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Kansai Cool: A Journey into the Cultural Heartland of Japan
In Kansai Cool anthropologist, writer and filmmaker Christal Whelan offers profound insights in the only collection of essays to focus on Kansai, Japan's ancient heartland. Kansai--the region in Western Japan that boasts the ancient capitals of Kyoto and Nara, the bustling commercial city of Osaka and the cosmopolitan port city of Kobe--has a character all its own, right down to its dialect, mannerisms, and cuisine. It is home to some of Japan's oldest history and an area where the country's most time-honored arts and crafts still thrive. Worldly and otherworldly, spirited and spiritual, trendy and traditional, it's a place where past and future live side-by-side, sometimes at odds. Part Japanese travel book, part cultural commentary, these 25 spirited essays and 32 pages of color photos paint a broad yet penetrating portrait of the unique Western Japan region, covering such diverse topics The needs of the spirit--shrines, temples and the call to pilgrimage The arts in Kansai--dance, painting, anime, and combat The relationship between hi-tech and old-tech Material culture--bikes, robots, and dolls The culture of fashion in Kansai--from kimonos and obis to modern fashion designers, and the Lolita complex The meaning of landscape-- human-made islands and the mystical power of water The hidden meaning of food--an anthropology of coffee and traditional cuisine From the deep-seated ancient beliefs of Kyoto to modern teen otaku culture, costume play and haute couture of Kobe and Osaka--Whelan delves below the surface to let readers eager to travel to Japan experience how art, science, faith and history swirl together in the Kansai region to produce this unique wellspring of Japanese culture.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 4, 2014
17 people are currently reading
480 people want to read
About the author
Christal Whelan
4 books7 followersChristal Whelan, author-anthropologist, grew up in Munich, Honolulu, and Washington D.C., and has lived and worked in Japan intermittently since 1990. Six years after her arrival, she published The Beginning of Heaven and Earth: The Sacred Book of Japan's Hidden Christians, a book based on her experiences among the few remaining clandestine communities with whom she lived on the remote Goto Islands, and about whom she later made the documentary Otaiya, screened at the Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival. From a focus on rural and local religion, Whelan's interest expanded to include monastic Buddhism, Shinto, and even the country's newer globalizing religious movements. As a stringer for RNS, she was the first person in the U.S. media to break the news of the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway as perpetrated by the cult Aum Shinrikyo.
Her new book Kansai Cool (2014) is a collection of twenty-five short essays about the Kansai region—the font of Japan's unique cultural traditions, and draws from Whelan's ten years of experience in the country, including her work for The Daily Yomiuri newspaper as columnist of "Kansai Culturescapes." A contributor to Fodor's Japan, her work has also appeared in The Japan Times, Kyoto Journal, and various publications of the Asahi Shimbun. From memorial services for needles to anime, fashion, Buddhist temples, and the culinary arts, Kansai Cool provides a cultural compass to a region vibrant in diversity.
Since 2007 Whelan began to visit Mongolia where she has worked in both the contemporary capital of Ulaan Baatar and in Kharkhorum, the ancient capital of the Mongolian Empire. Fascinated by the current trend of nomadic herders quitting the land for an urban lifestyle, the reinvention of Genghis Khan as the father of Mongolian democracy, the expanding sphere of Korean influence from hospitals and universities to television docudramas, and by the dilemmas generated by religious options in this post-Soviet democracy—Tibetan Buddhism, American Mormonism, Korean Protestantism, and Mongolian shamanism—Whelan's upcoming book on Mongolia will offer an unusual portrait of a country and its people as they navigate a complex political, social, and spiritual landscape.
Her new book Kansai Cool (2014) is a collection of twenty-five short essays about the Kansai region—the font of Japan's unique cultural traditions, and draws from Whelan's ten years of experience in the country, including her work for The Daily Yomiuri newspaper as columnist of "Kansai Culturescapes." A contributor to Fodor's Japan, her work has also appeared in The Japan Times, Kyoto Journal, and various publications of the Asahi Shimbun. From memorial services for needles to anime, fashion, Buddhist temples, and the culinary arts, Kansai Cool provides a cultural compass to a region vibrant in diversity.
