Nanpa
Encyclopedia
, also transliterated
as nampa, in Japanese culture
is a type of flirting
and seduction
popular among teenagers
and people in their twenties and thirties. When Japanese women pursue men in a fashion similar to nanpa, it is called .
as 軟派 (lit. "the soft school") and had a different meaning: people interested more in fun and self-indulgence than in "hard" pursuits like politics
, academia
, or athletics. In modern Japanese culture, nanpa most often refers to "girl hunting" and there is a strong negative connotation associated with it.
The word for boyfriend hunting by women, gyakunan, derives from , and the first part of the word nanpa.
(bridges, subway stations, shopping malls, etc.) and approach women in search of a date. The nanpa groups generally wear high fashion with nice suits, expensive shoes, and extravagant hair styles. Because of their style of dress, nanpa boys are occasionally misinterpreted by foreigners
as employees of host clubs, who also roam such areas speaking with various women.
Because of increasing number of nampa participants and rising complaints, many Japanese regions are reacting more harshly to the young, heterosexual, male participants. For example, many youth hangouts such as arcades are posting "No Nampa" signs, and police in highly populated Japanese cities have been enforcing these rules. This may be in reaction to a growing fear in young Japanese women of abduction or rape. Shibuya is particularly strict on the nampa boys in the wake of the abduction of four girls by a middle aged man in July.
nanpa culture, especially within the gay entertainment district of Shinjuku ni-chome
.
Romanization of Japanese
The romanization of Japanese is the application of the Latin alphabet to write the Japanese language. This method of writing is known as , less strictly romaji, literally "Roman letters", sometimes incorrectly transliterated as romanji or rōmanji. There are several different romanization systems...
as nampa, in Japanese culture
Culture of Japan
The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America...
is a type of flirting
Flirting
Flirting is a playful, romantic, or sexual overture by one person to another subtly indicating an interest in a deeper relationship with the other person, and can involve verbal communication as well as body language...
and seduction
Seduction
In social science, seduction is the process of deliberately enticing a person to engage. The word seduction stems from Latin and means literally "to lead astray". As a result, the term may have a positive or negative connotation...
popular among teenagers
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
and people in their twenties and thirties. When Japanese women pursue men in a fashion similar to nanpa, it is called .
Etymology
Nanpa was originally rendered in kanjiKanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
as 軟派 (lit. "the soft school") and had a different meaning: people interested more in fun and self-indulgence than in "hard" pursuits like politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, academia
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
, or athletics. In modern Japanese culture, nanpa most often refers to "girl hunting" and there is a strong negative connotation associated with it.
The word for boyfriend hunting by women, gyakunan, derives from , and the first part of the word nanpa.
Description
Nanpa is seen most often in young heterosexual men ranging from their late teens to mid-twenties. Groups of "nanpa boys" will gather around places with busy, predominantly female foot trafficPedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
(bridges, subway stations, shopping malls, etc.) and approach women in search of a date. The nanpa groups generally wear high fashion with nice suits, expensive shoes, and extravagant hair styles. Because of their style of dress, nanpa boys are occasionally misinterpreted by foreigners
Gaijin
is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...
as employees of host clubs, who also roam such areas speaking with various women.
Because of increasing number of nampa participants and rising complaints, many Japanese regions are reacting more harshly to the young, heterosexual, male participants. For example, many youth hangouts such as arcades are posting "No Nampa" signs, and police in highly populated Japanese cities have been enforcing these rules. This may be in reaction to a growing fear in young Japanese women of abduction or rape. Shibuya is particularly strict on the nampa boys in the wake of the abduction of four girls by a middle aged man in July.
Homosexual nanpa
Japan also has a homosexualHomosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
nanpa culture, especially within the gay entertainment district of Shinjuku ni-chome
Shinjuku ni-chome
Shinjuku Ni-chōme , referred to colloquially as Ni-chōme or simply Nichō, is Area 2 in the Shinjuku District of the Shinjuku Special Ward of Tōkyō, Japan...
.
See also
- Group dating: Japan
- Dōtonbori: Ebisubashi
- The World of GeishaThe World of Geishaaka A Man and a Woman Behind the Fusuma Screen is a 1973 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Tatsumi Kumashiro and starring Junko Miyashita...
- Gacha Gacha: The Next Revolution, the character Sakuraba Ran.
- DōkyūseiDokyuseiis the first game in the popular Dōkyūsei series of eroge dating sims by ELF. The original Dōkyūsei , released in 1992.-OVA:...
External links
- The Way of Nampa, from THE NAMPA ISSUE - JAPANZINE, JULY 2003; reprinted at The Quirky Japan Homepage.
- 'Nanpa: A Beginner's Guide to the Japanese Art of Girl-Hunting' by Ed Lake Available on Amazon.com