Stephanie Trinidad

Review – Haruki Murakami’s Underground The people of terrorist attacks, which stem from breaches in the security of a city or nation are often the last to be seen when reading about the securitization of the world. Often times their voices are left out by those who seek to understand their story, and the impact it has on the security of the survivors. Haruki Murakami’s book Underground seeks to give a voice to the people affected by the attack on the Tokyo Subway in 1994. The first part of the book was originally published in 1997, with the testimonies of the victims of the sarin gas attack, the second part was published in 1998 with the testimonies of those involved with the cult Aum Shinrikyo. The translation came out two years later giving the world a look at the victims of a crime that most didn’t know about. 

The Modern Girls: Japan’s Generation of Change The modernization of the world that began during the industrial revolution slowly made its way across the word throughout the end of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. The Modern Girl or the Modern Woman was spreading throughout the world in the early twentieth century. When Western culture made its way to Japan the young girls no longer saw a need in their parents traditional ideals, they saw a freedom in clothing and self-expression that had once been frowned upon. Women wanted the right to vote, they wanted to work, and they wanted the ability to choose what they were able to do with their lives. Yet in Japan the Modern Girl, also known as modan gaaru or moga, became a subject of concern from those who valued traditional roles. Japan as a country wanted to preserve their national identity from industrialization while they adapted to the change that was sweeping the world. When the Modern Girl began to r...

            The early 20 th century brought about a change in the perception of women both in their public and private lives. Throughout the world women were going from being the homemaker to becoming a working class modern woman. This change also happened in Japan were the term moga was created to describe the modern girl that was starting to appear throughout the country. The novel Naomi by Junichiro Tanizaki describes the evolution of the modern girl through the eyes of the story’s main protagonist Joji who finds himself enthralled with the concept of western culture and the modern girl. Through Joji the reader meets Naomi who looks western in appearance but is Japanese born. The novel starts when Joji meets Naomi who is 15 at the time and from there he attempts to make her a well-rounded young woman who is cultured and educated. Joji learns though his experiences with Naomi how truly the frightening the modern Japanes...

            At the beginning of the 18 th century in Japan when the politics of the country were shifting towards a more peaceful time there was one event that would be spoken about throughout the country for years to come. The story of the 47 Ronin who went to avenge their disgraced leader Lord Asano. Lord Asano was asked to entertain Lord Kira who was an imperial emissary visiting from Kyoto. The story of what truly happened during their encounter isn’t clear all that is truly known is that Lord Asano was outraged at Lord Kira and drew his sword and cut Kira who wasn’t able to draw his sword in time to defend himself. Lord Asano was sentenced to commit seppuku for his actions against Lord Kira as well as his crime against the shogunate by attacking someone who worked for the Shogun. Thus prompting the 47 now masterless samurai to avenge Lord Asano and take the life of the person who had caused their master’s land and domai...

            The written word has always been a means of communication whether it’s written in novels, letters, diaries, or even writing a post on Facebook. During the 10 th century C.E. the written language in Japan took on a different form entirely that would still be relevant during the Modern Era. The Heian Period in Japan spanned nearly four centuries would spawn two of the most known books in literature and would show how life inside the Japanese imperial court was like. Two of the most well-known books of the time were written by women who lived within the Japanese court. Wealthy Women during this time in Japanese history were well educated and often worked within the imperial court as ladies in waiting serving the imperial family. One very surprising aspect of this time in Japanese history is that some women were as educated as men, and men weren’t given preference when it came to higher education. The Kana wri...