Since 2007 Whelan began to visit Mongolia where she has worked in both the contemporary capital of Ulaan Baatar and in Kharkhorum, the ancient capital of the Mongolian Empire. Fascinated by the current trend of nomadic herders quitting the land for an urban lifestyle, the reinvention of Genghis Khan as the father of Mongolian democracy, the expanding sphere of Korean influence from hospitals and universities to television docudramas, and by the dilemmas generated by religious options in this post-Soviet democracy—Tibetan Buddhism, American Mormonism, Korean Protestantism, and Mongolian shamanism—Whelan's upcoming book on Mongolia will offer an unusual portrait of a country and its people as they navigate a complex political, social, and spiritual landscape.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 27, 2015
The essay on Japanese gratitude is the best one, giving a window onto an aspect of the Japanese cultural psyche with a beautiful depth that i can't say the other essays quite attain. However, the entire book creates a whole new genre of travel writing for me—one of which i wish i had a specimen for every place i visited. Whelan certainly proffered some unique perspectives into Japanese and Kansai life and culture—glimpses i would not have had on my own even i lived there. Thank you, Ms. Whelan! I hope you will publish more.
February 22, 2015
Christal-san, moukarimakka?
I'd rate Kansai Cool 5 stars even if Christal didn't mention my own book (Colloquial Kansai Japanese/Kinki Japanese) in the intro. This book is a unique, insider look into the many worlds of Kyoto culture. Though I lived in Japan for many years, this book took me to places I've never been, with wonderful writing and great insights.
This book is for someone already intimate with Japan but interested in the nooks and crannies of Kyoto. The book appears to be mostly an anthology of columns she wrote for the Yomiuri. Nothing wrong with that, each chapter is only a couple of pages, which makes for easy reading though it does lack depth.
I did, however, have two criticisms: First, there were a surprisingly large number of typos and some factual errors. Also, since these were newspaper articles, there were frequent references to current events that are no longer current and a small amount of editing would have helped to make it more suitable as a book. If Tuttle prints a second edition, I hope they go through and fix these things.
Second, despite the title "Kansai Cool" this is primarily a book on Kyoto culture. The parts of the book that work best are when Christal takes us behind the scenes in Kyoto, the vegetable market for example, or the Edison worship. It's clear that she lived in Kyoto and spoke daily with the people there. Certainly, Kyoto is a lovely, lively city that I visited whenever I could. But if we talk about local culture, Osaka, Kobe, and Nara, all have their own stories, even towns like Sakai or Amagasaki are steeped in history and have a culture all their own, even their own foods, own dialects, and own way of viewing the world. The book should have better been titled Kyoto Cool, though I do hope that Christal does at some point write a second volume that brings the same level of insights to the rest of the region.
I'd rate Kansai Cool 5 stars even if Christal didn't mention my own book (Colloquial Kansai Japanese/Kinki Japanese) in the intro. This book is a unique, insider look into the many worlds of Kyoto culture. Though I lived in Japan for many years, this book took me to places I've never been, with wonderful writing and great insights.
This book is for someone already intimate with Japan but interested in the nooks and crannies of Kyoto. The book appears to be mostly an anthology of columns she wrote for the Yomiuri. Nothing wrong with that, each chapter is only a couple of pages, which makes for easy reading though it does lack depth.
I did, however, have two criticisms: First, there were a surprisingly large number of typos and some factual errors. Also, since these were newspaper articles, there were frequent references to current events that are no longer current and a small amount of editing would have helped to make it more suitable as a book. If Tuttle prints a second edition, I hope they go through and fix these things.
