Land of the Rising Cool

I sat back mesmerized at the screen of the movie theatre. The quick clips and squeal of noise made me sit up straight in my seat and pay more attention. The trailer was an explosion of color, flash, and clipped dialogue. I was actually getting excited and bobbed my head along to the music playing in the background. The title screen flashed before our eyes and I said to myself: Damn. I HAVE to watch that movie! It was then that the euphoria of the moment faded away and was replaced with a small guilty feeling gnawing at my stomach. Oh my gawd! Did I just say I HAVE to watch “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift?” Shoot me.

Lily Fact #1: I DID NOT see the first two “The Fast and the Furious” movies.

Lily Fact #2: I thought the concept of the first two movies was dumb.

Lily Fact #3: Despite being Asian, I don’t dig the import car scene AND I believe that any guy that drives a car that makes that much noise and has that big of an exhaust is compensating for something Freudian.

So what made me want to watch it? Well, apparently I was sucked into the world of nouveau Japanese culture. Meaning, because it’s Japanese – it’s exciting. We’re not just talking about Pokemon or Hello Kitty (However, I do admit to a bit of a Chococat addiction). According to a 2003 Washington Post article, culture is quickly becoming Japan’s largest export.

Anime has had fans since I was in high school. Manga comic books are sold regularly in bookstores. Nintendo started the multi-billion dollar gaming boom. Downtown Sao Paolo, Brazil now has more sushi restaurants than Brazilian Barbecues. And personally, who wouldn’t want a Godzilla t-shirt?

No doubt about it, we have a very healthy obsession with all things Japanese. But is it a bad thing? Comedian Margaret Cho is ambivalent about the recent popularity of the Harajuku Girls (named after the teenage fashion epicenter and shopping district in Tokyo) and their connection to uber-Rocker Girl, Gwen Stefani. “I want to like them, and I want to think they are great, but I am not sure if I can… a Japanese schoolgirl uniform is kind of like blackface, I am just in acceptance over it, because something is better than nothing.”

While I share Cho’s trepidation, the “something” she refers to is actually a HUGE thing in Western Culture. I for one believe that the embracing of Japanese pop culture is a good thing. Here’s a country that for almost 20-years has been suffering with a devastating economic slump redefining their image and earning an honest decent Yen at it. No one bats an eyelash at the fact that our All-American creation, the blue jean, is now daily apparel even amongst the Princes of Saudi Arabia. So, why should we get our panties in a knot about doe-eyed cartoon characters that speak gibberish and cry offense?

We take ourselves way too seriously as a country if that’s the case.

While it may not be the great and deep cultural exchange that we seek for our younger generation, the fact that they’re interested in anything OUTSIDE of western culture is a good sign. The high school that Lenny teaches at has a sister school in Himeji, Japan. They come to visit every year for a week and the American kids swarm over the technology that seems unreachable to them, but commonplace to a Japanese teenager. On a visit a couple years ago, the buzz was about the tiny cell phones that their visitors were carrying. Many kids involved in the sister school program try things they’ve never tried before because of this wonderful exchange of culture.

And thankfully, it is a mutual admiration shared by their Asian counterparts. In a day and age where it seems every country in the world (and a section of people in our own country) hate anything remotely American, the Japanese can’t see to get enough of us. According to Paige Ferrari at MSN.com, “…isn’t it nice to know that there’s…A place where no one else is watching World Cup and there’s a McDonald’s on every corner? The Japanese can’t seem to get enough of us, so it seems downright natural to return the favor.” We shouldn’t feel guilty about embracing J-Pop…we should be thanking them for vacationing in Vegas, spending thousands of dollars shopping in New York, and riding Harley Davidsons. When was the last time France contributed to our economy like that?

As annoying as Pokemon and Power Ranger shows are, Japanese culture is running strong across the globe. Can they take over the world? That remains to be seen. They are at foreground of burgeoning trends and technological advances. We should congratulate them for their creativity and fearless venture into marketing. Any country that can globalize their culture like that deserves that much respect.