Is Japan a Western country?
- Thread starter Maciamo
- Start date
Japan is not a western country. Only on the surface does it look kind of western, but not if you dig deeper.
I find it funny and sad that this old topic is still going on although one of the reasons for that is that many new people on this forum repeat the same questions over and over about Japan probably.
I find it funny and sad that this old topic is still going on although one of the reasons for that is that many new people on this forum repeat the same questions over and over about Japan probably.
What does ''western'' mean?
I know that Japan is more advanced in several fields than other countries. In some things Japan is like the US, but also more 'unique' and traditional in other fields.
Problem is that people refer to white people as westerners, while black people are as American as their white fellows.
Japan is certainly no 'white-people's'-country.
I was thinking how Japan might have contributed more to modern society than some other countries outside of Asia or what people call ''western'' countries. Like how they shaped youth's free-time with their game-consoles, games.
And in one period little kids with Pokemon. But a friend of mine who is working in the fashion-field spoke about how Japanese designers made big innovations, contributions to modern clothing, with their special cut's and such.
I know that Japan is more advanced in several fields than other countries. In some things Japan is like the US, but also more 'unique' and traditional in other fields.
Problem is that people refer to white people as westerners, while black people are as American as their white fellows.
Japan is certainly no 'white-people's'-country.
I was thinking how Japan might have contributed more to modern society than some other countries outside of Asia or what people call ''western'' countries. Like how they shaped youth's free-time with their game-consoles, games.
And in one period little kids with Pokemon. But a friend of mine who is working in the fashion-field spoke about how Japanese designers made big innovations, contributions to modern clothing, with their special cut's and such.
Minty
後輩
- 26 Feb 2006
- 403
- 6
Maciamo said:
Yeah I know, such nuisance isn't it, maybe it's because of advertising or stereotypes, the typical European descendant people that are shown in Asian media have green or grey eyes with light brown or blonde hairs.
These kinds of comments would only come from people who never travelled or lived in the Western world.
But in the olden days in Australia I think is because of white Australian policy.
It is a fact Italians were called wogs, along with Persians, Lebanese and Syrians back then.
I always say ther is Japan and the rest of the world. Japan is not a western country.
1) Having signs and announcemnets in English doesn`t make it a western country.
2) Shopping at Prada, Guggi, Armani doesn`t make a western country.
3)Trying to emulate the western model in everything, from fashion to food, from houses to cars doesn`t make it a western country.
Also, the Japanese mind-set is somewhat unintelligible, something completely different form any other people on earth.
Money, industries, cars an skyscrapers do not necessarely mean western.
The desease of modern Japan is its rapid westernization!
1) Having signs and announcemnets in English doesn`t make it a western country.
2) Shopping at Prada, Guggi, Armani doesn`t make a western country.
3)Trying to emulate the western model in everything, from fashion to food, from houses to cars doesn`t make it a western country.
Also, the Japanese mind-set is somewhat unintelligible, something completely different form any other people on earth.
Money, industries, cars an skyscrapers do not necessarely mean western.
The desease of modern Japan is its rapid westernization!
Sukotto
先輩
- 9 Jul 2003
- 1,426
- 20
Rather than East/West, another division, though less heard in the industrialized countries is North/South. (Well, less heard of in the US for sure.)
North is the industrialized north, i.e. former colonial rulers,
and South is the 'developing' ex-colonies.
The Group of 7 industrialized countries known as G-7 (now the G-8) are of the North.
The G-77 (now 132 members) to work together to promote their interests.
The Wold Social Forum (which I know little of) might also address views of the G-77/South nations.
Japan is definately of the North
I cannot speak of how it is from other Northern countries,
but from the US there has seemed to be a kind of unspoken assumption that
countries of 'the south' or those without technology were some how un- or less civilized. Messed up, I know.
North is the industrialized north, i.e. former colonial rulers,
and South is the 'developing' ex-colonies.
The Group of 7 industrialized countries known as G-7 (now the G-8) are of the North.
The G-77 (now 132 members) to work together to promote their interests.
The Wold Social Forum (which I know little of) might also address views of the G-77/South nations.
Japan is definately of the North
I cannot speak of how it is from other Northern countries,
but from the US there has seemed to be a kind of unspoken assumption that
countries of 'the south' or those without technology were some how un- or less civilized. Messed up, I know.
