Anth230: Anthropology of East Asia

I agree, just looking at the children's books and the images of Santa Claus, not exactly a traditionally Japanese image, it is clear that american culture has has an effect... however considering the market for japanese technology, and the influence through games. I think it is inherent with globalization and internet that some of this cultural exchange goes both ways.

It is not really that surprising that Japan has been "americanized." Look at so many different countries around the world and you will see the same thing. Clearly the US is the world leader in so many ways. All the american movies, music, and so many other forms of entertainment are being absorbed by the entire world. The US has been fighting most of the wars in the past five decades even though nobody has actually been in war with the US. Not Korea, not Vietnam, not Serbia, not even Iraq have invaded or bombed the US. The american stock market structure has been exemplary and the american standard of business relationships and management have become the goal for many foreign countries and business people. It is quite clear that in the modern world most countries with ambitions of prospering and developing should follow the leader and even compete with him. It is this ambition that in many cases makes the new generations neglect their own background and traditions and strive to conformity with the american culture. As some people have recognized such tendencies in Japan, I have witnessed this whole process in my own country and in a very strong way I am a representative of one such generation.

But you also have to remember that there are two sides to this. How many American cartoons and video games these days are Japanese and if you go to a store how many shirts will you see that have Japanese? Besides that the Japanese do still have their rock gardens and Buddhist temples etc. Regardless of how many "American" attributes that Japan takes on it will never become an exact duplicate of the United States because it always picks up something of Japan culture in the crossover. How many restaurants did you go to that served salads for breakfast or served squid on pizza? How many restaurants in America do that? Admittedly Japan is quite good at picking and choosing things from other cultures and integrating them into their own, but so far that hasn't prevented it from staying it's own unique country.

I agree with Letisha. Certainly there is ample evidence to say that American culture has impacted Japan, but I think we are all a little guilty of Orientalism and this is a perfect example. We, like much of the world, have been programmed to think that the West, and specifically America, is the way society should be. And like Letisha, I think there are plenty of examples of Japanese influence on American culture.