Do you actually love Japan? Or is it all Anime fuelled?

[Capreb]

Yeah just a completely random question. 

I see this a lot with hardcore western anime fans, they seem to love Anime and then just say they love Japan.. 

"I love Japanese culture!!" when really they've barely researched Japan at all and they're just saying that because they see Japan through a spectacular pair of rose tinted glasses; thanks to their love of Anime. 

 

I personally don't see the appeal of Japan to be honest, I'm an English speaking white guy.. I know where I don't belong.

I know some Japanese are racist (not all, I know) and they don't care for "Gaijins" so I'm immediately excluded from a lot of shit, based on my skin colour and origins. 

I have no time for that ass backward, childish bullshit.. so I have no plans to go to Japan any time soon.

Maybe for a few days just to say I've been.. but aside from that. 

 

I don't think Japan should change for me, I think it's their right not to want me there.

Granted I think the basis for wanting me there is totally fucking stupid but whatever..

They don't want me in their house, so I won't go in their house.. I'd rather go where I'm wanted. 

 

Yes I know, that Japanese people aren't all like that and I'm in no way insinuating that, but the mere fact that their culture deems discrimination like that some what acceptable, puts me off. 

 

Okay, so there's my bleak view of Japan. I don't have any rose tinted anime glasses to look through.

 

So this is a question to my western, anime, Japan loving brothers and sisters, why do you like Japan so much? 

 

I only mentioned one reason why I wouldn't go. 

 

A couple others would be

 

Poor economy. 

Small bang for your buck, property wise and food wise lol.. I'm to used to western standards at this point. 

Earthquakes.

 

TL;DR Do you actually love Japan? Or do you just say you do because you love anime. I don't like it, because of it's subtle hostility towards foreigners, Why do you actually love Japan? 

 

 

 

 

[Parker]

I'm not what I'd consider an anime fan (I do enjoy a few, though) nor would I say that I "love" Japan but I do think it is a very interesting place and culture and I'd love to spend a few weeks there. 

 

As for your racists comment, there are racists everywhere in the world. I really doubt Japan is any more racist than any other first world country, sometimes a vocal minority makes the silent majority look like idiots.  

 

 

Parker

[Bucknerd]

 

 

Yes I know, that Japanese people aren't all like that and I'm in no way insinuating that, but the mere fact that their culture deems discrimination like that some what acceptable, puts me off. 

 

 

Judge not lest ye judged I suppose.  I see that you're from Great Britain.  I could maybe understand your stance if you were Korean or Chinese but not British.

 

I'm speaking as an American (from the south) but all cultures have discrimination.  All you have to do is turn on the American news to see racial tensions.  Last time I checked the British weren't so keen on Muslim peoples living in their country. As Parker said everywhere in the world has problems.

 

Listen, I'm not trying to point fingers, but it's a bit harsh to judge Japan using that paramenter when you even go out of the way to state that "Japanese people aren't all like that."  In that sense you are being just as discriminatory as you are claiming them to be without ever setting foot in the country yourself.

 

You judge others for loving Japan because of anime but you are also basing your opinion on an outside assumption. 

For the record, I want to visit Japan one day because I appreciate Japanese culture, history, and food.

Edited December 5, 2014 by Bucknerd

[Lovejinder_LJ]

I'm not what I'd consider an anime fan (I do enjoy a few, though) nor would I say that I "love" Japan but I do think it is a very interesting place and culture and I'd love to spend a few weeks there. 

 

As for your racists comment, there are racists everywhere in the world. I really doubt Japan is any more racist than any other first world country, sometimes a vocal minority makes the silent majority look like idiots.  

 

 

Parker

 

 

Judge not lest ye judged I suppose.  I see that you're from Great Britain.  I could maybe understand your stance if you were Korean or Chinese but not British.

 

I'm speaking as an American (from the south) but all cultures have discrimination.  All you have to do is turn on the American news to see racial tensions.  Last time I checked the British weren't so keen on Muslim peoples living in their country. As Parker said everywhere in the world has problems.

