The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (w/Hiromu Nagahara)

Hiromu Nagahara talks about Princess Mako's engagement and upcoming move to New York and the split in Japanese public opinion, between nationalists, who are angry, and normal people, who don't care.

Ollie pays close attention to the head chopping facilities list on this week's cruise recommendation.

Bobby does NOT like that thing that you all like.

Topics discussed on this episode range from:

How sometimes it's okay to just do something to connectHiromu's recommendation for a way to enjoy studying Japanese historyAmy Stanley's book:
Stranger in the Shogun's CityHow learning about the history of the place you live can enrich your day-to-dayJapan's history of leveraging Japanese art and Bobby and Ollie getting to feel like they contribute to the conversationThe relationship between exporting/importing cultural products and political developmentsOllie and Bobby find out that "Japanning" DOESN'T refer to becoming a high-functioning alcoholic"Enjoyment" as a catalyst of social change for VERY IMPORTANT REASONSThe Japanese elite generation who loved Opera and saw their own stuff as backwardsPrincess Mako's upcoming nuptials and relocation to New YorkWhy is this a big deal and why are nationalists so upset about it?A brief background of the current Imperial FamilyWhat's the debt scandal around her fiancee Komuro Kei, and his mom's broken off engagementThe possibility that Princess Mako will turn down and "snub" the lump sum cash gift that royal daughters get when they marryThe opportunistic timing of Komuro's mom's ex-fiancee's claimsHow Imperial succession works and why that places Princess Mako in a more important (but not THAT important) spotHow the Ultra-nationalists see Princess Mako, and her duty to not "sully the dignity" of the royal familyNot all Imperial Princesses are equalThe unprecedented abdication of the previous emperor whose name I do not knowThe constitutional restrictions placed on the Imperial familyA comparison between the actual authority of different countries' Imperial households throughout historyHow Japanese emperors have, nonetheless, influenced policy decisionsHow recent decisions and movements in Japan's symbolic monarchy bring up questions of constitutional legality; where do private decisions or expressions of opinion cross over into the iffy legal territory of swaying political decisionsWhat's the anxiety around Princess Mako becoming Americanized?Who do Japanese royal daughters tend to marry and why?The reasons being used against Princess Mako moving to the statesThe fear that Princess Mako could be Japan's Prince Harry

As always, the extras are FANTASTIC, and they're like getting a whole extra show for free. Well, not for free.
For like 4 to 5 dollars a month.
You can get access to the extras by supporting the podcast for less than $1 an episode by becoming a member at http://buymeacoffee.com.

Topics discussed on the extras include:

Japanese emigration throughout historyHiromu's own families Reasons for and against Japanese people to seek employment/opportunity/adventure abroadWhat it means to be "kikokushijo: returning ex-pats" in Japan

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Social Media Links:

Hiromu Nagahara:  Twitter | MIT Profile | Tokyo Boogie-Woogie: Japan's Pop Era and Its Discontents

Ollie Horn: Twitter | Instagram

Bobby Judo: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

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