What I think of Japan, and several issues I'm very puzzled about Japan

Went to Japan for 2 weeks! It was very good in general. I enjoyed the foods and the sights the most, the hotels the least.
What I find positive about Japan
I think Japanese are the most civilized people on earth. I've been to many places around the world, but no country comes close to Japan in terms of civility. They are so polite and extremely respectful, bowing to customers all the time ^o^
Moreover, I find them to be very patient (had to tolerate being pushed and stuck in trains without complaining >.<), hardworking (go to work sooo early and come home sooo late) Lastly, almost all places are very tidy and clean despite being so tiny.
It requires a lot of courage to live in a country so prone to natural disasters. Yet people are living in great harmony and remain hard working, even if everything could be destroyed by a random earthquake I find this to be truly admirable!
However there are also many not so positive things about Japan...
I find them to be arrogant and racist. I went to Japan with a bunch of friends from NA, and one of them was a black and one was Latino. It was easy to see that Japanese were much less friendly to them than to the Caucasians (even if they are colored themselves!), and they showed much more enthusiasm to western people/culture than others.
Another thing I was shocked to see was their teen culture. I know that Japanese manga and anime is really popular, even here. But I never really watched anything. One of my friend told me that there is a specific manga sub-genre called hantai, it's all about raping girls (including little girls) and other kind of disgusting things. I didn't believe him, so he brought me to few places that had manga porns and hantai merchandises...Apparently it's legal to watch movies that depict underage girls being raped by tentacles and pigmen, or play games that involve virtual raping in Japan...and they are popular among Japanese teens...
Last thing I find really repulsive about Japanese is their lack of remorse for their war crimes. This is less of a personal experience than things I've learned at university, but having been to Japan reinforced this view. Japan still have apologized, and doesn't even acknowledge, many of the atrocities it committed during WW2, whereas my cousin's family is still receiving indemnity from German government because his grandfather worked as a slave labor in a camp. This makes me feel really bad for the people with family members who suffered atrocious death under the Imperial Japanese Army. How could such a civilized nation so blatantly deny these historical facts? This shows that Japan doesn't feel any remorse whatsoever for its actions. Adding insults to injury, while we were at Chiyoda, we passed by the Yasakuni Shrine, which is akin to a Nazi memorial hall in Berlin...
All in all, the trip was rather fun, but the aforementioned elements really put a stain on an otherwise amazing nation. I hope someone who've stayed long enough in Japan, or even better, a Japanese, can make sense of these issues/explain them to me.
cheers!

Simon93 said:

Went to Japan for 2 weeks! It was very good in general. I enjoyed the foods and the sights the most, the hotels the least.
What I find positive about Japan...

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Your positive findings are pretty common ones. Nice to see, although the politeness can be irritating at times when you discover that sometimes it is just a cultural front to avoid direct confrontation. Anyway, no arguments here.

However there are also many not so positive things about Japan...

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This is something to be said about every country, I hope you realize. Except Canada, of course, where everything is so nice.

I find them to be arrogant and racist. I went to Japan with a bunch of friends from NA, and one of them was a black and one was Latino. It was easy to see that Japanese were much less friendly to them than to the Caucasians (even if they are colored themselves!), and they showed much more enthusiasm to western people/culture than others

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How can they be polite and yet arrogant and racist? You really have not described much here, and if you choose to expand on it, please give enough details so we can judge both sides. I say this because I've traveled with plenty of people of mixed colors/races and never really seen outright racist actions (and that's not to say they don't exist, but by and large you won't see it overtly). Just to say "less friendly" doesn't equate to racist and arrogant, if you see what I mean.

Another thing I was shocked to see was their teen culture.

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How sweet and innocent is the teen and porn culture in Montreal? Yeah, Japan has their openness with the manga, so it can be shocking if you weren't prepared for it, but it's not like it's in your face all the time. Easily avoided.

