Are your views of Japan distorted?
 

Hi guys. May sound like an odd question, but since the majority of people interested in Japan have become so through Anime and Manga, I was wondering how many of you have a fantasy land of what Japan is in your head?

Let me divulge it a bit. From what I read, real life in Japan is not too different that that here in the west, but from what I see in Anime and Manga they live fairy tale lives.

For instance, there is always some form of black suit gangster in anime from Yakuza, shades, white shirt, black tie, nice watch, European cars etc etc, very distinguishable. But in modern Japan they have been outlawed from wearing business attire so they wear flashy unique stuff, you wouldn't be able to tell them from a normal person 99% the time now (and could lead to a lot of trouble for foolish travelers).

Another would be how naturally smart Japanese are. In Anime/Manga they are made out to be geniuses naturally, but in real life they have to study harder than any other nation in the world to get to thier level of intelligence. Through this intense studying many decide to crack under the pressure of getting good grades, not wanting to dissapoint thier parents/family and continuous study with massive build up of stress, then a lot of them suicide themself (I belive Japan has the worlds highest suicide rates, majority of the deaths are linked to the above). Alao a lot will consider suicide if they get bad grades or are even predicted to do bad. Not the fairy tale world I had pictured in my head at one time.

So my examples might not be the best but you get the idea of what I mean when your expecting something only because it was in an Anime/Manga and in real life it is totally the opposite.

Anyone wish to give further examples feel free to add.

I'm not a fan of anime or manga so my view of Japan was/is pretty spot on. I even met a few yakuza at the beach (there were quite a lot there actually) and they were nice guys. I think I understand what you mean, and I see it quite often on places like here and Japanese classes from the past. :o

Sweet, I would love to meet memebers one day. I have great respect for them ever since I read about the Earthquake in Kobei (is that correct spelling?), the Yakuza put boxes on street corners with food, clothing, blankets etc etc for the refugees all paid form thier own pockets. They done this mear hours after the quake hit and I belive they saved thousands through thier efforts in the aftermath. It is more than could be said for the government with the ultra slow response.

First off... I haven't been on JF in a long time and when I get back on I learn that a new person to JF has done what tons of other JF members do when they first start... But, mainly the ones that start topics like you are the ones who go and do so much research and other things and feel that they need to come on a Forum like this and share their information and hope that people look at them like they're extremely smart... When in fact you're not... You shouldn't really start threads like this as a new member to the Forum especially since this one starts as a question in the title asking if your views are distorted... WE didn't expect to look at the topic and see an explanation on what it's like... Please new members don't post this crap cause it gets annoying when you think you're really smart and you want to start with a very large post on something you know, start like the rest of us did... Goo goo ga ga... Baby steps man, build respect first, anyone else agree?

I see a long, rambling post by a lapsed regular using a new member's thread in an effort to both reassert perceived dominance and denigrate said new member. In doing so, looking both desperate and foolish.

Am I getting close?

I agree 100% (even though I'm kinda new myself).

I wasn't aware of any dress code among the yakuza, nor was I aware that the Japanese government could regulate what clothing people could wear. The last yaks I saw were a couple of young men in their twenties wearing suits and driving a very nice Ferrari.

As for the rest, it is somewhat true. There is a lot of pressure from parents for their children to succeed in school, and many people do collapse from it. But Japan's problem with suicide is more of a cultural thing. In Japan, there are no serious cultural or religious prohibitions to suicide, it's been a common act throughout Japanese history.

I'm not a fan of anime or manga, I just enjoy living in Japan. I like the culture, the food, the scenery, and the energy of the place. I enjoy history, and there is much history in Japan to study.

Anime, manga, and the "harajuku" culture are very superficial. They are mere fads and phases through which people in Japan (and increasingly, people in the west) pass. Real life can be more interesting to those who make the effort to live it, rather than imagine or imitate the lives of comic book characters.

Have you been to Japan yet, Saffy?

This subject has been brought up before... And, while it's logically reasonable to assume that Anime and Manga fans may be misled from the material they read and watch, some of them are intelligent enough to seperate fantasy from reality. One could even say that your generalization is somewhat distorted also.

There are some obvious misconceptions, but Japan is similar to what is expressed in Mangas and Animes to a certain extent* and in certain aspects, and, while they are human beings like you and me, their culture is still considerably different from Western culture.

* Just like shows and movies here in the West, there are some things that are accurately depicted and some that aren't. There are many different types of Animes and Mangas, some more relative to reality than others.

