IMO, they have a similar thing going on as the US does where one of their largest exports is culture.
The veneer is peeling on the American Empire, but Hollywood and American media giants (and credit card companies) still hold massive sway over much of the world’s cultures, and Japan holds similar power with the export of anime and manga, as they are often one of the few things people know Japan through (that, and stuff about feudal era Japan and samurai as the Japanese counterpart to the American cowboy).
PR is one of their biggest products, whether it’s through their media or the reputation of the quality of their consumer goods, etc.
Yeah when I travel people think the street are paved with gold in the US and Japanese animators are famously progressive in comparison to their culture. Also the obvious weeaboo / otaku love affair so many have with Japanese media. I would say their racism is on a different level. Things they do would be extremely illegal in the US or Europe but are condoned there. I kinda get some of it because their culture has so many unwritten rules and it’s difficult even for immigrants who have been there for years to properly know them all. If people in the US behaved the same there would be mass protests.
IMO, they have a similar thing going on as the US does where one of their largest exports is culture.
The veneer is peeling on the American Empire, but Hollywood and American media giants (and credit card companies) still hold massive sway over much of the world’s cultures, and Japan holds similar power with the export of anime and manga, as they are often one of the few things people know Japan through (that, and stuff about feudal era Japan and samurai as the Japanese counterpart to the American cowboy).
PR is one of their biggest products, whether it’s through their media or the reputation of the quality of their consumer goods, etc.
Yeah when I travel people think the street are paved with gold in the US and Japanese animators are famously progressive in comparison to their culture. Also the obvious weeaboo / otaku love affair so many have with Japanese media. I would say their racism is on a different level. Things they do would be extremely illegal in the US or Europe but are condoned there. I kinda get some of it because their culture has so many unwritten rules and it’s difficult even for immigrants who have been there for years to properly know them all. If people in the US behaved the same there would be mass protests.