Comments on: Mainichi shuts down WaiWai http://www.herroflomjapan.com/2008/07/08/mainichi-shuts-down-waiwai/ Podcasts & Videocasts from an American salaryman. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:00:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Rich Pav http://www.herroflomjapan.com/2008/07/08/mainichi-shuts-down-waiwai/comment-page-1/#comment-20307 Rich Pav Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:37:59 +0000 http://www.herroflomjapan.com/?p=572#comment-20307 I realize there are two sides to the argument, but I've always thought the reasons for closing down the column were stronger. You have to admit, people outside Japan have a lot of trouble separating fact from fiction about the country's culture. WaiWai wasn't helping with their appalling journalism, even if they were simply translating original articles. They put them on their site, so they're responsible for the content. The ex-editor still publishes tabloid article translations in book form, or maybe he might go and do his own thing on a website he sets up, provided he can tolerate the death threats. That's the one thing that bothers me. People who seriously lack a sense of humor. I realize there are two sides to the argument, but I've always thought the reasons for closing down the column were stronger. You have to admit, people outside Japan have a lot of trouble separating fact from fiction about the country's culture. WaiWai wasn't helping with their appalling journalism, even if they were simply translating original articles. They put them on their site, so they're responsible for the content.

The ex-editor still publishes tabloid article translations in book form, or maybe he might go and do his own thing on a website he sets up, provided he can tolerate the death threats. That's the one thing that bothers me. People who seriously lack a sense of humor.

]]> By: Garrett http://www.herroflomjapan.com/2008/07/08/mainichi-shuts-down-waiwai/comment-page-1/#comment-20305 Garrett Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:25:23 +0000 http://www.herroflomjapan.com/?p=572#comment-20305 Then again, Mainichi, Yomiuri, Asahi, and Japan's most prestigious publishing houses publish the bulk of the trashy tabloid-esque <em>shukanshi</em> whence Wai-Wai's articles were drawn. Japan's publishing industry has never really drawn a line between highbrow/credible and lowbrow/nonsense, frequently publishing the good and the bad side by side. I was never a regular Wai-Wai reader and I agree that it made little sense for the Mainichi to mess with its reputation as the English version of the site targeted an audience that assumes a division between serious and tabloid, but I thought it was abundantly clear what sort of articles those were. Pictures of the magazine covers, almost always featuring scantily clad girls, were prominent, and wasn't the catch phrase something like "Drawn from japan's crazy weeklies"? What this story shows is the continued idiocy of 2-channel. After all, the articles were penned by Japanese writers and published by Japan's publishing big boys. Who's tarnishing Japan's image? Garretts last blog post: <a href="http://www.transpacificradio.com/2008/06/28/free-homecoming-tickets/" rel="nofollow">Free “Homecoming” Tickets</a> @ http://www.transpacificradio.com Then again, Mainichi, Yomiuri, Asahi, and Japan's most prestigious publishing houses publish the bulk of the trashy tabloid-esque shukanshi whence Wai-Wai's articles were drawn. Japan's publishing industry has never really drawn a line between highbrow/credible and lowbrow/nonsense, frequently publishing the good and the bad side by side.

I was never a regular Wai-Wai reader and I agree that it made little sense for the Mainichi to mess with its reputation as the English version of the site targeted an audience that assumes a division between serious and tabloid, but I thought it was abundantly clear what sort of articles those were. Pictures of the magazine covers, almost always featuring scantily clad girls, were prominent, and wasn't the catch phrase something like "Drawn from japan's crazy weeklies"?

What this story shows is the continued idiocy of 2-channel. After all, the articles were penned by Japanese writers and published by Japan's publishing big boys. Who's tarnishing Japan's image?

Garretts last blog post: Free “Homecoming” Tickets @ http://www.transpacificradio.com

]]>