Why is it that some people are so into japanese culture, as in, almost like a hobby? What's the attraction?
*srcatch head* Hmmmm. I suppose one of the reasons would be the contrast to our western culture. It's hard to explain, but the very mentality of Japanese culture and the people is so different that its just fasinating.
I'd recommend that you check an old TV-series called Shôgun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dgun_(novel)), which is about an english sailor (Pilot-Major John Blackthorn) who sails to Japan in 1600. It's based on a novel by James Clavell, which in turn is partly based on a real person named William Adams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Adams_(sailor)). I couldn't find any real trailers from YouTube, but I did find this interview of Richard Chamberlain who played the part of Blackthorn:
Richard Chamberlain on playing Blackthorne in "Shogun" - EMMYTVLEGENDS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W7ZvHfWjik)
Or you could always read Lone Wolf and Cub or Rurouni Kenshin.... ;)
Why wouldn't people have interest in a modern country of 128 million people? The first Asian country to go through an incredibly fast modernisation, "made in Japan" went from a warning of cheap crap to a sign of quality and innovation. They showed the rest of Asia what was possible with bugger all resources besides their own determination.
They are the only people that have suffered nuclear blasts in anger, their art is influenced by it. They have a distinct animation style, it doesn't appeal to me that much but then neither does Mickey Mouse.
They have a distinct cuisine appreciated by many.
Surely their architecture is worth a second look? (https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F5%2F59%2FByodoin_Phoenix_Hall_Uji_2009.jpg%2F220px-Byodoin_Phoenix_Hall_Uji_2009.jpg&hash=38dae75d0bb751e7618ca6b687fb6213d7a6c43b) (https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F1%2F17%2FHoryu-ji11s3200.jpg%2F200px-Horyu-ji11s3200.jpg&hash=a7da5ef757f30d887aee310cc9e2bf0024f6647d)
There's judo, karate, kendo and cool looking ninjas.
They have made a huge contribution to world culture, to deny it would be ignorant and arrogant.
Quote from: The Magic Pudding on July 26, 2011, 12:02:12 PM
Why wouldn't people have interest in a modern country of 128 million people? The first Asian country to go through an incredibly fast modernisation, "made in Japan" went from a warning of cheap crap to a sign of quality and innovation. They showed the rest of Asia what was possible with bugger all resources besides their own determination.
They are the only people that have suffered nuclear blasts in anger, their art is influenced by it. They have a distinct animation style, it doesn't appeal to me that much but then neither does Mickey Mouse.
They have a distinct cuisine appreciated by many.
Surely their architecture is worth a second look? (https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F5%2F59%2FByodoin_Phoenix_Hall_Uji_2009.jpg%2F220px-Byodoin_Phoenix_Hall_Uji_2009.jpg&hash=38dae75d0bb751e7618ca6b687fb6213d7a6c43b) (https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F1%2F17%2FHoryu-ji11s3200.jpg%2F200px-Horyu-ji11s3200.jpg&hash=a7da5ef757f30d887aee310cc9e2bf0024f6647d)
There's judo, karate, kendo and cool looking ninjas.
They have made a huge contribution to world culture, to deny it would be ignorant and arrogant.
Nobody said that anyone is denying anything.
Quote from: Abletony on July 26, 2011, 10:56:16 AM
Why is it that some people are so into japanese culture, as in, almost like a hobby? What's the attraction?
I think that the interest in Japan and Japanese culture which has arisen in the past decade or so among younger people can be traced to the introduction of manga and anime into the west. There had previously been that sort of Nipponophile (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/jan/06/2) around, but the manga/anime craze increased their ranks dramatically, especially among the young.
There is an older strain of admirers of Japan and Japanese culture, and most of them are drawn by an appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of Japanese art and architecture, as well as philosophy.
One thing which the surge of interest in manga and anime did was pique the interest of many people in the game of Go (http://senseis.xmp.net/?WhatIsGo) through the series
Hikaru no Go (http://senseis.xmp.net/?HikaruNoGo), and for that I'm thankful. The world needs more Go players!
