Forum - View topic[Off-Topic] Are you a Wapanese?
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Amasa
 Posts: 340 Location: Japan |
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(All Japanese readers please disregard this thread.)
So, are all anime fans considered to be Japophiles/Wapanese? Or are there some of you out there that don't care about the latest fashions in Tokyo? I recently stepped out of "the closet" (tansu) and admitted to myself my extreme Wapanese characteristics. I don't think it's a particularly bad title... I mean it could be worse - at least Japan is more rich in culture than most Western nations. For me it all started with anime and manga. It got me interested in the language and the cuisine and the fashion, and soon I'm going to be living in Japan  .
So how many others are prepared to admit it? Do you love anime a bit too much? Confess Japophiles, Nihonjin wa daisuki desuka? |
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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I am not, and frankly I take some offense to the statement that Japanese culture is more rich than western cultures. I suggest you pick up a few books or even read Wiki awhile and you'll find that it may only seem that way due to the very obsession you are posting here about.
The world is a huge place, rich in culture and history which is not limited to Japan nor is Japan the epitome of culture. I think you're letting your love for it go to your head a little bit. I actually love studying other cultures, from native American cultures to Europe and various parts of Asia, this planet has no shortage of rich and diverse cultures and I can assure you Japan is not the only one. |
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one3rd
 Posts: 1818 Location: アメリカ |
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You should probably use "ga" rather than "wa" there. |
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Mercury Crusader
 Posts: 67 |
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Oh great, here we go... This is going to be long, however, it does have a point. Do not read this if it will shatter your dreams of becoming the otaku equivalent of Debito Arudou. Note that I am, indeed, a fan of Japanese animation. Whether or not it is considered a high quality art form or form of entertainment is debateable, since we are technically talking about cartoons. Nonetheless, I am a fan of this form of entertainment. I am also interested in the Japanese culture, although for reasons other than anime/manga. I was interested in it enough to grasp a good amount of the language that isn't just random quotes I heard from Azumanga Daioh, which is a show I do enjoy. On that note, I am also interested in a lot of other cultures found throughout the world. Being born in Mississippi and being half-Filipino may or may not have anything to do with that, but I will say that I enjoy the culture of the Southern States as much as I do the culture of the Philippines, one being a Western culture and the other being a strange mish-mash of East and West. Whether the above makes me open-minded or not, I'll leave that up to you. So with that out of the way... People in the "Japanophiles/Wapanese" mindset are extremely narrow-minded. I say this because you just showed how much you are willing to devote yourself to a culture that probably won't accept you for who you are, because of the way you are going about your supposed lifestyle preference. Ask yourself a series of questions. How much research have you done on Japanese culture in general? Are you aware of key events in the history of not only Japan, but the nations that have interacted with the country over the course of thousands of years? Do you know about the ethnic issues within the country? Cost of living? Difficulty with integration into the country? Are you aware that if you want to be a citizen in the country, they do not allow dual-citizenship, and you will have to renounce citizenship in any countries you hold citizenship in (of course, you can still be a foreign resident)? There are many more questions to be thrown at you, many are important if you are seriously contemplating such a step. I don't see a lot of U.S. fans of British comedies all of a sudden wanting to move to London and live the Britishian Dream. Yes, that sounds stupid, but so does saying you want to be part of that Japanese Dream because you happen to like Japanese cartoons. I would reconsider your revelation and maybe not want to denounce whatever life you currently have for one involving a world that is actually absent of wacky slife-of-life high school hijinx and super powered martial arts mecha action desu~. |
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Iritscen
 Posts: 793 |
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I would say Japan has a richer visual culture, particularly in animation, than America. But Japan, and most countries, lack the variety that has come from our "melting pot" status for the last couple centuries. We have a constant influx of new ethnicities (sometimes a little too much), and it keep things interesting.
Modern Japanese culture is basically ripped off from the Western world, except more tech-obsessed, and Traditional Japanese culture is... well, dead, as far as modern Japanese citizens are concerned. It makes for great museum fodder, but that's about it. (It's not like you'll even get to hold a real katana if you move to Japan.) And that culture hardly changed for hundreds of years due to their seclusion from the outside world. So, "richer"? Only when you are bored with your own culture and automatically assume that something foreign must be better. |
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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Oh traditional Japanese culture is out there, you just have to travel the country to find it. And when you see it, you know that it has some very beautiful things in it.
To the OP: I plan on going to live in Japan when I finish school. Yes, I am obsessed with it, but I also spent my entire adolescence there, and am not content with how things are being done here in the state that I live in. And I think that living and working in Japan will just work out better for me, because I know the areas over there, and I know how to speak the language. |
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forever_young
 Posts: 52 Location: SoCal |
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To answer the original question: are all anime fans considered to be Japophiles/Wapanese?
No. Clearly from the above posts that is evident. I am part caucasian, part Japanese. As being an anime fan, I am already fitting a stereotype that exists which says that all people of Japanese blood like anime. I consider myself to be pretty normal. I don't dress in ridiculous makeup or clothes, as some extremer fans do. Does that make me or this Western culture less rich? Absolutely not. Nowadays, there are so many cultures under the umbrella of one nation's "culture," including Japan. That's the beauty of it, because we can experience each others food and music and clothing, etc, any time we like. We shouldn't have to immerse ourselves in one culture to feel accepted. In my eyes, embracing other cultures along side your own is much more appealing. |
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unhealthyman
 Posts: 306 |
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I think there's something a bit tragic about people who clearly hate their local way of life and don't feel like they fit in or don't want to fit in and so romanticize and fantasize about another country. Interest is healthy, obsession often isn't.
