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May 13, 2005
A No-Tenkou Japanese Youth
Traditionally, Japanese youth are expected to shed all their fads, fashions, radical ideologies, dreams, aspirations, and ideals upon entering the workforce - and subsequently, adulthood - in a process called tenkou（転向). Like all the youth before them, the hardcore student Marxists of the early 60s went straight into a white-collar life come graduation. While a handful of hardhat radicals in the late 60s/early 70s were blacklisted for their participation in severe Leftist violence, Japan's tiny counterculture evaporated very quickly when its members turned 23 and adjusted their values back to mainstream society. To a large degree, Japanese adults' high tolerance of extreme youth fashion stems directly from their understanding that a tenkou will instantly clear away the zoot suit to make room for the recruit suit.
In the last five years, however, there has been much speculation about whether the high number of youth without full-time employment - the freeters - were voluntarily rejecting the lives of their parents; in other words, these were possibly the first kids in history refusing to go through the tenkou process, working in a bakery four days a week to keep living a life centered on fashion, design, and music. What progress for international bohemianism! Western scholars since the 50s have been hoping to see the tenkou disappear, predicting that its demise was just around the corner. For example, Robert Jay Lifton in the 1961 essay "Youth and History: Individual Change in Postwar Japan" (from The Challenge of Youth) says in his concluding remarks about Japanese collegiate Marxists, "Much of what I have described may be understood as youth's efforts to resist tenkou and to acquire a new form of integrity." Turns out - those idealistic kids he interviewed all became cogs in the capitalist machine. And the tenkou psychology only became stronger when a dazzling economy threw money at anyone willing to go out and buy a nice pair of loafers.
So, what about our friitaa/freeters of 2005? Are they going to stay punk rock forever?
According to a 2003 survey, 70% of freeters would happily take a full-time white collar job if offered one. So, they're not exactly ideological rebels - just simply "unemployable." This other 30%, however, may be the proto-bohemians that everyone from "Slow Life"-advocates to David Brooks-followers are searching for. But if you've ever seen the lifestyle of workers in Japan's hipster cultural industry, you'll notice that even without the dark suits and chourei morning exercises, these "cool kids" have just replicated the work-style and values of the sarariiman life within the magazine/music making process: long hours and expectations of total-dedication.
There does seem to be a handful of freeters who are rejecting the tenkou value-conversion, but they are essentially being pushed out of society rather than forcing society to find a business organization that does not demand a total re-formulation of selfhood. For better or worse, tenkou is a fundamental principle of Japanese psychology, and the perceived need to abandon "selfish" interests for entrance into an adult "human matrix" (Lifton's term) is built into the social structure, which means that we're not going to be seeing the Bohemian army any time soon. Welcome back to the Fast Life.
Posted by marxy at May 13, 2005 12:43 PM
Comments
I came across your spot when writing a piece on the Tokyo Hash House Harriers.
I live in Saipan, which is appr. 1200 miles south of Japan, and was sight to one of the last battles of WWII, before the nuclear option was chosen.
Aside for being quite a living historical destination, Saipan is frequented by scores of Japanese tourists; eager to visit the island for the American Goods (Duty Free Shops include American priced Gucci, Prada, Tiffany's etc...) and the many Shinto Shrines to ancestor's fallen in the Battle of Saipan.
I wasn't familiar with 'Freeters' before reading your piece, but now know that the hordes of young, style conscious Japanese tourist who visit Saipan are likely the same group.
This groups-if they are Freeters-is traveling to Saipan and staying in the more moderately priced hotels, and visiting the cheaper tourist spots.
What I find interesting is that Freeters by going on these vacations, to shorter destinations like Saipan or Guam, are mimicking their older and employed counterparts, who often travel to far off, more costly destinations.
It seems clear that this behavior is demonstrating their desire-albeit subtle-to move on from their Bohemian youth counterculture.
What's more is I've talked with the General Manager of DFS Saipan and he says the urban/youth culture product lines like Quicksilver, Roxy sell poorly. This falls in line with your description of 'Freeter Consumers.'
Just a thought,
-Barko
Posted by: Barko Hepplewhite at May 19, 2005 12:41 PM