Second, despite the title "Kansai Cool" this is primarily a book on Kyoto culture. The parts of the book that work best are when Christal takes us behind the scenes in Kyoto, the vegetable market for example, or the Edison worship. It's clear that she lived in Kyoto and spoke daily with the people there. Certainly, Kyoto is a lovely, lively city that I visited whenever I could. But if we talk about local culture, Osaka, Kobe, and Nara, all have their own stories, even towns like Sakai or Amagasaki are steeped in history and have a culture all their own, even their own foods, own dialects, and own way of viewing the world. The book should have better been titled Kyoto Cool, though I do hope that Christal does at some point write a second volume that brings the same level of insights to the rest of the region.
August 1, 2016
I received Kansai Cool: A Journey into the Cultural Heartland of Japan as part of Goodread's First Reads giveaway.
A history book, travel guide, and an engaging exploration of Japanese culture, the book explores the best the Kansai area has to offer in a tone of respect and admiration; from serene Buddhist temples to the quirky and expressive manga, anime, and cosplay subculture, Whelan writes about Japan without patronizing Japanese culture as exotic or far-off. The addition of "practical information" sections at the end of every chapter allow readers to further explore the places mentioned and forms a handy itinerary for clueless travelers. Factual inconsistencies, as a previous reviewer noted are sprinkled around the book but they are rare and don't take away from the overall grand experience. An exciting, in-depth introduction to Japan (past and present) make this book a handy guide for travelers and Japanophiles alike.
A history book, travel guide, and an engaging exploration of Japanese culture, the book explores the best the Kansai area has to offer in a tone of respect and admiration; from serene Buddhist temples to the quirky and expressive manga, anime, and cosplay subculture, Whelan writes about Japan without patronizing Japanese culture as exotic or far-off. The addition of "practical information" sections at the end of every chapter allow readers to further explore the places mentioned and forms a handy itinerary for clueless travelers. Factual inconsistencies, as a previous reviewer noted are sprinkled around the book but they are rare and don't take away from the overall grand experience. An exciting, in-depth introduction to Japan (past and present) make this book a handy guide for travelers and Japanophiles alike.
July 11, 2014
This book claims that Japan has 127,000 inhabitants. That is on page 1. The total lack of copy editing makes it hard to read, with an abundance of typos and misspellings just on the first few pages alone. What is worse are the blatant factual mistakes and misleading statements. Osaka was not a former capital of Japan. Some basic fact checking would have saved this book to some extent, given its interesting focus on Kansai. However, in its current state, it will either misinform those not already familiar with Japan or madden those who are. I am among the latter, and couldn't even make it through the first chapter of this book. I acquired it for my university library and thoroughly regret that decision.
December 22, 2014
A collection of Kansai-related articles by the author, previously published in a magazine. A fast-read with interesting teed-bits, however nothing too spectacular or too distanced from writing intended for fleeting and shallow attention of magazine readers.
I would recommend it to anyone interested in Japan, but with no great expectations in terms of information. The articles serve more as a prompt for further investigation.
I would recommend it to anyone interested in Japan, but with no great expectations in terms of information. The articles serve more as a prompt for further investigation.
June 1, 2015
I loved the first essay on gratefulness. Fascinating and touching. The rest of the essays were all interesting, although I found that many ended rather abruptly which was disconcerting. Despite it being published in 2014, many of the essays dated from the early part of the century, and as they were about modern phenomena like Anime and Cosplay, seemed a bit dated. The copy editing was a bit woeful.
June 6, 2015
Mildly interesting, though the writing was so disjointed that it made the reading experience difficult. Could've used a (better) copy/line editor. Good primer if you're interested in Japanese culture, but there are better books out there that cover this same scope.
December 14, 2017
This is a collection of short essays about Kansai and Kyoto. It covers everything from cosplay to Japanese toilets.
October 30, 2020
Kansai merupakan wilayah bagian selatan-tengah Honshu, pulau terbesar di Jepang. Wilayah ini mencakup tujuh prefektur (kurang lebih setara dengan provinsi): Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Hyogo, Shiga, Wakayama, dan Mie.