Last thing I find really repulsive about Japanese

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The tone of your post has really gotten harsh at this point. I'm beginning to wonder where this is going...

is their lack of remorse for their war crimes.

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Hmm, you had to travel here on vacation to discover that? Strange. Please realize that this is something at the political administrative/executive level, not necessarily what citizens feel.

This is less of a personal experience than things I've learned at university, but having been to Japan reinforced this view.

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Really? I'd like to know what you saw and experienced on a sightseeing trip that "reinforced" that. This is perhaps the most surprising statement you've made so far. (And, don't quote the mere existence of Yasukuni. Not enough. Plus, if you knew about it in advance, why didn't you avoid it and have fun doing the many scores of other things? Just curious.)

I can only really speak about one thing here, having never been to Japan.

One of my friend told me that there is a specific manga sub-genre called hantai, it's all about raping girls (including little girls) and other kind of disgusting things.

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It's not about that at all. Your friend is exagerating. Seriously. A lot. Or not correctly informed. It's not as bad or as disgusting as you think. And neither is it meant to be. Some like that exist, yes, but everything exists when there are no limits to what you can create. Everywhere. Though I can say Japan does seem to have a unique "little girl" mindset (There's a lot more to that though, but it's mostly unrelated to this "hantai" you speak of).

I didn't believe him, so he brought me to few places that had manga porns and hantai merchandises...Apparently it's legal to watch movies that depict underage girls being raped by tentacles and pigmen, or play games that involve virtual raping in Japan...and they are popular among Japanese teens...

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Well for a start, it's not like it's depicted happening to actual people. Not real OR realistic. What stops it being illegal is probably that. it's just without the limitation of being real, people are free to create what they want virtually. And there are a lot of different types of people to think of whatever they want. And again, stuff like that is the minority. Finally, you sound like you think that it's like a natural trend among Japanese to play games and watch stuff like that... It's definitely not. Yes, there are some games in which you can do as described (not just Japan!) but it's not like they can just buy these things and play or watch it casually just like that. Usually there are sections which are for people 18 or over, like how most countries handle the explicit stuff. So not really teens I guess.

Everything regarding this subject is not as immoral as you think. Don't let it bother you, the "immoral" stuff is a minority and yes can be easily avoided.

That's my outside view anyway. For what it's worth.

Thanks for the replies guys!
Glenski, your remarks are fair and just. I guess I must confess something. In fact, before going to Japan, I held a very negative view of the country (despite never having been there). This negative feeling emerged mostly from my years of historical/political studies (things I've described before). But I guess it isn't fair to blame common Japanese people for not acknowledging the crimes since they were not educated in a historically conscious manner by their government.
About the racist part, I've also held prejudice before going there. (I guess I was unlucky to meet a bunch of people who didn't like Japan >.<). A Korean friend told me that Japanese adore everyone from Western countries because they consider whites to be the only ones better than them, and everyone else as inferior. He told me that if you go to Japan as a non-white, without knowing Japanese, you will basically be disdained everywhere you go. When I said that Japanese were polite, they were to most of us. But I don't know if that was due to our skin color or genuine friendliness. However it's true that I didn't encounter any overt, blatant discrimination against any member of the group, including the non-Caucasians. But I did feel that they were given much less attention/care than they deserved. (Or did I overreacted because of the prejudice I held? Idk...).
Lastly, about the porns, I would say it is completely different culture in NA than in Japan. Yeah I don't deny that people watch porns here, but it is in a more "standard" form (I know I shouldn't label our form as THE norm, but that's what I see everywhere. And c'mon! Drawing porn? seriously?). Just casual ppl making out. No rape/torture/anything weird like that (although, once again, just from my pov...). I still can't really understand this whole hantai thing but I guess I don't really have to bother with it anymore...

