I have written an article for Chanpon, a wonderful website dedicated to mixed up cultures, identities, and a multicultural Japan. In the article I talk about the use of foreigners, especially those who have a deep appreciation for Japan’s traditional arts, in advertisement campaigns attempting to instill a sense of “lost culture.” I talk about some of contradictions that inevitably result from this and emphasize the illusory nature of an essentialist view of a national culture.