Buku ini dapat menjadi panduan bagi pelancong yang punya waktu leluasa di Kansai--entahkah karena liburan panjang, studi, kerja, atau malah warga asli sana--dan tertarik melakukan perjalanan tematik. Ada enam bagian dalam buku ini: Nature, Industry, A Sense of Place, The Arts, Youth Culture, dan Religion. Tiap-tiap bagian terdiri dari empat esai, kecuali pada bagian pertama terdapat lima esai.
Sebelum memasuki kumpulan esai itu, buku ini diawali dengan bab pengantar yang menjelaskan tentang Kansai dari berbagai segi: geografi, sejarah, budaya, bahasa, dan seterusnya. Di samping itu, tentunya dijabarkan pula garis besar buku. Rupanya sebagian esai ini sebelumnya pernah dimuat pada kolom "Kansai Culturescapes" di The Daily Yomiuri (yang telah berganti nama jadi The Japan News sejak 2013), koran nasional Jepang berbahasa Inggris. (Kalau di Indonesia, koran ini mungkin seperti The Jakarta Post.)
Tiap-tiap esai dalam buku ini memiliki tema masing-masing: menyebut berbagai tempat di Kansai (terutama Kyoto) yang berkaitan, menampilkan figur-figur yang dapat ditemui, dilengkapi dengan sumber-sumber sekunder, dan diakhiri dengan daftar kontak (alamat, nomor telepon, dan situs) untuk informasi lebih lanjut. Kelebihan buku ini mungkin ada pada daftar kontaknya itu.
Bagi pembaca yang tidak begitu menguasai bahasa Inggris, buku ini bisa menjadi tantangan. Pastinya sudah banyak film dokumenter yang mengupas soal tempat-tempat unik di Jepang, sehingga media tersebut sepertinya lebih efektif ketimbang membaca esai yang sebagian kosakatanya tidak dimengerti.
Saya sendiri selama pembacaan buku ini sekali-sekali berhenti sekadar untuk googling dan melihat gambar atau video dari objek yang sedang diceritakan. Objek yang menarik saya untuk googling di antaranya Sanogawa Ichimatsu (aktor kabuki tampan yang menginspirasi pembuatan Boneka Persahabatan (populer pada era Meiji, 1868-1912), Super Dollfies, Asimo, Paro, Geminoid F, Hijikata Tatsumi (perintis teater butoh; 1928-1986), Ohno Kazuo (ikut merintis bersama HT; 1906-2010), Carlotta Ikeda (figur teater lainnya), dan sebagainya.
Bukan berarti buku ini tidak disertai gambar-gambar (baik berwarna maupun tidak). Tapi, selain tidak meliputi semua objek, sebagian besar gambar itu lokasinya terpisah dari esai-esai yang terkait--dikumpulkan di tengah-tengah buku--sedang saya sebetulnya termasuk generasi yang apa-apa mengandalkan visualisasi dan ingin serbacepat. Ya, bahkan saya yang biasanya menimbang diri sebagai pencinta walls of texts dan tidak begitu mementingkan gambar, kali ini mengaku bahwa dalam hal ini lebih baik menonton saja daripada membaca.
Meski begitu, film dokumenter enggak efisien untuk menyajikan daftar kontak, ya enggak sih?
Buku ini dapat menjadi panduan bagi pelancong yang punya waktu leluasa di Kansai--entahkah karena liburan panjang, studi, kerja, atau malah warga asli sana--dan tertarik melakukan perjalanan tematik. Ada enam bagian dalam buku ini: Nature, Industry, A Sense of Place, The Arts, Youth Culture, dan Religion. Tiap-tiap bagian terdiri dari empat esai, kecuali pada bagian pertama terdapat lima esai.
