Japanophiles - WARNING: Essay on the Real Japan

[Terramax]

But there is one question that I wish to ask: does Japan really have the best diet in the world?

I don't know if it's the best in the world, but it's gotta be close to the top. Their food is very healthy (besides all the Western places like McDonalds, Starbucks, etc). Their diet is the reason why the Japanese live so long (which is actually a major problem).

HOWEVER, their portions are way too small for most foreigners. Seriously, I'm always hungry in this country. A full meal for the average Japanese person is but half-a-meal for the rest of the world. In fact, it's a running gag of mine to finish a meal here and proclaim "well, that was a good starter. Now, where's the main course?"

 

[Relish in Chaos]

But there is one question that I wish to ask: does Japan really have the best diet in the world?

I don't know if it's the best in the world, but it's gotta be close to the top. Their food is very healthy (besides all the Western places like McDonalds, Starbucks, etc). Their diet is the reason why the Japanese live so long (which is actually a major problem).

HOWEVER, their portions are way too small for most foreigners. Seriously, I'm always hungry in this country. A full meal for the average Japanese person is but half-a-meal for the rest of the world. In fact, it's a running gag of mine to finish a meal here and proclaim "well, that was a good starter. Now, where's the main course?"

Yeah, I think I figured about that when I went to Yo! Sushi. I mean, yeah, it's a buffet, but I can't recall how many dishes I went through.

 

[Geo Da Sponge]

...But does anyone actually think that though? I mean, I know it's the weaboo stereotype that they think literally everything in Japan is amazing and keerr-aaaaaazy!, but have you ever actually heard someone say that? Well, anyone who wasn't blatantly a big bag of crazy in many respects of their life.

EDIT: Okay, on second thoughts maybe it's kind of naive of me to assume that no one would have a world view that's that simplistic and misinformed. It's just that I get a bit annoyed when I see accusations levelled at a vague group of people like this when I rarely see these stereotypes being accurate for real.

 

[Lovely Mixture]

Just post my two cents and response.

My own thoughts, I think it's inferrable people raised in Japan are just indoctrinated into their collectivist society. Just as people born Western countries are indoctrinated in individualist societies. For someone born in the US, who hates apologists, hates "sheeple" I think it's an awful society, filled with fake people who people putting in minimal effort into conversation, and are obsessed with rules and regulations.

I theorize that the reason their entertainment industry is so large is because they those who are displeased use entertainment to escape from that.

Does it mean it's bad? No, I just hated it.

For the time I stayed in Japan, the nicest people I met were German, British, and Burmese. Will I judge all Japanese people based on this experience? No, I'll judge them as I deal with them as individuals.

The idea that the Japanese are all strange and crazy, like on the TV shows

Only a bigot believes this, but ok.

They're stupid, narrow-minded, or are only interested in bizarre, Otaku-style culture

.......That's really the view people have? Most people these days are:

Asian -> High IQ and Hardworking

Otaku is still just a subculture, as large as it is.

They listen to J-pop, and nothing else

That's just silly. It'd be like Indians only listening to Bollywood music.

Ok, lets talk about Anime

Wait what? I thought we were talking about Japan, not anime and its fandom. Different topics.
But not that any of it is particularly untrue.

Japanophiles constantly type Japanese sentences in Romanji, usually on youtube videos

OK, this is not a fact, but more a vent.

Ok, is this about Japanophiles/Anime fans or Japan/Japanese people?

Maid Cafes and host/ hostess bars are everywhere, and they're acceptable

Never heard this stereotype. They're a city thing as you say.

Side note - Akihabara is a gamer's/ geeks' heaven? No, not really...

IMAGE

Imagine this X4 and that's the size of Akiba. That's it. Really.

No, it's not. I've been there a number of times now (I live a 30min train ride from there) and it's just not any of that.

Akihabara' world famous electronic district is nothing more than A SINGLE MAIN ROAD, with a couple of backstreets, dedicated to otaku culture like video games, anime, electronics, AKB48, and seedy hostess/ maid cafe culture.

Here's where I disagree. I went to Akihabara about six times when I was there and it is much larger than the single main road. It's pretty damn packed with stuff.

Is it the "geek's/gamer's heaven" ? well that really depends on your definition on "Heaven."

But the place is packed, and many of the stores have up to four floors of things.

And this is a SMALL road. You can walk from one end of Akiba' Otaku section to the other in just 15 minutes! Akiba is NOTHING.

That sounds like a pretty normal sized road to me (for Japan at least).

In terms of video games, there's more in Osaka than there is in Akiba. There are possibly more arcades in Kyoto than in Akiba.

Akihabara has never been just games, it's been a variety of things, and gaming isn't just limited to arcades.

Besides shopping, and laughing at some of the very liberally sex shops, and gazing at the maids trying to hook easily manipulated men, there's really isn't much else to do other than shopping, like you would in any other normal city.

Yeah.....that's what people do in Akihabara, they shop for figures and electronics.

