Takamasa Sakurai / Special to The Daily Yomiuri
In my previous column in November, I talked about the global spread of so-called soshoku-kei (literally translated as male herbivores), which is found in environments where Japanese anime plays a heavy role in forming personalities among young people of both genders.
That column triggered greater feedback than usual, and I appreciate our readers' interest in the subject. In this column, I'd like to discuss how these soshoku-kei boys--and girls--interact with each other.
Last month, I visited Moscow for the first time in a year to attend J-Fest, an event showcasing the latest Japanese culture. I've participated in the event as a producer since J-Fest was launched two years ago. Working as a lecturer and emcee, I became friends with many young Muscovites, and they form a large portion of my Twitter followers.
One of them, a 27-year-old male graduate student who is a big fan of Morning Musume and other Japanese idol groups, introduced me to two of his female friends, aged 16 and 20. He had taught himself to speak proficient Japanese and is a good example of the saying: "Suki koso mono no jozu nare" (You'll be good at what you like.)
The two girls work part-time at a maid cafe, which opened two months ago in Moscow. A maid cafe in Moscow!? It was shocking to me even though I've reported on such places in China and other Asian countries. Although I would have loved to visit the Russian counterpart, I was unable to as it was only open during the weekends and I had to attend J-Fest.The three Russians said they mainly communicated via the Internet. What interested me most was that they said their ideal partner would be Japanese. In everyday life, they rarely interact with Japanese, so young people in Russia chat online with each other about Japan and Japanese people in the same way they talk about Japanese anime and idols.
When talking with young people from around the world, I'm often bewildered by their glamorization of not only Japan, but also Japanese people. If even I--with my many opportunities to interact with these "Japan admirers"--am overwhelmed by the trend, then Japanese people who have never heard about it before are even more shocked. I'm often asked to talk about the question: "Are Japanese people popular overseas?" when I appear on Japanese TV or radio."If I can go to Japan, I'd like to gaze at men walking by on the street at a cafe in [Tokyo's] Harajuku for a whole day," a Croatian female college student told me.
When I asked another female college student I met in Mexico if she was interested in going out with a Japanese boy, she replied, "Not worth asking. [Of course!]"
At J-Fest, I met a Russian girl who is in a long-distance relationship with a Japanese man in Hokkaido.
I've written some books and columns to raise awareness over the introspective mindset of Japanese people today. The number of Japanese who are eager to study or work abroad has decreased.
On the other hand, young people overseas are exploring the appeal of Japanese anime and fashion via the Internet and talking online about Japanese people with the same admiration they give anime characters.
It's a one-sided love toward Japanese people. People in my generation who grew up adoring foreign cultures from countries such as the United States, are at first, bewildered by this phenomenon. But looking back on our own memories, adoration of other countries can develop anywhere in the world.Sakurai is a content producer using events and seminars to engage in "pop culture diplomacy."
(Dec. 9, 2011)
So Russians DO have their own anine-lovers, don't they? It's a bit unexpected, but let's not talk about this one.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this article, though not completely, and I'm not surprised that people would want to learn more about Japan. This is because partly, I'm one of those anime-lovers, known globally as "otaku", and partly, I had gone there, which means before I travel to Japan, I had to learn about Japanese ethics and cultures.
The first Japanese cultures that I'm interested mostly is their religious belief. I'm not talking about some cult that worships anime characters; I'm talking about a religion. It caught my interest a lot, even more than anime-related thing. Religions in Japan are mainly Shinto and Buddha, with the fact that there are more or less 80.000 shrines and temples in Japan, yet their people claimed that they don't worship any of them. Despite that, they still come to shrine and temple for blessing. Shrines are holy places where Japanese gods, known as kami, lives. It is quite hard for ordinary people to understand Japanese people, but that's just how they are.
After the religion, there's ethics. They have a number of odd ethics; some of them contradicts with today's society ethics. For example, when we talk to a Japanese, we can't directly look on their eyes because it is considered inappropiate; it has something to do with relationship, though I can't find the specific one where eye contact is allowed. Another example is the ethics of eating noodle. In modern society, eating loudly is not polite, but in Japan, it's the other way around. Eating noodle loudly shows the sign of customer's appreciation to the chef who made it. The louder the noise, the bigger appreciation the customer gives and the chef receives. It also shows the sign that the noodle is tasty.
What I find appalling, though, is the culture of anime. In Japan, there's no age boundary of who loves anime, so even a veteran soldier likes anime. Well, since cartoons are mainly childish-themed, people would see you as "growing old but not growing up". In Japan, however, everyone's loving it. After all, creators of those animes are adults too, aren't they? There's even a town dedicated solely for anime-lovers; it's called Akihabara and it's located within Tokyo, near Harajuku. They say you can't be a true "otaku" if you haven't visited this place. The popular Japanese idol group, the AKB48 also originated here. Well, AKB stands for Akihabara, anyway.
Festivals are a different thing. In Japan, they are mainly held at shrines. Festivals are one of the main reasons people came and asks for a blessing on the shrine, a reason I can't put it properly. I had came to the festival held in Japan and Indonesia, and they gave you the best Japanese-styled experience you can ever get. In Japan, people wear as polite as they can during festivals, with women sometimes wear yukata, a Japanese clothes that is similar to kimono, but simple to wear. Japanese festivals are odd sometimes, but for stereotypical and "a bit of privacy" reason, I won't talk about it.
To summarize, it's not an odd thing that people of the world would study about Japan. Partly, It's because they are difficult to understand. The first time you meet with a Japanese, they will go all soft at you by being utterly polite, so much like a poker face, making you feel like a total stranger being lost in a wrong country. Only by forming a mutual relationship will they show their true color.
As one of the Japan adorer, I would like to comment this article. I'm not surprised about the Maid Cafe because it's one of Japan's culture that have known overseas especially by the Otaku, Jpop lover, and the other Japan lovers. Opposite of the Maid Cafe, there are Host Clubs or the male version of Maid Cafe. You can see the example of Host Club in "Ouran High School Host Club" anime. About the three Russians who said their ideal partner would be Japanese, I think because they just read the manga and anime. Japanese people are very polite and dicipline. They have many regulations even just to make a tea. But I'm not saying that the Japanese is romantic. Because not like in Indonesia, the boyfriend will not accompany his girlfriend until she come home. They will separate in the train station. In other side, Japanese Culture is very rich (like Indonesia) and they still conserve it eventhough they are very Hi-Tech. For instance, they still doing Chado, a tea ceremony, and they still wear kimono or yukata to attend some event, or in an onsen (hotspring). So I think the traditional culture and the technology culture in Japan is in an equal position. I think it's not a bad thing if Japanese idealized overseas and it's not a bad idea if we want to study about Japan, especially the goodnes of Japan like their discipline, their consistency to conserve their culture, etc. Japan is definitely a great country though.
ReplyDelete"I'm not saying that the Japanese is romantic. Because not like in Indonesia, the boyfriend will not accompany his girlfriend until she come home. They will separate in the train station."
DeleteSome commentators have argued that all is not well in Japanese society when it comes to sex and romance. Here is an interesting article from the Japan Times.
"Married or single, Japan is a desolate country" by Michael Hoffman, 31 Aug 2013
http://tinyurl.com/mnjlfe6
"I'm not saying that the Japanese is romantic. Because not like in Indonesia, the boyfriend will not accompany his girlfriend until she come home. They will separate in the train station."
DeleteI do agree with this statement, but isn't that a Japanese romantic relationship stereotype? It happens frequently in the anime, but in reality, few people do this. They tend to hide their feelings from someone they love, and when they express it, it's always done in an unusual way. For example, in the last day of high school in the third year, male students remove the second button of their school uniform—the black public school uniform—and give it to the girl they like. It's their form of confession so that the girl whom the button was given to will remember him. It's just weird, really. As I said in the earlier post of this article, Japanese is just hard to understand, but that's just the way they do.
The article Mr. Adrian gave is quite interesting. I never thought that there are so many Japanese people who is still single at their old age. It's really agonizing. Japan do have sexual problem, because their high ethics of not shouting means there's always sexual assault. For example, in the train, there's an ethic of not talking or moving too much. This means when the train is cramped, a girl can't do anything, becoming an easy target of sexual offence and kidnapping. It happens almost everyday, so the poll that says "sexless for three years" is, without any means of offending, is utterly sad.
"They tend to hide their feelings from someone they love, and when they express it, it's always done in an unusual way."
DeleteI do agree with you Qashmal. In Japan it's very usual for girl to confess her feelings for the boy she likes. In fact, almost in every drama, anime, and comic books, it's the girl who always confess their feelings. The Japanese boys rarely confess their feelings to the girl. While in Indonesia it will be weird if girl do it. On every February 14, Japanese girls (mostly they who have a crush) will make or buy chocolate and give it to their crush. And it's not necessary to give chocolate before or after 14th February because they think their feelings won't be delivered. Opposite from Valentine Day, there is White Day that occurs on March 14. All the boys who receive chocolate must return the favor by giving gifts to all girls who give them chocolate. Imagine if he got 20 chocolate, he must buy 20 gifts! But that's the unique side of Japan.
Thanks for the article Mr. Coen. Now I know why there are so many "Love Hotel" in Japan. Maybe its aim is to reduce the "sexless" people in Japan. Like I've said before, Japan is a unique country.
I kind of agree with this article. I am the same as to comment above. I am also a fan of anime and Japanese stuff, though not a hardcore one. I don’t know when and why does Japanese culture affect youngsters this much though. I think it is because their publicity and what they make are really appealing to the youngsters. I believe the popularity boom is about the appeal of the opposite sex, whether it is on 2D (anime), or in 3D (real). Japanese people always reinforce their actors or actresses to be as attractive as possible, like for example their AKB48 in the real with lots of exposed thigh, or maybe their anime called “Free!” which contain a lot of handsome guy with exposed chest and abs.
ReplyDeleteI’ll take an example from Japanese anime or manga. Most of them are usually on a high school setting. They usually tell about romance, adventure, action, comedy, or anything that are appealing to the most of the youngsters (and for the last 10 years, they usually use the genre “harem”, which means guy who is loved by a lot of beautiful girls, vice versa). Youngsters love action and romance. They love something that is different from their everyday life, that is why they always search for something new, and Japanese anime may just be the thing they are searching for.
"I am also a fan of anime and Japanese stuff, though not a hardcore one."
Deleteso, you are not an Otaku, aren't you?
I believe some people got a wrong impression about Japanese culture, especially anime or manga. They thought that anime and manga is a bad influence for them or their children. It is not entirely wrong, but it is also not entirely true too. Every manga or anime is always packed with moral values we could reflect on. Reading translated LN (Light Novel, Japanese kind of book which resembles manga but with more text like novel) could also increase your writing skills.
ReplyDeleteNot all the thing we got from anime or manga is positive though, especially nowadays. I am kind of disappointed with Japanese anime or manga this day, because most of them contain the same thing. To make the thing worse, they contain some explicit content in which they call it “fanservice”. I don’t mind if they put fanservice along the line, but what makes it bad is because they are not concentrating to the story or the moral value anymore. They care more about fanservice because it makes their rating better and better.
Last word, I think Japanese culture is not a bad influence for us, as long as you can differentiate the good and the bad in it. I can proudly say that my writing skills have been improving by how often I read translated Japanese novel. I hope someday peoples would agree and enjoy the Japanese culture together, without forgetting our own culture.
I love Japanese culture and anime. I also have a lot of friends who adore anime or manga. But still, to know that many people around the world adore an ordinary Japanese boy/girl is shocking. Some of them even said that Japanese people are his/her ideal type eventhough he/she rarely, or even never, talk to Japanese people in daily life. I came to a lot of J-fest in Jogja, and I saw many young people were cosplaying an anime or manga character. Some of them also tried Harajuku fashion. From here I can feel how young Japanese creativity can affect the world, and how parents and government should respect young people's creativity.
ReplyDeleteJapan is a very great country with their strong culture and modern life. It is impressive that Japan can maintain their culture along with global technology. Their culture even attract a lot of foreigner to learn about their culture that, of course, give a lot benefits for Japan. People in Japan are famous for their kindness. Moreover, they are very diligent and well organized. I think that's why Japan can be very successful. I hope that people in Indonesia can also try their best to have those quality.
