Gavin Furukawa

Abstract This article examines the ways in which symbolic English is used in fashion and mass media by indexing ideologies and expectations regarding language ability in Japan. One example of this is the popularity of English language T-shirts in Japan. Using English that is often widely criticized for being awkward or meaningless, these T-shirts are now often mocked in various media sources due to the increased flow of images across traditional nation-state boundaries. By examining the use of these English T-shirts in a Japanese variety show featuring a teen idol known for having English language ability this paper will show how the symbolic value of English T-shirts in Japan can be used to construct a hierarchy based on language ability within Japanese society and how television programs that use such items, take advantage of linguistic inability to increase embarrassment and stake for people heightening linguistic anxiety while at the same time discursively constructing the show and its staff in a positive light. This article examines this phenomenon and the ways in which these fashion items are then appropriated and denaturalized for entertainment both within and outside Japan through forms of mass-media such as television programs, books, and websites.

Abstract This chapter examines the discourses found in Japanese gay vlog entries to see how such streaming contents are used as sites of contact between gays and straights in Japan. Early internet sites created safe public spaces for sexual minority members to meet and socialize where straights previously seldom had access or were expressly unwelcome. Using a collection of coming out and Q and A videos, the chapter will also explore the use of vlogging discourse for social change in Japan. More recently, sites like YouTube have created new contact spaces where straights are welcomed and can interact with gay content creators more directly. This chapter analyzes the ways in which Japanese gay men construct themselves as well as other gay and straight people around them in these videos. Utilizing membership categorization and indexicality the analysis will show how notions of family and gayness along with associated bound predicates are used to discursively resist heteronormativity. The discourse also shows how these videos focus on the purposes of informing and educating over phatic communication. The analysis will also demonstrate how the concept of internationalization has become semiotically relevant to the gay Japanese male category, constructing an image of masculine interculturality, contrasted against overly feminine mass-mediated stereotypes. Possibilities for further change and social justice in Japan through such sites of contact will also be discussed.