Lecture: Dazzlement, Consumption, and the Hyperreal: American Theme Parks in Japan

April 26, 2001

Lecture: Dazzlement, Consumption, and the Hyperreal: American Theme Parks in Japan
Professor Masako Notoji (Visiting Fellow of the Donald Keene Center; Professor of Area Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
4:00 PM
Followed by a reception
While most of Japan’s domestic (not imported) theme parks are in deep financial trouble, two newly imported theme parks are expected to rescue the regional economy from the long-time recession. Universal Studios Japan opened in Osaka in late March and the new Disney Sea will open adjacent to the 18-year-old Tokyo Disneyland this fall. Professor Notoji will discuss Japan’s reception of American popular culture and the globalization of America’s Hollywood media culture in the context of otherwise tension-ridden Japan-US relations.
Professor Notoji is a Visiting Fellow of the Donald Keene Center, under a program supported by the United States-Japan Foundation.
Co-sponsored by the Department of History