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The couple of people I know that are "into Japan" are too old to be influenced by anime and video games. It's more the idea of the way they respect traditions, Japanese gardens, karate etc.
And I think there is something to the "Mr Miyagi, full of wisdom" thing.
]I think after the world war 2, Japan has been heavily introduced and promoted in the US.[/b] I know some Hollywood celebrities in the 50s going to Japan. And they were famous and known here in Japan. I don't even know how that happened.
^ this has a huge amount to do with it.
There was wide awareness of Japan as a result of WW2, where they were our nemesis. Alien concepts and actions such as kamikaze, ritual/honorable suicide, and para-religious devotion to royalty were played up in the American media and captivated the American consciousness, though not quite in a good or healthy way.
The thousands and thousands of American military personnel who were stationed in Japan after the war came back with stories about politeness and honor and reverence that contrasted with the bloodthirsty and psychopathic portrayals that people had heard before. In addition, the fact that many people in Japan had admiration for General MacArthur - the very general who oversaw the obliteration of their own armed forces - and that there was a common respect and admiration for America despite WW2's outcome made Japan an enigma to America. Add to this the romantic and mysterious anecdotal tales of exotic and beguiling women, superhuman martial arts, ancient and befuddling traditions (many of these stereotypes taken from and blurred with earlier ones regarding China) and you have a very unique relationship between Japan and the US, which extends to other English-speaking nations.
I think that the current crop of Japanophilia owes more to the popularization of Japanese pop culture and media - the irony being that so much of Japanese pop culture is and was inspired by American pop culture, past and present.
I guess for me, it's because I love the language more than other Asian languages and I'm intrigued by Japan's history (especially Edo period). I do have interest in other Asian countries and cities though.
I use to enjoy the "feeling" of liking Japan and it's people. After I found out what they've done in the past century, and shot at my grandfather, that ideal was flushed down the toilet pretty fast. Why did I like them as a kid? Politeness towards others. You never see it in American culture or people, so it was a shock and awe fest for me.
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Originally Posted by shiphead
I use to enjoy the "feeling" of liking Japan and it's people. After I found out what they've done in the past century, and shot at my grandfather, that ideal was flushed down the toilet pretty fast. Why did I like them as a kid? Politeness towards others. You never see it in American culture or people, so it was a shock and awe fest for me.
I'm from Singapore, and the Japanese definitely impacted my family (thankfully no direct ancestors were killed). I think the Japanese should be more remorseful, but I don't hate all Japanese or their culture for what they did in the past, nor any other country. There's still a lot of resentment against them in other Asian countries.
Yeah, Japan has an interesting culture and has interesting and rich history but so many people are overboard when it comes to Japan. Why do so many people like and idealize Japan so much in comparison to other Asian countries?
Yeah, Japan has an interesting culture and has interesting and rich history but so many people are overboard when it comes to Japan. Why do so many people like and idealize Japan so much in comparison to other Asian countries?
Even though my heritage is Chinese, I greatly prefer Japanese antiques over Chinese ones for the greater skills and better materials that went into making them. As to modern Japanese products, I love their cars and fashion clothing, again for their style and quality. One of my Hondas has 400K miles on her odometer.
I love their cuisine.
In addition, as a culture I admire the Japanese sense of honour and discipline. They value higher education and also artisan skills. In fact, their best artisans are referred to as "living treasures". And the Japanese lifestyle is very clean and tidy. They are also respectful of others.
If I could visit any Asian country, without any hesitation I would pick Japan over the rest of them.
I use to enjoy the "feeling" of liking Japan and it's people. After I found out what they've done in the past century, and shot at my grandfather, that ideal was flushed down the toilet pretty fast. Why did I like them as a kid? Politeness towards others. You never see it in American culture or people, so it was a shock and awe fest for me.
I am not bothered by what the Japanese did to China during WWII. The past is the past. But we must move forward and not dwell in the ugliness. I believe in studying history in order to not repeat past mistakes and atrocities. It is the animal nature in humans that causes us to bully the weak and harm our perceived enemies.
We dropped those two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we didn't make any effort to isolate the damage just to their military installations. Those bombings were akin to wiping out Boston or NYC. And in our past histories, our US government did terrible things to the Native Americans. The Spanish conquered Mexico. The vikings repeatedly raped and pillaged the British Isles. The Roman empire left their mark on many countries. Throughout mankind's history, almost every tribe and culture has bullied and savaged the weaker ones. And that still goes on to this day. Look at the genocides still going on in the African continent.
I am not bothered by what the Japanese did to China during WWII. The past is the past. But we must move forward and not dwell in the ugliness. I believe in studying history in order to not repeat past mistakes and atrocities. It is the animal nature in humans that causes us to bully the weak and harm our perceived enemies.
We dropped those two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we didn't make any effort to isolate the damage just to their military installations. Those bombings were akin to wiping out Boston or NYC. And in our past histories, our US government did terrible things to the Native Americans. The Spanish conquered Mexico. The vikings repeatedly raped and pillaged the British Isles. The Roman empire left their mark on many countries. Throughout mankind's history, almost every tribe and culture has bullied and savaged the weaker ones. And that still goes on to this day. Look at the genocides still going on in the African continent.
Excellent post. I also think it's unfair to have generalized negative feelings of an entire nation and people because of the poor judgment from some people of older generations. People are also individuals and there are plenty of good things from the country and culture to dwell on.
Anime, Technology, culture, historical ties. Take your pick. Japan is more well known then any other east asian country and its one of the few countries in the world that beems their television shows into american households (toonami on adult swim, anime channel). Any country that has shows in america or is the basis for shows in america usually means they have some influence in america. Most of western europe and Japan is like this.
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