BTW loved your remark about Canada being perfect! It is indeed <3

Oh, forgot to ask in the last post. I suppose you guys have been there for quite some time, mind telling me more about what the common Japanese people feel about the War? Like do they feel sorry for attacking Pearl Harbor? Their war crimes, etc (the extent that they are aware of, at least). To be honest, now I'm having a very ambiguous feeling towards them. They seem to be very nice people, but i always wondered if there is something more treacherous hiding behind their polite bowing...
I always fear that Japan would attack us again, when they regain their ability, despite the fact we've helped them so much post-war. Many things just tell me that they still don't feel sorry for WW2.

Simon,
I've been living in Japan since 1998, but I also spent time in 1985 and 1995. Just so you know part of where I'm coming from.

The average person on the street probably has no real feelings either way about "the War". (I put that in quotes because there are lots of wars, especially those the U.S. has been involved in.) It is not taught in a lot of detail in HS, as you probably know. Only the very old people (including politicians and their kin, who often get into office, too) would have any strong feelings, as far as I know, but how about asking some Americans or Canadians the same question? You might get a blank confused look at first, followed by "What are you asking about that old thing for?"

Your Korean friend may also be a source of information that you hadn't counted on. Koreans hold a lot of prejudice themselves, especially considering themselves to be fairly highly rated on the evolutionary scale. I wouldn't necessarily trust just one individual's remarks, either.

Sounds like you came with subconscious guns a'blazing and full of preconceived political/social notions. No surprise that you reacted like you did. If you go somewhere thinking you will see prejudice, racism, or whatever, that sort of tunnel vision forces you to see precisely that instead of the bigger picture. I hope this discussion has helped dispel those feelings.

BTW, I know a few black Americans here. They are NOT treated as your friend suggested. Far from it. "Disdained", indeed. What a pile of cr@p.

Simon93 said:

But I guess it isn't fair to blame common Japanese people for not acknowledging the crimes since they were not educated in a historically conscious manner by their government.

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Do Canadians care whatsoever about native issues? Canada was built on the blood of the natives, on unfair treaties, etc etc. And we don't deal with it on a daily basis. When the occasional native protest flares up, some of the more liberal white majority pay lip service, but most Canadians live in ignorant bliss about the country's history. Canadians certainly don't have to learn about it in school. When I was in high school (1990-1994), we only had to learn about WWI. I understand the complaints about Japan's history education, but I don't see it as much worse than Canada. Real in depth history is optional, and happens in university. Don't get me started on America's version of history...

About the racist part, I've also held prejudice before going there. (I guess I was unlucky to meet a bunch of people who didn't like Japan >.<). A Korean friend told me that Japanese adore everyone from Western countries because they consider whites to be the only ones better than them, and everyone else as inferior. He told me that if you go to Japan as a non-white, without knowing Japanese, you will basically be disdained everywhere you go. When I said that Japanese were polite, they were to most of us. But I don't know if that was due to our skin color or genuine friendliness. However it's true that I didn't encounter any overt, blatant discrimination against any member of the group, including the non-Caucasians. But I did feel that they were given much less attention/care than they deserved. (Or did I overreacted because of the prejudice I held? Idk...).

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Koreans and Japanese have a pretty awkward history, even when they like the other's culture. Anyway, I've never seen non-whites treated worse. In general, all foreigners are treated as a novelty. I can imagine non-Japanese Asians as treated a little different, since there is direct history, and currently countries like China and S.Korea hold regular protests against Japan. But it wouldn't be any worse than an American in the world was feeling during the height of the Iraq war, where they felt they had to denounce their country before starting a conversation with another foreigner.

Japan loves Korean culture overall, judging by the popularity of Korean dramas and boy-bands here. China, not so much.

On a regular basis, I see non-white foreigners hanging out with Japanese, laughing and smiling. I'm not part of their conversation so maybe there's more to it I'm not getting, but it seems pleasant enough.

Ultimately, if you are a likeable, friendly person in your home country, you'll do fine in Japan. The people are no more racist than Canada. Probably they are less, or their racism is more innocent and innocuous (I'm permanently tired of being congratulated on my chopstick usage, which is very bland racism).

