In the Japanese «aidoru bunka» (idol culture), grown men kneel down to mimic their infantile stars. When watching Kyoko Miyake's film Toyko Idols, musicologist Oliver Seibt sees a strong connection between this ritual and the sacred – which has a potential to create a sense of belonging.
- EssayEthnomusicologists used to travel to exotic islands to research local music. Today, their fieldtrips lead to scattered urban place. German scholar Oliver Seibt conducted three months of research in the Tokyo visual-kei scene, and stood out of the crowd.