Generally speaking, for non-Japanese people, when they hear, see, or touch something Japanese, it is a cool thing to do and/or have.
In Toronto, people, whose origins are from East Asia or people, who are the second or third generations of East Asian origins, often say that Japanese people work hard without any complaints that is generated by solemn post-war Japanese generations.
Those people still have an image that everything in Japan is very expensive that is generated during and after the Japan's bubble economy in 1980's.
When I went home and during my stay in Japan, I realised that we had more services and goods that prices are reasonable and even cheaper than it used to be. There is no "the cheaper, the worse," and the prices of goods and services became more adequate.
People often compare two things and decide which is better. The fact is that each one has goods and bads.
Here is something that happens often in Toronto:
Person A: "I took a trip to Europe. Oh yes! I bought a Japanese shirt in Paris. I don't know what is written on the shirt, though. Do you want to take a look?"
I: (um, why did he get a Japanese shirt in Europe?? Oh maybe, he got a shirt from Muji or Uniqlo or some sort of Japanese designers...)
Person A: "This is the shirt. What does it say?"
I: (Oh no... I don't know what it says... Oh wait, I can see Japanese soccer team's name, but it should be 'Kashima Antlers' instead of 'Antlers Kashima.' This is 'pachi-mon' kind of shirt because the shirt has just Japanese-themed names...)
*pachi-mon: is an Osaka dialect, that means something fake or a copied brand product.
Person A: "It was expensive."
I: "...." (Why did he buy a pchi-mon in Paris?? He was so excited during his trip and he just did traveller's spending. But, he doesn't know neither a culture of pachi-mon nor Japan. It is kind of tiring to explain it in English and I don't want to hurt his feelings.) "Oh, I have never seen the shirt you have, but that's good." (No further comments and I was a little sweating with my nervousness.)
1 comment:
Haha! you are so diplomatic! Not sure why he/she would have bought a japanese t-shirt in Europe but, it's kind of a reflex for tourists to want to buy something with the local script (be it kanji, greek letters, etc...) The danger is that they'll get something stupid... or something designed willingly as a joke to make the tourist look like an idiot by the locals... "Watashi wa baka Amerika-jin desu" might look good in hiragana... but it's funny for the native Japanese that designed and printed the shirt. Sweet revenge...
of course the reverse is also true... Asian love english words on their T-shirts... I remember seeing english t-shirt that had to have been designed a joke:
http://www.japannewbie.com/images/journal/randomstuff/kobeboy1.jpg
with a close-up of the word printed on the collar...
http://www.japannewbie.com/images/journal/randomstuff/kobeboy2.jpg
Not sure why someone would wear a t-shirt with the word "testicles" printed on it... unless they really like the way the letters looked! (or perhaps were heavily into tea-bagging)
Post a Comment