Lastly, about the porns, I would say it is completely different culture in NA than in Japan. Yeah I don't deny that people watch porns here, but it is in a more "standard" form (I know I shouldn't label our form as THE norm, but that's what I see everywhere. And c'mon! Drawing porn? seriously?). Just casual ppl making out. No rape/torture/anything weird like that (although, once again, just from my pov...). I still can't really understand this whole hantai thing but I guess I don't really have to bother with it anymore...

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If you target the fringe porn in any country, you can make really bizarre assumptions about the population. America is home to scat porn (don't google it if you've never heard of it). It's disgusting. Do I hold America responsible for it? Of course not. America has lots of rape-porn too. Japan has some cute-porn. I find it pretty unerotic, and occasionally repulsive, but it has to be taken as something there is a market for, not representative of the culture. America is a leading ****-ring manufacturer, what does that tell you about Connecticut?

BTW loved your remark about Canada being perfect! It is indeed <3

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Yeah, not so much. In my 30 years there, I had a few complaints....

I hope you keep traveling!

Lastly, about the porns, I would say it is completely different culture in NA than in Japan. Yeah I don't deny that people watch porns here, but it is in a more "standard" form (I know I shouldn't label our form as THE norm, but that's what I see everywhere. And c'mon! Drawing porn? seriously?).

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Yeah, it doesn't exist anywhere else. But people from NA or anywhere could have the same perference for it. They do also obviously have the "standard" form as well you know. Nothing is normal if you really think about it though. You think "drawing" it is strange. I suppose that is fair, if you have that opinion. But hey, to them (probably not all) and many other people around the world can look at it and say it's fine. This is why there is no real "normal".

Just casual ppl making out. No rape/torture/anything weird like that (although, once again, just from my pov...). I still can't really understand this whole hantai thing but I guess I don't really have to bother with it anymore...

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Umm...Yeah. the "standard" form in any other country has such things too, you know. "Strange, disturbing things." So it's not just Japan...It's only the minority anyway, not the whole country.

Yes, you don't have to think about it anymore. I am just trying to say that it's not one of Japan's "issues." You may have an issue with it as a tourist, (just try to ignore it, it hardly affects you) but Japan doesn't, will never, and cannot see it as one. There's probably gonna be something like that which you don't like for every country you visit.

If you still take it as an issue, you probably don't understand it fully. If you do fully understand it and still have an issue, fair enough, that's an issue in your eyes and not a reason to have an issue with Japan, as it's not a negative, it's just them.

So you came here with your *** on your shoulders, full of prejudice....racism's twin brother, looks just alike but goes by a different name.

I am heartbroken. Until now it has always been a point of pride to honestly be able to say I had never met a Canadian I didn't like. Thanks for ruining it.

@ Mike Cash
Sorry if I offended you, but I don't understand how you could accuse me of racism. It was wrong of me to generalize some of the negative comments to all Japanese. But most of the things I heard/said and labelled as "prejudice" are in fact not so wrong after all.
1) hantai does exist, although my friend probably exaggerated about its popularity. And I couldn't care less about what they watch after knowing why, I was just really curious.
2) I actually find Japanese to be really friendly from the trip, rather than being discriminatory. But from what some of the replies suggest, Japanese indeed do not like Koreans or/and Chinese. I think no reason for this hatred, since Japan is the one who slaughtered millions of Asians, not vice versa. And these people have all the rights to hold anti-Japanese protests as long as Japan doesn't officially apologize. This, to me, is a form of insolence and arrogance that equal to outright discrimination.
3) My grand grandfather was in the Canadian Army, and he was unfortunate enough to be stationed in Hongkong and to fight the Japanese rather than the Nazis in Europe. He got out of Japanese camp alive after spending 4 years there, but most of his pals were not that lucky. I learned many of his experiences through my grandpa, so I shouldn't even say that some of my feelings were prejudice, even if they may no longer apply to modern Japanese.