The point of Akihabara is that it's so many of those shops in one place. Since it's in Tokyo, it's a big deal for them because they don't really have other options other than that and a few other districts that are close by.

You can't really find a comparable place in New York, there are places but they aren't as concentrated.

There aren't even many people wearing cosplay style outfits in Akiba. You'll see WAY MORE in Kyoto, where I lived for 6 months.

Depends on the time of day. But I've never heard of people going to Akihabara for that.

Japan is Male Dominated, and that women are still treated as inferior

Debateable, people still say shit about the U.S.
Look hard enough and you'll find it even if it doesn't ring true about the whole country.

 

[Colt47]

Usually when I think of Japan, I think of suit and tie and very reserved. It would be a good fit for some personalities, but there is a reason why they have karaoke bars and other after hour places to unwind at. They also tend to be very high on implication when communicating.

 

[Terramax]

Snip.

I do have a few more questions though. I enjoy some Anime, although I like Manga more. I am not obsessed with either Anime or Manga, nor am I a huge fan of J-Pop. Sure I listen to one or two songs, mainly that of Hikaru Utada, however I much prefer my Progressive Rock/Metal and Orchestra. However, the one thing I could be considered "obessessed" with is Video Games and general Computer Security.

That sounds a lot like me actually.

I here that Japan really isn't all that with Technology...Are Japanese really that far behind in the computer sectors as people say they are? I hear how they still use Fax machines and beepers and very few have smart phones or personal computers outside of a single one for the whole family.

The former is true. It's not a hugely technically advanced country. If you go to a major city like Tokyo, it may seem like it, but go to any city that isn't a major one, and it's about as technically advanced as any other country in the world. It's no less than others either. Just the same. Regarding fax machines, I'm sure some still use. Then again, we still use them in the UK too. Never seen anyone with a beeper. I doubt it. They're just as obsessed with mobile phones as everyone else is.

Is gaming looked down upon? As a fan, I don't want to offend or be offended just for liking Video Games in general. I got enough of that in Elementary school and by the damnable morons that tend to listen to everything Fox tells them.

Eh.... yes. Yes, I'd say it's true. But it's a bit complicated.

Basically, next to no-one plays video games after finishing high school, or maybe uni. It's not so much that it's looked down upon, but that the Japanese are expected to 'act grown up', and spend the majority of their time working their arses off until they almost drop.

I've spoken to a fair few Japanese people from all walks of life, and many have said that they don't play games because they 'don't have the time', however, comically, this is a something of a lie.

One person summed it up when they said that the Japanese were all 'closet-otakus'. That many secretly wish to play more games, and watch more anime, but are afraid to, in fear they'll be stigmatised in some way.

Funnily enough, there have been a few times when I've been in game stores, where I've seen men and women in business suits, browsing the game isles. The kinds of people you'd think would never play games. I wonder if they are the 'closet-otakus' my friend was talking about.

However, I say that the real evidence is on how prevalent handheld gaming is over here. Go on any train in Japan and I can almost guarantee you that you'll see at least one person playing either a 3DS or PSP, if not 4 or 5. I'm not just talking kids either. I'm talking men and women between the age of 20-40. I think this explains why handheld games are so popular here.

Think about it, all the Japanese say they have no time for video games. But if you take a 45 minute train to work, you have the time to play games AND do so without people you know seeing and consequently judging you.

How difficult is it to live in Japan during the heat waves? I here that it can get to around 120 in places like Tokyo during August with most buildings not having AC.

It's killing me. It's... bloody.... killing me. Most buildings I've been in have got ACs though. Quality ones too.

Does it get easier to understand Japanese? Currently I am studying Hiragana/Katakana and know nothing of general Kanji yet. I know some Japanese Phrases and how to pronounce words for the most part. However, trying to here someone fluent in Japanese speak becomes incredibly difficult. Even more so when I try to listen to the Japanese Audio for the few Anime that I do watch.

If you understand Katakana, that's a BIG help when getting around and shopping. A lot of signs and menus are in katakana, and because katakana is for foreign words, it's very easy to understand what the item is. Whenever people tell me they plan on spending some time living in Japan, the first thing I recommend they do is learn Katakana.

Yes, IMO opinion, understanding what the Japanese are saying is very difficult, because of the speed that they speak at. Unlike, say, the UK, where if we know someone is a foreigner, we will often speak slowly to help them, they do no such thing in Japan. You might be able to pinpoint the odd word, but understanding everything they say takes a lot of time, and it's something I've not yet mastered. Don't be afraid though, because you'd be amazed how much you can achieve by pointing at things and using body language. It's not difficult to get by every day life i.e. travel, shopping, without knowing the language.

How often do people generally bow? Like meeting random people or saying hello? Or is it mainly used for offices and business type dealings?

Not that often. This is another stereotype maybe I should hit on the head. It's usually only on very formal occasions i.e. business type dealings as you mentioned. People may very well bow the first time they meet one another, but it's nothing like the stereotypes you see in things like films.

 

[Amakusa]

thanks for the read, i found it informative