Hey Matt! Long time follower and have read Pure Invention cover to cover multiple times! Wanted to ask, do you know anywhere to access an English version of the 1% book? All I can find are Japanese amazon listings. Would love some help here if possible. Thank you!
Thanks for reading! Even in an era of global fascination with Japanese self-help, neither of those books have been translated. They’re very aimed at the local audience’s particular situation. Hiroyuki’s advice comes down to “don’t try too hard.” It sort of prefigures the “low social consciousness” movement (insofar as they move :)
I thought as much. A shame, as that is exactly what I wanted to read.. something that speaks specifically to the local situation. Interesting to think about Korea and the 'vibe' there in relation to what you've talked about here. Can they be plotted on the same line as America and Japan (closer to what's going on in America, or beyond that?) or is it something else entirely do you think..
When I was researching Pure Invention the book, it shocked me how perfectly the milestones lined up between Japan post-Bubble and America post-Lehman. But things have really diverged when it comes to young people: Asian kids reacting to uncertainty and chaos by dropping out while Western ones seem to be turning troll (the far right is the counterculture of the 21st century.) There’s no shortage of misogynist/right-leaning/chaos-loving kids in Japan either but for a variety of reasons they aren’t affecting society at large…. Yet. We are seeing hints that this might change, though. Like the rise of meme-troll candidates in the last Tokyo gubernatorial election.
It makes sense Hiroyuki is telling kids to stop trying. They’ve been told their whole lives to work their asses off, study hard, pass entrance exams, etc. yet are rewarded with much less opportunity than previous generations. Hiroyuki, who made a fortune outside the system and takes great pleasure in trolling society, is a kind of digital folk hero figure to a lot of extremely online folks.
Thank you for the thoughtful response. Related, I haven't been able to stop thinking about Moon Channel's videos about the 'Gacha Gender Wars' in Korea since I watched them a few months ago. Have you seen them? I think you'd enjoy watching. I imagine you'd have a lot of opinions about his 'Kawaii: Anime, Propaganda, and Soft Power' video also!
Just back to say that this is probably one of my favourite things you've ever written : ) When is the next book, Matt? : )
Hey Matt! Long time follower and have read Pure Invention cover to cover multiple times! Wanted to ask, do you know anywhere to access an English version of the 1% book? All I can find are Japanese amazon listings. Would love some help here if possible. Thank you!
Thanks for reading! Even in an era of global fascination with Japanese self-help, neither of those books have been translated. They’re very aimed at the local audience’s particular situation. Hiroyuki’s advice comes down to “don’t try too hard.” It sort of prefigures the “low social consciousness” movement (insofar as they move :)
I thought as much. A shame, as that is exactly what I wanted to read.. something that speaks specifically to the local situation. Interesting to think about Korea and the 'vibe' there in relation to what you've talked about here. Can they be plotted on the same line as America and Japan (closer to what's going on in America, or beyond that?) or is it something else entirely do you think..
When I was researching Pure Invention the book, it shocked me how perfectly the milestones lined up between Japan post-Bubble and America post-Lehman. But things have really diverged when it comes to young people: Asian kids reacting to uncertainty and chaos by dropping out while Western ones seem to be turning troll (the far right is the counterculture of the 21st century.) There’s no shortage of misogynist/right-leaning/chaos-loving kids in Japan either but for a variety of reasons they aren’t affecting society at large…. Yet. We are seeing hints that this might change, though. Like the rise of meme-troll candidates in the last Tokyo gubernatorial election.
It makes sense Hiroyuki is telling kids to stop trying. They’ve been told their whole lives to work their asses off, study hard, pass entrance exams, etc. yet are rewarded with much less opportunity than previous generations. Hiroyuki, who made a fortune outside the system and takes great pleasure in trolling society, is a kind of digital folk hero figure to a lot of extremely online folks.
Thank you for the thoughtful response. Related, I haven't been able to stop thinking about Moon Channel's videos about the 'Gacha Gender Wars' in Korea since I watched them a few months ago. Have you seen them? I think you'd enjoy watching. I imagine you'd have a lot of opinions about his 'Kawaii: Anime, Propaganda, and Soft Power' video also!
Will check it out!
wow. outstanding piece. great to wake up to this… thank you Matt.