テレビ(January 27, 2008)

January 27, 2008

I'm starting to get a little fed up with Japanese television. It seems that all we ever watch is shows following pairs of Japanese people as they travel to some place just in order to try food and slurpingly exclaim how うめ～ it is, or game shows where people make fun of each other and all the girls are shown as idiots, or documentaries that try to point out how bad foreigners are at understanding Japanese culture. They also like to show people crying, and close up on their faces. It seems like a personal encounter or emotional moment isn't complete if the Japanese person involved, always a girl, starts crying. One show had Japanese girls (I think there was one guy) going to different countries to live with families and show the viewers at home how unusual the culture was, although mostly the food, as usual. The important part was always the tearful goodbye. It seemed like the idea was that nothing had been gained, the friendships weren't important if people were able to leave without bursting into tears. I don't really understand. It seems that in a culture dependent on hiding feelings, they would at least allow their reporters some privacy.

Another interesting thing on that subject is that they often show a small image of someone's reaction to the documentary that's going on. So if no one in a scene of leaving is crying, at least there's someone at home who can be shown to be crying for them and their host family or friend or monkey or whatever it is they have to say goodbye to.

There was an entire show on people in other countries who were obsessed with Japan. They spent a while on the situation in Russia, and also went to America, Mexico, South Africa and some other places. It got pretty crazy, I must admit, but still I don't think that any of the misspelled Japanese was half as funny as the Engrish here. They had to search the world to find things that were mistranslated, but almost every single thing that is written in English here, with the exception of things originated by English-speaking people, is amusing. It made me almost angry that my host family was laughing outrageously at a few misplaced kanji by unsuspecting foreigners when, in a country where everyone learns English, there's so little natural English. Even their textbooks have おかしい mistakes.

There is some unexpected pride in the Japanese attitude. I'm used to it in Americans, but it surprises me when I find it here. It's generally a cultural pride, which is what is so unusual to me. I don't know many people who have pride in their culture as Americans, since there isn't much of one to speak of. But the Japanese are capable of an unspoken but authentically "we are better than you" attitude. It's never come out in a bad way. It's just surprising.

For fun things, though, right now the terebi is showing a Japanese girl traversing Ukraine trying to find the most beautiful girls. It's refreshing to hear my host family appreciating Western features, if nothing else.


Postscript:
It's hard for me to think entirely in English, so some things are easier for me to write in Japanese. Those things will be explained either in the text of my entries or here at the end.
うめ～ (ume~) Tasty, delicious. Generally a male phrase I think; the regular adjective is "umai"
おかしい (okashii) Strange or amusing. The fact that there are both definitions says something about Japan. In English we separate things that are unusual and things that are just funny. "Funny haha or funny strange?"
テレビ (terebi) Television