Sebelum memasuki kumpulan esai itu, buku ini diawali dengan bab pengantar yang menjelaskan tentang Kansai dari berbagai segi: geografi, sejarah, budaya, bahasa, dan seterusnya. Di samping itu, tentunya dijabarkan pula garis besar buku. Rupanya sebagian esai ini sebelumnya pernah dimuat pada kolom "Kansai Culturescapes" di The Daily Yomiuri (yang telah berganti nama jadi The Japan News sejak 2013), koran nasional Jepang berbahasa Inggris. (Kalau di Indonesia, koran ini mungkin seperti The Jakarta Post.)
Tiap-tiap esai dalam buku ini memiliki tema masing-masing: menyebut berbagai tempat di Kansai (terutama Kyoto) yang berkaitan, menampilkan figur-figur yang dapat ditemui, dilengkapi dengan sumber-sumber sekunder, dan diakhiri dengan daftar kontak (alamat, nomor telepon, dan situs) untuk informasi lebih lanjut. Kelebihan buku ini mungkin ada pada daftar kontaknya itu.
Bagi pembaca yang tidak begitu menguasai bahasa Inggris, buku ini bisa menjadi tantangan. Pastinya sudah banyak film dokumenter yang mengupas soal tempat-tempat unik di Jepang, sehingga media tersebut sepertinya lebih efektif ketimbang membaca esai yang sebagian kosakatanya tidak dimengerti.
Saya sendiri selama pembacaan buku ini sekali-sekali berhenti sekadar untuk googling dan melihat gambar atau video dari objek yang sedang diceritakan. Objek yang menarik saya untuk googling di antaranya Sanogawa Ichimatsu (aktor kabuki tampan yang menginspirasi pembuatan Boneka Persahabatan (populer pada era Meiji, 1868-1912), Super Dollfies, Asimo, Paro, Geminoid F, Hijikata Tatsumi (perintis teater butoh; 1928-1986), Ohno Kazuo (ikut merintis bersama HT; 1906-2010), Carlotta Ikeda (figur teater lainnya), dan sebagainya.
Bukan berarti buku ini tidak disertai gambar-gambar (baik berwarna maupun tidak). Tapi, selain tidak meliputi semua objek, sebagian besar gambar itu lokasinya terpisah dari esai-esai yang terkait--dikumpulkan di tengah-tengah buku--sedang saya sebetulnya termasuk generasi yang apa-apa mengandalkan visualisasi dan ingin serbacepat. Ya, bahkan saya yang biasanya menimbang diri sebagai pencinta walls of texts dan tidak begitu mementingkan gambar, kali ini mengaku bahwa dalam hal ini lebih baik menonton saja daripada membaca.
Meski begitu, film dokumenter enggak efisien untuk menyajikan daftar kontak, ya enggak sih?
April 29, 2014
Una brújula cultural para pasear por Japón
Si buscas solamente una guía turística que te lleve de A a B... este no es tu libro.
Si crees que este es un simple compendio de cosas curiosas sobre el lejano y misterioso Japón... te estás perdiendo algo.
Si vas buscando frivolidades que contar a tus amigos en una de esas reuniones frikis sobre el país del Sol Naciente... te quedarás corto.
Christal Whelan nos ofrece un maravilloso relato sobre los aspectos más y menos conocidos de Japón, “acercándonos a lugares poco comunes o mostrándonos aspectos poco comunes de lugares que creíamos conocer”.
Más que una facilitadora, Christal asume el rol de traductora cultural. Poco a poco, vamos desgranando los capítulos de su libro como las cuentas de un rosario. La autora nos lleva de la mano por la región de Kansai, -cuna de la cultura nipona- descifrando incógnitas, aclarando e instruyendo de modo sutil y ameno, informativo y lleno de sorpresas.
Sondear el alma y la cultura de un pueblo en unas páginas es tarea complicada: sin embargo, el lector ávido de conocimientos encontrará claves para comprender este país que hace malabarismos entre su cultura milenaria y la constante creatividad e innovación en la vida cotidiana de nuestro siglo. Desde nociones indispensables como la gratitud o el esfuerzo hasta la espiritualidad presente donde menos te lo esperas, la autora nos mostrará micro-templos budistas, la ceremonia del incienso, el significado del agua, la cultura pop (manga, animé, cosplay) la importancia del bambú o el tremendo impacto del café en un país donde el té era y es el pan nuestro de cada día. ¡Y mucho más!