In conclusion I just want to say that I don't hate Japanese at all. So I don't see why you should hate me...

@ nahadef
It's simply ridiculous to compare what Japan did in Asia and what Canadian government did to the native population. By all means I do not defend any of the actions of the British/Canadian government. We still owe them a huge apology and compensation (despite the fact official apologies have been delivered, whereas in the case of Japan, very ambiguously and insincerely). I strongly support material/monetary compensation to First Nations people still living in reserves because I'm well aware of all the injustices that were done to these people. We learned in detail all these shameful events as early as in high school, and all these courses were mandatory till Cegep. So it is simply false to say that our government does not include these things in our education, but whether Harper's government actually cared about the first nations is another matter.
On the severity of the treatment of the aboriginals, yeah there were massacres, forced deportations, living in reserves under horrendous conditions, nasty residential schools, etc...But one cannot possibly compare this to the fate of people who lived under Japanese occupation. There was nothing happened in Canada, EVER, that even came close to the use of chemical weapons on civilians, mass rape of Nanking, the use of comfort women, mass killing contest, slave labor, and countless other crimes...
And from what you suggested, Japanese indeed do not like Koreans or/and Chinese. I do not understand this hatred, since Japan is the one who slaughtered millions of Asians, not vice versa. And these people have all the rights to hold anti-Japanese protests as long as Japan doesn't officially apologize. To me, Japan's attitude towards the countries it wronged is a form of insolence and arrogance that equal to outright discrimination.
But I must still admit that Japan left me with a good impression. I think much better of the country now than before going there. If I have another chance to go back to Japan, I hope I can cast aside all political/history consideration and just appreciate the culture.

@ Glenski
Thanks for your effort in dispelling these negative feelings lol. You're entirely right that one should not travel to a country while holding prejudices. I probably would not have thought the Japanese as "racist" had I not hear things from others. To be honest, they were very kind to me.
However my "preconceived political notions" remain largely intact thanks to the replies that indeed show that Japanese do not like their Asian neighbors, and do not feel remorseful for their war crimes, which I find to be very regretful.

hentai does exist, although my friend probably exaggerated about its popularity. And I couldn't care less about what they watch after knowing why, I was just really curious.

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Of course it exists. All it is is animated/drawn porn. There is nothing wrong with that (imo).

Did you think that it's sole purpose was just "raping girls (including little girls) and other kind of disgusting things"? If it were just that, then yeah, I see why you would think it was strange. That is the minority of it (just like "standard" porn's weird side).

It includes all genres that "normal" porn would have. From "Just casual ppl making out" to a deep end that you are disgusted by. I am not sure how popular it is compared to Japan's "normal" porn, but clearly there is a market for it.

Sorry I just wasn't sure whether you understood that. If you didn't, now you do, and you can formulate your own non tainted opinion this time. Whatever you think is fine. That's probably all I can say here.

Hey Simon! Glad to see this post and I'll try to clear up any questions you may have!

For starters, I'm not Japanese so I don't know everything, I haven't lived in Japan all of my life, in fact I only lived there for 3 months, but most of my information comes from my studies (I'm an East Asian Studies major), my numerous friends who are Japanese, and my experiences that I had while there.

Japan is just like any other country, it's not perfect, it has its good point and its bad points. Some people love different aspects of the culture more than others and some people simply can't stand it, it's all about the perspective of the person. A lot of people lose sight of this and go to Japan (or any other country really) and expect everything to be exactly like they thought it would be or are shocked because they didn't know what to expect. People who go to another country for such a short period of time, including myself, go through what I would call a honeymoon phase with the culture and the people. Everything is seen through rose colored glasses and when something big happens to break the glass, you begin to wonder why things changed and you become confused and potentially hurt from it and the image itself is completely ruined. Don't let this ruin your image of Japan, don't be confused because of a few things you see or hear from others. If you have questions, seek answers (just like you did here!) Even here though, you won't find solid answers to all of your questions, your answers will be formulated on how much information you gather from others and what you choose to believe based on your experiences mixed with the opinions from others. That being said, I'll give my opinions on the issues you've brought up. Some of which I can't really make much of a reply to myself because I haven't experienced some of these issues.

