Japlish

Pomegranate, 1993. Hardcover. Very Good. 1993 oversized STATED FIRST EDITION hardcover with dust jacket. UNUSED COPY is bright and clean inside and out. Single corner crease on front jacket flap, otherwise a very nice copy inside and out. "Japlish, according to photographer Sally Larsen is a term used in Tokyo to describe Euro-American expressions found in Japanese newspapers. English becomes incorporated, sometimes misspelled, always with eccentric phrasing. Larsen believes that Japlish is becoming a new language used by young people to deal with the world view they share and to express their fascination with everything from Brazilian music to Elvis Presley, from ethnic African rhythm to American rap. Her pictures show Japanese youths wearing T-shirts, sweatshirts and jackets sporting such phrases as, "Unservative Extase Street Snob No Kiss for Mother,' 'Feel the Darkness' and 'Rock a Rebel Love & Hatered Fury Blow in the Mind.' Throughout JAPLISH, Larsen's straightforward style lends and air of spontaneity to her extended visual essay. Together her photographs offer a lighthearted look at the merging of cultures while at the same time constituting a thought-provoking album that documents the universality of the world's social concerns.