This is more about the general perception of Asians by my peers (other youngish people from Kansas and Missouri) than it is about Japan, or Korea.
Americans seem obsessed with Japan. Well, Internet Americans, mostly younger people. Hypothetically, 14-27 year olds. The obsession isn’t a real fascination; the kind where you research all you can about everything concerning the topic. It’s more of an infatuation based on the face presented to us. Japan exports their pop culture, we consume it. It goes both ways, for sure. Anime is usually the starting point for many people like me. It’s violent, has bright colors and women with big eyes. What more could you want? It seems to be the modern popular Icon on Japan’s culture. Never mind that a lot of the actual animating is done in Korea.
Music is another import. I’ve been guilty of this one myself. However, most Jpop is, well…pop. It seems to mostly be loose copies of American pop music. I don’t really listen to American Pop, so Japanese Pop isn’t any better. There is definitely some good Japanese music, but it isn’t really part of the pop culture presentation.
Food is one of the exceptions to the Japanese obsession. Aside from Ramen (sic), Chinese food is the designated Asian food. (As an aside, I find the term Asian food to be worthless. If you’re going to use the entire continent to describe something, then you have to include Russia, India, Pakistan and a whole host of other non-oriental countries.) Japanese food seems to occupy the upper level of the Oriental Food market, with its expensive steak houses, while Chinese is the lower end with big buffets and take out. Thai is some where in the middle, as far as price goes. Vietnamese and Korean get pushed out and end up scattered sparsely at the top and bottom of the spectrum, but are hardly as popular as the big three. And I don’t think I’ve seen a restaurant that serves Filipino, Indonesian or Malaysian specifically.
Japanese games are popular in America. Especially on consoles. Especially on Japanese consoles, which are mostly composed of parts made in South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Not that the parts matter. What does matter is the games. Many tend to be so cliche that big lists have been devoted to detailing over used premises in Japanese RPGs. A few of the imports tend to be truly unique, but for the most part, they are as much or more cookie cutter than Western games. And many of the games are dumbed down in content when they are brought to America, making the situation worse. To add to it, people don’t differentiate things “Oriental” and things “Japanese”. I play a Korean MMO (which can be just as guilty of cookie cutter design, don’t get me wrong). In it, the American community obsesses about Anime, Japan and things they think are Japanese. I don’t think I’ve heard more than a handful of comments concerning actual Korean Society.
Korean pop culture seems to have a harder time in America. Probably, this is due in part to lack of translations. Which is a catch 22 because people online do fan-subs based on popularity, and something can’t easily become popular without being translated. This is mostly true for China, too. Aside from Kung-fu movies.
Religion is another thing. People seem to know very little about Japanese Shinto, but they are quick to group it with Buddhism in ideological arguments. In fact, there is an unspecified “Eastern” Religion, which seems to encompass everything good and nothing bad, that can only be used to argue against “Western” Religion, which has everything bad. Religious debates aside, the Philippines are 85% Roman Catholic by some counts. South Korea has between 15 and 50% Christianity, depending on who is doing the counting. Islam is spreading rapidly through Asia. Never mind Russia or India. The idea that Asia has a unified religious outlook is simply bizarre. The only thing that could pass for a unified Eastern Religion would be Confucianism, which most don’t consider a religion. And the Caste system that comes with it is something that most Americans abhor. Yet many of the same people will stress the unquestioned superiority of Asia in all things spiritual.
And then there are ninjas and samurai. And Katanas. If anything defined certain parts of male centered online America, it would be these. Anime is probably to blame here, too. Things are thrown around about these groups with almost no context or background. Ninjas weren’t bad, Samurai were. The Katana is the best sword ever. Ninjitsu lets you do X. Y flashy martial arts style is the best. Entirely subjective or simply incorrect assertations of superiority are parroted by American fans with zeal.
And maybe the most annoying part is historical. The atomic bomb drops are a crime against humanity (see Grave of the Fireflies), but not Pearl Harbor. Or Manchuria, or the occupation of Korea, or Malaysia, or Indonesia, or Thailand. To be honest, most of the assorted Asians I know don’t think too highly of the Japanese. Not that their opinions should define ours. But Japan has been quite unjust and expansionist in history, just like the much maligned England and America.
The point may be that we aren’t really that much different from Japan, and that is why we love their culture, to a degree. They may be just similar enough to relate to, but still exotic. I can live with that. What I can’t live with is the blindness. American self hatred is in vogue right now on college campuses, but these people must realize that there is no golden culture. Buddhism can lead to a huge jump in prostitution. Caste systems mean that you’re stuck at the level you’re born at. Many cultures authorize and reinforce misogyny, force state service, decry interbreeding and declare themselves master races.
This post doesn’t mean I hate the Japanese. I don’t. I’d like to visit. I think it’s easier to pronounce Japanese words than Korean, which makes my Korean friends gaze at me like I’m stupid. I watched anime. I like Yuki Kajiura’s music. I have had Japanese friends. It isn’t about Japan as much as it is modern America’s blind adoration of the country, and the ignorance of so many other countries. I can be guilty of this, too. I don’t even know where Cambodia is, and right after my parents got a Foreign Exchange Student from Thailand, I made the mistake of saying I thought Thailand was near Siam.
I guess I was sort of right…in a way.