We can deny that Japanese anime and culture has spread around the world. Japanese give lots of influence around the world, they also give many influences in many aspects, such as: music, fashion, hair style, life style, etc. In Indonesia there are lots of organizations that come from Japanese influence, such as: Cosplay, manga, comic, and many others organization that comes from Japanese influence. Cosplay is stand for Costume and play, it means they use costume and play like super heroes in the TV. Commonly, they adapt the stories from Japanese cartoon, such as: final fantasy, kamen rider, etc. In my origin place, Bandung, there is one of cosplay organizations that famous enough. They usually performs cosplay whenever there is event. They called themselves by V cosplay team. I saw them once, when I was walk around in Bandung Indah Plaza. At that time there was a Japanese event, then they played drama which is like the story that I watch in TV.
ReplyDeleteI agree that a lot of people are fond of Japanese people or the Japanese culture in general. I have several German friends who really admire Japan and wish nothing more than travelling around or even living there. For sure this is also based on Japanese anime that are regularly watched by children or teenagers in western cultures. They show the Japanese way of life with all its interesting facets of religion, food and style. Of course these movies often exaggerate several Japanese attributes like showing them with abnormal large eyes, wasp waist and traditional Japanese kimonos. As for me, I can understand the interest in the Japanese culture. It is completely different from the German or western culture in general and people are often curious to see to which extent anime and reality match. But I can’t comprehend why people are so especially fond of Japanese people.
ReplyDelete“If I can go to Japan, I’d like to gaze at men walking by on the street at a café […]”
What I have experienced with Japanese people so far is following characterization: They are very exaggerated and kitschy, love to take pictures of everything and everywhere and can reach tone pitches that I didn’t know would even exist. In my opinion this can be quite annoying after a while. I personally would definitely go to Japan to experience the country and the culture but I’d never sit in a café gazing “at men walking by on the street”!
I ever read an interesting article about Japan’s cultural influence from “Nipponica” magazine. Nowdays, Japan’s popular culture even more influential than in Japan. From doraemon and pokemon to anime and manga. On the other hand, Japan also represented in many ways through the technology we use today, the types and forms of entertainment we enjoy and the variety of foods from which we choose to eat. Who doesn’t know okonomiyaki, sushi, ramen and miso soup. Japan is a major manufacturer of electronics in all departments such as cars, portable entertainment devices, cameras, entertainment devices, etc. Brands such as Nintendo, Toshiba, Toyota and Sony have become household names because of their high standards of quality. So, every day most people in world always associate with the words “Made In Japan.” Most of our leisure activities are also influenced by Japanese culture. Like ‘karaoke’ is the most well known example, and many people go to a karaoke after work or on the weekend to relax themselves from stress. Many forget that karaoke is indeed a Japanese word and that it has become such an important part of our live now. As the time goes by, I think Japan’s cultural and idealism will gain acceptance of people in the world.
ReplyDeleteThey deserve to the term, in my opinion. Japanese culture is well-known as distinct, elegant, delicate, and appear to be creative and high-quality at their result. Many things from Japanese’s working ethos that we can use as an example; their disciplines to work in order, hard worker, always pursue their self -intelligence and confidence, conduct self-taught and many other things. Because of these characters; it brings assurance to outsider that their work would result qualified goods & services. Most of their creativity are being accepted by other culture too and even somehow becoming a trend. To give example is how “sony walkman” brought music became mobile with people, also how Japanese animation and its actions figures were played on foreigner television network. Moreover with the modernization in technology that enable people all over the world to share and communicate their interest to each other, apparently most of Japanese idea and subject were being adopted, to become part of their way of life.
ReplyDelete“Japanese idealized overseas”
ReplyDeleteOf course, Japanese idealized overseas, their culture, especially anime, is just mind blowing. And there are also manga, light novels, cosplay (costume player), J-Pop, Harajuku, J-Idols, dorama (drama), seiyuu, etc. There are so many things about Japan that is fascinating. They sell something no other country sells. Anime, their anime is not the same as cartoon. While cartoon looks more childish (i.e. the avengers, powerpuff girls, etc.), anime is wider in choice of genre.
And since I am kind of into fashion world, so harajuku is one of the place I want to visit the most besides Milan. I just can imagine how great it would be to dress up all you want and walk casually without people staring at your choice of clothes. I like grunge fashion so much that I’d kill to go to harajuku (literally).
Japanese bands or groups usually consist of ridiculously good looking people, that is just not fair.
