Strangeness
Thu 2010/03/25 20:16 JST
Japan, the strange country. Have you ever thought about why Japan is so unique? Or thought about the things behind the scenes and the effects it has on the world?
This movie, a thesis project of a friend of a friend of a friend etc. shows us some interesting insights to the Japan that we all love.
Please do read what it says underneath the video, then follow with discussion thx
umm...
replaced the picture to something less offensive :P
i'm by no means a japan hater or anything, but its important to know all sides and angles to gain a proper understanding.
I think it just comes to personal tastes. Some things that may seem weird to people, may seem fine to others.
I agree with the above. I question is it really that weird? The video was very interesting. It was kinda disturbing about the suicide rate, something like 90 people commit suicide a day. is that actually true? I know many countries have high suicide rates which could be the same even in my own country but I guess you don't hear about them. The problem with wasting food is not just a Japanese problem, it is a big problem in most places. I am never going to throw away disposable chop sticks again after watching that.
I would of found it interesting if it touched on the notion "Otaku".
People see something unfamiliar and they label it strange.. Lol
Pretty sure wherever country you'd go to has something uncommon compared to your home place..
It's really easy to examine something and say, it's strange, not the way I know things, better to keep it aside from me.. But, the real trick and the very thing that makes you a strong person is to try to understand and except what you see, because at the end it's just the way it is, and there's still reason and beauty behind it and whether you understand it or not would define you, and not how strange it is (if at all).
Very well said. There is a good and bad side to everything. There is no such thing as the perfect country or the perfect person.
I didn't feel the video came off negatively, I found it was telling the truth and I accept it, it doesn't put me off going to Japan though.;-p I think I would like that actually, research on the positive side of an otaku.
Alright so i did come off negative. And that was probably part of the video's aim as well. What I was trying to do however is to rebalance the whole view on Japan. Knowing we all love the way Japan has been made, its just really important to refresh our minds to see the strangeness in the things we love, and hopefully like it more because of it.
If you read the comments by the creator in the link you will then understand that its a thesis project well researched.
The point thats trying to be put across is that we need to self criticize, for without it, we cannot improve. Its also the main motivation behind underground artistic movements.
Touching on the notion of Otaku can be done in various perspectives. We have enough perspectives on the negative side, its time soemthing is provided that supports the positive side.
Honestly, I didn't really like it. :| I felt like it wasn't just giving us information, but attacking Japan. I knew most of those facts prior to watching it, but I had never heard them in such a way that singled Japan out as some horrible country. For instance, the video made it seem as though Japan is the /only/ country in the world who wastes so much food and water. And the "character"? She made it seem as though that applies to EVERYONE. I have several Japanese friends, and I can tell you that they aren't like that. If all of these things make Japan so "weird", then I think America is weirder.
Basically, I think she should've included comparisons between Japan and other countries of similar economic power rather than singling out the country to make it seem more "weird" than it really is.
I also believe the program was a little harsh against Japan as well. Yes, I knew most of the facts besides the exact extent of the suicide rates but I am sure that Americans do bad things like the Japanese just in different areas ;P I love Japan for its uniqueness and I still love it for it's "strangeness". I would call it more of being different than strange though. Who's to say what is normal and what is strange?
I agree with you completely. XD <3 Different, but certainly not strange~
People starving yet there are groups who stop those who are starving from receiving food. Mainly in GE crops. Crops that withstand the climate and produce more of it are stopped by groups because of the so called mutation factor. Which has yet to be proven. It's sad.
Nothing strange about cute catgirls in miniskirts and stockings. ^^
I do no mind videos that question strange traditions but this video is a bit obnoxiously negatively bias.
For example, you listed the number of PET bottles they use every year. Did you know that Japan recycles almost everything? When I was in Japan it was near impossible to find a trash can, everything was separated into recycling cans. When you look at it that way it makes me think maybe Japan is not actually the most wasteful of things like plastic bottles. In fact I would question if they are not the most recycling conscious country.
You also listed the amount of food Japan wastes every year but you did not say how this compared to other countries. Is the US more wasteful? Yes? No? I don't know but we are certainly much much more obese than Japan and I think that says something.
Do not get me wrong, I understand your video was well researched and these are facts but they are just so bias towards making your point that you leave out the bigger picture and how it compares with other countries.
Making a point like the steak on a conveyor belt was something I wish the video would have focused more on because that is just noting on a strange thing without necessarily bashing it which I find interesting.
Sorry for the long post just trying to give me opinion.
thats cool, its great to see your opinion. Part of the reason why this was made into a visual form, with english and japanese naration (you can view the japanese one on the site, which came out before the englishone) is to present it in such a way and make it look negative. Normally you would see this in a thesis paper or perhaps some sort of research to the living patterns with full comparison. I don't know the details but there maybe a paper behind this, and this video was done through the fact that the author (not me) wanted to let alot more people know than just the academics.
Its all in the way its worded, but to be honest i really liked the video. I think it really depends on how how accepting you are of what you like in isolation.
Comparisons are good but it doesn't negate the problems that exist. Yes PET bottles are recycled, but does not justify the fact that they NEED to be recycled. The process of recycling is MUCH better than throwing it out yes, but doesn't mean it has not impact on the environment still. But yea every bit of the 8 points has counter arguments, and i'm sure there was plenty of reasons why they were chosen. "Character" also is more of a criticism of the salarymen and their lifestyle rather than a criticism of ALL japanese people in my opinion.
Its great that you see the otherside of it though, and i'm sure america is worse in alot of ways environment.
I'd like to know what focus you want video's to be moved onto. it might help me in my projects =)
also i think the japanese version came off as ALOT less offensive than the english.
Feels like I'm reading an Orientalist essay. Yes, Japan may be a strange country but why don't we stop thinking that the other countries that are different from us as exotic. Every countries have its own quirks and we can't simply put our values when analyzing them. That's unfair. The same thing goes for Japan when they are trying to see us through their eyes. I'm pretty much annoyed by some of their interpretation of the outside world.
But hey, once again, there's no best country in the world and USA, stop bashing yourself :3 (that's pretty random).
Did you read the background to the author of the video and who that person is?
in any case, in the video, i dont' think it was singling japan out to be exotic, but rather unique.
As for judgements laid down by "us", i don't think we can judge things in any other light other than from our own. You say we shouldn't judge it with our own values, but how else can we look at things? Our mind can't be made blank and receive this new information without a pre existing context of knowledge and values. And another important factor is, the video is made by a Japanese person themselves.
Ah, my bad. I skipped the background part.
Personally , The Way Westerners see it Japan is Strange but the way We Asians see it , It means The Japanese are creative people .
I don't think there strange at all , I think there creative , unique and have a big imagination :)