some thing i don't get about Japan

[Carlosx2]

ok japan is a not that big and the people are pretty reserved over there as far i have found out from reading several topics about japan. How come that the streets are pact with all this advertising and not only on building but also in the tours. it is like the whole city is pack with an advertsing ribbon.

I am from the netherlands and here we are pretty out going. Most things go and you can do almost everything, i know many other countries look at us as crazy for letting every go (almost everything). But we do not put up all those ads and we don't do things with 100 at the same time.

hope i am a bit clear because i am still thinking about how to let this come accross.

I love the way japanese cities look and i intend to live there for quite some time.

 

[ArmandV]

The cities do look rather cluttered with ads. But, to me, that's what adds to the charm and color. At least you can't say the cities look drab.

 

[Carlosx2]

that is so true. but as i see it, it does not match with the reserved way of living. that is what facinates me

 

[Mike Cash]

In what way does it not match the way of living? Japan is a very consumerist society, and advertising is part and parcel of that.

 

[DmJapan]

I cant even describe my face the first time i layed my foot at Akihabara.....
All those big screens and ads and lights and.....Really impressing....

 

[Iron Chef]

Don't forget all the banners and flags outside almost every retailer, pachinko/slot parlor, Eikawa, vid store, etc.. If I were a homeless person, I would have no shortage of free material to work with. Not that I would advocate such a thing.

 

[MajideSaiaku]

the advertisements ad some colour to the urban misery of Tokyo.

 

[Mike Cash]

Don't forget all the banners and flags outside almost every retailer, pachinko/slot parlor, Eikawa, vid store, etc..

Somewhere in a box, I have tucked away a photo of a country road lined every 10 meters or so with ﾅ津ｰ窶凖翰??窶牢 (traffic safety)ﾂ banners. The way they lined up meant that from position slightly set back from the road and a couple of meters up in the air (like from the driver's seat of a truck, in other words) they formed a SOLID WALL OF FABRIC completely blocking the view of any truck trying to enter the road. All you could do was pray there was no car coming when you nosed out into the road.

 

[Elizabeth]

that is so true. but as i see it, it does not match with the reserved way of living. that is what facinates me

Shopping and money and fashion trends, anything dealing with your image in life, are taken extremely seriously. I don't see what that has to do with how rude or extroverted the people who do it are....

 

[yukio_michael]

ok japan is a not that big and the people are pretty reserved over there as far i have found out from reading several topics about japan.

I suppose they are outwardly reserved to foreigners, and strangers, but I never seen anyone all that reserved at mizu shoubai (hostess bar), karaoke, izakaya, summer matsuri, etc--- The Japanese are not always the meek an quiet people they are stereotyped to be.

How come that the streets are pact with all this advertising and not only on building but also in the tours. it is like the whole city is pack with an advertsing ribbon.

Japanese people, maybe especially moreso than others, like to buy things, and andvertisement is an impetus to that---

I am from the netherlands and here we are pretty out going. Most things go and you can do almost everything, i know many other countries look at us as crazy for letting every go (almost everything). But we do not put up all those ads and we don't do things with 100 at the same time.

I found the Netherlands to be amazing laid back if anything--- Are you trying to raise a type of moralistic comparison concerning the lack of public advertisement in the Netherlands? I hardly think its fair. I suppose legal prostitution and public drug consumption would take your mind off of ever having to purchase consumer goods.

I love the way japanese cities look and i intend to live there for quite some time.

You're not the first person who has intended to spend an inordinate amount of time in a country they've never even visited, and I suppose you wont be the last.

 

[Elizabeth]

that is so true. but as i see it, it does not match with the reserved way of living. that is what facinates me

I suppose what you may be driving towards is that Japanese that you've observed in large cities seem too outwardly modest to flaunt themselves commercially or show off their acquired wealth. But I think they see it as a way to bring everyone together and for everyone to look essentially the same -- so it isn't necessarily a competitive thing in a way you may be used to in Europe. Just being generally less extroverted and expressive doesn't reflect sociability or lacking concern with how a person is viewed by others.

 

[misa.j]

Interesting observation Carlos.

Those advertisement and signs might seem overdone and cluttered in pictures, but you will be surprised how many people actually notice or look at them when they walk by.
I work in a retail store and found out 80% of the customers don't see the signs or ads.

I think most of the ones hang on the side of buildings are meant to be seen from the trains as you can see how they get bigger and more aggressive near train stations.
There sure is everywhere you go, though. I used to get dizzy just by being surrounded by so many colors.

 

[Carlosx2]

thanks for the replies, gave me a new way to look at this. The reason i pointed this is out is and that maybe only the picture we get in the west. That they are people of harmony, reserved ect. I am sure that is an images we gave to it, so not fair generalize the japanese people. Still the advertising is creaming off the buildings wich i think is nice in a way. Even more then in New York where i come quite often and see it every were.

 

[gaijinalways]

Ceratainly the ads fit in with a consumerism outlook. As to whether people need to be a certain type to enjoy shopping, many people shop in the world, and they have all types of personalities.

 

[Kinsao]

I don't see the connection between 'reserved/outgoing' and the amount of advertising, but... well, adverts are just to try and persuade people to buy, aren't they? I don't know the reason why Japanese cities would have so much more big adverts than the Netherlands, though... maybe because there are more good surface areas to display adverts on, maybe people are more consumerist, maybe the Netherlands makes more use of other advertising methods... could be any number of reasons really. :? But I do think that when there are so many adverts it kind of defeats the object because they distract from each other. In fact, even ordinary on-street adverts like in the UK where I am now, really I don't actually 'see' them in any meaningful sense, they are just part of the landscape. I wonder how is the effectiveness measured. :?