 

Listen, I'm not trying to point fingers, but it's a bit harsh to judge Japan using that paramenter when you even go out of the way to state that "Japanese people aren't all like that."  In that sense you are being just as discriminatory as you are claiming them to be without ever setting foot in the country yourself.

 

You judge others for loving Japan because of anime but you are also basing your opinion on an outside assumption. 

For the record, I want to visit Japan one day because I appreciate Japanese culture, history, and food.

Right on, Guys

I don't think that there is anything I can add to that

Edited December 5, 2014 by Lovejinder_LJ

[amebapiko]

It's really nothing compared to other places.

 

For example, let's just use the USA. There can be a lot of violence and stuff relating to racism. Whereas in Japan, there is no dangerous side to it, it can be just a bit of passive racism.

 

Of course, racists are everywhere and it's not like everyone is racist, in Japan, it has improved a HUGE about in the last few Decades. 

[Dead Weight]

I like Sushi and Japanese Video games

[daftprophet]

Sure I do.  I love the unknown.  I love all different places and cultures that I'm not familiar with.  I have had an interest in Japan since I was young.  Took culture and language classes in undergrad.  So yeah, you could say I love it.

 

However, you're making assumptions about things with no solid evidence to support them.  Sure I like (love?) anime and manga, but you wouldn't think that if you saw me out and about.  Not all of us are crazed Otakus...just FYI.

 

The way I see it, anime and manga are just like everyone else's TV shows and books.  

 

Yeah.  I love Japan and someday I would like to go.  Plus I...love...sushi...what do you love miss Noah? Your numbers and your papers? (UCB reference)  

[ZeroXOF]

*snip*

 

I think Japan only has a social problem of silent racism but other than that Japan is on par with every country. Also may people are going to love Japan for it's tech and anime nothing else but that's their choice. I love Japan for it's uniqueness and how they tried in the past. 

[Mog]

I don't like Japan just because of anime/manga, that's like saying i like the US because of Mc Donald's or the UK because of the british accent. Anime is one of the reasons, i love the culture there, the language (i need to learn it one day!), the food, nature! Japan looks so beautiful and relaxing, i'm definitely going there at some point.

 

There's also the exclusive things Japan gets, like early game releases (REmake HD comes to mind), early anime-stuff releases and some other things that are never, ever released outside of Japan.

 

As for the "discrimination" part, every single country has their share of racist bigots, Bucknerd posted my thoughts exactly, you're judging a country before even stepping a foot on it! 

[amebapiko]

There are many positives, take this as an example.

 

It's from a certain youtuber about her experiences in the US and Japan - regarding harassment.

 

In the USA she gets harassed by creepy people about once or twice a month... which she states can be quite disturbing.

On the other hand, in  Japan, she doesn't get any of that weird creepy harassment - but on a daily basis she gets compliments about her appearance; when doing everyday things such as shopping. 

 

Kind of off-topic and didn't go too far but just a little example.

Edited December 5, 2014 by KillCount2121

[Death]

I enjoy anime/manga, but my love for Japanese stuff isn't all fueled by it.

[Kashiyuka]

I've loved Japanese culture ever since I was a kid.  I remember when I was really, really young, I asked my mom could she rent me a video from a rental store... she came back with Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki, and that's the first thing I remember sparking my love for the culture.  If you've never heard of it, the film takes place in a Japanese bath house and, as the name suggests, has a strong spiritual theme.  As a young child, the themes, characters, and of course the animation fascinated me.  It was so different, it was so unique, nothing like what I saw on kids channels.  On top of that, it simply engaged me more.  I remember years after my mom making a comment about it, saying that even as a tiny kid, I soaked in everything about the film and was glued to the story and foreign culture from start to finish.