There is a lot that I think is cool about Japan and Japanese culture. I would like to visit. But I am British. I have British friends, watch British TV etc. etc. I don't sit around longing to be a real Japanese boy... The grass is always greener on the other side... |
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Bl00dHoUnD
Posts: 95 |
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Personally, I believe much of Japanese fashion to be much better than Western fashion, as it's much more experimental. They're basically really unique, such as Bathing Ape and Diesel's Japanese styles, upon others.
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Iritscen
Posts: 793 |
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I think that I wrote a little too confidently in my last post, considering that I've never been there. Really, studying a place for some years and going there are two different things, aren't they? You would know Japan a lot better than I, having lived there. I suppose I fell into the trap of associating Tokyo with all of Japan when I wrote that Traditional Japan was dead. I was really thinking of the urban lifestyle in Japan in particular that is devoid of most tradition. That's why, if I do get to visit, I will largely steer clear of the cities and check out the ruins, the museums, and the countryside. |
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Rozzer
 Posts: 344 Location: So Cali |
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I'm not sure what kind of fashion there currently is in Japan, but if you're talking about clothes, I've read a lot of clothes there have western influence in design.
I of course love the food, and not just the typical sushi that most people stereo-type with Japanese. I'm a big fan of cooking, and I bought a 300+ page cook book that is just for Japanese food, and they have a huge variety. Although with some foods, you need to have an aquired taste, but a majority is just delicious. I think the term Wapanese / Japophile is kind of rideculous if you ask me, but to each his own. I really do love the Japanese culture and values, where we really don't have too much culture to call our own. I know someone will argue this point, but I really don't care. Also, by watching anime so much, I'm amazed at how quickly I am picking up the Japanese language. Because I am part Italian, and I'm having more of a difficulty learning Italian than Japanese, which is weird if you ask me. Anyways, if Wapanese were a real word, I guess you can say, "I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so." |
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omar235
 Posts: 1572 Location: Florida, Jacksonvile |
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I would hardly say that one culture is "better" than another, I mean I really love the Japanese culture and it is unique, interesting, and an all around facinating culture. I find this in any culture I look at and study about or visit. I would like to one day take a trip to Japan and explore the cities and country sides, but I would also like to visit Europe (mainly Italy) and see their cites and country sides. I mean If you find that you like a culture more then an other then thats fine but it is hard (if not impossible) to say that one culture is better or richer in culture then an other. As was already said Japan has it's own flaws (some can consider them big flaws) like any other countries.
As to what you asked I am a bit too into anime, though it isn't to a point where I would want to adopt Japanese culture or live in Japan. I like to travel and I don't think I would like to live in any other country permenatly. |
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Rakushun
 Posts: 116 Location: Hawaii |
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Cosplayers and other fans of Japanese fashion are only one part of the world of anime fandom. There are others out there who have regular jobs and regular clothes and regular decor, accented by a ridiculously huge collection of anime.
You're already getting a lot of flak for this statement, but I'd like to hear your defense for this. What part of Japanese culture is richer, and what part of Western culture is poorer? I guess part of that statement is valid from an American standpoint. The US doesn't have ancient history to draw from, no Middle Ages or Meiji era, so traditions in the US are very limited. We also have notoriously trashy pop culture, though that should not limit your exploration of American culture as a whole. I've known a few people who groan about the lack of culture in the US, but I think it comes from a lazyness to not explore the art and culture around them. There is plenty of good music outside of the Billboard Top 40, plenty of good art that isn't on the TV, and a variety of flavors from different cultures that have immigrated here.
I love anime too much, but I'm not "Wapanese". 
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Iritscen
Posts: 793 |
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Yes, but Europe's at least as bad. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/dutch_handicap_dc And don't forget where Big Brother started -- and theirs are trashier than ours, unless you start seeing shower/changing room cams on the American one any time soon. Kinda [OT], sorry. |
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Yoshball
 Posts: 99 Location: Portland, OR |
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I think it hard to determine whether a culture is "richer" than another's by only using your own outsider standards. It is hard to see your own culture until you are confronted with something that is different. Culture has been driven into you since birth, so some things may not seem special and are ordinary, but to outsiders, they are "rich" or strange or awful. Just because something is different and you like it better, doesn't mean its "rich", it just means you like it relative to your own culture.
If a "rich" culture just means a longer history, then there are several cultures that are more rich than America's or Japan's. If a "rich" culture has variety, one could argue that Japan is richer due to its combination of old traditions with modern life, but they are still a homogeneous culture. As someone mentioned above, America is a melting pot leading to a more varied, and therefore perhaps "richer", culture. Pacific Northwest culture is different from Southern is different from inner city New York is different from rural Wyoming. Put all together, it is amazingly varied across the US. What I'm trying to get at here is that it is impossible to define "richness" in culture either as an outsider in relative terms, or in absolute terms with some measurable factors. I dislike when people then try to state it as some kind of fact. |
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