Hey! I was quoted in an article that ran in the New York Times:
As Japan Ages, Pop 'Idols' Aren't as Spry as They Used to Be
Japanese culture is renowned for its obsession with the impermanence of beauty, and many a poem has honored the brief but perfect life of the cherry blossom.
In human terms, the Japanese “Christmas cake” maxim celebrates feminine beauty, but dictates that a woman is past her prime at 25, when she should avoid turning into leftover Christmas cake. In show business this has long meant that female pop “idols” should marry and retire by their early 20s.
But with the number of Japanese older than 65 rising from 7.1 percent of the population in 1970 to a world record 22.7 percent in 2009, the Christmas cake dictum is showing signs of age. The Christmas cake example is the singer Momoe Yamaguchi, whom Japan swooned over in the 1970s. After stealing the nation’s heart, she married in 1980 and disappeared forever into domestic bliss.
Go to original article here. Or here (if NY Times wants you to pay money... Ha!)
All things about the media, marketing, business, Japan and other musings by Mike in Tokyo Rogers.
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Friday, October 8, 2010
1 comment:
Comments must be succinct & relevant to the story. Comments are checked frequently and abusive, rude or profane comments will be deleted. I’m just one of many bloggers who answer questions online and sometimes for the press. I usually handle questions about Japan, marketing or the economy, so in those areas I’m more likely to make sense and less likely to say something really stupid. If I post something here that you find helpful or interesting, that’s wonderful. This is my personal blog. If you don't like what you have read here then, just like when you go into a restaurant or bar that allows smoking, if you don't like it, there's something at the front that has hinges on it and it is called a "door."
Congratulations! It's a very good quote!
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