Growing up, I read many books on Japanese culture and history. I was fascinated at how different it was from reading American history, and how much Japan contributed to the world as a whole. Being a child at the time, this of course meant watching anime, reading about samurai, and learning about the Sengoku period. I was also interested in traditional Japanese dress, and how different it looked from American style. While this part of the culture is significant and important, my focus has shifted to other things, leaving majority of this information in my childhood.
However, after coming here and observing my surroundings, it seemed rather strange that there are people who come to Japan strictly for those things and are disappointed when they aren’t the way they envision. People who read too much anime and think Japan is similar to the world of Naruto or One Piece are an example of this. People who are somewhat eccentric in their approach to Japan, and base things off stereotypes and generalizations. In America, we call people like this “otaku” or even more derogatory a “weeaboo”. From what I’ve understood, the meaning “otaku” in Japan basically translates to something along the lines of “geek” or “nerd”. Someone who is really interested in a particular hobby. In America, we use that term strictly for the people who are really interested in anime and manga.
As for weeaboo…well, generally those are people who are obsessed with Japan, but in a way that is awkward and strange. For example, watching an anime and thinking people in Japan all behave like the characters in the show. Or running around the country acting like the characters from a manga. These are just a few examples, but it isn’t unusual to think that those behaviors are a little strange.
There are many layers that make up a country. As wonderful as it is to appreciate a new culture and society, it is also important to understand that there are different perspectives.
Questions:
1) Do you feel strange if an American or foreign person asks you questions about history and old cultural practices? Why or why not?
2) What is your opinion on otaku?
3) Is it possible for foreigners to like parts of Japanese culture, without being weird or strange? Why or why not?
4) Tell a story about how you met some strange people who really liked Japanese culture. What did they do?
5) Why do you think many people like Japanese culture?
Key Words and Phrases: fascinated, contributed, significant, majority of, envision, eccentric, derogatory, the lines of, in a way, make up, appreciate, perspectives
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