Blog Resources
Save the Endangered Languages
Language is an integral part of culture and Japan is a country rich with culture. Compared to other countries though Japan suffers from the degradation of a significant number of its indigenous languages. Of the 16 living languages in Japan today eight have 10,000 or less speakers each with three of those having less than a thousand speakers. The three languages are the Ainu (15 speakers), Yonaguni (800 speakers), and Yoron (950 speakers).
Endangered and with one nearly extinct the death of these languages do not represent just the death of the language itself but the death of an entire sub-culture. As Japan strove to unite the nation and become a force to be reckoned with some sacrifices were made. With standard Japanese used everywhere and for everything the more ancient languages are losing relevance and dying out. While it is good to be able to communicate in one language the older languages should be fought for and preserved. As Japan faces a brighter future it is their duty and honor to look back in the past and make sure they honor where they came from.
Posted April 4th, 2007 by geisha | Comments Off
Land of Louis Vuitton Lovers
Louis Vuitton Malletier Ă Paris (LVMH), more commonly known simply as Louis Vuitton, opened its first store in Paris on Rue Nueve des Capucines way back in 1854. More than a hundred and fifty years later it is still very much famous with its leather goods considered as a status symbol all over the world.
When the first Vuitton store opened in Japan in 1978 they expected the product to take off but never anticipated as warm a welcome as they got. In fact by the 1980s Vuitton sales in Japan alone accounted for nearly half of the ENTIRE revenue of the company. To this day Loius Vuitton is more like a cult phenomenon among Japanese females instead of just a popular but passing trend. Sales in Japan stil account for an estimated 55% of all sales. According to Akira Miura, chief editor of a fashion paper in Japan, “Almost every grown-up Japanese woman already owns at least one Louis Vuitton item.” But even then people continue on buying more Vuitton items, after all a single Vuitton trunk in your closet looks incredibly lonely.
Posted April 2nd, 2007 by geisha | Comments Off
