Polytechnic for Women, Chandigarh, in which popular Japanese animation films, such as ‘Doraemon’ and ‘The Girl who leapt through time’ would be screened, besides contemporary films ‘Always-Sunset on Third Street’. In addition, a Retrospective of Keisuke Kinoshita, a well-known Japanese Director, would be held, whose highly acclaimed works will be shown during the festival.

Doraemon and the Little Dinosaur(Animation)

   (Readers are recommended to browse the Embassy’s official website for more detailed information on the various events outlined above, closer to the Cultural Month dates.)

JAPANESE POPULAR CULTURE
By: Rajesh Mohan Bajaj, Advisor – Japan Information Centre

    While the whole world identifies Japanese traditional culture through such well known art forms as ikebana, bonsai, origami, noh, and so on, contemporary Japanese popular culture is manifested through films, television programs, comics and music, which not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present, but also provides a link to the past.

   These contemporary forms of popular culture, besides offering entertainment, also provide an escape for the Japanese people from the problems of a stressful and fast-paced life. Although Japan is often considered as a hard-working society with little time for pleasure, the Japanese are as normal as any other people and seek entertainment wherever they can. It is common to see Japanese commuters riding the train to work, enjoying their favorite manga or listening through earphones to the latest in popular music on portable music players. A wide variety of popular entertainments are available to them. There is a large selection of music, films and comics, among other forms of entertainment, from which to choose.

    Manga is the Japanese word for comics and print cartoons. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II but have a long, complex history in earlier Japanese art. In Japan, manga are widely read by children and adults of all ages. Manga are typically printed in black-and-white, although some full-color manga also exist. In Japan, manga are usually serialized in telephone book-size manga magazines, often containing many stories, each presented in a single episode to be continued in the next issue.

Popular Japanese Comics (Manga)

    If a manga series is popular enough, it may be animated after or even during its run. In this format, they are commonly known as anime (animated films, both theatrical releases and video productions). Perhaps the most famous anime are those produced from the manga drawn by Hayao Miyazaki; they include such titles as ‘Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind’, ‘My Neighbor Totoro’, ‘Laputa’ and Kiki’s Messenger Service.

   These anime have become very popular all over the world, including India, where children love to watch some of the popular anime series being currently broadcast on kids television channels, such as ‘Kiteretsu’, ‘Doraemon’, ‘Shinchan’, ‘Kochikame’ and ‘Tensai Bakabon’.

    The popularity of manga is so deep and all-encompassing that it inspired the establishment of the Kyoto International Manga Museum under a joint project of Kyoto City and Kyoto Seika University. The Museum collects, preserves and exhibits manga and animation materials which can be used for systematic research and studies. Through research and other manga-related activities, the Museum is expected to