 

When I got a bit older, my love for the culture grew more.  All the while, I was still a big anime fan, and although anime sparked the love, it isn't my main reason by any means.  I remember getting a lot of flak from others in my school for liking the culture and its language.  People in my town are pretty narrow-minded in that sense, and that attitude is still there today.  To add salt to the wound, I got physical and verbal bullying for pretty much the duration of my primary school years just because I was different in my interests.  So when I came home each day, sometimes in tears over all the petty name-calling (petty now, but as a kid, these things went to heart easier), the Japanese culture was like an escape.  When Final Fantasy X-2 was a new enough game and I got it, I remember thinking "I may be getting shit for this now, but at 2pm when I can go home, I have Final Fantasy X-2 to enjoy", haha.  Their games speak to me in a way western games never quite have.  Label that how you like, but it's true.  I feel more 'at home' with Japanese games, their storytelling skills and character development strikes me more.  Final Fantasy X itself is a good example of this, and represents my point well.  Games like these helped me through the tough school years.

 

As my age hit the double digits my interest grew in the language.  I remember there used to be this show on one of the channels called Nihongo Quick Lesson, and whenever the 'phrase of the day' or whatever popped up on the screen, I always tried to commit it to memory.  I always thought the Kanji symbols were so beautiful, probably because it was just so damn different.  Then I decided to self-teach the language when I got the chance a few years ago, and well, here I am, typing this as I have a Visual Novel paused in the background on PS3.     I'm a big fan of languages to begin with, but the Japanese one always, always stands out to me.  I want to learn it, I want to master it, so I can delve further into the culture of this country.  And when I finally go over there, it'll be a big deal for me, because I can finally jump into the culture I've always been admiring from miles and miles away.

 

Sorry for the essay, but I hope it at least lets you understand that not all Japanese lovers on this website or any other are fueled by anime.  I'll admit, I've seen plenty who try to boast their Japan knowledge through what they learned from anime (bad, bad idea...) or who use random Japanese words in sentences, which just personally makes me cringe.  But for some, it comes from a sentimental values, or for the likes of me, a personal lifelong attachment.  

[funboy1246]

i'm not going to go into any great length here. this thread just seems like a valed attempt to spread hate and contempt for a country and culture that you have never visited by making claims of their hate and contempt for anything foriegn.

[Demigod]

I'll be completely honest, I'm not a big anime buff perse, and I do like JRPG's more so than I like Western RPGS's, but the main reason I want to go to Japan for.. Well, its the woman one and only reason lol

Edit: then again that's the main reason why I want to visit other states, and countries lol is that wrong?

Edited December 5, 2014 by Demigod

[Happy]

Can't say for sure, never actually been there. I'll admit that most of my exposure to the culture has been through anime and video games and i by no means claim to have any deep understanding of japanese culture and history. That being said, where there is no understanding, there is a lot of curiosity. As westerners, we mostly learn of Japan as "that crazy place" due to the immense cultural gap and i want to learn more about the culture, see just how the japanese roll. Visiting Japan is pretty high up on my personal list of things i definetly plan to do in life and i don't want to talk about the culture as if i knew anything about it in the first place.

So yes, so far i just like it for the anime but i don't want to leave it at that.

Edited December 5, 2014 by HappyKastanie

[Cuiling]

I like anime and mangas, but not Japan in general.

[Redgrave]

I've asked myself this a couple times. While I do like anime and Samurai related things, I don't really know much about Japan's culture except what's mainly shown through TV and video games. I always got the impression that it wasn't so bad. A bit crowded, but not a bad place. Of course, I'm sure stuff there is just as bad as America or anywhere in Europe.

[1973456]

Do you actually love Japan? Or is it all Anime fuelled?

 

 

 

I'd love a world that's fueled by anime.

[Satoshi Ookami]

It's hard to NOT like Japan if you like anime.

[amebapiko]

A bit crowded

 

Yes, just like most places in big cities, but outside big cities it's not very crowded 

[DFailureK]

Even when I was into anime... which has been mostly phased out at this point... I never really "loved" Japan.  That being said, Japan is on my very short list of places I would like to visit someday, along with Germany (mostly to see family).  Tokyo seems like it has very colorful nightlife... and there are few things I want out of life more than to try an Ice Cucumber Pepsi.

