original text written on 2004.2.25



First, what is seken?
Seken is the commonsense atmosphere of general public.
It may be said Japanese are threaten by the force of seken.
But I argue that seken is not main problem in Japanese culture.


Do we mind seken generally?
Perhaps, somewhat it's so.
You may have experienced that you're afraid of what people say for your behabior.
It may be the time when you take the examination of university.
It may be the time when you stay in front of forbidden love.
If you reach marriageable age, you will also mind what people think about you.
Thus, you're afraid of seken sometimes.


However, how much people in any other countries minds seken in similar degree to your situation.
Don't you think so?
Also in Japanese culture, seken is not main problem generally.


You should concern appearance.
In the old time, people had a plain makeup because of concerning appearance.
But now that, rather they enjoy original fashion itself.
Sometimes in city streets, you finf "Gothic Lorita" fashion, Costume Play, and feminine fashion of men.
We cannot adopt these new fashions with concerning seken.
These new fashion is the symbol of non-seken culture, or society.


We're not afraid of seken in many situations.
I give still other examples.

The word "オレ流", my way of manager Mr. Ochiai of Chunichi Dragons was
the main issue of the last year.
Its word ore-ryu means the way to practice some drastic actions.
The trend of this word proves that we don't have to consider the conservative seken.

Another one, you may have seen the residences of eccentric outlook.
In the old time, residences are built in a row with harmony of form and roof-color.
However now, residents and designers are aggressive to architect remarkable house.
They don't mind seken.

Last one, the crimes are increasing these days.
It can be said that seken has to do with this effect.
We mean they're because seken has been loosing strong power.
Seken is the limiter to go one's own way.
We think seken as limiter has become easy.

Is this the main problem for Japanese culture?


In my proposal, I picked up some examples and argue the change to non-seken culture.
Though unmentiond reasons exists right now, we argued the decreasing of seken influence is rather the real problems.