Yes, Japanese people are VERY polite even if they don't want to be. This has two names, honne and tatemae This is the private and public stance of a person, we have this in our own cultures, but it's actually more intense in the Japanese culture to ensure peace and harmony. This is the concept of keeping a face that avoids confrontation with the general public, you hide your true feelings and intentions to prevent hurting another. It isn't meant to be seen as being two faced, but really, the person just doesn't want to cause problems or hurt anyone's feelings, so unless you're in their inner group of friends and family, there will be that public face presented to you. There are ways to detect true intentions and feelings of someone, but it's more through subtle body language and other small factors that takes a lot of getting used to. If you'd like to learn more about that aspect, there's a good book to read called The Japanese Mind by Roger Davies that goes deeper into the topic.

Along side this topic, the topic of racism and arrogance works in with this as well and really it doesn't have a whole lot to do with racism as much as you're obviously not within their close personal circle. The Japanese people have a tendency, more so with the older generations, to keep to themselves, the younger generations are more accepting of foreigners but really, if you think about it, that's how it is world wide. The older generations of most countries, mine included (America) are less accepting of foreigners, we complain about people coming over the borders taking our jobs, etc. It's stupid yes, but that's because of education and a lack of interaction with people we see as being different. Statistics show that a good percent of Japan's population is older people, so they still have quite a grasp on how the country is ran and how people think and act.

Here's a few charts to show what I mean, if you're interested.

Age distribution of Japan - Japanese Age distribution statistics

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The traditional ways are starting to soften to foreigners and depending on where you go, people will be much more polite to you. I found while I was there, people were more polite to me in the heavily populated cities compared to the country side (where my university is located). Because people in the cities have more interaction with foreigners than people out in the country. For your friends though, it is sad that they were treated poorly compared to you, but I've noticed a trend that Japanese people just love Westerners and if they see someone who's white, they automatically think they're from America, just as people in the West see an Asian and think they're automatically Chinese (this irritates me, but not a whole lot can be done about it except to inform them). My hypothesis on why Japanese people are more welcoming to Westerners is because they know more about America and Europe than any other part of the world because of a rising interest in pop-culture and political relations.

Onto the porn thing, in MY experience, Japanese porn is actually not that popular, yes, teens get a hold of it, but you know, American boys get a hold of play boy all the time. I have to agree with something someone said on this thread about the different types of porn. Yes, Japanese porn is weird, but other countries come up with their own weird fetishes as well, so we can't really go around saying Japan is all about porn, it really isn't. In professional and public standings, this kind of topic is very offensive and a lot of Japanese people will refuse to acknowledge it out of disgust because a few holes in the wall ruined their entire image. Just like here in America, Japan has specific places for these kinds of things, some of it is unfortunately more public than it is here, but that's merely because parents get more upset over how public it is here. I actually went with one of my friends to one of those stores while we were out on a shopping trip. It was actually not an easy place to get to, those places are really well hidden in my opinion so though you can find rinky-dink porn in a local book store, the major porn is more hidden in red light districts. So porn isn't as well thought of in Japan as people think it is. By the way, thought I should mention, I went against my will and stood outside the entire time. x.x;

Finally, the whole war issue, I never really got into it with anyone, but I will have to go with what someone said in a previous post. This topic will be more touchy for the older generations compared to the younger generations, as for war crimes, I think it's just best to let things go, it's in the past, learn from it, but to be asking for apologies now is kind of useless. They bombed Pearl Harbor, then we dropped the A-bomb on them, it was a sad series of events, it shouldn't have happened, but it did. The important thing now is to move on, they're our allies now and that's what's important.

Don't let these few things hinder your image of Japan, your impression will change regardless of how much you learn about Japan or any other country, the thing is finding the beauty in the culture in both the impressive and not so ideal qualities.

