Japan's Pop Culture as a Cultural Emissary

à luz da catástrofe que assolou o Japão nesta triste data, abro uma excepção à política estritamente literária deste poiso e publico um artigo escrito para a Embaixada do Japão há uns anitos, onde se reflecte como os tesouros artísticos - mesmo da cultura pop - de cada nação permitem uma abertura ao encontro intercultural. Mina-san, ganbatte kudasai! 

           One could argue that Japan, its people and culture have never been so popular in the Western world, as far as its widespread presence in the public eye and in pop culture is concerned. There is plenty of access to information about Japan: it features abundantly in the media, there are exhibitions of Japanese art, live concerts, theatre, shows and other artistic demonstrations all throughout the West. Curiously, countless pre-existing Japanese icons, from an old, worn-out T-shirt of “Astro Boy” you had as a child, to the screen animation on your mobile phone depicting sakura on a Mount Fuji backdrop, were not - but are now - instantly recognizable as Japanese references. Even more important than this new‑found awareness is the willigness and conscious desire to seek out and come into contact with Japan, due to the appeal of one or more attractive aspects, like its cuisine, martial arts, architecture, fashion, technology, cinema, music and also its high cultural manifestations, such as woodblocks prints, tea ceremonies and haiku poetry.

Focusing on Portugal, Japan’s trendsetting character can be particularly seen in the proliferation of Japanese restaurants, associated primarily with exotic, healthy food and fashionableness. The steady increase in the amount of material available about Japanese art, design and architecture show that these are particularly sought after fields by students and professionals alike, always eager to come up with “the next big thing”. Also, several New Age books, associating Japan with Zen philosophy and Murakami Haruki novels fly off the shelves; movie buffs caress the cover of a rare edition of Kurosawa Akira’s “Seven Samurai”; young girls beg their parents for a overpriced hair clip, entranced by the Kawaii culture the “Hello Kitty” logo on it emblemizes, shared also by their older counterparts, who study the “harajuku girl” and “goth lolita” style with a fervent eye for detail.

However, it is understandable that a scholar has gone so far as to label Anime and Manga as “Japan’s chief cultural export”, since its Portuguese fan base has been increasingly moving, over the last decade or so, from small subgroups among science fiction and fantasy fans to, at least, a marginal niche in the mainstream. The proof that this is just not another fad lies not only on the solid foundation of this phenomenon, but also in the magnitude it has reached: comic book stores find Manga in the top 3 of their bestselling list and even big department stores feature an ever-growing Anime Section. As a result, the number of web groups and conventions dedicated to this topic sprout and grow stronger, galvanizing increasing numbers of people of all ages and of both sexes, whose shared love of the stories, characters, aesthetic and J-Pop music gives birth to long-lasting friendships and, more importantly, to a shared knowledge of Japanese contemporary society that offers an array of insights into its significant issues, dreams and nightmares.

In my opinion, these artistic and cultural manifestations are the most powerful ally for the improvement of the Luso-Japanese relationships, since they nurture a sincere and spontaneous interest - and even love - towards Japan, as well as an understanding about its people and culture, primarily for the originality, uniqueness and the clear indications of its cultural roots, whose difference from the Western mainstream and globalization stands out as site of implicit cultural resistance. Similarly, Portugal’s effort towards that goal should be founded upon a  “strategy of seduction”, that would stand out from diplomatic formalities and uninspired initiatives, which do not reach out new audiences nor awake an interest in our culture, simply because you can’t impose tastes, as neuroscience studies have already proven, if common sense does not suffice. In time, those seeds bring about a cultural understanding, friendship and communion that benefits both parties.

It should be pointed out that the Japanese know the Portuguese much better than we know them, because they learn about our 464 year-old relationship in school and they honour it, as we should, for what we really are: old friends. This friendship has much to gain from an actual intercultural exchange, based upon a mutual respect and a sincere fondness that can only be born from the inner core of our hearts, after they have been ignited by the most beautiful manifestations of the “better angels of our nature”.