Yo! Event going down this weekend. Get in on it! Going to be awesome! Japanese guest pros, contests, prizes, fun. Wooo ZAWA will have be set up selling his somewhat offensive kendama-related goods
@Ben Lowe Lots of stuff that looks like this: ... mugs, shirts, jackets, backpacks, underwear, wallets, belts, toothbrushes. Zawa put Fuck on everything! lol I really don't think he gets how offensive it is, and that he would probably sell a LOT more if it said something a little different. But thats just not his style (and I think its pretty funny, even though I wouldn't wear it on my back most days)
Mmm almost, I guess its more the inverse of that. There is a strange fascination with English swears in some Japanese subculture: the first time I met Zawa he had an audiobook for learning English, but the entire thing was just different ways to use the word fuck, more or less. Soon he became synonymous with the word, and my guess is Rod or Eric started using it as a hashtag on insta or where ever. Fast forward 2-3 years, and he has like an entire lifestyle brand built around it at this point. hahaha When I left Japan the year I met Zawa, we were saying goodbyes and everyone was sad to go. Zawa pulled out his phone translator app in the middle of us saying we'd miss him and such, typed in a bunch of stuff in Japanese, and then showed us the screen. "I think all of you are stupid" I think that sums things up decently well.
Wow thanks for sharing! Cultural interactions sure are fascinating, and often hilarious. It is so good to have some friends that are different from ourselves I think.