This paper examines images of Japanese women in A merican films from the 1950s to the present: The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956), Sayonara (1957), Shogun (1980) and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). The analysis indicates that images of Japanese women, especially stereotypes of the geisha, who once simply served and entertained Americans, have evolved to portray a much more complex image: a beautiful artist who is well-trained in musical instruments, dances, and elegant manners. It also shows that one of the geisha’s central symbolic functions in the 1950s – serving as a surrogate for the Japanese state in providing service to Americans – has largely disappeared. Their image as mysterious targets of desire for Americans, however, has remained largely unchanged.

The main purpose of this paper is to present Japanese culture and its image as unique, and treat these unique features as highlighting some common or universal characteristics and contributing to better understanding of any given culture. Japanese culture is often described as unique and completely different from any other culturies, but what is the main difference that makes Japanese culture and their people different from others? And if there is or was such a difference, what function does it perform?[...].

Despite of seemingly unisex fashion and beauty requirements from men and women in contemporary Japan, the change of traditional views about gender roles in family and society progersses slowly. This article aims to examine the perceptions of masculinity and femininity among young Japanese people by covering two aspects of gender image: appearance and cultural /social expectations. The article is based on empirical research, which includes results of 12 in-depth interviews and 80 questionnaires aimed at young Tokyo people (18-25 years old). The research contributes to further academic study of gender image development in Japan, as well as to the deeper understanding about the aspects of contemporary Japanese gender role perception that hinders the progress in achieving egalitarian society.

In this paper I would like to touch upon some of the problems in Japanese urbanities first in order to illustrate why the Japanese government is taking active steps in environmental protection and why Japan could be interested in cooperation projects in this field. Next, I would like to draw a few examples how the Japanese government, producers and local activists are putting efforts in nature protection. Finally, I will give some ideas about how both nations could cooperate in this field, particularly in the industry of eco-tourism.

In the past, Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto (1872-1950) was one of 12 people, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, etc. who appear in some American schoolbooks. According to her obituary in the New York Times, “A Daughter of the Samurai was continuously the most successful book of non-fiction.”

The article explores the means of gender image construction in Japanese pornographic animation (hentai anime). Alongside other genres of Japanese animation, during the last decades hentai anime has gained enormous popularity all over the world. Gender as a category is especially emphasised in the animation of sexually explicit content, therefore hentai anime plays an important role as a visual medium representing the images of Japanese masculinity and femininity on the international level. Based on five representative hentai anime films of the ‘fantasy’ subgenre, the article provides an overview of the ‘male gaze’ and the ‘female gaze’ viewing perspectives in Japanese pornographic anime, semiotic means of masculine and feminine body image construction, as well as the use of time and space and its significance to the perception of the represented gender images.