This post is right on the mark:
The True Spirit of Japan! Oh, people love that phrase, they adore it. You know
why? Because it’s so convenient.
…
Really, this attitude stems from a very narrow cultural viewpoint: Japan is different from America!
…
Don’t get me wrong, now, I’m not trying to say that “cultural exchange” is a
bad idea or impossible or anything. Of course it’s not … problems only arise
when people seek some Grand Unified Theory of Japan to explain the differences,
rather than realising that for foreigners, “Japan” is just another name for
“a different bunch of stuff”.
Amen. This post hits the nail on the head for exactly what I’ve been
trying to be able verbalize what has been in my mind around for awhile.
Japan is different but making a Grand Unified Theory as
No-Sword calls it is just plain stupid.
I just wish more people would catch on to this. The longer I stay here, the
more I see similarities in everything but I also am surprised by many
things I definitely can’t see back home or perhaps anywhere else but it
doesn’t mean I have some Grand Unified Theory of what Japan is. It’s more
like just adding a bunch of random stuff to a very huge bag. Yeah it’s
still that bag but I have no idea what is the essence of all those
pieces in the bag. It’s just there.
Read it yourself
