Destination – Japan – followthethings.com

“How Sushi Went Global“
A popular academic research article by Theordore Bestor published in the Foreign Policy journal.
Image of paper journal printout embedded above. Click image to access the .pdf version here. Click here to read the online version (which includes only the article’s text).

If you want the best bluefin tuna for your sushi, it has to be graded in the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. But the fish are farmed and caught in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and elsewhere. And the restaurants where you can eat it are all over the world. So whose lives are connected through this intricate global trade? How did it develop? And what can sushi tell us about globalisation? That’s what an American anthropologist Ted Bestor wants to find out. He travels to different places in this tuna supply chain – a fish dock in Maine, USA; a Mediterranean fishing town in Spain; and Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market. He sees tuna caught and off the US and Spanish coasts being graded in Tokyo to sell in the fanciest sushi restaurants around the world. They travel, iced, in containers called ‘tuna coffins’ in the bellies of Boeing 747 jets. Years ago, except in Japan, these fish were only suitable for sports fishers or cat food manufacturers. But what’s developed as sushi has gone global is a sophisticated international trade feeding the popularisation of Japanese cuisine. These fish cross cultures and following their movements helps Bestor to vividly explain the concept of globalisation. Commenters say his article provides a view of globalisation that’s embedded in and between social relations in specific places. It’s a well old story, a gem of a ‘follow the thing’ study that’s widely used in classrooms around the world.

Page reference: Olivia Hoffman and Erin Teich (2012) How Sushi Went Global. followthethings.com/how-sushi-went-global.shtml (last accessed <insert date here>)

Estimated reading time: 23 minutes.

followthethings.com
Fashion | Health & Beauty

SHOW CAPITALIST EVILS

START SOMEWHERE DIFFERENT

START WITH A PARADOX

FIND A CHARACTER

FOLLOW THE PEOPLE

INCLUDE SUFFERING KIDS

BRING MANAGERS INTO VIEW

“Girl Model: The Truth Behind The Glamour”
A documentary film directed by David Redmon & Ashley Sabin for Carnivalesque Films.
Trailer embedded above. Available in full on Kanopy (with institutional login) here. Search Google for other streaming here and purchasing opportunities here. Website including ‘take action’ advice here.

How do 13, 14, 15 year old girls from Novosibirsk, Siberia end up on the pages of fashion magazines in Japan? Filmmakers David Redmon & Ashey Sabin follow 13 year old Nadya Vall who is scouted in her bra and pants by former model Ashley Arbaugh who finds her look ‘extraordinary’. Nadya wants to live the glamorous life in Tokyo that Ashley’s modelling agency could provide her with, and could earn much-needed money for her family back home. But the reality she experiences in Tokyo is starkly different. She is lonely, hungry and broke. What is it about Japanese fashion culture that values skinny white blonde blue-eyed Europeans teens? Especially as it dehumanises them, treats them as commodities, when they become part of it. Ashley knows she works in a parasitical industry and is conflicted. ‘Girl Model’ is an exposé of its creepiness and exploitation. It’s uncomfortable viewing for its audiences (to put it mildly), and for the people who feature in it. Some of them say that it’s not an accurate portrayal. Nadya calls co-director Redmon a ‘sexual predator’. But is this true or is it what you would have to say if you wanted to continue working in the industry? Models working around the world recognised themselves in the film and shared their experiences online. The film became a rallying cry and campaigning tool to push for change in the industry. It had a powerful impact and features on our site because, here, it’s the workers are the commodities and their supply chain stretches from Sibreria to Japan.

Page reference: Adele Hambly, Elaine King, Andy Keogh, Camilla Renny-Smith, Ed Callow, Joe Thorogood & Vicky Alloy (2025) Girl Model: The Truth Behind The Glamour. followthethings.com/girl-model.shtml (last accessed <insert date here>)

Estimated reading time: 118 minutes.