The Meaning of Japan

luka

Well-known member
The main Japan----The West conduits being Lost in Translation, anime, video games, porn. Have I forgotten anything important? Food and music to a lesser extent.
 

woops

is not like other people
i assume you mean "modern japan" cos otherwise there are wayyyyy more than that?!

and also: food to a great extent. wagamama

maybe takeshi kitano
 

woops

is not like other people
lost in translation is an american film, i don't think i understand the rules of this game
 

mrfaucet

The Ideas Train
The main Japan----The West conduits being Lost in Translation, anime, video games, porn. Have I forgotten anything important? Food and music to a lesser extent.

Pre-COVID so many people were coming to Japan on holiday and I wonder how that has changed perceptions (most tourists were Chinese and Korea, but the number of people from Europe and the US went up a lot too). If I had to guess, food would be a big area - actually going to an izakaya, having kaiseki ryori during your stay at an onsen/ryokan, etc. Things that are going to shift your understanding beyond sushi and ramen. I mean, there are people making sake in London now. I wouldn't be surprised if there's more out there than that.
 

version

Well-known member
The main Japan----The West conduits being Lost in Translation, anime, video games, porn. Have I forgotten anything important? Food and music to a lesser extent.
There was a lot of enthusiasm for "extreme cinema" and Asian horror in the 2000s.
 

version

Well-known member
Packaging, presentation, aesthetics
Obi fetishisation.

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muser

Well-known member
Dan ratings, levelling up in games. the very systematic approach to assessing your place in a hierarchy.
 

pattycakes_

Can turn naughty
They seem to be the all time heavyweight masters of eye-catching novelty. A deep psychological understanding of appeal through aesthetics, sound and semiotics. They have their own old traditions to draw from, plus the prettier side of American commerce which they obviously borrow from and look up to - but then take so much further. A drive to take things to the point of mastery, to full potential.
 
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