What's the Deal with People and Japan?

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Hokkaido and Okinawa were the two regions I did not have time to visit when I was there. Both are on my list though. Some day, some day .



That is a tough thing to define. I honestly don't think the xenophobia comes from them not wanting their culture contaminated. If anything, Japan is the one nation that rabidly adopts and integrates foreign concepts. The Meiji Restoration period is unique in ... heck I'd dare to say human history for it being a conscious, planned effort of a nation/people to adopt foreign advances and concepts in just one generation. I think the xenophobia comes (probably) from a long history of mental barriers between themselves (social classes) which allocated all things not Japanese as being the least desirable.... and inflamed by the events involving western and asian powers in the 19th and 20th century.



Akihabara is the computer/electronics shopping area.. I don't recall seeing much anime/cosplay going on there. Harajuku perhaps? That's where basically all the cosplayers and otakus gather every weekend and it was one of the most unique experiences I've ever had. I didn't even know about the place or the event until I found myself in a subway car filled with cosplay dressed up people..when they got off I got off and... followed them to a plaza full of cosplay people. Then I found out what the heck it was.



The culture has changed significantly since WW2. They transitioned from militaristic/monarchy government and mentality to what they are now. I both admire them and feel sorry for them at once. Admire them because of the cultural achievements and philosophy .. and sorry because they gave up a huge part of their ways and traditions during the Meiji era just to catch up technologically with the west and post-WW2, even though they really try to hold on to traditions, the westernization that infects every non-western country in the modern age is eroding away even more of it.

I take solace the girls and the food will likely not change

I have lived here for a long time in the countryside and they are definitely racist, xenophobic, immature and most of them either have Asperger's or some mental problem instead.

I notice micro-aggressions directed at me everyday, such as when people cough at me. I posted about this already, but this post is about Japan, I thought I would repost it here.

Before Japan, I lived in China for about 4 years and the people were racist and xenophobic in different ways, but overall they were a lot more friendly. This was shocking to me because Japan is usually seen as more advanced and westernized than China.

The culture of Japan also doesn't go that deep actually. When compared with China's culture, Japan is like a puddle and China is a lake lol.

I grew up playing Japanese video games and seeing anime on television, as well as having friends who were heavily into anime and manga. I was bound to learn about Japanese culture sooner or later.

Japan's very popular at this time, like Britain was 50 years ago.

I really like Japanese food. I really enjoy playing Japanese videogames. I like origami.

I hate Japanese anime, manga, etc. I hate the ideas, I hate the styles, I just hate it. I also dislike Japanese fashion, and I generally don't like their modern culture either.

I also have read about what the Japanese did to the Chinese, Koreans, Mongolians, Russians, and other foreigners during World War II and before, and it was much worse than what I've heard the Nazis did, as far as medical experiments and torture.

The Japanese would kidnap Chinese and other civilians of foreign countries, and do horrible medical experiments on them. Including women, children, and infants. They usually died as a result. They also raped and tortured them for fun. They experimented on foreign soldiers as well. What I read was far worse than the Nazi experiments. Truly horrifying.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

And to this day they basically refuse to acknowlege everything that had happened, and generally downplay it.

I don't get why people are obsessed with Japanese culture. Just a trendy thing I guess. The culture is idealized and idolized by many westerners who are obsessed with East Asia.

I have an aunt who is from Japan. She's married to my mom's younger brother and she's very nice.
They have a son as well. But I hardly ever get to see them because they live in BC and I've only seen photos of my cousin. They usually visit my parents in the Summer but I still don't get to see them.
When they were staying at my parents' last summer my aunt bought a bunch of stuff for traditional Japanese food and my mom thought it was weird. Like those little bamboo place mats to put sushi on, or something.

I'm sorry to say I will probably never develop a taste for Japanese cooking. I don't even like cooked fish, I'm not even that crazy about rice, wasabi sounds very painful and I prefer charcoal-free ice cream.

I find a lot of people where I live are still very ignorant about Japanese people. They still think they eat cats and dogs and nothing about them has changed since WWII. I find that disgusting and very Un-Canadian. But then again many people where I live are over 60, so... even my grandfather still had a problem with them until he met my aunt.

Simply put, Japanese society is one of the most stressful in the modern world, possibly the most stressful although it has some competition e.g. Korea. By which I mean first-world stress as opposed to the sort of stress associated with living in an impoverished country such as Bangla Desh.

Japanese popular culture caters to people living under a great deal of stress and anxiety. In particular, Japanese people are anxious about the possibility of being excluded from the group which in Japan could cause a person to think their life no longer worth living (in the literal sense).

Combined with the unique Japanese aesthetic tradition, much of their modern cultural output has appealed to people in other countries who can identify with this situation. In particular, young people belonging to atypical subcultures e.g. "geeks" etc. are often attracted to it. Go to any university in North America and make note of who attends meetings of the Booster club vs. who attend meeting of the Anime club and the distinction will become readily apparent.