 

[Capreb]

I'm not what I'd consider an anime fan (I do enjoy a few, though) nor would I say that I "love" Japan but I do think it is a very interesting place and culture and I'd love to spend a few weeks there. 

 

As for your racists comment, there are racists everywhere in the world. I really doubt Japan is any more racist than any other first world country, sometimes a vocal minority makes the silent majority look like idiots.  

 

 

Parker

Yeah every country has racist natives.. of course. 

But you can be rejected from a future employer based on the fact that you're not a native. 

There's Japanese only restaurants.. so it's really not on the same level. In the US all of that is completely illegal. 

[antithesis]

I don't particularly care for anime, manga or JPRGs, but I have been to Japan three times. Fucking awesome country. The best tech gadgets in the world, beautiful scenery, rich cultural heritage, spectacular food and the most polite, nice, calm and accommodating people I've ever met.

If I could live anywhere but Australia, Japan would be it.

Edited December 6, 2014 by ant1th3s1s

[Capreb]

Judge not lest ye judged I suppose.  I see that you're from Great Britain.  I could maybe understand your stance if you were Korean or Chinese but not British.

 

I'm speaking as an American (from the south) but all cultures have discrimination.  All you have to do is turn on the American news to see racial tensions.  Last time I checked the British weren't so keen on Muslim peoples living in their country. As Parker said everywhere in the world has problems.

 

Listen, I'm not trying to point fingers, but it's a bit harsh to judge Japan using that paramenter when you even go out of the way to state that "Japanese people aren't all like that."  In that sense you are being just as discriminatory as you are claiming them to be without ever setting foot in the country yourself.

 

You judge others for loving Japan because of anime but you are also basing your opinion on an outside assumption. 

For the record, I want to visit Japan one day because I appreciate Japanese culture, history, and food.

 

 

I'm not judging others.. I'm just asking a question, I've been watching documentaries and videos on Japan lately, hence why I asked the question. 

Yeah most British people don't have a problem with muslims.. they're 5% of the population and it's only really the far right that have a thing with muslims.. kinda like your Republicans. 

 

Difference is, in Japan it's legal to reject hiring you based on the fact that you're not Japanese. There's Japanese only restaurants and so on.. so it's not even the same thing. 

It's legal in Japan and completely illegal in the UK. We don't even have the freedom of speech in the UK so you can be arrested for saying racist things.

So yeah, not even remotely the same situation. 

 

When I say it's not all Japanese, I mean and know it's not all Japanese, I'm not judging. 

I don't like Japan just because of anime/manga, that's like saying i like the US because of Mc Donald's or the UK because of the british accent. Anime is one of the reasons, i love the culture there, the language (i need to learn it one day!), the food, nature! Japan looks so beautiful and relaxing, i'm definitely going there at some point.

 

There's also the exclusive things Japan gets, like early game releases (REmake HD comes to mind), early anime-stuff releases and some other things that are never, ever released outside of Japan.

 

As for the "discrimination" part, every single country has their share of racist bigots, Bucknerd posted my thoughts exactly, you're judging a country before even stepping a foot on it! 

 

Everything you said.. you like the look of it all, have you researched what your life would be like there though? What kind of employment you'd get there. What kind of place you would be able to afford with said employment? 

Sure it looks nice and relaxing but it might be the complete opposite when you have to work and live there. 

 

"you're judging a country before even stepping a foot on it!" Aren't you also doing exactly that? 

[Senbon Kaguya]

I've never been there (I plan to go there someday) but I love a lot of the things that come from there.  I had a teacher who went to Japan before and she said it was pretty great, hopefully I'd have an ok time when I go there myself.

 

And the Japanese language itself is pretty damn hard, I only know bits and pieces, I could probably barely form a full sentence but I really do enjoy the culture, the anime, the manga, the food, etc.

 

Its hard not to love Japan and Japanese things for me since I've been surrounded by them even when I was a little kid.