Week 7: Japanization? Not really..

What are the implications of being exposed to Japanese cultural products? How do they influence our livelihood, and how can we view this impact? As I was reading Iwabuchi's article, I couldn't help but echo his skepticism over the true cultural impact of Japanese goods. Looking at the example of the Walkman which was noted as one of Japan's most significant contributions to the Western culture of consumerism, its presence as a Japanese products plays a secondary role to its presence as a new technological innovation. For the average American, they buy the Walkman from an American retailer and listen to American music on it- the fact it is a product of Japan is a mere passing realization with no staying power. They might appreciate Japan for its innovative power, but they won't all of the sudden demand a more rigid society, eat smaller portions of food, or show more respect to their elders. As for the claim made by Chow that the Walkman signaled the decline of collectivism, while it does provide a more individualistic music experience, it does not completely separate the individual from their environment, and certainly does not have the power to uproot centuries-old, embedded to the point of being invisible, Confucian tradition. It's not like pre-Walkman everyone was sharing their music in an effort to be part of the collective.

In looking at other examples from the article of another Japanese 'C' export-comics and cartoons-while they do contain explicit messages that are reflective of Japan's values, they are also unique to the individual. For example, Miyazake uses the theme of valuing nature in many of his films, but also incorporates the role of an empowered individual child as his protagonist, this is not specific to all Japanese media. When non-Japanese watch his films, they might draw different value from it dependent on their own cultural context. But they do not propagate a particular set of distinctly Japanese values or habits. However, the Miyazake example doesn't have the same intensity of flow that Japanese manga or TV exports have... I don't have the experiential background to be able to comment on the effects of this kind of media, but the fact that nothing immediately pops to mind might be indicative that 'Japanization' has not taken hold in the same way as Americanization. What kind of 'Japanese' message would something like Pokemon send anyway? "Gotta catch them all.." Hoarding? Remember Tamagotchis? Were those from Japan?

Where I do think there are serious implications for Japan's rise as a producer of cultural goods, is just in the general sense of having a presence. The more they export and the more highly dependent countries become of their technology, cars, and media-the more clout they have in matters of political and economic weight, like a free trade agreement for example. This presence is both an asset in their relationships to the US, but also in their region. Perhaps part of the motivation of Hallyu, and the Chinese equivalent, is a reactionary response to what Japan has already accomplished.