I'm Japanese.
I want to learn what you think of Japan.
Please tell me.
I think Japan is an interesting country with a rich history and culture, but also the society is very strict.
I think a lot of good things come from Japan and I am interested in learning the language.
Most of the Japanese people I have met have been funny and interesting.
I love Japan roughly, like an abusive husband!
I think Japan has found a balance between its traditional culture and western industralisum/consumerism. The result is a lifestyle that is unique to the country. However, the social pressures to perform well academically and commercially put a immense strain on the individual. From a outsiders view, it looks as if the Japanese are working them selves to death.
>the society is very strict.
but it's not bound by Christian values like the US, among others, where people try to ban abortion and homosexual people are beaten to death.
I admire Japan in how it is able to learn from everyone else's mistakes. Stay mostly isolationist and send out committees every once in a while, reinventing the society and government as needed to stay 'modern'. The same isolationism has resulted in what seems to be a xenophopic society in some regards though.
I am troubled by the revisionist history though (e.g. textbooks, failure to admit to war crimes). The ranking of society seems odd from the outside aswell along with the extreme avoidance of discomfort or confrontation with others.. Like >>5 I worry about the stress on students and workers.
I like the polytheistic, easy-going spiritual ideology that can be found often in Japan.
They could use a bit more socialism, though.
I love Japan's superior technology. I dislike the use of said technology to develop the strange, strange hentai you can find there.
>>10
I know what you mean. Hand-drawn is much better.
What's your image of Kawaii culture?
Everything I know about japanese festivals I learned from watching Bottle Fairies.
It's the Doll Festival today!
Enjoy summer! To it's fullest! In your swimsuits!
>>17
I think he meant, "hentai" is improper and doesn't make sense int he same context outside of America.
I love Japanese culture, especially Naruto!
Most of foreigners like Japan just because Anime/Manga... >>20 That's the evidence @__@
No, just this board... Nobody would like selfish egotistical racists people like the japanese. Oh yeah, their companies too.
>>21
20 was just joking. He most likely doesn't actually like Naruto.
Everyone loves Sarara. And Hororo. And Chiriri.
I was kinda creeped out when I visited the Sega Arcade (or whatever it's called). The place with several floors of arcade games. The scariest floor was the Idolm@ster floor where guys would crowd around an arcade console and (I guess) train their virtual little girls to become idols and get on the top 10 list.
>>7
thats really inaccurate,
the christian values you speak of only affect a certain group of people, america's big and so it depends on where you live. im guessing its the same in japan
i like japan
who doesnt
>>26
I don't find it too creepy. Then again, I've been using the internet for a long time
>>31-30
He is refering to cereal staying cruncy in milk, a good quality
Silk is a kind of soy milk
It was kinda witty, but I did not chortle
>>27
well, when a new president is sworn in, he puts his hand on Bible. Christianity unites the US!
I like Japan's technology and their work ethics, but I don't like how many of them are racist to other cultures.
There's a lot of Shinto ceremony in Japanese government, but Shinto isn't a dogmatic religion like Christianity. That's one of the reasons I will live in Japan.
I also like how Japanese are generally accepting of homosexuality, at least to the extent where gays aren't beaten to death in the backcountry. Even though the US will probably allow gay marriage before Japan, Japan as a whole seems more sympathetic. Just look at HAADO GEI's popularity, as compared to Will and Grace (ignore Brokeback, it's a movie not an ongoing thing).
Only thing I don't like is the closemindedness of most Japanese. Oh well.
>>There's a lot of Shinto ceremony in Japanese government
like what?
>>39
Will & Grace is not really an accurate representation of gay male culture. If it becomes (more) popular, I doubt anyone will become more accepting.
A question for the Japanese/those living in Japan: is the belief that homosexual relationships are similar to hetero ones - in that if one male had a sex change the relationship would be equivalent to a heterosexual one - still common? IIRC, that was the long-held social beilief that some of Mishima's works tried to do away with.
Bisexual was very popular in Japan.
i'm chinese but i say im japanese then i badmouth japan under several names on numerous forums :(
The President could be sworn in on a copy of Sports Illustrated. Its just that every president of the united states so far has been christian.
>>44
Whatever happened to the separation between religion and politics then?
