Small insight into Japanese culture

[ninzel]

Nintendo Power interview with Satomi Asakawa. Secondary character creator.

Commenting on her move to North America and to learn CG and what she learned...
"In Japanese culture, it's customary to think that if you state your opinion, you may alienate someone and make them uncomfortabe,but in Canada(DigiPen) during my studies,I really needed to be comfortable with saying exacty what I was thinking...."

Maybe this is why there is so much depth to the creativity from Japan, they express through games and art what they feel uncomfortable saying with words.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

Or not.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Or not.

LOL...oh god...that made me laugh uncontrollably. I was expecting a whole article on human perception....dreams, nightmares and love. How the Japanese culture developed and how they feel about the world....

EDIT: I guess I missed the small in the Thread title.

 

[ninzel]

Or not.

Ah let me guess, when somoene makes a complement about Japaan, you're so narcissistic that you turn it into a comparsion to your culture. You can't just be content and see the positive in other cultures, but you have to feel resentment if it isn't something positive about you.

 

[PG2G]

Ah let me guess, when somoene makes a complement about Japaan, you're so narcissistic that you turn it into a comparsion to your culture. You can't just be content and see the positive in other cultures, but you have to feel resentment if it isn't something positive about you.

I wouldn't think so negatively. He probably just thinks that you are reaching a bit much in trying to make the connection. I'd have to agree with him, heh.

 

[Mefisutoferesu]

I'd say the original poster is quite wrong. While it may be true for the artistic types, so maybe that might translate into videogames, but the general populace no.

Asakawa was just referencing the sense of manners in Japan. How to explain this simply... ... OK, in Japan you never fully come out and say, particularly with bad news or negative stuff. In other words, it's proper to "beat around the bush".

Example

I know this guy, say Tim, from work, and he's an OK guy, but he's not really my friend and we don't get along swimming -- just acquaintances. Anyway, so Friday comes along and me and my girl have a date, WOOHOO. Just as I'm about to leave work, Tim comes by the cubicle and says we should go out and get a drink. As an American, I'd straight out say "I've got a date with my girlfriend, sorry", but as a Japanese I"m more like to hedge "Err, Today? Ummm... well, you see...". Now, if Tim were Japanese, it's sort of his job to figure out I'm hedging and then offer me a way out, "Ah, it's OK, how maybe next week or something?" That's what the Asakawa's talking about. Now, it's not so simple as all that, since there's differnt stance for levels of closeness and set phrases (the Japanese language is FULL of catch phrase statements -- probably tens of thousands).


That said, I don't believe that's where the creativity really comes from. I'd argue it's the anime/manga industry that truely fuels the creativity. I really don't wanna go into why, since I'm too lazy to write THAT much, but I'll suffice to say it's because of contiunes and ubiquious (sp?) prevelance in culture -- particularly younger that fuels it. If you think about it videogames are in a lot of ways kinda like comics (manga) -- contained stories, characters, worlds, blah blah blah. This is also part why we see so many sequels coming out of Japan -- if you imagine we game is a volume in a manga, makes sense... ... well to me it does.

EDIT:: Please, pardon the terrrible grammar and spelling... I'm really too lazy today to fix things.

 

[Squeak]

I remember a blog by an American english teacher in Japan, with a parody of a McDonalds drive through order. Hilarious! I can imagine the cues at drivethroughs in Japan, because the customers are to polite to "order" the microphone to give them some food. Anyone know that blog?

 

[StefanS]

I remember a blog by an American english teacher in Japan, with a parody of a McDonalds drive through order. Hilarious! I can imagine the cues at drivethroughs in Japan, because the customers are to polite to "order" the microphone to give them some food. Anyone know that blog?

You mean outpost9
http://www.outpostnine.com/editorials/