Referencias y direcciones completan las descripciones y animan a profundizar.
Por si fuera poco, el lector hispanohablante encontrará además guiños y referencias a elementos relacionados con la cultura española, como el uso del abanico, la moda contemporánea o el flamenco.
Si los polos opuestos se atraen, nunca estuvimos más cerca...
Si buscas solamente una guía turística que te lleve de A a B... este no es tu libro.
Si crees que este es un simple compendio de cosas curiosas sobre el lejano y misterioso Japón... te estás perdiendo algo.
Si vas buscando frivolidades que contar a tus amigos en una de esas reuniones frikis sobre el país del Sol Naciente... te quedarás corto.
Christal Whelan nos ofrece un maravilloso relato sobre los aspectos más y menos conocidos de Japón, “acercándonos a lugares poco comunes o mostrándonos aspectos poco comunes de lugares que creíamos conocer”.
Más que una facilitadora, Christal asume el rol de traductora cultural. Poco a poco, vamos desgranando los capítulos de su libro como las cuentas de un rosario. La autora nos lleva de la mano por la región de Kansai, -cuna de la cultura nipona- descifrando incógnitas, aclarando e instruyendo de modo sutil y ameno, informativo y lleno de sorpresas.
Sondear el alma y la cultura de un pueblo en unas páginas es tarea complicada: sin embargo, el lector ávido de conocimientos encontrará claves para comprender este país que hace malabarismos entre su cultura milenaria y la constante creatividad e innovación en la vida cotidiana de nuestro siglo. Desde nociones indispensables como la gratitud o el esfuerzo hasta la espiritualidad presente donde menos te lo esperas, la autora nos mostrará micro-templos budistas, la ceremonia del incienso, el significado del agua, la cultura pop (manga, animé, cosplay) la importancia del bambú o el tremendo impacto del café en un país donde el té era y es el pan nuestro de cada día. ¡Y mucho más!
Referencias y direcciones completan las descripciones y animan a profundizar.
Por si fuera poco, el lector hispanohablante encontrará además guiños y referencias a elementos relacionados con la cultura española, como el uso del abanico, la moda contemporánea o el flamenco.
Si los polos opuestos se atraen, nunca estuvimos más cerca...
December 17, 2015
I have to admit that the title threw me a bit. I thought this was going to be the kind of cultural book that tried too hard to be hip and relevant to a younger crowd. I was happily wrong. "Kansai Cool" is a very smart, well-researched collection of essays on a number of aspects of Japanese culture. The author does a very good job of framing each of these aspects of Japanese society within the context of the world at large, helping readers to see that the so-called "uniqueness" of Japan actually has some parallels throughout the greater world.
October 19, 2014
So many books filled quick glimpses of Japan focus almost entirely on Tokyo or the Kanto region. It was refreshing to have that glimpse through the lens of Kansai - the area around Kyoto and Osaka. And it was nice to see the cultural profiles stretch from the past all the way to the oft neglected present. Worth a gander.
May 29, 2016
A nice collection of essays on unconventional topics like incense, bamboo, Biwa pearls and the phrase "okagesama de." I've lived in Japan for almost a decade now, have traveled all over and have read a great deal on the country, its history and culture yet I still found the book's topics refreshing. The author's inquisitive and thoughtful tone made reading it a pleasure.
January 31, 2016
This is a collection of essays based on Japan and its culture written by an anthropologist who seems to have a deep understanding and love for Japan. The mixture is quite varied and will give snippets on things you would never expect.
Enjoyable.
3.5 stars.
Enjoyable.
3.5 stars.
March 30, 2015
Fantastic look at the Kansai region!
Read
July 7, 2015Turned out to be a collection of newspaper columns geared towards locals, so it was a bit more deep-end than I was looking for.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews