Best and Worst of Japan | Asian American Poll

BEST & WORST OF JAPAN
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:13:53 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

What's the best thing about Japan?
Clean courteous people | 34%
Dynamic urban life | 34%
Appealing traditional culture | 6%
Safety and social stability | 26%

What's the worst thing about Japan?
Crowding and pollution | 24%
Rigid social conformity | 39%
Stagnant economic system | 31%
Exhorbitant prices | 6%

This poll is closed to new input.
Comments posted during the past year remain available for browsing.

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WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

artificial beauty:
And who are you Mr proud person to classify japanese men as having inferior complexes.
Do you know many of them? Have you been to Japan?
Well I have and know that Japanese men are very proud and have plenty of self esteem.
For your information, it is quite normal to see Japanese men with foreign women on the streets of major Japanese cities (anyone who has been to Japan knows what I'm talking about) and many foreign women LOVE the company of japanese men.
Japanese men are actually the most popular asian men in the eyes of western women.
They are known as strong willed, respectful, dedicated, and hard working.
And if you think Japanese magazines and TV have many non asians in them why don't you look in some major magazines and watch TV commercials in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Korea and China. There are many non asians in them as well.
It seems you are just someone with a beef against the Japanese. Insecure yourself perhaps? Maybe a bit of an inferiority complex? Many who rant like you do it to feel better about their sorry selves.
And I think you have misinterpreted Japanese respect for certain western values and called it an inferiority complex.
In it's long history, Japan was probably the world's most militaristic society in which respect was given to the strongest. It happens that Japan lost to the west in WWII (it was the first time the nation and it's people had been beaten by a foreign opponent be it asian or western). The nation was told to bear the unbearable (defeat).
But instead of wallowing in sorrow the nation worked to prop recreate itself.
This victory warranted some respect and re-evaluation of ideals. Japan recognized certain positive traits in western society and so adopted them.
This east-west fusion resulted in the nation becoming one of the most dynamic societies in the world. One which many ASIAN nations soon lined up to emulate and learn from.
So why are the Japanese any more inferiority burdened than any other asian nation (all have adopted ideas and social values not of their own).
Also, if the Japanese are embarrasing as you think, then why do other asian nations look up to it?
Much if not most of modern asia's fashion sense and social sense are replicas of the modern japanese sense of style.
Take a look at chinese and korean TV commercials for example. They are almost exact copies of the format pioneered by Japanese TV producers thirty years ago.
Music too. Canto pop and Korean pop were and are HEAVILY influenced by the western influenced J pop.
Asian clothing fashion? Can we say they are replicas of what was popular in Japan the year before? Of course we can!
And what kind of car do you drive?
SO WHO'S COPYING WHO and who looks up to who?
It's not as if your culture is ethnically pure or free of foreign influence. Not one is, eastern or western.
And this cultural borrowing does not translate to low self esteem and self hatred as you believe.
Culture is not stagnant. Only those who are insecure, xenophobic, and self hating (because they have to hate others to feel better about themselves or their own culture) would say so.
So stop knocking Japanese men!

Japanese are proud people Monday, January 28, 2002 at 04:38:50 (PST)

Artificial Beauty,

The Japanese are a very appearance-oriented race. I don’t mean to be cruel, but maybe the Japanese men you and your female friends are encountering are perceiving your group as being physically deformed, or too old. I live in the U.S.A., so I don’t know how it is in your home country, but I would imagine that racism would be one of major the reasons why a majority of Japanese men are not interested in you and your group. Anyway, in reality, racism is easy excuse in why people act the way they do. From the way you express yourself, I figure maybe it’s you and the circle of people you are associating with in Japan. You sound like a broken-down bar hostess.

Jimmy Z Sunday, January 27, 2002 at 16:56:39 (PST)

How pitiful Japansese guys are!
Comparing to Japanese gilrs, apparently they can't get popularity from girls of any race. What do you think they should do in order to get popularity?

Why do such a many Japanese girls prefer Caucasian men to Japanese men?
You can see a lot of White people on TV commercial and in fashion magazines. That made them think Caucasian men are handsome in general. Quite a few Japanese people(especially over 40 years old) sufer from inferiority complex to White people(But,on the other hand most of them look down on Korean people.). So they eager to use White people in advertisements only to depreciate themselves. I really feel ashamed of their old|fashioned and self-hated thinking.

Why do you rarely seen Japanese guys with Caucasian girls or black girls?
Don't Japanese guys find them attractive? No,some Japanese guys think they are beautiful, But most Japanese guys are not good at English and know most of them are not interested in Japanese guys. Those dissuade Japanese guys from hitting on them.

Anyway, I hope young Japanese men will clear out these old Japanese thinking.
Any opinion?

artificial beauty kekkonmadaka@hotmail.com Saturday, January 26, 2002 at 06:52:01 (PST)

Japan, the land of sinking sun.
boston Saturday, January 19, 2002 at 08:06:58 (PST)

I've never been to Japan but I REALLY love anime and manga! ^_^ And their voice actors are the best. I think Japanese language is totally cool.
Catholic Girl79/Filipino Girl79 Tuesday, January 08, 2002 at 12:56:18 (PST)

TO HELP
i have lived in japan off and on for 20 years.
i am afro-american.
i love japan and it's people.
to worry about your mate jest because he is in japan is baka.
if you have a sound relationship.
you will be ok.
if on the other hand, your relationship is not strong.
it will not matter where he is. he will stray.
this is not a matter of locale. but a natter of being true to the person you are with.one can be tempted anywhwre.
and all will be. but to act on it, is something you and he need to set down and talk about.
no matter where you go. there are going to be woman who are looking for a good time. and they will take it where they can find it.
this is not a matter of place, but of being.
talk to your mate, know where you are going in life befor you go.
gambate,

WU-MING

WU-MING FB008@AOL.COM Friday, January 04, 2002 at 22:05:35 (PST)

The Japanese are on the whole nice and friendly. Moreover the porn there is killer. I love Anna Ohura.
sd Friday, December 28, 2001 at 14:52:42 (PST)

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