I personally take elements of Japanese culture to heart when playing a Japanese muse! I thought it would be useful to say some various random things so people make an accurate portrayal!
Of course this is generalization of whatâs going on in Japan in day-to-day life⌠feel free to correct or add your one when reblogging!
In Japan, meat is very pricey. Since itâs often imported. Eating a good steak is a luxury - thatâs why the hamburger steak is popular, itâs the substitute of it. (That why they eat eggs all the freaking time itâs cheaper for proteines)
Unlike what some people may think itâs not uncommon to eat with a fork and a knife - I mean how do you think they eat the steak?
Pickled vegetables and nori are usually found in the middle of the table during meals, like how we put bread and butter in the West.
You donât just take a bath. Bath are purely for relaxation in Japan. You take a shower and then you get in the bath.
Nudity is not necessarily sexual, itâs like a platonic intimacy thing.
Japanese rarely know how to use a computer. It is seen as VERY VERY nerdy aka hardcore Star Trek fan kind of geeky; thus when the computer was introduced nobody wanted one to not be seen like an Otaku. School essays even of 40 pages are done by hand and most Japanese only learn how to use a computer when they find a job. (Yes in Durarara!! in itself Mikado just knows how to type very fast and go on 4chan to get infos and it is seen as WOW)
Unlike in the West where thereâs a lot of individualism, Japanese see themselves a lot as acting for the community. Not only as the whole Japan, but whenever they get into something; you act for your family name, when you hang out with friends and help you act for the whole gang. Everything is like teamwork.
In Japan the computer gaming industry is next to non-existent since arcades and consoles are a huge thing.
Manga are seen as being for kids. Nice, but a bit childish.
Storytelling in Japan is very slowpaced - mostly about novels, movies and shows and it has always been. (compared to western storytelling which is very fast paced)
Calling someone by their first name is very very intimate. I can never press it enough. Itâs for very close friends, family (I mean if the whole family called each others by last name jesus) and lovers.
If you call someone youâre not close to by your first name, you can be seen as a delinquent, impolite and very laid-back.
There a much bigger social pressure for students in Japan about grades and to further press them, final exams results are publicly shown. It can come down to the point that failing students are seen as social outcasts. You may be the nicest bubbliest, you wonât be seen well if you have very bad grades. Add to that the sense of community; you hurt the school reputation if youâre not a good student and it is very badly seen, even between students since the school spirit is strong.
This mix of reputation and social pressure with honor and pride is mostly the reason why Japan suicide rate is so high.
Japanese high schoolers are not very different from western high schoolers. Though what comes out the most is that students are a lot lot on their phone. They love texting, even more than the US, thatâs why LINE is such a huge thing.
Unlike what anime tells us Japanese high schoolers âhave no lifeâ. Especially the third years since college exams are really fucking hell hard. Itâs a common saying in Japan that your life starts AFTER high school.
Even if officially Japanese high schoolers have the weekend off, most spend the Saturday at school anyway for club activities such as practice.
Just like with school reputation, thereâs a pride in the high school uniform in Japan and even outside school, as long as you wear it, you bear the school reputation. Itâs not necessarily conscious but itâs a cultural thing.
Fresh fruits such as for example grapes are expensive in Japan and only eaten during very special occasions like weddings.
Japanâs views of love is very old-fashioned. Arranged marriage are still a huge thing, especially in business. Not getting technical, but Japan economy is based on families. Although they are competitive, they support each others for the community, for Japan, this is basically the miracle behindwhy Japanese economy recovered so much after the war.
Yaoi and Yuri are seen in Japan as fetishism. A fujoshi can be very homophobic.
You donât just work to live, you almost live to work. It is not unusual for Japanese to spend days at the office or still work when they go back home.
Women at work receives a lot of sexism. Not blatant but itâs here. It is almost required for a working woman marrying to quit her work and take care of the kids.
A strong spirited tall working woman is seen as very unattractive.
A lot of Japan culture is about politeness. In itself, a lot of things you do donât seem to have sense or seems like you have the choice, but you donât, because itâs the thing to do itâs the correct polite way to do. For example, even if you hate your boss you have to go drink beer with him after work because itâs the thing to do or you might not like your coworkers much , but if youâre a woman you definitely should bring them chocolates on Valentineâs Day.
Coworkers dating is frowned upon unless you get married (or any romantic relationship going for a while without marriage between adults). This makes a lot of Japanese marriage hasted and unhappy.
If youâre a single unmarried woman who gave birth to no child youâre frowned upon.
Even if you have been in Japan for 50 years if youâre a westerner you will always be treated like a stranger outside the community. Not in the flanderized villain way, but itâs mostly a feeling or how people see you. On the countryside, people will somewhat fear you.
I f youâre Chinese or Korean, Japanese really wonât like you - itâs a racism thing. Itâs even WORST if youâre half Japanese. And you can actually be a victim if you look like one.
Young idols and actresses are loved in Japan and youth is a big thing, giving Japanese women a lot of pressure about appearing young. At 35 youâre old.
Ironically itâs very fashionable in Japan to follow western fashion or way of being. Thus if you say English words, bleach your hair, listen to western bands and wear western fashion, youâre a cool kid. Although at some point, you might be taken as a delinquent.
Unlike what some anime shows us, sailor uniforms are for elementary schools.
Japan is extremely sanitized. Thatâs why everyone get sick so often they clean everything so much they donât get strong enough antibodies.
Japan health system is shit. Although it is being reformed. Before it was not uncommon for the hospital administration to give someone lots of medicine even if they know they will die so their family will give them more money.
Mangakas literally have no life. Youâre paid by the page and live like shit. Same shit for animatorsespecially those who are paid by the frame (why we get so many shit anime they rush the frame so they can eat at the end of the month).
Unlike western cinema where the cinematography is very important and seen as its own art, in general in Japan the cinematography is more a mean to an end and the story is the real focus. (kinda important if you roleplay an artistic muse in the cinema industry)
Japanese companies go by numbers and are very practical their thinking is more old-fashioned. An industry can go 360 if numbers show a certain market is more profitable (for example Konami dropping console games for cellphone and tablets apps or anime industry requiring as norm now at least 2 moe characters per new titles - numbers take priority over artistic integrity unlike in the west where thereâs more free thinking and individualism and it will be questioned)
This doesnât mean that Japanese artists have no values, nor that Japanese animators are not extremely frustrated over this. (âAnime was a mistakeâ - Miyazaki)
HIGH SCHOOLERS DONâT GO EAT ON THE ROOF. Itâs dangerous and itâs closed off most of the time and strictly prohibited. This stereotype comes from schools being crowded and wanting to show the characters wanting to be alone and be portrayed as a daydreamer. Really itâs just that you only go on the roof in fiction.
It can seem strange but in Japan you donât really say your real thoughts. Itâs so polite, you deviate and try as less conflicts as possible. For example, if youâre at a meeting and someone of an upper status propose an idea you think is bad and you say âI think this is not a good ideaâ it will be seen as the same as saying âYour idea suckâ in the west. (cue dramatic gasps and people looking at you like the fuck you said omg dude you donât say that) Instead, you will say something like âWe can also consider X course of action.â or âBut X personâs idea was also good.â
Same if you donât like someone; you donât say âDude youâre kinda creepyâ even if the guy is a real creep, you say âU-uhâŚâ and distance yourself with it and deal with it.
If you actually see âYour idea suckâ and âYouâre kinda creepyâ youâre seen as ill-mannered. (Your character can of course and some people are very blunt, especially males, but the âaverageâ people wonât and will gather a LOT of courage to do so)
Thatâs why protagonists who goes against authority in anime is SO DRAMATIC when we think Yeah he just told the truth in Japan itâs more like OOOH OMG HE DID THAT YOU CANâT DO THAT OMG.
This kind of not saying the real things sadly brings a lot of backstabbing and bitching in the average Japanese life. Think about the stereotype of the cute idols being perfect and the second they go for their break, they smoke and complain the hell out of their life.
It doesnât mean that Japanese are bitchy or backstabbers, but not being able to tell your real thoughts isvery frustrating.
You respect your elders. Like no shit you donât talk badly of the elders dude you DONâT.
Old small grandmas bending forward stereotype is âtrueâ; they are this way due to years of working in rice fields.
In commerce, Japanese take care A LOT of the client. Like if you go out and itâs going to rain, the owner will lend you an umbrella you can return later or if you sneeze, the bartender will go to the kitchen and bring you a broth. If you go to an interior decorator, they could ask for your hobbies and learn to know who you are so the service is as good for you as possible.
Itâs totally not impossible that if youâre stupid and trip on yourself the owner will apologize because their floor is too slippery.
Physical appearances are very important. Even someone slobby will somehow arrange their pjs when going out. They donât necessarily think about it itâs just cultural.
Itâs not uncommon for Japanese teachers to be single women (cue the stereotype of desperately single teachers looking for a husband); there are still some remnants of the female teachers donât get married thoughts. (Yeah Japan is still pretty old-fashioned)
In this old-fashioned way, itâs not uncommon for Japanese family to still put everything on the family name in the elder child and the money for them to go to University.
For dating, in Japan, you donât secretly hold a crush and wait for the right opportunity to flirt as much as in the US (while in Europe itâs more straight out direct flirting) - thatâs what love confessions and those letters are for.
Even if it says love confession itâs more asking if you wanna have a try at dating. It is not like in the west where you go out officially with someone after some dates; in Japan you are officially with someone before even starting those few dates sometimes. It kinda just confirms that okay this hanging out is romantic.
Thatâs why itâs not uncommon for teenage couples to go out for a month and have never kissed. (Iâm terrible at explaining that I hope itâs clear)
In a veryveryvery generalized way. Letâs say you met someone and youâre interested. You go on three dates, but in the end it didnât work so after those few weeks you part your different ways; you wonât consider this person as your ex, but in Japanese you will say so. (in middle/high school)
Tbh every teenager guy has a PSP. Please donât make your character have an Xbox (Microsoft is in the US). They have Playstation (cause Sony is local).
If Yokai Watch isnât as popular here, in Japan itâs the freaking new Pokemon the kids love it.
Just like how everyone saw Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings in the West, same goes for Japan with anime; everyone saw Gundam and Evangelion. Itâs like classic TV, but talk about more obscure anime and they go ???.
People going on in fashion clothes and cosplay in huge places like Shibuya are paid models who are really paid to promote the clothing line by walking down the streets. Fashionistas meet there too.
When anime and manga here is referred to as an animation or a comic made in Japan, in Japan itâs considered a style. So if Japanese saw Avatar the Last Airbender they will consider it as anime because of the visual style.
Anime characters looking white is actually considered a cultural problem somehow frowned upon by the government (linked to being pure Japanese a pride when those characters look like foreigners). Anime characters are seen as hip and hot because of their long legs, clear hair and huge clear eyes but still said to be 100% Japanese? It is linked to Western fashion being hot and fashionable.
You want beautiful cartoon characters to look like someone the viewer would like to be with, be attracted to - Japanese want hip western stuff - make your character look western, even if heâs Japanese - cultural problem.
In Japan voice actors are like our Hollywood celebrities and their life the gossips and reality show. They are everywhere as hosts, animators, video games, in ads, etc and if an actor or idol didnât have a voice actor role yet, they surely will.
Young kids do watch Attack on Titan and read Berserk. Just like kids at 7 who watch horror shows or go see Deadpool with their parents.