I hope this helped, and sorry that it's so long. I hope you return to Japan one day to continue to develop your impressions of the culture. <3

Thanks a lot for your detailed answer! And I really enjoy reading your personal experience there!
You seem to believe that I dislike or even hate Japan. That's not at all the case. And after going to Japan, I find the people to be very civilized. I still have issues with the country (I can't simply forget the war crimes because it affected my family, and I encounter these issues on a regular basis because of my areas of study). But of course, I'll not let them influence my view of the people in general now that I've met them in person.
Good luck to your study! ^_^

@ LewiiG
Yeah thanks it is much more clear to me now. It wasn't something that bothered me too much to begin with, I was just quite shocked
I don't have problem with people who watch that, so I no longer have any issue with this hantai topic

I'm sorry, I wrote so much I didn't realize I made it sound like you disliked Japan now, I meant that some people become disappointed but I wanted to encourage that you don't become disappointed, but I lost that message somewhere within the large rant.

But it's good that you still have a love for Japan!

Also thank you! I will continue to study very hard!

I'm sorry that your family has been effected so deeply by this, I really do hope that one day those wounds will heal. Best of luck to you, your area of study, and your family!

Simon93 said:

And after going to Japan, I find the people to be very civilized.

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Somebody do me a favor and slap a big ol' facepalm picture right here.

Simon,
I think it is a bit overly strong to say that "Japanese hate Chinese and Koreans". Half of the foreign population living in Japan (zainichi) fall into those 2 categories, you know). As already mentioned, many Japanese have fallen in love with (South) Korean pop music (and the musicians) as well as TV dramas (and the actors).

Are there problems and stigmas? Sure. Many citizens refuse to buy products from China because of the way they make/grow things, so you won't find some people buying the cheaper foods from China for that reason, for example. Also, the government tightened some visa restrictions a while ago because many Chinese were falsely coming here as students, only to bail out of school to find jobs instead. And, there was/is some human trafficking.

The refusal of Japan to openly admit things like war atrocities (Nanking details, comfort women) is widely known. It is an irritation for many, including many Japanese! We come back to what I wrote earlier about the difference between a populace's feelings and those of politicians. If you don't know about shame and saving face and the stubbornness, you won't understand why they do things the way they do.

And, please read carefully. You've already been corrected with spelling: hentai, not hantai.

Simon93 said:

@ nahadef
It's simply ridiculous to compare what Japan did in Asia and what Canadian government did to the native population.

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Not at all. What "Japan" did was, in general, not officially sanctioned. It was not like in Nazi Germany where the government had directives to do what they did. The Rape of Nanking was, from what we know, young soldiers away from home who ran rampant.

Anyway, Canada has some very black marks on its history, and at the time I was in high school, we still weren't taught it as part of curriculum, much less the extent of it. I learned what I know either in university or on my own. Maybe things have changed now, and you did learn it, but essentially, the Canadian government spent over 100 years not teaching people about it. It was a hard thing for them to admit. I think there are some fair comparisons there.

The Japanese government has apologised, but no amount of apologising will be acceptable for Japan's neighbours.

And from what you suggested, Japanese indeed do not like Koreans or/and Chinese.

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No, they are just sensitive to the hateful protest going on in those countries. How would you feel about America if there were mass protests against Canada, including people burning the flag, or, as was the case last year, attacking your country's businesses?
2012 China anti-Japanese demonstrations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It should be noted that the protests were government sanctioned, since other protests are not allowed and these were. The Chinese government supports/tolerates anti-Japanese activities, seemingly because it distracts from the utter corruption of the government (that's my conclusion, who knows the truth). China has as much reason to hate England, for the opium wars, the boxer rebellion, occupation of Hong Kong, and so on, but I've never heard a bad word about England from China, either on the news or from a CCP mouthpiece on a forum like this. Or what about America funding Chang Kai-Shek against Mao Tse-Tung, helping divide the country, turning Taiwan into a 'renegade province'? America has never apologised and never will, but China won't be protesting any time soon.

