"An enticing blend of ancient traditions with ultramodern contraptions and amusements. ... ... And women. ... ... And money."
The women
The Japanese women of my generation (late baby boomers) started to break from the traditional mold, but for the most part, they remained meek and mild.
The next generation (many of whom became my students and friends), were much less traditional and much more assertive (sometimes excessively so, as they felt they had to break the mold.)
The current generation of millennials has moved far beyond the typical Japanese female of yore. In a very real sense, they’ve attained their freedom, and now plenty of them are truly confident, self-assured, worldly, and even sophisticated ladies. If I were in Japan now, I’d stay. (Image source)
The money
Soon after I set foot in Japan, the bubble burst and the country started its long, irreversible slide into the lost decade (… well, it’s starting to look like “a lost century”). But the yen remained relatively strong.
However, with the utter failure of Abe-no-no-nomics, and with the ongoing policy of printing the yen into oblivion, there’s clearly no future there. If I were in Japan now, I’d leave. (Image source)
The enduring wonder
My enduring wonder about the country stems from the fact that Japan is truly unique. Yep, it sure is different. That’s not to say that it’s special in any way. (Some Japanese will assert that it is special, but they’re either right-wing fanatics or just plain fanatics.)
There is one major reason for its uniqueness. For over 200 years, Japan was virtually closed off from foreigners and any foreign influence. In 1635, the shogunate (the rulers of Japan at that time) banned foreigners from entering the country, apart from a handful of Dutch and Chinese merchants.
That ban lasted until 1854, when US Navy Commodore Matthew Perry arrived on Japan’s shores and essentially demanded that the country open its borders to US trade. (Image source)
The diversity. Old and new, eastern and western, ordinary and alien
Owing partially to that 200-plus years of isolation, Japan’s history, culture, and society are unlike that of any other developed nation. But after it opened to trade with the US and other countries in the late 1800s, it rapidly adapted to many foreign ways of doing things, and adopted many aspects of Western culture.
So while Japan remains an alien world, it is a place where foreigners can get by without immersing oneself too deeply in the culture, and without learning much of the language. (Of course, learning it helps a lot.)
It’s also a place where they can eventually feel very comfortable and very much at home, all while experiencing a totally intriguing and exotic culture. A culture that provides an enticing blend of ancient traditions with ultramodern contraptions and amusements.
Introduction to – “Notes from Under the Tatami Mats” (right-click on title)
Top 3 Stages Experienced by Expats after Arriving in Japan
Top 3 Appropriate Nicknames for Japan
Top 5 Ridiculous Comments by Japanese about the Outside World
Top 3 Ridiculous Questions by Friends Back Home
... and more
Links to my Other Series …
Introduction – "Intro to Vocab-ability" (right-click on title)
Guide – "Guide to Entries" (right-click on title)
Index– "Index" to all Chapters and Sections (right-click on title)
Lou Reed – "Anthology of Memorable Lyrics, Part 1" (right-click on title)
Lou Reed – "Anthology of Memorable Lyrics, Part 2" (right-click on title)
Images sourced from Google Images, unless otherwise indicated or unless my own.