Where has the soul of Japan gone ??

The soul

plastic said:

And where is the soul of your own country gone? And anyway, what is the soul of country, except maybe something politically shaped to make people more dolient to power? In this idea of a country soul, there is something sadly nostalgic, not too say stupidly idealistic. Brave explorers confronting barbaric cultures, or accepted amongst them as an expection ( I suspect you're a huge Shogun fan), I can't believe this stereotypes can make people wonder about the "soul of a country"

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There is nothing sadly nostalgic about having pride in your country. This is what's lacking today. Japan has sold her soul to the west. no one has to be a huge Shogun fan. The expression of one's soul is like "hot action" in motion that penetrates deep into the core of even the most erudite of scholars.

I am assuming you mean it's culture. Where did it go? It's obviously in Japan. Rocks don't stay the same. Why would a culture sound the same? It's evolving, and adapting to the world.

The soul is there, you dont need marching imperial armies crushing asia under boot to have a soul you know.

The Japanese soul is in the bussiness-man who gets on crowded commuter trains for hours on end and practicaly lives within his place of work for the greater good of the company and to send cash back to his family.

The Japanese soul is in the Japanese made games industry, Where every hero has a samurai sword and every fantasy world seems big on Kimonos.

The Japanese soul is in the huge building projects always in the works, the Tokyo bay islands, rainbow bridge, Tokyo Tower, the list goes on, not to mention Tokyo is the type of city where old buildings are knocked down and new ones built up, not only does Tokyo never sleep, it never gets tired either.

The Japanese soul is within its rugged and beautiful countryside.

The Japanese soul is within the country that has learned to strike a balance between nationalism and respect, to this day, the Japanese still highly considor themselves as a single national unit while respecting sovreignty and freedoms of their neighbours, ive yet to meet a japanese person who had any interest in imposing japan on foreign affairs.

The Japanese soul is within this outlook upon the future, there is no limits, nothing is impossible, just the infinite thirst to build and create and march proudly into the future, while maintaining the traditions of classical Japan.

The Japanese soul is within the men and women who have the bravery in a very inward looking culture, to go abroad to live and study, to interact and make friends with foreigners, and in some cases, make lives and love with them.

When my girlfriend isnt happy with me, she shows me Japanese spirit alright, and even today she can suprise me with acts and behaviours of defiance of situations and problems, sometimes she seems to have more western "balls" then i do.

Japan hasnt lost its spirit, its just evolved and grown up, like the wests.

Tojo, your idea of Japanese soul is up there with muslim and christian fundamentalism and all the other primitive outlooks on life.

Suffice to say when you die, your views die with you, but the New and ever evolving Japan will be around long after the name of Tojo is nothing but a vague echo from the past.

nurizeko said:

The soul is there, you dont need marching imperial armies crushing asia under boot to have a soul you know.
The Japanese soul is in the bussiness-man who gets on crowded commuter trains for hours on end and practicaly lives within his place of work for the greater good of the company and to send cash back to his family.
The Japanese soul is in the Japanese made games industry, Where every hero has a samurai sword and every fantasy world seems big on Kimonos.
The Japanese soul is in the huge building projects always in the works, the Tokyo bay islands, rainbow bridge, Tokyo Tower, the list goes on, not to mention Tokyo is the type of city where old buildings are knocked down and new ones built up, not only does Tokyo never sleep, it never gets tired either.
The Japanese soul is within its rugged and beautiful countryside.
The Japanese soul is within the country that has learned to strike a balance between nationalism and respect, to this day, the Japanese still highly considor themselves as a single national unit while respecting sovreignty and freedoms of their neighbours, ive yet to meet a japanese person who had any interest in imposing japan on foreign affairs.
The Japanese soul is within this outlook upon the future, there is no limits, nothing is impossible, just the infinite thirst to build and create and march proudly into the future, while maintaining the traditions of classical Japan.
The Japanese soul is within the men and women who have the bravery in a very inward looking culture, to go abroad to live and study, to interact and make friends with foreigners, and in some cases, make lives and love with them.
When my girlfriend isnt happy with me, she shows me Japanese spirit alright, and even today she can suprise me with acts and behaviours of defiance of situations and problems, sometimes she seems to have more western "balls" then i do.
Japan hasnt lost its spirit, its just evolved and grown up, like the wests.
Tojo, your idea of Japanese soul is up there with muslim and christian fundamentalism and all the other primitive outlooks on life.
Suffice to say when you die, your views die with you, but the New and ever evolving Japan will be around long after the name of Tojo is nothing but a vague echo from the past.