Japan loves Chinese culture, you can tell by going to any of the Chinatowns in Japan and seeing how full they are. They are indebted to Chinese culture. Meanwhile China has made anti-Japanese sentiment part of its national policy because it doesn't apologise often enough/sincerely enough/etc. That makes people uncomfortable.

Something similar goes on in Korea. Whenever Japan plays Korea in any sport (in recent years, soccer and figure skating were big ones), thousands of Koreans treat it as a referendum on which nation is better. It's baffling, and Japan simply doesn't care.

So I don't think Japan hates them at all. You seem new to this topic, so I suggest asking more questions than making statements. And lots of people will be happy to let you know what they know

@ Akemi Inoue
I enjoyed reading your post, no need to apologize
My family wasn't deeply affected lol, just my great grandpa, who had the "privilege" of being a Japanese prisoner for 4 years and actually surviving it. There is not really any wound in my heart because of this since I never met him, but learned about some nasty accounts through my grandfather.
Thanks for the sweet words ^_^

A big thanks to everyone for contributing your time and effort to explain all the issues to me, the Gaijin Thanks to you, I'm finally able to figure out what this HENTAI thing is without having to go through the embarrassment of asking my friends...
I'm glad to see that many of you are willing to defend the Japanese, providing me with a different perspective than the one I usually encounter. Believe it or not, at my University's political science department, Japan is not popular at all. Whether the topic is political ethics, environment politics, or challenges to development, Japan always has its place for criticism. For history department as well, we read "the looting of Asia" and recently read an article called "a culture of cruelty" , by Mark Felton. No surprise for anyone who study in this environment to grow a little bit anti-Japanese. Luckily, I had the fortune to actually visit the country and meet the people, and thought to address my concerns on this forum. It helped me a lot by providing an alternative view.
Thanks again
Wish you all a wonderful stay in Japan!

Simon93 said:

Wish you all a wonderful stay in Japan!

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:'(

You think he may be on the verge of finding out his university is more interested in indoctrinating him than educating him?

Apparently it's legal to watch movies that depict underage girls being raped by tentacles and pigmen, or play games that involve virtual raping in Japan...and they are popular among Japanese teens...

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Popular? What exactly is that supposed to mean? That a majority or large minority are into these things? Who told you this? How do they know?

Anyway, underage girls. Its all relative. I mean, you say its teens into this right? Well aren't most teens underage themselves? And while in one country 14 is underage, in the next, it isn't. The word "underage" is all bias and relative.

Little girls? Well even there, not quite sure if that includes teens or not. For some it does, for others not. But if it means tweens and below, you may not like it, but what is the result here in Japan? You think Japan is anywhere near the rape and murder rate of little girls as the United States? No. Trust me, there are bigger fish to fry in the world than hand drawn pictures of fantasies no matter what you think of the fantasy. And that includes just plain old rape as well as rape of "little" girls.

Of course IMHO rape fantasies like that would become a whole lot less marketable if we had a freer reality of sex in a society where girls were encouraged to be sexual in the real world and were protected and respected at the same time. Why would anyone fantasize about raping a child or teen if he or she were right there in their bed, consensually and happy to be there? Oh, I know, a whole bunch of people just had a conniption fit over that statement, but its a simple choice: either you endure that, endure the hand drawn comics, or endure elevated rates of rapes and murders. Take your pick.

Japan has chosen. America has chosen. And Japan is the safer place for kids. So there you go.

Edit: In Australia, comic characters are now officially legally protected human entities. Thus, if you draw Lisa Simpson in a sexual situation, its the same as if you made real child porn with a real child, despite the fact that Lisa Simpson is like 30 years old in reality, because she is depicted as a child.

The intensity of solar radiation is quite intense in Australia, and it does strike the head more than any other part of the body. (facepalm)