Quote from: Recusant on July 26, 2011, 06:02:27 PM
Quote from: Abletony on July 26, 2011, 10:56:16 AM
Why is it that some people are so into japanese culture, as in, almost like a hobby? What's the attraction?
I think that the interest in Japan and Japanese culture which has arisen in the past decade or so among younger people can be traced to the introduction of manga and anime into the west. There had previously been that sort of Nipponophile (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/jan/06/2) around, but the manga/anime craze increased their ranks dramatically, especially among the young.
There is an older strain of admirers of Japan and Japanese culture, and most of them are drawn by an appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of Japanese art and architecture, as well as philosophy.
One thing which the surge of interest in manga and anime did was pique the interest of many people in the game of Go (http://senseis.xmp.net/?WhatIsGo) through the series Hikaru no Go (http://senseis.xmp.net/?HikaruNoGo), and for that I'm thankful. The world needs more Go players!
Yes! Go needs more love. I'm dying to save up and get a nice Go set with my girlfriend. She's a huge fan of Go, as well as Hikaru no Go. I'm pretty good at checkers and Chinese checkers, so i'm eager to try it.
I used to play Go 40 years back, but I'd be pretty rusty these days. An incredible game - flowing organically from one simple concept, and almost no extra rules. Compare it to chess, which is just a collection of arbitrary and artificial rules.
Quote from: OldGit on July 26, 2011, 07:28:47 PM
I used to play Go 40 years back, but I'd be pretty rusty these days. An incredible game - flowing organically from one simple concept, and almost no extra rules. Compare it to chess, which is just a collection of arbitrary and artificial rules.
Wow, that's incredible. *__*
It's probably one of the oldest cultures around. Then you look at America. And we got how many years in our pocket? Pretty boring I bet. Plus you know, Wolverine loved Japan. And I love Wolverine. So I must then love Japan. Duh. :D
But seriously. It's a beautiful culture so rich and diverse.
1. They produce a very original form of entertainment in anime.
2. Their architecture is rather interesting and different from what we're used to.
3. They have the most unusual game shows of any peoples I know of.
4. They are technologically equivalent if not superior to the western world.
5. Japanese women are found to be very attractive by many western males.
6. Their history including literature as well as philosophy.
7. They also invented bukkakke (sp? Don't want to google spell check it right now ;))as a result of their governments ban on showing genitals in porn.
You get the point, it is a very interesting society, with a bunch of things the western world enjoys coming from their culture and society (sony, robots, anime, etc.). The western world and Japan seem to play off each other very well, they love many aspects of American culture and we love many aspects of theirs. I only know the relationship between America and Japan, I actually have no clue what the cultural relationship is like between them and other western areas.
Ef japan. The UKRAINE is where it's at. :D
Quote from: The Magic Pudding on July 26, 2011, 12:02:12 PM
They have made a huge contribution to world culture, to deny it would be ignorant and arrogant.
This.
Most young people obsessed with Japan don't seem to know much about their history or the complexities of their culture. It's typically just an anime phase that about 1 in 4 of the kids were into while I was in high school. Every now and then some new fad comes along and becomes cool simply because it's foreign. Anime, manga, drifting, martial arts, architecture, tentacles... fascinating to the right people, but that appears to be the extent of their interest/knowledge.
I think difference is interesting and the Japanese culture is very different for European/American culture and thus very interesting.
Sumo is one of my all time favorite sports
I, Yagi-Atama, am currently living in Japan; I`ve got to tell you, life here is far better than it ever was in the west. A lot of stores are open 24/7, there`s always a convenient vending machine around, the prettiest girls in the world all are right here- and one of the best things; no feminists. ;D
Quote from: Yagi-Atama on July 29, 2011, 04:44:52 PM
I, Yagi-Atama, am currently living in Japan; I`ve got to tell you, life here is far better than it ever was in the west. A lot of stores are open 24/7, there`s always a convenient vending machine around, the prettiest girls in the world all are right here- and one of the best things; no feminists. ;D
Where did you live before you moved to Japan?
I lived in Australia.