"And since I am kind of into fashion world, so harajuku is one of the place I want to visit the most besides Milan."
DeleteIf you're so interested in fashion (not just cosplay stuff) in Japan, then I suggest you to go to Shibuya and Ginza. There is a place in Shibuya called, er... "Shibuya 100" and it contains a vast selection of fashion items, locally and globally. You know about Hachiko statue, I presume? It's located in Shibuya, making it a tourist interest. Ginza is a special district; every Sunday, if I can recall it, they close Ginza roads with fashion shops on the side of the road so that people can walk around the streets looking for items they want. It's like an open plaza or mall, you see. The selection of the fashion items is massive in there, ranging from well-known Japanese retail store to the grand-scale international fashion store such as M&S. You can buy items in there cheaper than the one sold in Indonesia; I bought a Swatch wristwatch in there which, compared to the same one sold here and according to the exchange rate that year, which is Rp120,- per ¥1, costs a surprising Rp300.000,- less! And oh dear the staff in each and every store are so polite they are willing to help you in selecting items you might want.
"Japanese bands or groups usually consist of ridiculously good looking people, that is just not fair."
The same thing can be said on Korean bands and groups, no?
Thank you for the suggestion, Qashmal. And hey! M&S here is Mark and Spencer, yes? haha funny that I only knew just now that it is Japanese retail store! Apparently you know more about brand than I do.
DeleteAnd the swatch that is 2 times less than the price in Indonesia.
"The same thing can be said on Korean bands and groups, no?"
Yeah.
Japanese idealized overseas. Everything related to Japanese attract people around the world. They always have something to be known that makes people around the world give much attention to the Japanese things. From their culture, they’re still doing the tradition for hundred years and still believe in it eventhough they surrounded by modern things and western influence, they’re still wearing kimonos or yukatas for special events.
ReplyDeleteThing that attract westerns about Japanese is their way of life. Japanese have some philosophies of life which they always apply in their lives. It influences how they work and live their life. That makes Japanese people who still believe in it living happily and balanced.
Japanese dramas and films are interesting as well. They make films and dramas funny, ridiculous, but with moral messages behind it. Although some of them are about love, but it’s not as cheesy as Korean dramas. That’s why for me watching Japanese dramas and films is like an addiction.
I think every country has unique cultures. It only a matter of how often the culture is exposed to the world. Japanese and Korean culture for instance, because it consistently exposed to the world. With the ever increasing popularity of Japanese cartoons and comics or known as Anime and Manga respectively.
ReplyDeleteTechnology plays important role as well. With the advancement of technology people outside Japan could download the latest episode or chapter. However the latest episode are release in Japanese. Therefore non-Japanese speaker will start to study Japanese so they could watch the episode first hand. Usually the subbed version of the episode will release in 1 or 2 days after the raw file uploaded.
In my opinion Japanese have different way of doing things. They also have grounds before start doing something. For example, Japanese have their own rules for drinking tea and another for eating dinner. I think that what makes Japanese culture differ from other culture. That is why I adore Japanese culture.
Japanese culture fanaticism, unsurprisingly, is also visible in Indonesia. You can even find a university club in UGM promoting anything Japanese: from their culture to Japanese-made anime (animation) and manga (comic).
ReplyDeleteWhether it’s a one-sided love towards Japanese culture, it is not yet clear. Perhaps it’s very visible that there are a lot of Indonesians that love anything from Japan, but there are some uncertainties whether the Japanese themselves give some love to our culture back. I have, however seen some Japanese in their university where my friends are studying in, in which they learned about Indonesian culture, as well as Indonesian language. It’s also nice to see that during UGM’s Student Expo Week there are a group of Japanese students attempting to promote the arts and crafts of those from the isolated parts of Indonesia.
The exchange of culture in itself is not wrong. What will go wrong however is when it gives rise to culture extremism. I have witnessed myself a few Indonesians denouncing their own country, loathing the place where they were born and claim Japan (or any other countries that seem more ‘popular’) as the most superior country. If anything, it does show that those that are close-minded and lack self-awareness are the ones that are most vulnerable to globalization, and shows the downside of opening one country too much to outside influences.
