What is attractive about Japanese culture to Weste

[gelaye]

Japanophile - someone who is obsessed with the culture and lifestyle of Japanese

what is so appealing about Japan that allows people to become obsessed with it? why not other countries? is it because it is a completely different alien culture that is at the same time completely westernised and therefore more accessible? or is it because of anime? lol

[Igu]

When I was kid, I used to be a fan of RPG (Zelda-like games, takes about 40 hours to finish the game), I also liked animes from japan, my plan that time was to migrate to japan and do some plastic sugery to my eyes

Now, I feel a real fascination towards the japanese culture: Budhism, Samurais, hara-kiris and their very feminine women

[CooCooCachoo]

I think the innovation is impressive. Not just technical, but cultural as well.

[Mike the Jedi]

I think the fact that their current culture is so bizarre and surreal to Western senses is why it's attractive to Western men.

[nockwasright]

I think many start with the anime, the Japanese trojan horse in the west, which give them the chance to realise that Japan has a really interesting, fashinating and different culture. I know people who started with the anime and ended up taking Japanese studies in university.

[murphee]

I like the food: nori rolls, udon noodles, miso soup, edaname (steamed salted whole soybeans), teriyaki, gari (pickled ginger), wasabi (horse radish condiment), etc.

[gelaye]

yeah ive heard similar stories before - even myself (im taking Geography with Japanese as a language at university, and i started liking japan through anime LOLL)

[Educate Me]

dont like their cartoons, like their videogames

[Requiem]

I don't know, why does anyone like anything? It should be noted, and I suppose it has been that the Japanese culture are also very attractive to anything American.

[asdf]

I hate it.

[captainusa1]

It's modern and peaceful. People aren't repressed by Calvinist or Catholic guilt. Everything seems very clean. However, I'll take "King Of The Hill" over Japanese anime any day of the week!

[manabovetime]

I admire the racial loyalty, the ability to perfectly copy technology (and often tweak it in wonderful ways), and the orderly mindset of the Japanese.

[Wadaad]

I dont take modern hi0tech Japanese culture seriously, since they discarded their ancient culture.

Japanese culture now is actually as Western as it can get...its asian slant (no pun intended) doesnt flow too well or as coolly as pre-modern Japan

[asdf]

wadaad said:

I dont take modern hi0tech Japanese culture seriously, since they discarded their ancient culture.

Japanese culture now is actually as Western as it can get...its asian slant (no pun intended) doesnt flow too well or as coolly as pre-modern Japan

Exactly, err, sort of. It's the Western pressures plus their pressures for perfection that turn me off from them..

It's modern and peaceful. People aren't repressed by Calvinist or Catholic guilt. Everything seems very clean. However, I'll take "King Of The Hill" over Japanese anime any day of the week!

Quite the opposite. Instead, you have a country where kids go to school so often and so long they don't even have homework, where the suicide rates are higher than almost everywhere. It seems stressful, mindless, and sad.

And despite all their effort and sense of duty and long hours, innovation is not only never achieved, it's not even the goal and is punished to an extent. What is to the goal then? To be a copying ant?

Also there's just something weird about the way they alter themselves cosmetically and non-Japanese faces they seem to mind subconsciencly .

Well, that's just the impression I get though.

[masri]

I absolutely hate anime. I think the preponderance of that kinda of stuff is what turned me off from Asian culture altogether, that and coming from a fairly Eurocentric family. Japan has no appeal to me, though I am interested in Buddhism.