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You seriously deserve a cookie. Very nice post. ^^ You made Thor smile.

To Nurizmo...

The soul is there, you dont need marching imperial armies crushing asia under boot to have a soul you know.

Point taken...

The Japanese soul is in the bussiness-man who gets on crowded commuter trains for hours on end and practicaly lives within his place of work for the greater good of the company and to send cash back to his family.

Okay, point taken...

The Japanese soul is in the Japanese made games industry, Where every hero has a samurai sword and every fantasy world seems big on Kimonos.

And that's why you have so many NEET's and Otaku pervs running around Japan today.
Get rid of the games.

The Japanese soul is in the huge building projects always in the works, the Tokyo bay islands, rainbow bridge, Tokyo Tower, the list goes on, not to mention Tokyo is the type of city where old buildings are knocked down and new ones built up, not only does Tokyo never sleep, it never gets tired either.

Those huge building reflect nothing but costly building projects that serve no one. Keep the old buildings that way you keep the memories of a much better Japan.

The Japanese soul is within its rugged and beautiful countryside.

I agree ! The mother naked beauty of a hot spring, the rugged mountains, the jukujo, the sake, the sound of the koto, the singing of the kimigayo while the hinomaru flutters in the backdrop against a collage of cherry blossom trees. the smell of fresh rouge across a young girls face, and skin like mochi. That is Japan !

The Japanese soul is within the country that has learned to strike a balance between nationalism and respect, to this day, the Japanese still highly considor themselves as a single national unit while respecting sovreignty and freedoms of their neighbours, ive yet to meet a japanese person who had any interest in imposing japan on foreign affairs

Agree..

The Japanese soul is within this outlook upon the future, there is no limits, nothing is impossible, just the infinite thirst to build and create and march proudly into the future, while maintaining the traditions of classical Japan.

Agree

The Japanese soul is within the men and women who have the bravery in a very inward looking culture, to go abroad to live and study, to interact and make friends with foreigners, and in some cases, make lives and love with them.

Agree


When my girlfriend isnt happy with me, she shows me Japanese spirit alright, and even today she can suprise me with acts and behaviours of defiance of situations and problems, sometimes she seems to have more western "balls" then i do.

Reconsider your commitment.

Japan hasnt lost its spirit, its just evolved and grown up, like the wests.

You can't evolve from perfection and purity...think about that.

Tojo, your idea of Japanese soul is up there with muslim and christian fundamentalism and all the other primitive outlooks on life.

Japanese Soul is love and there's nothing greater than that.Suffice to say when you die, your views die with you, but the New and ever evolving Japan will be around long after the name of Tojo is nothing but a vague echo from the past.

Regression is more like it. Japan is only regressing in every way.

Mamoru-kun said:

I think that "Soul" here shouldn't be understood as an "ethereal part of a body/country" (best definition I can personally give), but more as a global identity of an entity. When I'm spoken about Japan "soul", I immediately imagine the samurai period, with a high level of respect between classes (as far as I know), tea ceremony, beautiful kimono,.... The problem is nowadays that the image that first hit our brain when we are spoken about Japan is something which, I think, looks like more America, or any of our western countries. Japan is loosing its original identity (or at least the identity it primarily shown to the World), and that is somehow "a loss of a soul", if I may say.

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What? I thought that Japan has always been treasuring it's unique cultural things or the things that make Japan Japan. And it is very visible in public.
Though I believe the popularity of american media makes every country a bit more American. Anti-american french people do enjoy mcdonalds and disneyland. And they wear jeans too.
Japan is a firstworld country, so is Canada, the US, Korea, France etc. It's only normal for modern, 'rich' countries to influence eachother.
But are you people forgetting that many modern stuff is coming out of Japan. Flatscreens were introduced in Japan way earlier than in other countries. Hell, japanese companies are the leaders in this field. Korea is a giant on it-technology.
Will America come to look like Japan and loose it's sould when they begin to use robotic in everyday life, as Japan is dominating on this field?

peoples view of japan isn't changing, its still thought of as the orient exspress.

I was going to call Shrapnel out as someone who has not in fact, as he states, lived in Japan... Anyone who's lived in Japan for any brief ammount of time can contest to the notion that the country is vibrant and full of a destinctly Japaanese context and soul...

With a tact that nurizeko used, if you walk down the street, or go to izakaya, or yakitori restaraunt, or go to a matsuri, turned on the tv during the day at practically any time to see an old samurai drama... and the language itself is distinctly Japanese in its character of politeness and flexibility to purpose... you'll see how ingrained the culture is in every day life.

