Discussion week 29 - Friday the 11th and Sunday the 13th of November

 - Discussion Week 29 -

 

- Friday the 11th of November

 - Why do Japanese people love smoking so much? - 

 

 

So in most western countries, advertising for smoking/cigarettes/tabacco products is illegal. Many western countries have made smoking in certain public places (restaurants, bars etc.) illegal. Many of places can't even have a designated smoking room.

 

But in Japan I see cigarette advertising even at a child's height in convenience stores. I have(last year) visited a club in Kyoto, in which there was a cigarette advertising woman who was offering club-goers free samples of her cigarettes. Not to mention there are also cigarette vending machines that pretty much anyone can make use of.

 

These kinds of practices are completely bizarre to me, and I have never seen such 'love' for smoking anywhere else.

Why is it like this in Japan?

 

Let's talk about that.

 

 

- Sunday the 13th of November

 - Is protesting even worth the trouble? - 

 

 

In Kyoto, almost once a month, usually around Shijo, I see a group of protesters walking down the street, it's usually a "no nukes" or "don't change article 9/no war" protest.

These protests happen often, like I said, almost once every month, and sometimes I even see them here on Nayamachi!

These protests have great messages, but by the fact that they happen again and again, and so often, it feels like the protest is only giving the protesters a release/feeling of "I did something I feel strongly about", but that's all.

Are the protests even having any effect?

If you were a politician, would these protests have any sway with you?

Do the current politicians even care about these protests or the protesters?

 

Let's talk about that.