Last edited:
lu_bu1977
後輩
- 15 Jul 2006
- 34
- 4
Guess I will add my opinion as well... No, Japan is certainly not a Western country by any stretch of the imagination but a rather Westernised one.
Some Western folks have made the mistake of thinking it as a Western country and have paid the price by realising their folly first hand when they enter its judicial system. What they would have gotten a slap on the wrist for back in their own countries, e.g. possession and usage of certain narcotics, they end up sitting (literally) in jail for many, many years in Japan. Yes, in spirit, Japan is as east-asian as it gets. The rights of the individual seem to take 2nd place to the good of the majority.
An interesting read:
http://www.phaseloop.com/foreignprisoners/prison-japan.html
ex-gaijin, maybe the word inscrutable would be a more appropriate term.
Some Western folks have made the mistake of thinking it as a Western country and have paid the price by realising their folly first hand when they enter its judicial system. What they would have gotten a slap on the wrist for back in their own countries, e.g. possession and usage of certain narcotics, they end up sitting (literally) in jail for many, many years in Japan. Yes, in spirit, Japan is as east-asian as it gets. The rights of the individual seem to take 2nd place to the good of the majority.
An interesting read:
http://www.phaseloop.com/foreignprisoners/prison-japan.html
ex-gaijin, maybe the word inscrutable would be a more appropriate term.
Kinsao
Horizon Rider
- 8 May 2005
- 8,515
- 143
In a lot of ways, the term 'Western' or even 'Westernized' is a bit misleading, because they both make the focus kind of 'geographical'. Whereas really, when people think of 'a Western(ized) country', what they are seeing is a country with certain characteristics associated with countries that are in the West. E.g., industrialization, technology, Gucci... the list can go on. But really, the only thing that makes these things 'Western' is the fact that (geographically) Western countries got them first. Sukotto makes a good point, although referring to north-south issues, in that it's often the degree of 'development' that people think of when thinking of 'Western'-ness.
Sukotto
先輩
- 9 Jul 2003
- 1,426
- 20
Would 'westernization' mean the mass consumerism and commercialization that seems to plague the US and Japan?
As far as I'm concerned, in the US at least,
once something, say....music, becomes commercial it looses much of
its culture, if it ever had any in the first place.
Look at the US. So many different cultures.
But you look at television and it looks nothing like any of them.
Perhaps something has to be stripped of culture in order to become commercial? This is speaking from the US only.
I'm not an anthropologist nor have I lived in Japan for any period of time.
I could not answer the question.
As far as I'm concerned, in the US at least,
once something, say....music, becomes commercial it looses much of
its culture, if it ever had any in the first place.
Look at the US. So many different cultures.
But you look at television and it looks nothing like any of them.
Perhaps something has to be stripped of culture in order to become commercial? This is speaking from the US only.
I'm not an anthropologist nor have I lived in Japan for any period of time.
I could not answer the question.
,
japan was not westernnized.
Indeed Japan learnt new things from wenternnized country in meiji era .
it means it is not westernized
however basics or fundamentals was better than them even edo era like cvilization , industry, ideology art.....so on
Today's sense of values in the world is subjected by the basis of value of the Western.
Japan must fight in the same ring.
that is why We are following it bacause of the experience of War.
Last edited:
I think Japan is not westernized.
However I can say japan is just modernized country.
japan is still isolated
that is why many of them want to westernnize japan even in this forum.
and also china and korea want to easternize Japan
...
japanese values and thire values are so different, too
However I can say japan is just modernized country.
japan is still isolated
that is why many of them want to westernnize japan even in this forum.
and also china and korea want to easternize Japan
...japanese values and thire values are so different, too
caster51 said:
Japan is " technically " westernized modern Oriental island nation.
Japan is still isolated ?
How can a traditionally Eastern Asian island nation like Japan be "
easternized " by other East Asians ?
:?Koreans and Japanese " appear culturally Chinese ",but has own respective culture.Japanese is based on shame culture/shame-driven,oppose to both Chinese and Koreans like the Europeans are based on " guilt-driven/consciousness " therefore we are closer to Westerners in this regard.
Last edited:
osias
先輩
- 4 Apr 2006
- 260
- 1
maybe you should define first what you mean by" westernization" and "modernization", and the difference between the two (if there is any).caster51 said:
Quite right. It's like a japanese samurai fighting with a western swordsman. Only the western rules apply on the battlefield, which places the former somewhat at disadvantage, but he gradually learns to follow the western ways.
Last edited:
