New Youth Culture in Japan February 26, 2009

Japanese teens and pre-teens are helping to boost Japan's sluggish economy as they devour popular culture, from electronics and fashion to books and music. Others are expressing themselves through less mainstream behaviors. How does today's youth culture reflect deeper, more complex issues-such as race, gender and cultural politics-in Japan? Two experts on youth culture will discuss current trends in music and alternative subcultures as they forecast how these trends may shape future generations.

Dr. Jennifer Milioto Matsue is Assistant Professor of Music, Asian Studies, and Anthropology at Union College in New York. Matsue's research incorporates various music cultures in Japan-including the underground Tokyo hardcore rock scene, nagauta (a type of traditional chamber music), electronica and trance raves, and wadaiko (Japanese ensemble drumming)-and how performers find meaning through participating in such music worlds. She is the author of Making Music in Japan's Underground: The Tokyo Hardcore Scene, and holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Chicago.

Dr. Marvin D. Sterling is Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department at Indiana University. Sterling's research examines the popularity of Jamaican subculture in contemporary Japan, from reggae to Rastafari. Sterling explores the Western idea of race and identity in modern Japan, through minzokugaku (folklore studies), Japanese anthropology, and Japan's interpretation of Western popular cultural forms. Sterling holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles and currently is developing his forthcoming book, Babylon East: Dancehall, Roots Reggae and Rastafari in Japan.

$5.00 for Japan Society members; $15.00 for non-members.

Official Website: http://japansocietyofnortherncalifornia.myshopify.com/products/2009-yearahead2