Sunday, March 22, 2009

TV Shows and Gender Roles in Japan

I started to write this in January, but never got around to posting it. As you know, I am not gay. I do have a lot of wonderful gay and transgendered people in my life and I though that this would be of intrigue to them and are curious to their opinions and to know if I am off base with my conceptions. The role of "gay" as other also interests me, as a individual with depression, as I am also considered an other. The way people interact with each other always seems to fascinate me. So here goes:

During New Years Eve (shogatsu) we watched a pervy cos play bowling show, a wresting match where comedians slapped each other with slippers, Gobo(burdock root), wet towels, tarter sauce, etc. It was hosted by the guys from Down Town (a famous Manzai Style TV show) Down Town is a the show where they put the comedians in strange situations and if they laugh they get spanked really hard by men in full black body suits. I have to say, I love this show.......
On variety shows some sort of transvestites are quite popular. My favorite one is the punk school girl! The characters are really popular (I use sort of and characters cause I don't really know if they are cross dressing, trannies, or gay) and common on TV. Oddly enough I read in Lonely Planet that two people of the same sex wanting to stay in a love hotel will be turned away.
I don't see you average gay person (since writing this I actually met one and they called him a neeman....a sister man, very sweet guy). Although men here are quite effeminate. One the same hand the girls here are really girly or have really short hair do's and look like boys. Some times I confuse men for women an vice versa. Apparently. so do some of the Japanese people I have been around. (a few days ago my Japanese teacher told me that men nowadays are very manly and that they act too much like girls....just food for though...and one persons thoughts) By they way, the Japanese population is plummeting.
Getting off subject, but still on the subject of sex, Japanese people are closet perverts! One of those stupid game shows made me scared of elephants. You don't want to know why....I guess you can't wear an elephant with pants on? I have seen so many pervy manga (comics), anime, love hotels, love taxis and nearly every girl I have met here naked. Am I getting modest? Or do I just feel self conscious around these elfin folk? Whatever, me being naked in an Onsen is a show of some serious humility and nerve on my part.

And becuase Wikipedia actually had some good info on the subject of Jap gender roles take a look see if you are so inclinded.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_minorities_in_Japan

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