Reaction to Japan and Changing Impressions via Visual Anthropology

Little did I know when I thought I knew a lot about Japan but being here for four months (which is not enough), I realized my knowledge about Japan has obviously been through the etic point of view which is purely stereotypical and aesthetic generalized. There is so much more about Japan than just what we see in the media of course but also during observation. What we see is not always what we see. We choose if we want to contemplate it and by doing so, we choose to participate in it and that is when you are truly learning by interacting and not only by watching. I never thought of that before until I enter Anthropology classes. Everything I do suddenly has more meaning as it brings open-mindedness, creativity and the ability to change things and to take new ventures. I like to think that my experiences are long-term orientated as you emerge, you learn and you tend to forget (short-term perspective) but it will always be there (long-term perspective). What I have gain through my experiences in Japan has not only affect my perception of the country itself but of how I view other cultures as well. In fact, it made me understanding the world rather than myself. It has changed my inner world and quite frankly it made me feel pretty darned small.

Looking back in my previous impression of Japan, I recalled their over-politeness behaviour. Politeness is only a common sense and it won’t get you close to people. We are not interacting here as the politeness is only a form of impression. We normally don't contemplate it and we tend to let it go. So through my impression of their behaviour, I found it hard to imagine a prospect relationship with the Japanese people because of their over-politeness. We have referred them as robots but that is of course not true as their politeness doesn't necessarily mean that they don't want to further develop the relationship between them and you. If you can break that ice of politeness, they are as human as everyone else. It's not a matter of the restriction of this polite form, it's a matter of trust and you can achieve that through interaction that will certainly bring you closer to the people. Remember Japanese people do want to interact with us, more than you can imagine. So from this day, I'm glad to say that I can see a long-term relationship with my Japanese friends.

Here's a video I made of people in Japan.

Extreme Beauty in Japan

We see ourselves everyday but we choose how we want to see ourselves. We all try to present a “better you” for the society and this has intensely been focus through our outer beauty rather than our inner beauty. This idea is universal but how we view ourselves is different across culture. I’ve notice this particular since I’ve been living in Japan; their self-ideal image is very different from what I observe in Western countries. Like many other cultures, the media constantly influences the depiction of beauty through TV commercials, Internet advertisements, billboards and magazines. In moderation beauty in the media is fine but some people become easily convinced of the media’s definition of beauty, which leads to obsession with the way they look. For some reason, I can see that in the younger generation of Japan, who follows what the media labels them to be.

Japan is one of the largest advertising markets in the world with all big colourful billboards and adverts covering metropolitan cities. Here you will clearly discover how differently the Japanese models are portrayed on the adverts. Obviously, the media keeps on placing beauty with beauty however in the Japanese media, they emphasize more on the eyes, hair and make-up. Apart from advertisements, another way to clarify image of Japanese perception of beauty is through the Japanese purakira photo booth. It’s a famous Japanese photo booth that makes your skin look smoother and your eyes look bigger, basically it makes you look more beautiful. In reality, girls have circle eye lens and fake lashes (the bigger the better), stylish dyed hair (often light brown and always perfect), skinny body (more acceptable than curvy and slim body), high platform/heels (has to be worn anytime and anywhere) and of course make-up, which should be recognized as the biggest transformation to beauty. These steps to make you more beautiful are very common in Japan particularly in metropolitan cities. In fact, steps that make you look more western are highly recognizable especially in the media.

It’s also very interesting to see how the way they look can affect the way they are. I believe that being obsessed with your physical appearance changes your personality. The idea of “must-look-good” for other people and constant satisfying the society through their appearance might be the ultimate way to express their individuality as Japan is a country with lack of individuality compare to the western. Therefore I can only imagine having a strong “ideal-social-self image” is very important.