Alan Thomas offers a view to complement the treatment of Japanese popular culture found in this issue with his photograph, Tokyo, 2009. A selection of Alan Thomas's other photographs from Japanese urban centers may be found at www.alan-thomas.com.
This issue contains the fourth entry in this newest of Journal of Asian Studies genres. Written by Christine R. Yano of the University of Hawaii, it shares some important characteristics with the essay that inaugurated the feature in our February issue, Duncan McCargo's “Thai Politics as Reality TV” (68.1), as well as the two that appeared in May: Pranab Bardhan's “India and China: Governance Issues and Development” (68.2), and Stanley Rosen's “Contemporary Chinese Youth and the State” (68.2). Called “Wink on Pink: Interpreting Japanese Cute as It Grabs the Global Spotlight,” Yano's contribution, like its predecessors, is informed by scholarly expertise, yet it is shorter than a typical article...