Speaking of which, if there are any Japanese here;
日本にいるなら、あそこに残るべきだよ。オーストラリアとかアメリカなどは文化が全然ないからな。実は、文化の変わりに、フェミニスト、つまり、男嫌い、ばかりいる。俺は外国人として分かるよ。
Quote from: Yagi-Atama on July 29, 2011, 05:04:15 PM
Speaking of which, if there are any Japanese here;
日本にいるなら、あそこに残るべきだよ。オーストラリアとかアメリカなどは文化が全然ないからな。実は、文化の変わりに、フェミニスト、つまり、男嫌い、ばかりいる。俺は外国人として分かるよ。
I'm not aware of any Japanese speakers here.
Quote from: MinnesotaMikeMost young people obsessed with Japan don't seem to know much about their history or the complexities of their culture. It's typically just an anime phase that about 1 in 4 of the kids were into while I was in high school. Every now and then some new fad comes along and becomes cool simply because it's foreign. Anime, manga, drifting, martial arts, architecture, tentacles... fascinating to the right people, but that appears to be the extent of their interest/knowledge.
I'll happily fess up to being one of those. I like a few animes and some mangas, all while knowing sod all about Japan. I'd say that's because they're incidental to each other. I like the band
Caravan Palace because they're good, not because they're French.
Actually, I think it's a shame that anime and manga tend to get seen as just composite parts of a greater, juvenile fetish for Japan - as opposed to simply two more media platforms, which is what they are - because it means people can only approach them from a fairly jaded perspective. There is gold out there... admittedly you have to sift through rivers of shit to find it but that's the same with music and film.
For me Japan and the UK (my nationality) are like the bird and the bat, both have similar characteristics but very different from each other and I find this fascinating.
I have spent two months in Japan (I highly recommend doing this as its cheaper than a 2 week holiday) and want to go back for a year or two so I can properly explore the country outside of Tokyo. However my Japanese isn't good and not really had the time to study it properly.
@Yagi-Atama I wouldn't say that they are lacking in culture but is poor in comparison due to them being new countries and not having the time to develop a deep routed culture.
Well, the Japanese style of dress is one thing. Look up Japanese street styles.
They seem to be just as interested in us as we are in them.
The Ganguro style of Japan is a play off of the "California Girls" look. They either are very overdramatic(quite possible look at lolita style) or like to make fun of us crazy americans(also very possible).
One way or the other people from different cultures look at each culture that is vastly different from their's and can become quite interested in the culture. I think that the reason for that is a subconcious desire to understand how we all became such different people all over the world. Was it because of the place our ancestor's settled? Or some other unknown reason? Who really knows?
I didn't feel like reading all of the posts so this may have already been said. Japanese kids are just as interested in our culture as we are in their's. In Japan, the youth are wearing cloths with American writing, listening to American music, BASEBALL (enough said), and other not so apparent things too. Things such as questioning elders, fast food, and marriage constructs. Only one of the previous things I consider a bad thing. I guess what made me post on this thread was how sad it made me. There are things that people in the U.S. could learn from the Japanese. For example, when I was there, I saw a bunch of gulf clubs just sitting on the side of the road. Apparently someone didn't want to take them with them on the bus and just left them there, planning on picking them up later. Of course it was a, small town but I have never been anywhere in the U.S. where someone could do something like that. I don't know what the point is but it bothers me that so many people question why other people are curious and participate in other cultures. The world would be a better place if people experienced what other people experience and only ask two questions.... Does this hurt anyone?... Is this fun?
Quote from: MinnesotaMike on July 29, 2011, 05:45:38 AM
drifting
Where I'm from, we call it "driving-to-work-in-winter-before-the-sand-truck-gets-a-chance-to-show-up" >:(
I'm a quarter Japanese...and I'll just say with my own experience, and my own opinion..(meaning, yes you may see the world differently, or may not have been raised as I have..blah blah blah) we glamorize the culture a LOT..but they do the same to us. Essentially, though different in perspective of world, they are all human like the rest of us.
People just get into stuff. Some people like pogs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogs