"In Japan, the wa surrounds you. You can feel it in the priciest sushi bars and lowliest noodle parlors. Call it the particular Japanese way of looking at the world; of harmony, of collectiveness with a do-not-rock-the-boat spirit. In the mythology of "Star Wars" movies, the wa is like the Force. To mess with the wa is a cardinal sin.
Junichiro Koizumi messed with the wa. (…) But most Japanese discovered a shocking truth: Maybe the wa needed to be messed with."
Exit Koizumi, Japan's Relentless Jedi Knight (Washington Post - 2006/9/23)
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Wa
You can agree or disagree the legacy of 5 1/2 years Koizumi reign, but one thing he certainly did:
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2 comments:
its funny how so many articles on japan written by foreign correspondents always write that japan is finally changing. however, when writing this, they forget to point out where, when or in what way these so-called changes are actually taking place.
take a look at this line from the washington post article:
"He (Koizumi) slew the reform-resistant LDP bosses like so many Darth Vaders unceremoniously ejecting them from the party. In the process, he cleared a path for change."
is it really?
My favorite quote: “The relationship between tradition and change in Japan has always been complicated by the fact that change is itself a tradition” (Edward Seidensticker).
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