May 21st The Wonders of 'Kombini'

 Honestly, at first I was so bummed that Rab wasn't going to teach our LLA lecture today and naturally thought that it was going to be a boring 60 minute class. However, my assumptions were proven wrong when Professor Whitelaw gave a rather intriguing lecture on the Japanese convenience stores.

 I found it interesting how successful convenience stores have been in Japan compared to those in America. Of course there are convenience stores in America as well but as Professor Whitelaw put it, they are dirty and depressing. Apparently, clerks at the convenience store is the 3rd deadliest job right next to taxi drivers and police men. I instantly recalled my days in America when my mother would always tell me to not go to a convenience store alone. It's funny how I was allowed to go to CVS alone though. haha Anyways, as opposed to those dark and shady convenience stores in America, the ones in Japan are clean, comforting, cool and courteous. This reminded me a lot of Disney Land. The Disney Land in America isn't dirty or anything but still, the Disney Land in Tokyo is far more successful. It's one of those successes where the needs of the customers and the supplies that the shops offer just click. This is probably due to the fact that both Japanese convenience stores and disney lands are changing constantly. As Professor Whitelaw explained, the ages of the convenience store customers parallel the population structure of Japan; so the stores change constantly in order to adapt to the situation just like Disney Land with their constant new events.

 The most interesting point brought up was Professor Whitelaw's perspectives on museums. According to Professor Whitelaw, a museum is a place to rethink the contemporary lives. At the same time, there's this one phrase that's been stuck in my head, 'the values of today will be the values that are looked as the past.' This is a bit frightening at first but you can't help but agree. The kombini's in Japan seem so normal but they are actually the culture of today. However, in order for kombini's to become the past, that means there will eventually emerge a new substitute, a better one. I just wonder what the next generation will be using as their culture while we will be looking at pictures of Kombinis at museums whilst claiming to our grandkids that we used to use those. haha

 As a student who is currently taking anthropology, this lecture was thoroughly entertaining and I hope I can go to the Yuasa museum one more time with a different perspective made from the lecture today.