Week 7 - Positioning & Trends
- Tramaine Berry
- Nov 6, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 27, 2023
The Politics of Design
When names are translated into Chinese, it is done phonetically, which creates new meanings. 1928 coca-cola read as 'bite the wax tadpole': a new translation had to be found, which was eventually 'happiness in the mouth'
Cultural appropriation pg 126.
Using cultural symbolism in the wrong context such as tribal patterns for clothing lunes. I would need to be careful as this would be seen as defamation in Japanese culture.
Ethnic typography pg 42
Pg 58-9 language branding case studies
Pg.75 colour and culture
Japanese phrases
Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu - pardon me for leaving first/before you
gaman
tatemae
To improve mental health in Japan in the long term, we should not just focus on decreasing the prevalence of mental disorders but also on improving people’s subjective well-being through changing societal norms and practices”
Dr. Machizawa said.
Trends
DIY Mental Health
Based on the idea that struggling through something is seen as a virtue and that everyone should act as a group rather than as an individual, I think the only way to get someone in Japan to sort out their mental health is to focus on self help products, however, I also think expert advise needs to be added to these products.
Pills are made popular through tv shows and commercials.
Psychological counselling
In Japan, only 6% of people have used psychological counselling for mental health problems, compared to 52% in Europe and the US.
It’s only recently mental health treatment has been given government funding and support in Japan. Mental health, therapy, psychotherapy in Japan are all much more socially accepted, the government's reform was aimed at removing the stigma behind mental health.
Stigma vs Taboo
Japan no longer sees mental illness as Taboo, however, it is still a stigma and doesn't get mentioned in the workplace. Society has negative connotations.
Karoshi
In 2021, around 547 people in Japan committed suicide due to work-related exhaustion, indicating that this was the most common reason for self-inflicted harm related to issues at work. That same year, 476 suicides were attributed to interpersonal problems at work. The overall number of work-related suicides in Japan reached 1,935 cases in 2021.
Occupational sudden mortality, known as karoshi ("death by overwork"), is a well-known phenomenon in Japanese society. Besides physical pressure, mental stress from the workplace can cause karoshi. Suicide due to occupational stress or overwork is called karojisatsu ("overwork suicide") in Japan.
Online Therapy
Social campaigns to raise awareness.
- Tokyo Tower Climb
Awareness Campaigns
- Improve Mental Health literacy https://mentalhealthliteracy.org
- Meditopia (meditation app): Different monster characters (Fumin the stress monster, Mr. Unn the over-thinking monster, Saggechi the master of worry, Yatakke the monster of lack of concentration, Atsuko the self-judgment monster).
Reflection
After studying Japan's culture, it seems that there is a debate on whether Mental illness is taboo or not, but it seems clear it is still a stigma. Looking at the slow pace of society's progress with combating mental illness, it seems that the only way to approach this project is through educating the public; even though law changes for the workplace have taken place, there is still the traditional attitude of dedication. Additionally, another pathway I could take is DIY mental health as mental wellbeing seems to be something that is maintained privately.
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