>>44
Is there any realistic possibility that some non-christian politician will be elected as a president in the US in the forseeable future?
I don't think Japanese accept "real" homosexuality. "Fake" homosexuality like HardGay or Yaoi gain popularity to some extent, but it's not easy for real homosexual people to live in this society unless they have some unique talent. Generally Japanese isolate them, or ignore them at least.
>I don't think Japanese accept "real" homosexuality.
What excatly does it mean to accept "real" homosexuality? Legalize gay marriage? In the other news, Shinjuku 2-chome is crowded again tonight.
>>45
Usually we speak of the separation between "church and state," not religion and politics. Keeping religious organizations separate from the government doesn't mean keeping anyone with religious beliefs from being elected.
And I think the reason that American presidents have all been Christian is because the majority of Americans have always been Christian, especially in the past.
>not religion and politics
So where does the ban on abortion fit in this picture?
Japan is cool :)
currently learning Japanese myself (im Dutch though)
でもまだじょうずじゃありません ：）
By the way, are Americans watching World Baseball Classic?
In Japan, the audience rating records 50% yesterday...
I don't know anyone that watches baseball *ω* And I only heard of WBC because of The Colbert Report a few days ago.
I am Japanese. I have some question.
Not because of homosexual,
there are people who dont' want romance in Japan.
they are said as "Moh" or "Mo-Otoko"
After "Densya Otoko", the person who don't sexally attractive is in the spotlight.
ああ間違って書き込んじゃった。
アメリカでは結婚したりモテない人の価値観は、ゲイやレズと同じように認められているのかな？
というのが質問。
>>53
Americans don't really get into world championships. See also World Cup, Olympics, Formula 1, etc. Although the main cause that is because TV coverage for those kinds of events tends to be really really poor in America. Especially on the major networks.
>>56
私は日本語がちょっと出来ます。
>アメリカでは結婚したりモテない人の価値観は、ゲイやレズと同じように認められているのかな？
同じではありません。アメリカ人やカナダ人にとって、レズが「いい」と思っている。ゲイは「最低」と思っている。理由は：女の人たちが思い遣る、男の人がゲイの事がこわいです。それに、男の人もレズを見る事が好きですｗ。結婚はいほうこういです。
いい返事かも知りませんけど…私の下手な日本語ので、質問がよく分かりませんでした＾＾；他の日本語出来る人が来る時に待って下さいｗ
Someone else try to answer >>56 as well, as I don't know if I did so properly~
Please ignore it↑
This is stupid multi posthing in 2ch.
what would have happend to the UK if the romans didn't come!
i think japan's got the best looking toilets.. i think.
I've never been to japan but I would absolutely love to go. But I love japan and almost everything that comes out of it.
the cherry blossoms! ahhhhh.. pink.
anyone here?
okay! They keep asking What you think of Japan (Japanese). Why do they keep asking such a same thing?
>>68
To establish how many people here are Japanophiles
That would be most of you lot.
I think I am a lot more scared of Memphis and Jackson, TN than anywhere in Japan!
Because they're curious? Don't you ever wonder what foreigners think of your country?
Memphis is an odd place. Glad I don't live there.
I like it, I suppose. I'd visit if it wasn't so expensive.
Japan seems odd.
Japan seems fine to me. I want to go visit but I heard that Japan is expensive place to be.
I think it's a very cool place that's responsible for producing a lot of the world's most awesome things
JISAKU JIEN
I'll move to japan someday!
Japanese service people tend to actually be polite...I like that very much. Americans tend to be bitches.
I also like Japanese language, it is very beautiful.
It is more expensive there though, at least in my experience. And life seems to be more difficult if you stand out more from what is ordinary.
>>84 exactly but the last part:
>And life seems to be more difficult if you stand out more from what is ordinary.
huh?!?!?!? (O_O)
I think Japan is s mall country with way to much people living in it.
Ja skall skaffa mig en Japansk brud dock ;)
japan is a really cool place! i was in love with japan when i went for a holiday trip there. the food is oh-so-delicious, shopping was great, sight-seeing (especially mt. fuji) was beautiful and many many more stuff to talk about japan! all the comments about japan are all positive! i'd like to stay in japan someday. the guys there are so so cute and handsome! haha.
