I was slightly surprised a few months back to see Nazi arm bands for sale in a store in Harajuku, and couldn't help but laugh at the idea of Japanese dressing up in costume wearing them. I passed it off as Japanese people not really knowing the significance, which when you consider how much history of world war 2 they learn in school is entirely plausible.Recently I was slightly more surprised by the swastika shaped spa pool I saw being advertised in Shinjuku. Yes I know its actually a sensible shape for certain things, but it is one of those things you probably wouldn't see in the rest of the world.
2 comments:
Isn't it also a popular buddist symbol for peace? I remember seeing it all over buddist temples in Asia.
The buddist version as used in Japan is usually counter-clockwise. And is actually used on maps to denote temples in Japan...
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