Make Believe Mailer Vol. 46: A Series Of Questions About Kanye West's "Convenience Of The Future"
1. Has Kanye West ever been to a Japanese convenience store? He's visited the country a bunch of times, and I imagine at some point he would have ducked into a 7-11 or something. When he presumably sent his "team" to Japan to "research" "convenience," did he not just stop and try to remember what the interior of a convenience store looks like?
2. Which convenience store is Kanye using for this research? As plenty of posts on this very important topic have pointed out, the bulk of this goods come from Muji. If we go along with all of this — and we, indeed, are — it would have to be Family Mart, the only chain that has a tie-up with Muji. And lo and behold, the smoking gun, a pair of gloves adorned with the Family Mart logo. Still, his team clearly went to other locations as well.
3. Why did he need so many gloves? The entire premise of "Kanye West wants to research convenience" is...well, fitting for West in 2018, but how do gloves figure into this? Especially gloves specifically geared towards work.
4. Why only three porn magazines? What bugs me about the selection...and, again, go with me here...is that the rations are all out of whack. Too many gloves, the quality of cigarettes don't hit on all ends of the spectrum, a bias towards Pocari Sweat. Above all else, Japanese convenience stores -- ESPECIALLY Family Mart -- have a far more robust and diverse set of adult magazines on display for every randy senior citizen and confused elementary school student to see. The trio of mags West displays are all too similar, and fail to show the true variety available. I'm not even factoring hentai into this!
5. Why did they bring milk back? Wouldn't it go bad? What did customs think of any of this?
6. Do you think West watches Terrace House? Generally, people really into Japan living abroad can be divided into two categories in 2018 -- you've got those drawn to the flashy side of pop culture, and those who find more enjoyment out of more ordinary aspects of the country. Terrace House has come to perfectly capture the latter, as many outside of Japan appreciate the "normalcy" of the show (in Japan, people like that the hosts make fun of the participants and that their is a lot drama!). I would have pegged Kanye as someone more fond of the prior -- I mean, c'mon -- but this "convenience" selection hints at him being more likely to own a copy of The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up. No wacky limited-edition flavors! No clear Coke! No Pocky!
7. Do I wish West would drop this convenience thing and create his own version of Kiddy Land? You bet.
8. Would American rap be in a better place in Japan had Kanye not cancelled his 2014 Fuji Rock headlining set? This summer saw too U.S. rappers take to fest main stages, Kendrick Lamar (it was OK, lacking a bit of a punch, the kung-fu thing is really no good) and Chance The Rapper (great presence, really fun, one global smash hit away from being in the headline discussion). It was significant because rap isn't the mainstream sound of Japan, unlike most other places in 2018. And I kind of think West bailing on a much-anticipated set in Niigata Prefecture slowed down any other progress acts could make. It's more complicated than that -- fees must be bonkers for what amounts to one person most Japanese listeners don't know -- but part of me thinks if he spent less time collecting Muji soups and just played a show he could be in a much better position in a country he clearly likes, and could probably get some positive press out of it.
9. How do I get this job? No, really.
10. Is any of this as ridiculous as his appearance with Teriyaki Boyz last decade? No.
News And Views
Former member of Morning Musume Hitomi Yoshizawa was arrested for drunk driving in Tokyo recently.
There was this whole thing about a Hikaru Utada sample being sampled on the latest Eminem album (which, hot take, is bad), but then people realized it wasn't actually from Kingdom Hearts. The producer clarified things, and the whole saga ended with a forgettable beat.
HKT48 member and former Produce 48 contestant Murakawa Bibian forgot to turn off her livestream, and revealed she pulls in ¥16000 (about $160) per stream. Which is pretty nice money! Real accident, or secret flex?
Charisma.com is...back? But only one member? OK.
This week's "Japanese article touching on interesting trend" is how the group Fishmans has managed to become super popular on the site Rate Your Music, despite...never really promoting outside Japan. Coupled with "Plastic Love" and the general bonanza in re-issues right now, the best move for Japanese artists looking to get love in the West is to hope they get discovered two decades from now and connect with a younger generation.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of August 27, 2018 To September 2, 2018
Johnny's group A.B.C-Z in the top single slot, while in a slight upset (but one that could very well be flipped next week) long-running outfit AAA's latest release beat out BTS' newest on the album side.
Perfume's GAME (33 1/3)
My entry in the 33 1/3 Japan series is out now! Get a copy at Bloomsbury or Amazon. Or at Kinokuniya bookstores in the US. I don't know how I missed the nifty animated/real life preview of Perfume's next music video, but it looks neat. I wonder if there are any big clues, possibly related to times when big events come to Japan, that maybe offer a clue at what Perfume is angling at?
Look At Me!
Wrote about the musical legacy of animator Momoko Sakura for The Japan Times. More than just the theme to Chibi Maruko-chan, though that one is still the heavyweight from her camp.
Blog highlights: nikoi0227, Neco Asobi, tofubeats
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
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