Day 86: Japan

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ja.html

Discuss.

[Michael Z]

Great country. Fantastic food. Lots of hot women. Virtually 90% of my favourite films have been made there. I only wish Japan would stop its ceaseless, childish bickering with China and Korea - though it goes both ways, of course.

[MaC]

lol Pachinko!!

I'd visit, but never move there.  Wonder how their economy really is doing right now.  Heard that despite the enormous prosperity that they've had recession the last couple years.  Wonder how long they'll last as a world power.

[phk]

lol Pachinko!!

I'd visit, but never move there.  Wonder how their economy really is doing right now.  Heard that despite the enormous prosperity that they've had recession the last couple years.  Wonder hoe long they'll last as a world power.

Thier economy was in the doldrums from 1990 to 2004. Thier picking up steam now because of the Chinese market providing a new market for exports.

[Jacobtm]

lol Pachinko!!

I'd visit, but never move there.  Wonder how their economy really is doing right now.  Heard that despite the enormous prosperity that they've had recession the last couple years.  Wonder hoe long they'll last as a world power.

Thier economy was in the doldrums from 1990 to 2004. Thier picking up steam now because of the Chinese market providing a new market for exports.

0% interest rates help too.

I'm really confused about Japan's culture. On one hand, you hear all over the place that Japan is a very traditional society; they have strict discipline at home and everyone is expected to have a sort of filial piety towards their superiors.

And then you see this anime/manga stuff and the movies that come out of Japan, and lots of it is just disgusting. Animated kiddie porn, all sorts of crazy psycho-killer type perverse violence, really disturbing stuff. Has anyone ever seen/read Ichi the Killer, Battle Royal or anything like that? What kinda "traditional" society full of supposedly modest, humble, obedient people publishes that sorta stuff?

It just really confuses me. Not that they don't have a right to do it, it just seems that they've got a reall bi-polar society. The whole suicide trend also  makes me wonder about how healthy their society is.

[opebo]

lol Pachinko!!

I'd visit, but never move there.  Wonder how their economy really is doing right now.  Heard that despite the enormous prosperity that they've had recession the last couple years.  Wonder hoe long they'll last as a world power.

Thier economy was in the doldrums from 1990 to 2004. Thier picking up steam now because of the Chinese market providing a new market for exports.

0% interest rates help too.

I'm really confused about Japan's culture. On one hand, you hear all over the place that Japan is a very traditional society; they have strict discipline at home and everyone is expected to have a sort of filial piety towards their superiors.

And then you see this anime/manga stuff and the movies that come out of Japan, and lots of it is just disgusting. Animated kiddie porn, all sorts of crazy psycho-killer type perverse violence, really disturbing stuff. Has anyone ever seen/read Ichi the Killer, Battle Royal or anything like that? What kinda "traditional" society full of supposedly modest, humble, obedient people publishes that sorta stuff?

It just really confuses me. Not that they don't have a right to do it, it just seems that they've got a reall bi-polar society. The whole suicide trend also  makes me wonder about how healthy their society is.

It shouldn't confuse you at all, Jacobtm - tightly controlled societies, such as the Japanese, or the American Puritan, produce an enormous amount of sexual frustration, which is manifested in rape, serial killing, or fantasies thereof - either privately or in film/art. 

Open, sexually permissive societies, such as say the Scandinavian, Dutch, Thai, etc., produce sexually satisfied, happy people, who have no motivations or drives for extreme behaviours.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Japan is a good disproving of the idiots like Lieberman and Hillary who think violence in the media causes real violence though.

Go look at the violence in the Japanese media compared to our's, and then compare the crime rates.

[Bono]

One one hand, it's an opressive police state with ridiculous gun laws.

But on the other hand, there's manga.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Hot women.

[AkSaber]

Hot women.

^^^^

But with that and the anime, I wouldn't want to live there. Too crowded, and I don't think I could adapt to the seafood diet.

[Cubby]

One one hand, it's an opressive police state with ridiculous gun laws.

But on the other hand, there's manga.

Yes but thats not such a great thing.

I don't like manga, there's too many pictures and not enough words. I am the opposite of a visual learner, I need stuff to read.

And Japan had a stupid election last year, they were all morons and kept the same party they've had for 50 years. I was rooting for the Democratic Party of Japan, I can't believe they did so poorly but they are still a viable alternative to the LDP.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Go look at the violence in the Japanese media compared to our's, and then compare the crime rates.

You could have a look at the suicide rates though

[John Dibble]

Not sure I'd want to live there, but I think it's an interesting country. Plus it produces anime so more power to them.

Oh, and btw - orewa osushiga daisukida.

[MasterJedi]

Great country.

They have great manga, anime, video games, food, cities, women, you name it!

[DanielX]

Home to great video games and cars.

I understand that Japanese men and Japanese women aren't getting along too well, though. Might be one reason for the low birthrate.