With the Japanese culture being widely ranged and very interesting, I think it's reasonable if many people, including the Russians, are interested in learning it, or even trying to live a 'full-pledged Japanese lifestyle'. Japan offers many kind of subcultures, such as the traditional Edo-era like living, anime or manga lovers (often reffered to as 'Otaku), the current J-pop culture, or even the eccentric ones such as Harajuku, Lolita, or even the 'Cowboys' or 'Black Japanese' (I forgot the exact Japanese name for such kinds of lifestyle).
ReplyDeleteSometimes, people could consider culture from outside the country as threats, especially if they are considered as rather strange, such as the Japanese culture. Therefore, I think it is best if people don't resort to 'culture extremism', but instead only consider the them as a way to learn the global culture.
Japanese, as we know it are proud people, they held their heritages and their cultures closely, and they will do whatever they can to keep it alive and spreading, which is why I'm not surprised that the spread of the Japanese culture around the world are so fast and strong. Many people who are a fan of Japan and their culture are mostly hardcore fans, they will defend their way of thinking, their admiration to Japan so badly, that most Japanese fans are marked as exaggerated people. But then again, what makes Japan's culture spread so well, and so idealized overseas are the fact that they are unique, they are filled with new innovation, and the fact that the citizen of Japan are also hardcore fans of their own culture helps the spread very much. Japanese are more likely to speak in Japan than in English, a matter of whether or not their conversation partner understand or not are not their business, as far as they know, Japanese are the language of Japanese people and they will try their best to spread their language, they are proud bearer or their cultures.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very interesting. I didn’t know that foreign people adore Nihonjin or Japanese people very much. Like this statement said "If I can go to Japan, I'd like to gaze at men walking by on the street at a cafe in (Tokyo's) Harajuku for a whole day, a Croatian female college student told me.” I personally am amazed by Japan. Because they can maintain their customs and traditions, while in the other side, their technology develops very fast. But like these statements said, “It's a one-sided love toward Japanese people” and “The number of Japanese who are eager to study or work abroad has decreased.” I think Japanese people should be more open-minded and try to study or work abroad. I know it’s hard for them to learn English language or any other languages due to their short tongue, but they should have got the eager to work it out, to learn harder, and to study more. I’m sure it’ll make their technology develops even faster. Thank you for reading.
ReplyDeleteIs it true that the Japanese have a hard time in learning English because their tongues are short? Haha, if that is true, then it is a very interesting fact, indeed, physiologically.
DeleteHowever, I am more interested in your comment about how they they should be more open-minded and learn about other cultures as well. Personally, I think the Japanese are too concerned about themselves. Maybe they still think that their country is the most important in the world, an idea that propagated since the colonial era. Perhaps it is still fresh from our memory how they came to Indonesia, claiming that they were our "Asian Big Brother". If they claimed such thing in the modern era, we would probably laugh at them, which show exactly how ridiculous that idea is.
It is interesting to note that their government recently noticed the urgency of the decline of marriage in their country. As one of the solutions, the government will try open the Japanese society for other cultures by encouraging the use of English. It will attract foreign talent to Japan and help add to the decreasing population of Japan. I believe that this is the right way to go for Japan. The internationalisation of Japan will make it the Asian equivalence of the West's USA. Interestingly, Singapore is also using this approach, codenamed Population White Paper. In the approach, Singapore tries to tackle its dwindling indigenous population by trying to attract foreign talent from all around South East Asia. As of now, there have been criticisms on how the Singaporeans feel that they are becoming second-class citizens due to the government's treatment to the foreigners. However, the jury is still out on whether this policy will be a success or not.
Even though I’m not a fan of Japanese anime (I barely know about Japanese anime) but I found this phenomenon quite interesting. I read Japanese comics and watch Japanese cartoons (are they even counted as anime? I have no idea.) and I’ve always wanted to go to Japan and know how the culture is because so many Indonesians love it, no wonder there are people who are addicted to Japanese anime and culture in Moscow and many other cities or countries in the world. All I know about Japanese culture is the fashion style, religious beliefs, and their behavior (they’re very polite and discipline). Japanese should be proud of their culture because if I were Japanese, I would be very surprised to know that there is a bunch of people who love my culture and are crazy about it. It can also be a motivation for Japanese people to study abroad. Another thing, the phenomenon can be a good business for Japanese people who want to build a new venture like tour and travel agents. They can make an “anime” or “Japanese culture” trip, that would be really unique.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteWhoops! I accidentally deleted your in-the-middle-of-the-night comment, Stephanie!
