Politics (international + domestic) aside, what does Japan have going for it, really?

I'm no economist, so I can't say too much in that area, but both the US and Japan have strong economies (japan is finally recovering from it's stalled econ, i hear), so neither nation has an edge.

Culturally, however, I'm leaning more on america's side, although it's close:

• America may have its hicks and such, but we also have bastions of liberalism, tolerance, and diversity (namely, large californian/east coast urban centers). Japan, from what I hear, is rather xenophobic, probably because of the homogeneity of their culture (hell, my Japanese friends say they get treated like shit when they go there because they don't speak Japanese very well and are "americanized" or whatever; this is just what I hear, though. my own experience in Japan is that the Japanese are rather courteous to us foreigners, if only to get out of our way as fast as possible.)

• Has Japan contributed anything substantial to the world of literature and art? I'd like to think so, but my searching thus far has brought me nada. I've seen a good movie or three come out of Japan, and I'm a fan of a few manga/anime series myself, but, heck, America was a breeding ground for modern art after the europeans had their go at it, and the literature (and literary criticism) we've put out isn't half bad, either.

• Philosophy wise, it's probably a tie. America has its american style pragmatism and (although not quite philosophy) the various cultural studies, schools of feminism, and cls/crt, and I'm sure Japan has something equally influential and sophisticated to its name as well.

So overall, this is what I'm seeing: Japan and America have various merits, and neither is clearly better. However, the Japanese (or people who wish they were japanese) seem to constantly feel the need to compare their nation's penis with the other.

My conclusion? Fap to japanese porn, drive german cars, drink mexican beer, and go to America's colleges.