Majima Ayu
Department Undergraduate School , School of Global Japanese Studies Position Associate Professor |
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Language | Japanese |
Publication Date | 2022/10 |
Type | Academic Journal |
Peer Review | Peer reviewed |
Title | An Overview of Slippers in Modern Japan: A Perspective on Japanization in the Context of Westernization |
Contribution Type | Sole-authored |
Journal | The Japan Association of Comparative Culture |
Journal Type | Japan |
Publisher | The Japan Association of Comparative Culture |
Volume, Issue, Page | pp.137-149 |
Total page number | 12 |
Authorship | Corresponding author |
Author and coauthor | MAJIMA Ayu |
Details | Slippers in Japan (written as スリッパ in katakana/Japanese) and in Europe/North America are similar, but different in essence. Although the words are the same, the purposes for which they are used differ. In Japan, slippers hold a significant place in Japanese lifestyle culture, yet they have not been the focus of attention as a subject of observation or research. Accordingly, it has been difficult to grasp the nature of slippers or the socio-cultural structures that can be seen behind them. While slippers in Japan may appear to be a simple adoption of a common western item, in fact, they are uniquely Japanese and closely related to many aspects of Japanese lifestyle culture, including human relationships and mindsets. This paper examines the historical and socio-cultural aspects of slippers and considers how slippers in Japan offer a concrete example of the Japanizing of western concepts from the Meiji period to present. |