Take, for instance, the way foreigners are shown in general Japanese entertainment. Some of the stuff they make fun of us about are actually things we do... Of course, they may be exaggerated and possibly used out of context, but they are somewhat true nonetheless.

I think you guys are being a little harsh on the OP.

Keep in mind that most of the people here that have misconstrued ideas about Japan are also never actually going to go there.

Anime and manga were not popular or available in the US when I first went to Japan, so I didn't have a misconstrued opinion...i basically went knowing nothing so there was nothing to mistake.

I get nervous when people romanticize the yakuza. For every Robin Hood-like act you might hear about there are hundreds of things that will make you not so excited to meet one.

MMM is totally right....i've read a lot of threads that talk about japan and how it's different than the anime and manga we all probably read...but you wanna know something we all have our opinions about japan....if you've been to japan you'll see what you like and make your own judgement. I can't talk cuz i've never been there, but it's like anyone of us going to a foreign place...we make our own judgement if it's bad or good. Just depends where you go and when...right?:D

I also went to Japan not knowing much about it... So it was easy finding an appreciation for the culture as it was, plainly presented in front of me.

Life in reality is less graceful than life as portrayed in the movies... But, taking into consideration that most movies are based on aspects of reality, there has to exist some truth.

I don't feel I have a distorted view of the country. My interest in Japan started as young as six years old because of watching the Hiroshima video, "I wish" and being fascinated by the woman dancing with the fans, which I think was Odori style, only because she had on that Kabuki makeup. Don't know why, but I was completely mesmerized by the dance and highly interested in Asian cultures in general after that time.

Anywho, even though I've never been there, I know not to expect the country to be like an anime or manga setting and I know that the country, like any country, has its good points and bad points, I just haven't had the opportunity to see it for myself.

Yakuza are criminals. They are organized crime famolies. They are a huge part of slavery and illegal trafficing in slaves. All organized crime groups are ruthless. The hells angels started wearing suits and put out a corporate image. It's a false front. A ruse. The Yakuza putting out boxes for victims is nothing more than PR for a savoy group of thugs who understand the use of media and public relations.

They achieved thier objective: You think they're swell.


As MMM hinted at, if you recognize your ignorance about another country and keep an open mind you will not develop such distorted views. But it's the same everywhere. Some J-folk come to the U.S. and think it's like the movies until theyt get here.

I don't think I have a distorted view at all. I've been on here long enough and read enough to have a fairly good idea. A lot of people here are living in a Japan and have posted about their experiances, which I think is probably the most accurate picture that can be painted - actual experiance. I never once believed anime or manga was extremely popular there, it is more popular than here, but like you'd be seen as a geek for liking that stuff here, you'd be seen as an 'otaku' there. I never believed it was so popular, the same with the fashions, because of how unpopular they are here. I could never imagine that it would be different anywhere else. Turns out, it's pretty much right. There are some things I don't like about Japan, and some things I probably won't like when I visit. All in all I think I'm looking at it pretty realistically because that's how I look at most areas of life.

I have to say that I have never been a fan of manga and that my attraction to the country has never stemmed from that. I think it's a bit "distorted" to say that most people become interested in Japan through manga and anime. Perhaps people in this forum. . .but obviously we're dealing with a biased sample.

I became interested in Japan for a variety of reasons: religion, art, and nature just to name a few. I've been living in Japan some years now and am currently doing research in a small moutain village in Nagano. Manga nor anime have never been a part of it.

We need to be careful in our characterizations of Japan. . .it's not a homogenous country--not everyone has the same cultural or social traits. That's not to say we can't talk about "Japan", but I think such a complex country (as all countries are) deserves more nuance.

Anyway, that's my $.02. You can read about a different kind of Japan on my blog, where I write about my life in "inaka".

Giving you my 2¢ (as we Mac users say), I would like to echo the thoughts of MMM and Paul11. Don't romanticize the Yakuza. They're not nice guys. They're pricks who make their money shaking down honest shopkeepers, holding foreign women against their will to work in brothels and sharking loans that drive honest salarymen to suicide. They have far too much influence in Japanese society and need to be rooted out and crushed.

What type of research?

My views on Japan are not set in stone as although I'm studying the language and culture, I haven't been (yet).

Of course I have an idea on what it might be like based on what I've experienced and heard. But there's nothing wrong with that no?

Sounds like the workings of ahealthy brain. When your there it's almost overwhelming how different everything is. Everything down to the door-hinges.

I wonder where did you fat this? Are you so knowledgable about every nation that there is on this thing called planet Earth? Basically: All> Japanese. That's weird, isn't it?