Akira Kurosawa's final two movies, two of my favourites, are Maadadayo, and Yume, which both are very sentimental. He was I think, 83 when he filmed Maadadayo, so you can forgive him for being sentimental for the old Japan... he received some criticism for this within Japan as well... my point is that a modern Japan seeks cultural awareness combined with progress, not ludditism.

They may not be happy with everything about their country (who is, wherever they are...) but I've never met a single Japanese person who has had any notion of Japan "losing it's way", the way so many people who have never even visited the country feel... Again, it's the old "world amusement park" syndrome, where the country is chastised for accepting the devil's contract of a McDonalds franchise here... a pair of bluejeans there. These people need to get over it, Japan isn't your playground, and it doesn't need your suggestions on progress, or rather, your need for it to at least show regress...

I think I, and most active people here love the pictures, and movies, and images, and history of old Japan, I think there's nothing wrong with this cultural awareness, we can enjoy this and live in the present, in a modern Japan, it's exactly the same thing that Japanese people do. Ask any nihonjin to tell you a bit about ghosts for example... and you'll learn they haven't forgotten.

As it stands.

yukio_michael said:

I was going to call Shrapnel out as someone who has not in fact, as he states, lived in Japan... Anyone who's lived in Japan for any brief ammount of time can contest to the notion that the country is vibrant and full of a destinctly Japaanese context and soul...
With a tact that nurizeko used, if you walk down the street, or go to izakaya, or yakitori restaraunt, or go to a matsuri, turned on the tv during the day at practically any time to see an old samurai drama... and the language itself is distinctly Japanese in its character of politeness and flexibility to purpose... you'll see how ingrained the culture is in every day life.
Akira Kurosawa's final two movies, two of my favourites, are Maadadayo, and Yume, which both are very sentimental. He was I think, 83 when he filmed Maadadayo, so you can forgive him for being sentimental for the old Japan... he received some criticism for this within Japan as well... my point is that a modern Japan seeks cultural awareness combined with progress, not ludditism.
They may not be happy with everything about their country (who is, wherever they are...) but I've never met a single Japanese person who has had any notion of Japan "losing it's way", the way so many people who have never even visited the country feel... Again, it's the old "world amusement park" syndrome, where the country is chastised for accepting the devil's contract of a McDonalds franchise here... a pair of bluejeans there. These people need to get over it, Japan isn't your playground, and it doesn't need your suggestions on progress, or rather, your need for it to at least show regress...
I think I, and most active people here love the pictures, and movies, and images, and history of old Japan, I think there's nothing wrong with this cultural awareness, we can enjoy this and live in the present, in a modern Japan, it's exactly the same thing that Japanese people do. Ask any nihonjin to tell you a bit about ghosts for example... and you'll learn they haven't forgotten.

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My throne resides at "Gaijinpot," but what you need to understand-everybody that is...is that the Soul of Japan died on November 25th 1970, atop the Ichigaya Self-Defense Headquaters which was under seige by Yukio Mishima and is Brigade. He had demanded that the Emperor should be called by his true name ! After being laughed at he committed seppuku - Death of the Soul.

I think that Yukio is making a valid point, in the definition of the "soul" of Japan. A "soul" of a country really comes down to two things:

1) a set of beliefs that are organized into a belief system, accepted by the majority of the people

2) an inner sense of mysticism that cannot be described in words.

There is, in fact, a great deal of materialism in Japan. That is why foreigners find the Japanese people sometimes voicing a set of beliefs that make Japanese people look like they are lacking a spiritual belief system.

However, using the second defintition, I find that Japanese people are much more spiritual than any onther group of people I have met. It is this undefineable and indescribeable aspect of the Japanese people I find appealing, an aspect I have not found anywhere else in the world.

Buntaro said:

I think that Yukio is making a valid point, in the definition of the "soul" of Japan. A "soul" of a country really comes down to two things:
1) a set of beliefs that are organized into a belief system, accepted by the majority of the people
2) an inner sense of mysticism that cannot be described in words.
There is, in fact, a great deal of materialism in Japan. That is why foreigners find the Japanese people sometimes voicing a set of beliefs that make Japanese people look like they are lacking a spiritual belief system.
However, using the second defintition, I find that Japanese people are much more spiritual than any onther group of people I have met. It is this undefineable and indescribeable aspect of the Japanese people I find appealing, an aspect I have not found anywhere else in the world.

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So , whats your point ? where has the Soul of Japan gone ?

Blister Krieg said:

So , whats your point ? where has the Soul of Japan gone ?

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I think his point was pretty clear, why don't you tell us what you think about the matter?