The strip, of course, refers to what is called the "opening of Japan" in 1853, when American naval commander Commodore Perry arrived with his black ships, demanding that Japan start trading with other nations.
In the world of Hetalia, this is shown as Kiku Honda - the personification of the country of Japan - reacting to Alfred F. Jones' (America's) arrival in his country thusly:
Later, still terrified, Japan can only think of ruses to get America to go home:
When nothing works, Japan - with great resignation - finally opens up and begins to trade with other nations.
But I sometimes wonder how much Japan has really opened that door. Since becoming an anime and manga fan, one of the things that has struck me about Japanese society and culture is how insular it is. On the surface, the Japanese have absorbed all kinds of outside influences: American movies and pop music style, English (or Engrish) words everywhere, curry and spaghetti and kaki for dessert. But Japan still seems like 127 million people who are all part of a single (and possibly - dyfunctional) family. They understand each other - but to outsiders, they are a closed book.
This is a nation that believed that avoiding contact with the outside world for 200 years was a good idea - until one day, near Tokyo Bay, black ships arrived with big, enormous guns. (I can just see it now - the Japanese generals standing at the harbor, looking at those big guns and saying: "Oh.")
They had no answer for such weaponry. Their response was to start modernizing their weapons and methods of manufacture. And they went off to war with China, Russia, then China again; until WWII began - and we all know what happened then.
Since the end of WWII - and the effective end of Japanese militarism - it's Japan's economy that has been the focus. From the 1960s through the early 1980s their economy was the envy of the industrialized world; but it has been stagnant for years since then. One reason might be the rigid corporate structure, with its salaryman workaholism and hidebound gender roles (i.e., women employees as "tea ladies," seen as only working until they can get married and have children). In today's globalizing world, their corporations appear to be too bound by traditions that don't carry over effectively to a changing international business environment.
One could argue that individual countries have the right to be monocultures and to maintain myopic, insular business models. Japan is still the second largest economy in the world and has achieved much to be justifiably proud of. But Japan only has 40 percent food self-sufficiency and 100 percent dependency on outside sources for energy (i.e., oil). Such facts dictate that flexibility, openness to outside ideas and willingness to do whatever pragmatically works to reinvigorate one's economy should take precedence over clinging stubbornly to "the way we've always done it."
I see China and India sending their young to be educated and work overseas, and returning home with experience in different business models - and I worry about Japan. Their 'postwar miracle' days are long behind them, and their birth rate is falling at an alarming pace. Not only their prosperity, but their people are literally disappearing. I fear that as Japan continues to restrict immigration, maintain old dinosaur ways of doing business, and operate as a severely gender-stratified society that China and the other Asian nations are eating Japan's lunch. That island-nation mentality still remains; and the image of Japan as hikikomori, playing video games and surfing the net with his door firmly shut while the outside world undergoes enormous social and business changes, is troubling.
There may be hope yet for a change of outlook. As a cheery America shares with Japan:
The world is more interconnected now and no country - particularly not energy-dependent Japan - could in reality isolate itself from the world these days. But the image of little Kiku slamming that door still resonates.
Translated panels from http://aph.starry-sky.com.
4 comments:
I remember learning a lot about Japanese "sakoku" (isolationism) in my university classes. And there were many, like famous author Natsume Souseki, who criticized Japanese Westernization and how the Japanese politicians would put up a false front to please the West. I think it has its good and bad points; I like how amongst all the modernization, Japan still hangs on to some of its better traditions such as politeness and appreciation of nature (i.e, Japanese gardens and flower viewing). But other things like gender stratification should be reformed.
An anthropology teacher I once had said a similar thing about how the declining Japanese birth rate and Japanese Westernization may lead to the total disappearance of Japanese language and culture. Not sure what to make of that but hopefully it won't happen in my lifetime =P
I find myself reaching conclusions about the Japanese a lot, which I have to be careful about. It's tempting to do so as an anime and manga fan, because one feels so exposed to Japanese society and culture through anime/manga that forming opinions about them becomes easy to do.
But just as Americans aren't easily and neatly defined, I try to remind myself that it's the same with the Japanese. And being an American of Japanese descent also complicates my feelings somewhat.
In the end, I'm not qualified to prescribe what would be best for Japan's society or its economy. I just hope they will thrive in the way that is most optimum for them now and in the future.
I know how you feel. I walk around Tottori City, and I see so few young people and so many businesses closed, and I fret. It's pointless, but I still do it.
I actually have some thoughts on this matter that I'm going to post soon. If it's all right, may I cite you? I'm out on business for the next week or so, but please look forward to it when it comes.
@2DT
Yes, of course you can cite me, and thanks. :) I'll be looking forward to your post on this topic!
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