the infantilisation of Japanese culture is way too prominent in the western world

(i will probably refine this more later. but, enjoy in the present!)

We visualise a lot of pictures when we think of Japan - the games, the anime, the hello kitty, the maid dresses. But, in light of a western world that has softened the gaze of Japan to an almost patronising level, I've found myself researching this topic in great detail. I mean, I'm also a fan of all that Japanese culture can offer. I just think it's important to not remain ignorant if you consume quite a lot of what a culture produces - and I really like anime.

We're in the midst of an obsession with Japan - it's all over social media and we're glorifying Asian styled makeup and oriented trends as a result. The dream holiday destination of most people who watch anime is Japan - because we just “love the culture!” But, too many people know very little about the country the infantilise. They're watching shows and TikToks and taking it as evidence of the culture as a whole. And that's not just ignorant - it can also come off as pretty disrespectful.

But let's go into a very brief history for context. Japan wasn't always faced by the cutsie Hello Kitty. Its journey began when it found itself on the wrong side of war. And post-WW2, some saving face was required to adapt and re-enter society. But many people were still reminded of their part in the war at the mere mention of their name, which caused distrust, which was quite bad for trading opportunities and allyships. So, to soften their image, Hello Kitty was born - the first step into promoting the cute side of Japan. And this has been insanely effective, especially in recent years. But, as with everything the east does, the west must make into a means to demean. We, as the west, feminised the east (which is another whole subject to talk about, and it's, as usual, connected to colonisation). The west created extremely submissive stereotypes for Asian women and weak, feminine stereotypes for Asian men because the west wanted to be seen as a strong, masculine power. So, there was already some level of feminisation present, and with Japan leaning into the benefits of their label, we lead the way to infantilising. We filter the really cute content Japan has to offer (I'm talking their maid cafes, women dressed in pink, frilly dresses, Hello Kitty cons, fashion, etc.) and filtering out any of the more masculine demonstrations of the culture (samurai practices, the 'salaryman', elaborate and honourable values). This isn't to say that the extreme femininity is bad - it's not. But neutral femininity and any kind of masculinity doesn't seem to be getting to the western public. And the extreme forms of femininity are easily manipulated to be demonstrations of Japan's 'childlike' culture. Which is very effective at demeaning the country, and is also insanely misleading for those from the west who decide based on these facts that they wish to visit. Because it's not entirely like that.

We have oversimplified Japanese life. The country isn't actually anime, which apparently a lot of people have somehow only been finding out upon visiting. It's reported that people are experiencing what is similar to the 'Parisian-effect', defined as visiting Paris and realising it's not actually like all the romance movies it’s featured in. Japan isn't any more brightly coloured than anywhere else in the world, and the romances are cute and all, but real people aren't anime characters. They don't act like them, either. They have flaws, just like the rest of us. What you see of Japan from outside of it are carefully curated stories which, as to keep in line with their incredibly female-based audience, are supposed to appeal to the feminine gaze. The love stories are written by talented writers, the fantastical action is drawn by seasoned animators. Japan deserves the credit it gets for what it produces, because it's brilliant. Coming from someone who mass consumes anime and has a massive appreciation for it. But, stories aren't a reflection of reality.

Japan has so many brilliant aspects for those who want to visit it. I definitely plan on visiting in the future because I can't resist all the enticement of Studio Ghibli and Mario theme parks - those are, like, my two favourite things. But, we do Japan an injustice by boiling it down to its very basics. There are some amazing, more masculine qualities of Japan that people are just unaware of, and there's the downsides of sexism and all the bad things that you have to be aware of in most countries. You're not protected by the image of femininity in a country that isn't actually bound by the constraints of said image.

I think what I want to say about it is this - actually look into cultures before making them your entire personality (I'm looking at the weeaboos). Watching anime and fun TikToks isn't enough, and it's almost insulting to try and boil it down to just those aspects. Indulge yourself in the cool aspects of countries that you don't just stumble across on a FYP. And be aware of customs and traditions, etc., because those things are actually important when thinking about visiting a country. Just as a form of respect for a culture you're going to spend your time consuming.

Or not. I won't know, and I can't force you. This is just my opinion.

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