>>83
I'll move to japan someday too! c u there!! (♠___♠)
After the second world war, Japan has been forced to changed a lot by the U.S. occupation policy.
I was born after the war and was brainwashed by Japan Teachers' Union's biased education.
Therefore,I grew up with negative image of the people in prewar times.
But I gradually found it wrong to think that way while learning
Japanese history by myself.
I think they were more dignified than us in postwar times.
Because They were the emdodiment of samurai spirit.
If we have something we really are proud of,I think that's all.
But sadly to say,you can't find it anywhere any more in Japan.
>>92
I approve of this post completely.
Even the national identity of younger Japanese is at risk these
days... it's quite sad really.
hey,
I lived in osaka this summer for three months and loved it.
I'm a canadian internet video artist who makes quality original content for youtube- I even have a few videos I took in japan. Check out my channel, feel free to rate and comment (i love feedback) and enjoy!
www.youtube.com/jdrw5
http://www.debito.org/whattodoif.html#checkpoint
pretty harsh laws though
That's putting it lightly. If the part about conviction rates nearing 100% is true, then that's somewhat alarming.
The number of "huryo gaijin"s are increasing in Japan these day.
I'm very scared of them because it seems to be nothing for them
to kill people.
So I want the police to arrest and deport all of them immediately.
Japan is the place for the only people who love peace and humanity.
No more "huryo gaijin"!
No.
I mean ...those who commit crimes such as murder,burglar,robbery,etc.
It seems to be Korean common sense
Jesus Christ is a Korean
Tom Cruise is a Korean
Carl Lewis is a Korean
Michael Jordan is a Korean
Queen Elizabeth is a Korean
American ancestors are Koreans
A Korean forges it
>>101
I'm sorry, but this made me say "lol" out loud.
Stupid Koreans are always like this.
They insist that everything in the world is derived from Korea.
You'd better leave them alone, because they are mentally ill.
Right, and the people that deny that and try to claim that Korea hasn't had an effect on the development of the world are all perfectly sane and correct? Give me a break.
>>104
I don't deny that they've have a NEGATIVE effect on the development of the world.
I'm Japanese university student.
I'm studying about a difference of web design taste by nationality and eye color.
And I want to ask you to do this questionnaire for my graduate paper.
It will take just 30 seconds. If you have a little time,please help me!↓
I wish public schools in America emphasized physical health as much as they do in Japan.
>>108
Corporation: a business
Cooperation is the word you were looking for.
I took the survey, but please don't spam threads. I mean, it's sort of related, but not really. You probably could have made a new thread without anyone minding.
Black colored eyes are very beautiful. How do some people get so lucky to have them? If I could change the color of my eyes, black would be the color I would choose, but for now I can't do such a thing. I can only dream.
I suppose my want is what causes my unhappiness.
It is interesting survey. I would like to see the results when it is finished sometime.
Your remarks remind me of the proverb,which says "there is no
accounting for taste".
I'm Japanese and I have blacked colored eyes,but I've never thought that they are beautiful.
Have you ever seen the eyes of blonde girls ?
They are so beautiful like jewels.
>>112 Maybe because blue eyes are exotic to you, as black eyes are exotic to us.
I think Japan is quite far on the "contract society" path.
That's not a compliment.
I think it has a very extreme modern culture. I like that. ^^
Japan: The land where people mob others, mock them relentlessly for the slightest bit of failure to comply to the imaginary average. It's like an American high school that never grew up.
Japanese racism against Koreans makes me laugh.
>>118
U.S.: The land where people kill others, rob them relentlessy for the slightest bit of money they may have. It's like a country that never grew up.
If I could choose, I would probably choose Japan.
>>120 Canada is superior to the US, in my opinion. And I'm American. So there.
Japan is...interesting. I think I would consider living there, but I'd also consider Taiwan and South Korea as well.
>>120
But I'm from the US. My country is far from perfect, such as every other country, but at least I don't have it as bad as you two.
In my opinion, every country is great, and every country sucks. Every place in the world has good things and bad things about it. Anyone who wastes time saying that this country or that country sucks, and that theirs is the absolute best ever is an idiot. No matter which country you're bashing.
