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2008-02-17 China-Japan-Koreas

Only NKorean missile can 'wake up' Japan, says Tokyo governor

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Posted by Atomic Conspiracy 2008-02-17 01:42|| || Front Page|| [5 views ] Top

#1 There is some inherent blockage between US and Japanese culture that limits or prevents intermingling, even though when it does happen it is hugely successful, as a rule. And this is puzzling.

Because of Japan's impressive economic strength, Japanese language studies should be widespread, especially in the western US, but it isn't. In Japan, while English is the language of business, it is seen as almost an amusement, a skill for the businessman to demonstrate his wit.

At the same time, the Japanese tourist will flock to Hawaii in huge numbers, but the furthest inland popular site Japanese will visit in large numbers in the US is the Grand Canyon. And it is just a "dash in, dash out" visit, then back to the coast.

And US tourists have the same problem visiting Japan. It is a strange and alien place to most Americans, even with US franchises scattered about. There are no large US colonies in Japan, as there are no large Japanese colonies in the US.

The few who live permanently in the other country integrate and disappear.

It is puzzling, indeed.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-02-17 10:22|| 2008-02-17 10:22|| Front Page Top

#2 Why puzzling, 'moose?

Japanese culture is strongly oriented to cohesion based on a firm belief that Japan is singular and exceptional. Their language, while showing some relationship to Mongolian and also to some Polynesian, is quite different from other SE Asian tongues. Ignoring the Ainu, which they do quite throroughly, the Children of the Sun see themselves as racially distinct from their neighbors and while they absorbed elements of Chinese (Buddhism) and western (science & math) culture they pride themselves in integrating it into something native.

There are no large American colonies in Japan in good part because the Japanese do not encourage any such colony. Where would Americans fit in the very structured hierarchical system of relationships there?

And there are no large Japanese colonies here because anyone who wishes to advance in Japanese corporations or politics cannot afford to be away from Japan more than a certain limited time.

At least, those were my experiences doing business with Japanese firms a while ago. Nothing I've seen or read since suggests that has changed among the adults, although the cell phone thumb generation is a little (but not fundamentally) different, I think.

Posted by lotp 2008-02-17 12:32|| 2008-02-17 12:32|| Front Page Top

#3 Note that Buddhism (as opposed to Chinese Buddhist culture) isn't Chinese. It originated in India, in present day Bihar state.
It was the Indian Emperor Ashoka who sent Buddhist missionaries to present day China, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma.

Posted by john frum 2008-02-17 12:41|| 2008-02-17 12:41|| Front Page Top

#4 Indeed, John - Gautama was Indian and Buddhism is one of the many gifts of India to the world. However IIUC Japan adopted it via China and in particular the Japanese found the Ch'an (Zen) and Pure Land schools amenable to their aesthetics and culture.

Posted by lotp 2008-02-17 13:08|| 2008-02-17 13:08|| Front Page Top

#5 Here om Guam. a majority of Chin emigres I'd conversed with have no qualms about any US departure = redux from Japan. They broadly acknowledge that mainland China is BACKWARD + TECH INFERIOR/DEFICIENT TO BOTH THE USA + JAPAN. ITO CHINA NEEDS ALL THE TECH INNOVATION THEY CAN GET + SEE JAPAN AS A MAJOR SOURCE, ARE GENER WILING TO PUT WW2, etc IN THE PAST. OTOH, they view intensive = new Chin influence in Japan as good for relations and for China.

THE QUESTION THEN, AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING, IS WHETHER MAINSTREAM JAPANESE CAN ACCEPT [large numbers] CHINESE ENIGRES + CHIN-FOREIGN-OWNED MNC'S IN THEIR COUNTRY???

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-02-17 17:36|| 2008-02-17 17:36|| Front Page Top

#6 As said before on RB and the Net > iff the USA is truly concenred about a LT Chicom strategic threat to Amer + Asia-Pacific vv Communist China IRONY > A NUCLEARIZED ANTI-CHIN NORTH KOREA CAN WORK TO THE ADVANTAGE OF THE US-WEST. DOES THE USA = US INTEL-STATE BELIEVE THAT THE NK NORCOMS/KORCOMS ARE WILLING TO MOVE OR MADE TO MOVE TOWARDS DEMOCAPITALISM + [EURO-model] DEMOSOCIALISM???

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-02-17 17:45|| 2008-02-17 17:45|| Front Page Top

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