Japan seems to be a real puzzler for most Americans. Many seem confused by the contrast between the images of geisha and samurai they see in movies, and the realization that world-beating companies like Sony and Nintendo are Japanese. One starts to imagine a Walkman assembly line staffed by hooded ninja.
Three words: exploding tape players. (Could be a good idea, if the alternative is to listen to "Chiquitita" AGAIN.)
Then there's the ongoing confusion with all those other Oriental guys who live in roughly the same part of the world. How we s'posed ta keep 'em all straight?
On our last visit to the States, my wife and kids were amsued by an "Alvin and the Chipmunks" episode where the little rodents ostensibly visited Japan. On seeing the decor of the boys' surroundings, my kids kept saying, "That looks Chinese!"
An episode of "Dexter's Laboratory" showed a Tokyo surrounded by multiple Mt. Fujis. There's only one of the darned things! And not nearly so close to Tokyo, though you can see it from here on a clear day.
A few years back, Americans were asked to name famous Japanese people. The top vote getters were Yoko Ono, long a U.S. resident; Bruce Lee, a Chinese; and Godzilla, who's only as Japanese as Pikachu! If the question were asked now, chances are that many would name Ichiro Suzuki. While this would be a more accurate answer than any of the others, it still shows up a pretty embarrassing truth: Americans don't know anything about Japanese (or most other foreigners) who haven't actually come to America and then done something to be well-known for. (Who in the U.S. knew Ichiro's name a year ago? He was just as good a ball player then. And yet, Michael Jordan is a household name in Japan, but he's never played on a Japanese team!)
Any Japanese has seen dozens of American movies; how many Japanese movies has the average American seen? How many foreign movies at all? Maybe that dragon/tiger movie, made by some Oriental guy...
As for music, few Americans know any Japanese acts, while, of course, any record store here has foreign pop music. Of course, foreign bands face a special barrier in the U.S., since music listeners seem to insist on English lyrics. Therefore, to even have a chance in the States, foreign bands have to record in English. While that's not too tall an order for some foreign groups, like Sweden's Abba (but just what language is "Chiquitita"?), the average Japanese band's English is laughable. (On the other hand, that can be a selling point. Ask Shonen Knife.)
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