Are your views of Japan distorted?

[Saffy85]

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.

[kenmei]

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.

[Saffy85]

Originally Posted by kenmei

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.

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.

[MazarDantechildofdevil]

Originally Posted by Saffy85

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.

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?

[Koir]

Originally Posted by MazarDantechildofdevil

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?

[Henbaka]

Originally Posted by MazarDantechildofdevil

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

[Sangetsu]

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.

[Jaydelart]

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.

[MMM]

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.

[mangapunkrocker]

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?