railway companies' extensive engagement in the real estate sector, which throughout the 20th century has resulted in the birth of new commercial spaces within the context of the station: the terminal department store (a department store inside of the station managed by a railway company), the ekichika (an underground area of the station), and more recently, the ekinaka (the area within the gates of the station). This thesis explores the relationship between city and railway station through a contextualization of the three spaces mentioned above and the case study of Shinjuku, the busiest station in the world. The analysis shows that by reintegrating urban spaces in the context of the station, private railway companies have created a new urban playground for the passenger, decontextualized from the idea of commuting.Show less
It is commonly accepted that food is part of heritage; indeed, food, because of its universal character, carries an emotional value that makes it a fundamental component of identity-making. Food...Show moreIt is commonly accepted that food is part of heritage; indeed, food, because of its universal character, carries an emotional value that makes it a fundamental component of identity-making. Food heritage was given an international recognition in 2010 when the UNESCO inscribed the first culinary practices on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Taking the Gastronomic Meal of the French registered in 2010, and the Japanese Washoku inscribed in 2013, this paper explores the issues surrounding the listing of national culinary traditions by the UNESCO. First, comparing the registration processes in France and Japan allows to understand how both elements can be perceived as “invented traditions”. However, the inscription had various consequences; if both countries used the UNESCO label for political and economic purposes, it seems like France did it to a lesser degree than Japan. Finally, a newspapers analysis shows the divergent reactions in the French and Japanese media and underlines the political nature of the inscription.Show less
During the last decade, inbound foreign tourism rate in Japan underwent an outstanding escalation: from 5.22 million in 2003, the number of tourists visiting the country skyrocketed to 19.3 million...Show moreDuring the last decade, inbound foreign tourism rate in Japan underwent an outstanding escalation: from 5.22 million in 2003, the number of tourists visiting the country skyrocketed to 19.3 million in 2015. The government made active efforts towards this achievement as part of the strategy to strenghten the Japanese image abroad, as well as its national brand. A necessary part of this strategy was constituted by Japanese food, following the international popularity that it enjoyed in the recent years. As the global interest for authenticity and uniqueness grew especially in regards to food and tourism, this resarch tries to understand why Japanese government is using food as a product to give legitimization to its entire national brand, specifically by selling it through tourism consumption, to then establish which strategies are being adopted in order to reach this scope.Show less
This research begins with a critical analysis of the kawaii and the cyberspace literature in the Japanese context. Based on that framework, I distinguish three main kawaii discourses: as...Show moreThis research begins with a critical analysis of the kawaii and the cyberspace literature in the Japanese context. Based on that framework, I distinguish three main kawaii discourses: as advertisement and for attraction; as a statement or rebellion; and as soft power. I select three Japanese organisations, belonging to different sectors, in order to examine whether there is an intention behind utilising their respective kawaii aesthetics to communicate a particular idea. While the messages differ based on the organisation, similar visual techniques are expended in all three cases. I hypothesise that the visual kawaii content of each organisation would fall into one of the aforementioned three main types of kawaii discourse. All examined organisations are not directly associated with the culture of cuteness. Analysis of the materials is made through visual discourse analysis, website scraping and website crawling. It revealed that indeed, all of the organisations have an agenda, put forward through the respective cute imagery. However, that agenda did not necessarily fit within the above straightforward categories that the literature suggested. Therefore, for the particular circumstances of my research, I revised the aforementioned kawaii categories to also encompass: kawaii discourse as a tool for continuity and ease; as a contraption of attraction; as a quest for peace. Finally, I conclude that cyberspace is a much more versatile medium than any of the historical kawaii channels and therefore, its contemporary communication implications do not necessarily fall into a particular category – it can address multiple ones simultaneously, reaching a vast audience. In addition, I present a visualisation of the Japanese governmental sector website network, which reveals unforeseen external digital connections of the Ministry of Defense website with closely related to kawaii organisations.Show less
Indonesia is named the second biggest contributor to plastic waste in the oceans and the third largest polluter in the world. Rapid industrialisation, urbanisation, population growth, economic...Show moreIndonesia is named the second biggest contributor to plastic waste in the oceans and the third largest polluter in the world. Rapid industrialisation, urbanisation, population growth, economic growth and a consumption boom resulted in an increase in waste. It is said that municipal solid waste increased with 162,5% in the last decade. In 2009, 81% of this waste was disposed of in open dumping landfills, which are often badly managed. Only 7% of it was recycled. Open dumping landfills is causing both health-and environment-related problems, and caused many deaths in 2005, marking the failure of traditional waste management. The necessity of proper waste management led to the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Act on May 8, 2008. The international and more sustainable concept of 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) began to be used, thus replacing the traditional End-of-Pipe treatment. In this sociological research, I hope to answer the question of what the significance is of 3R for waste management in Indonesia, with a main focus on policies, developments, and citizen involvement.Show less
Kimchi is a Korean fermented dish that has a important role in the Korean cuisine. The practice of making kimchi, called kimjang is a tradition that is practices for hundreds of years. This paper...Show moreKimchi is a Korean fermented dish that has a important role in the Korean cuisine. The practice of making kimchi, called kimjang is a tradition that is practices for hundreds of years. This paper focuses on the importance of kimchi and kimjang in Korean society and how this has changed with the modernization of the Korean society.With the inscription of kimjang as intangible cultural heritage on the representative list of UNESCO, the position of kimchi and kimjang changed significantly. This paper will also look at the intangible cultural heritage system of UNESCO, the inscription of food practices as intangible heritage, but also what such an inscription does with the value of the inscribed element. Lastly, the nomination of North Korea with the same element, under the name kimchi making will be analyzed to understand the position of kimjang in North Korea, but also the noticeable similarities and differences in both nominations by the two Koreas.Show less
