Revisiting this thread & topic a good 15 months after its last post...
I was saddened by the negative comments about LIT, particularly from Japanese posters. I wish I could change their minds though, because I love this movie and I love Japan. I wish everybody could watch this movie and see how amazing Japan is.
The big issues of it seeming offensive to Japanese viewers depends on how it is viewed in the context of what other western films the viewers have seen & their understanding of how westerners understand Japan. I think if only the stereotypes are taken into consideration, then only the stereotypes will be seen when watching the movie.
As an example: The scene where Bob and Charlotte are in the elevator with many Japanese businessmen. Bob towers over the Japanese, height-wise.
Perhaps a Japanese person sees that and thinks "Americans are so rude and ignorant, making us look small in comparison to them".
I saw it and thought "Wow, Bob feels so out of place, and being so tall isn't helping the feeling."
To be stuck thinking about stereotypes is to miss the point of the scene, and also be ignorant to the fact that Bill Murray is very tall - stereotypes aside, he is going to tower over just about anybody & the camera simply captures this. I feel like asking critics "Wouldn't it be false to cover up this height difference with movie-tricks, just so you're not offended by reality?".
The "Lip my stocking" scene where Bob is somewhat fighting with the lady to understand and be understood.
I know just about everybody complains that the "L/R sound" joke is old. Yes it is. I agree and think the scene is a bit too silly. I don't even like watching it on repeat viewings of the DVD.
I guess the 'offensive' bit to Japanese is where she can't pronounce "Rip". But really, when I watched it I thought to myself "ok, Bob just can't understand what she's saying - it's Bob's problem and Bob's mistake". Again, HOW a particular person interprets this scene is affected by their opinions and experiences (or lack thereof).
As an Australian who has travelled in the United States and Canada, and who lives in Canada, I have been on both sides of the misunderstanding-accented-English fence. It really comes from a lack of context, or a failure to recognise the context of the meaning of the words. Bob in the movie is slow on the uptake, and can't place the context for the action of ripping with what he hears her saying ("lip my stocking").
I work at a copy shop and just this Saturday a lady came in and asked for a colour copy of a photo she had with her. I said "What kind of paper would you like it on?" because we have glossy and matte and thin and heavy and so on.
She looked at me and said (in my accent) "Paper?" (in her accent) "What's that?"
I'll explain now that the way I say paper could be spelt "paypa" in 2 very short syllables. She says "paiprrr" with one short and one long syllable (the 2nd emphasising the "R" on the end of paper, in contrast to my completely dropping the "R").
If she had made the connection from photocopiers, printing materials and the word I said, she should have been able to work out that I meant paper. I doubt she was expecting that I would have an accent though, so the strange pronunciation of paper caught her off-guard and she was unable to quickly interpret what I meant.
Similarly, Bob is in his western hotel room on his 2nd night (? I forget) in Japan where he definitely is not fitting in yet. All of a sudden he is faced with a somewhat persistent and roleplayingly-dramatic female company, and he's not even close to thinking about sex or stocking ripping - he just wants her to leave - so he's not making the connection between the words he hears and what they mean based on the context.
Later on when he's in the crowded bar with Charlotte and is talking with Charlie Brown and his friends, he's not mixing up L's and R's. He's been in Japan a bit longer, he's more familiar with how Japanese English accents sound, and he's in a more relaxed environment. This kind of contrast I find is a very realistic representation of human interactions when faced with language and accent barriers - under pressure it's very difficult and when relaxed it's easy.
I don't believe LIT portrays a 'lopsided' or false view of Tokyo or Japanese people. Based on my travels and experiences in Japan and other places, I find it to be very very realistic. I think if people are offended or feel it's unrealistic, there is something they are ignoring or not understanding which is clouding their judgment.