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I don't believe there is.
As I explained in an earlier topic, similar to this one: Whether a person's visions of Japan are based on truth or not would best be discovered through personal experience -- and should be.

A person can begin to grow fond of Japan for "false" reasons, but what if they were to discover real reasons when they visited?
Again, people will have to find out for themselves... And that still requires them to visit.

In any case, you'd still be gaining the benefit of knowing the truth.

Since I haven't really lived there for 12 years (small trips don't count) I think my view of Japan would be a bit distorted - I would know certain things having been there, but only know superficially. Stuff like trends and mainstream thinking I don't really understand.

misconcieved or distorted veiw happen every where you dont wanna know how many foreigners ask me what kind of horse i ride because i live in texas.

My Japanese teacher actually asked one time if for my family's Easter dinner if we had Fried Chicken just because I was black. Misconceived notions will probably always be a problem to some extent, though.

lol
its just as bad as when ever i go to louisiana or mississippi,i tell people im from texas and there like"no your not your not wearing a cowboy hat or carrying a six-shooter"

I don't think the OP is giving us enough credit. I think most of us here are intelligent enough to know when anime and manga is stretching the truth. The topics on this site are enough to tell me that.

If I ever take a trip to Japan in the far future, the thing I would dread the most are the trains during the crowded times. I'm severely claustrophobic... eh.
Hopefully there will be an alternative : D

its not that fun, thats for sure...but Japanese people are not pushy nor are they rude. If you ever bump into someone, a simple 'sumimasen'/'gomennasai' will do..as apposed to america where someone will practically kill you if you bump into them.

there's not much alternatives unless you take a taxi everywhere which is very expensive.

Wow, that is one that I find surprising. I don`t know anyone in Japan who knows those sort of stereotypes - they seem to be limited to the US... Although I assume your teacher had probably lived in the US for a while (if not forever) and picked it up there.

In regards to the actual topic...

I DO think that a LOT of users on here have a very distorted view of Japan, but not in the way that the original poster implied. Those are "common" misconceptions, and are known well enough that someone who has never been to Japan (Like the OP I presume) can find countless bits of information about them.

It`s the other, more subtle things that seem to be muddled a lot more. It`s people`s beliefs about what they can accomplish in Japan, about the ease of hopping to another country to live, etc that are the real "distortions" obvious on this board. Another big glaring one (on this board) has to do with fashion, as the "Japanese fashion styles" so adored pretty much exist only in the minds of other foreign "fans". In real Japan, it`s dress up time in one or two TINY locations, and nothing near a way of life or accepted. It`s sort of like going to a costume party and making the assumption that everyone can get away with that in everyday life. In other words, so far from reality that it`s laughable.

There is an alternative - visit Japan and not Tokyo.
There is the whole rest of the country where the trains usually aren`t packed to the point of bursting.

exactly, and it's easily to side with the OP on this issue if you look at a lot of the threads/posts here. But, it's also easy to realize a lot of these posters are young and still very ambitious. I also wish to move to Japan to stay/live/work and I know it's going to be very HARD. A lot harder then the USA to work at a company. Much overtime work, lot more expectations and the like. Rightfully so, because if I'm not going to do it, I'm sure there's someone else in line behind me that can and will. These things are natural when entering the real world (not lolita-goth-anime-whatever world that people dream of) in Japan.

I'm also a fan of Japanese fashion, but like what you posted...not that Harajuku/Lolita/Goth/Maid stuff that is weekend fantasy wear. Real Japanese fashion is very nice, I love 'oshare' looks and different styles of hair (another thing they seem to think is everyone has their favorite J-Rocker/VisualKei haircut). The fact of the matter is, none of these styles would get the wearer a normal job at any normal company and is purely fantasy and only a minority when it comes to Japan and fashion. I don't mean to be negative on this issue, but it sometimes bothers me too...as we see a lot of it here.

I'm sure once they visit real Japan (outside of Tokyo) I'm sure they'd understand what we're talking about. :ywave:

Yeah, pretty much. She's originally from Nagoya, iirc. She married an American many years ago (her youngest is about my age, and living in Africa now, if I remember right) and moved here. Her husband is an Akido instructor, but, he's white. I guess she hasn't been around a lot of black people in the sense of cuisine, or, maybe because we're in Virginia, and it is known for "southern cuisine" and fried chicken being one of the main dishes eaten, and, on television, it's stereotyped that all we eat is "soul food" and I guess my being overweight furthered the misconception. See, for that lesson, we were learning names of foods, so I explained, as best as I could back then, that my family did not eat fried chicken (Kazoku wa FURAIDO CHIKIN o tabemasen deshita [I think I said then]). Anyway, I told her that my family had turkey for that meal, she actually looked surprised. I even mentioned something along the lines of how I didn't care much for fried chicken in general, and she looked surprised.

I feel the same way. Every time I mention Japan and my wanting to live there for a while or visit, people always mention Tokyo. I then surprise them by saying, "I actually don't have much interest in Tokyo. I'd never want to live in a place like Tokyo, but there are some places I wouldn't mind seeing there." I'd then name some places I wouldn't mind residing in, and most places I named were usually outside of big cities. One place I've mentioned, that is a bit random, is Ishikari, or a semi-rural area, and of course I get ":confused:" looks. ^^

You mean you don't?! Shock!! lol

Gotta hate stereotypes. I know I do. Another one I've gotten before is that just because I'm black, it's automatically assumed that I listen to rap/hip-hop. That's low on my list of genres of music that I'd voluntarily listen to. I'm not much of a fan at all. I prefer rock, techno, trance, jazz, etc., to it. I do like some of the older stuff. You know, the goofy stuff, like Will Smith, from back in the 80s or Run DMC, but the junk now is just...eww...imo.

You sound like me. I've been studying both the language and the culture due to my extreme interest in it. I just wish I would've had the opportunity to do so when I was younger, but I had no place to learn of it or its culture, aside from random books I'd read in the library (culture ones; self-learning Japanese I couldn't get it well). My middle and high schools didn't offer any Asian languages, technically, so in middle school, I went with the next best thing...Spanish language and culture, since I've had a strong interest in that forever as well. The high school had a Japanese class, but since I was already in Spanish, it was pointless to join it, especially since a short time later, they got rid of the class because not enough students were taking it. Also, the Internet wasn't as prominent back then either to find information lightning fast.

If I'd been born like, ten years later, and if the zoning hadn't changed, I'd have had the opportunity to study Japanese culture in school, like I originally wanted to, since Asian studies are offered there now.

I must be an odd one. I actually aspire that aspect, the overtime, trying to present a good image for your company, etc., but I'm used of working overtime without pay. My job at SunTrust I did it without complaining and at the middle school I worked at as an Assistant Teacher, I'd stay longer than I had to without the pay due to the irresponsibility of others. I think I'm just used to it or something, since I do do it without thinking much about it. Weird of me, probably...I'm not going to lie, I actually like some of those Loli styles. I like Kuro Lolita style, Gothic Lolita style, and Aristocrat Lolita style, but I also say this, if I can't bring myself to dress like any of these styles at home, then I wouldn't do it there either. lolI can't believe anyone would think this in general. Seriously! I have kind of a celtic/hippie type style to me. So I've been told, anyway. Last night, someone straight up told me that. "You have a celtic thing going on with the dragon earrings and dragon winged necklace with the dark jewel and small circle with the star in it, and the clothes go too [I was wearing a frilly black shirt (looks kind of like a corset) and dress pants]." I wouldn't dare dress in such a fashion for a job interview or in the workplace. It looks unprofessional. I think only really young people would assume otherwise, or those who have never really been out and worked anyplace with dress and hair codes. Seems that at places like fastfood restaurants and grocery stores, it's not as strict since you're given a uniform. I know working at SunTrust, we weren't allowed to wear our hair wild and such and we were to always dress appropriately, meaning no jeans (or jean skirts, much to my dismay) or revealing clothing, etc. Hair had to be neat and in place and appropriate, etc. It's foolish to think that a weekend hobby (Harajuku folks who dress up) would do so on a regular basis if they have regular jobs.

*Realizes I'm rambling and shuts up* ^^;;

I guess that's why I like living where I do. Most people here have great manners.

True... ha, but I know that if I was in Japan, I wouldn't care, because, for one, I'm in Japan : D

Erm... I think that you too have fallen into the sea of misconception too.

Most people in Japan do NOT work overtime without pay. It`s actually against the law at the moment, and quite a lot of efforts are being taken to reduce or eliminate it. The image of everyone in Japan doing massive amounts of overtime because they want to look good at the company is around 20 years out of date. :P
Overtime, yes, but not for free. Especially not now that the "Cool Biz / Warm Biz" movement is in full swing - because of the rising energy costs, a lot of companies try to get everyone out of the office ASAP to cut down on costs.

You can have distorted views in both directions.