DeleteHere it is again:
Ever since I was little, reading manga or as we can say comic books have been one of my hobbies. Japanese comics give the impression of them being loud, comical, talkative, and good-looking. From as simple as a comic book, I learned about their interesting culture that highly values their culture, pride, and language. Their customs such as the tea ceremony and traditional clothing of kimono intrigued me a lot. These points led me to travel to Japan a few years ago with my mother, excited to see with my own eyes what lies in there. Apparently the comic book does not entirely tell you the truth. People there are conservative, they won’t really talk to you if you’re a foreigner because basically they do not understand English. Also, there’s nothing comical about their expression, as my tour leader explained to me that the “mangaka” or the comic book author simply illustrate things that the Japanese wants to be, but they cannot. Such as oversized drawing of eyes, comical faces, exaggerated romance, etc. To put easily, due to their creative nature, comics became their medium of fantasy and aspirations. However, their culture is in fact very fascinating, elegant, and beautiful. I went to Kyoto and Osaka visiting temples, kimono stores, and lots of authentic Japanese restaurants. Idealization of the Japanese by people all around the world may be in general is, “polite”.
It’s interesting how people actually talking about other culture without knowing the truth. Those people mentioned in the article mostly talking about the Japanese people’s life based in what they read in manga or watch in anime. They think that Japanese culture in manga and anime is the same like in reality. But, the truth is, it’s not always true.
ReplyDeleteSeeing Japanese culture only from manga and anime is not correct. If you want to know how the culture really is, you have to go to Japan and see it by yourself. It’s actually good that people from all around the world adore Japanese culture, but the culture they see and know is culture in manga and anime. The culture that manga and anime represent can bring good and bad impression for Japan. If it represents something good about the culture and it’s true, then it’s just perfect for the readers. But if it represents something good and it’s not true, can you imagine how disappointed the Japanese fans could be? They will definitely be disappointed. So, it’s also important for the Japanese fans to learn the culture not only from manga or anime, but also learn from the native Japanese.
Well, as one of those people who like Japanese thingy, I also want to go to Japan and studying some of their cultural behavior. I know Japan mostly by anime and manga. And luckily, I have visited Japan in 2012. What I know from anime and manga, with what I know from visit them is mostly the same. Their lifestyle, their festival, their behavior.
ReplyDeleteSo I think, there is no problem to study the Japanese via anime or manga. But there is a boundary to study them. If you really want to know a better life of Japan, try the slice of life genre. Not just random anime about people killing another people out of curiosity. I know a lot of random thing happen in the anime or manga. That kind of anime and manga is common thing in Japan, maybe because of their large community who like that kind of thing that make them big.
The fact that written in this article is true. It is true that Japanese culture has spreaded overseas. As we can see that in Indonesia, a lot of people admire Japanese anime and idol group. This is proven by a fact that the duplication of AKB 48 in Japan does exist in Indonesia which we know as JKT 48. But strangely, Japanese people doesn’t apply their own culture in their daily life. I have go to Japan for a couple of time. And during my visit to Japan, I don’t found the culture that spreaded around the world in their daily life. But in the other hand, we can found others country product in Japan easily. And this fact aren’t only found in Japan. We can also found this fact in Indonesia. As we know, in the sight of other people, Indonesia are famous for its culture, but Indonesian people themselves doen’t regard their culture and tends to love others country tradition
ReplyDeleteFirst time I found the Japanese culture is in my junior high school. I joined the painting club and found that everybody in the club is not just painting and making visual art. They also talking about Japanese art and culture like manga, anime, geisha, Obon festival, etc. they talk about it over and over like an endless conversation. They really admire it. I also read manga and watch anime, and also know some stuff about Japanese culture, but I didn’t become a ‘fan’ like them. When I try to ask a comparative culture to really know whether they are a fanatic or not, like “who’s your renaissance favorite painter?” or “do you like Affandi’s painting?”, they was like “what?”. I’m afraid that their fond and admire toward Japanese culture makes them forget that they have their own beautiful culture to be study and admired; not only my friends, but also every kid’s that likes Japanese so much.
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