Personally, I'm from the US. It's not perfect, sure, but my life hasn't been half bad. I've never been oppressed, I have a house and food, and have been educated well. I don't see any reason to say that some country or another is better or worse than this one.
(In before someone says I'm just a stupid fat AmeriKKKan who has no idea what life is like outside his country)
Japan is superior.
Japan has a lot of things that I like, but it's also very strange.
yeah North Korea has some pretty sweet things going for it. it would be a blast to live there i bet
C'mon guys! Do you really think that all japanese love Samurai and cherry blossoms and drinkin' sake?? That's like saying all american love cowboy westerns, cherry pie and drinkin beer! How many of you absolutly hate country music? How many of you cannot stand to watch an entire game of baseball or watch an entire Nascar event?? Japanese are as multifaceted as we are! We are pointing out obvious unique things that we see as being different from our culture. (someone said toilets, that was feckin hilarious) Really, we're all the same, just raised different. (Catches breath, steps down from soap box) Sorry about the rant. Anyways, I like the Japanese that I have know because they have all been funny, compassionate, honest, friendly and loving individuals. Kaori, Mina, Ryo, Shion, Matt, and Chris...You've all left me with a great impression of your country. I hope one day to be able to speak to you with as much enthusiasm as you did to me, when you were learning my language!
This thread is mostly tl;dr, but I don't get what's up with segregating yourselves to such a degree while still borrowing a TON of stuff from western culture.
>>129
I don't see much of a conflict. They admire some parts of western culture but it's not like they want rednecks roaming their countryside or anything.
shithouse ;)
The thing is completely a different thing though generally said that the South Korean
and the Japanese look like well.
The South Korean has the feature that it is tall, and the foot is long.
The Japanese is short, and has the feature of a short foot.
The goodness of South Korean's style is praised when seeing from the Europe and
America people.
The South Korean straightens one's spine and walks by the good posture.
There are a lot of people of the stoop though the Japanese is often compared by
the monkey.
When the appearance that the Japanese walks is seen from a long distance, it is
seen the appearance that two monkeys are walking.
I remember seeing the appearance that a Japanese group walks in me in South Korea, and having mistaken for two monkeys to be walking momentarily.
The Japanese must correct the stoop.
True.
The South Korean is said that the Italian of it about the Orient.
It has aesthetics as a man like the Italian.
It forges gently to the woman, and naturally severely also to me.
It cares about time and the place, etc. , and if a beautiful woman is seen, and
the voice are multiplied and persuaded ..it is...
It is a passionate person that much.
South Korean's root is a nomadism horse riding race.
Meeting at this moment is always valued because it is not for life where it stays in
one place.
The South Korean always travels the world for the haven.
It sets up one's staff there if liked land is found and it lives.
And, there is a South Korea town all over the world.
The South Korean goes out to travel that leaves the footprint on all over the world,
there is a person who settles down, too and finds a new roof over one's head.
The South Korean like this is nomad ..character.. ..taking...
Because it is an island nation, the Japanese is the farming settling down race.
It keeps living at generations a place how many, the relation to the region
between kin is connected, and the house is defended.
It is an ethnicity quite different from the South Korean.
It is necessary to have recognition who is a quite different essentially race though the Japanese wants often to make to this quality when the South Korean and the Japanese are discussed.
Pretty cool place, went to nagoya, kyoto and Nara, and Hida prefecture when I visited last summer.
Much better than the UK T_T
>>135
The fact that he traveled to Japan makes him weeaboo?
Shut the fuck up.
i love naruto too. man, those things are delicious. -.- cant get em here though.
(naruto can also mean those little fish-flavored things you get floating in expensive bowls of ramen. or maybe they just felt expensive. everything felt expensive in japan... :) )
>>138
Narutos are a type of fish cake. They have them in those Nong Shim(?) Bowl Noodle, "Vegetal" type I think. 50 cents at Walmart! Though I prefer the Kimchi bowls which do not have fish cakes. I don't see what's great about fish cakes, really. They're a nice change of texture from the noodles, I guess.
I think its a really cool place, but I will not know for sure until I go there.
>>all
Do you have any friends living in Japan?
>>143 How do you get to have friendship with them?
habe you ever been in japan?
