ABSTRACT
This chapter provides examples of popular art that comment on what it means to be Japanese. Of course, using pop art as a window into another society must be done cautiously, since the portrayals are often idealized and stereotyped. Nevertheless, pop art does at least offer some important clues about identity, especially when identity is regarded as a search for commonalities and connectedness. Enka, a popular form of sentimental ballad music whose origins are in Western instrumentation and Japanese folk songs and harmonies. This music is also deeply linked to ethnocultural identity and is known as 'national music' or 'songs of Japan'. This art captures the sounds of tradition that reflects the 'heart' or 'soul' of the Japanese people. Enka carries other semantic linkages having to do with class and occupational identities and historical transformations that concern an authentic ethnonational identity that contrasts with a less genuine Japaneseness.