>>144
Online at first, then I visited.
Japanese is my major.
I'll study there for a year on an exchange course.
>>145
Lucky man. (If what you're saying is honest)
I've always laughed at how those packages say "Vegetal" on them. What the hell is "Vegetal"?!? Are Coreans too cheap to afford as spell checker?
My personal favorite though is the instant ramen that has kimchi packets included with it.
And now I'll shut up because I'm talking too much about food here.
I love your guy's tech but aside from that i guess i like the atmousphere most of all
Japan seems like a very civilized country and I'm eager to visit someday.
Japanese culture seems to be more accepting of very dominant/forceful activity from men, whereas here in America it is either looked down on or downright criminal. Pedophilia (ロリコン) also seems more accepted by mainstream society, or at least tolerated, whereas it will make someone an outcast here and it's something that most try to hide.
Japan has some of the World's lowest rates of violence towards children.
If you're thinking of lolicon culture, that's something else: fiction. If anything, there's a pretty strong argument in favor of lolicon-style pornography as beneficial to society, when you consider the amount of rape reported in Japan.
Also, your depiction of Japan makes it sound like it's men are a bunch of grunting, schovinistic wife-beaters.
Please be more specific.
> Japan has some of the World's lowest rates of violence towards children.
you're ignoring the possibility that violence towards children could be less likely to be reported in japan...
>>153
I understand that, but also, not just fiction... softcore child pornography for example
From wiki: "Japan was and still is one of the leading producers of softcore child pornography, which was outlawed there only in 1999, after much international pressure; enforcement remains somewhat sporadic."
I guess it depends on your definition of child abuse...
Japanese women seem very eager to marry western men because they say Japanese men are pigs.
http://www.nationmaster.com/red/country/ja-japan/cri-crime&all=1
http://www.nationmaster.com/red/country/us-united-states/cri-crime&all=1
From 1998 - 2000:
Rapes in Japan: 2,260
Rapes in USA: 89,110
Even when you factor in population differences, the United States' rates are still over four times greater than Japan's.
>>156
Of course you have to consider what constitutes a rape in both countries, for example, do the US statistics include statutory rape? Besides that, many women here are very apt to yell "RAPE!" when they feel unwelcome sexual advances, whereas in other parts of the world cough*Japan*cough they are a part of daily life. Also, the US encourages rape victims to report the crime, and rapists are looked on very harshly. Women are almost too ready to call something rape. Perhaps in Japan, women can't really be sure if they've been raped, or are ashamed to report it, or just don't see the sense in bothering.
That all being said, I suppose the US must have more rapes than Japan, even factoring in those things. I was referring more to the perversion of the sexual culture there, rather than the actual number of sex crimes committed per year. Scat giantess hentai (obviously an exaggerated example) isn't violence or an offense, however it is, by societal standards, very perverse.
If you have japanese friends,the country is amazing place for you.If not,you will better to enjoy only by Manga.
>>153
Lolicon porn isn't just "drawn porn" in Japan, for your information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolicon#Lolicon_in_Japan
"Generally, it is a term used to describe an attraction to any girl beneath the age of consent, both perceived and actual pedophilia and ephebophilia."
Just visit any 2ch board, lolicon/"loli" <- overabbreviated
is used the same way pedo is on western boards.
I really don't think the low crime-rate has to do with any of the porn. It's a result of the culture itself. Instead of massive criminal activities, they have large amounts of shut-ins. I'm not going to argue this is better or worse, but I do think that you can't put a cause and effect relationship between the porn stats and the crime stats.
>>156
fake. fucking feminists. you made the fucking rape level go up, artificially. now you want to get japan to do the same. sadly, you are winning.
sighs
Rape cases reported in these statistics are police reports. They usually encompass other forms of physical assault and/or murder. They don't only include forms of domestic violence and 'date rape' and many such instances are not reported.
These are serious crimes, and here you're accusing feminists of waging some 'war against men'???
WTF?
These also include male victims, young and old.
Go dunk your head in water.
>>165
Wikipedia is run by a tranny cabal. It's a fact.
http://news-info.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/6664.html
This is one of the things we think about japan.
Japanese-American Internment Camps
http://www.bookmice.net/darkchilde/japan/camp.html