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by ranran876 4340 days ago
Just to contrast your experience, I had a very interesting two month working near Tokyo. The whole time I was there I didn't see any anime, or hikkimori and the whole thing didn't resemble anime at all (though.. granted, I'm not an expert in the genre). The only places you saw anything anime related was at gambling establishments and certain districts of Tokyo. I think on the whole, that subculture is looked down upon - just like in the US.

Most people just live boring normal middle class lives. I'm not denying that there is a problem, but I think it's not necessarily a statement about Japanese society as a whole. It's like if goth kids started slashing their wrists in large numbers. It might be a reflection of US society as a whole, or it might be a toxic subculture.
4 comments
ugexe 4340 days ago
You shouldn't expect to run into hikkimori as their very nature is to shut themselves in
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dragontamer 4340 days ago
While that is true, one must always rate experiences correctly. My experience 'with' Japan basically boils down into "Watches some fiction that some subset of Japanese also watches".

His experience is actually visiting Tokyo, including newspaper and media coverage of the mainstream in ways that I don't have.

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lmm 4339 days ago
I found that when I went to Yakushima I saw a lot more of the things you see in anime (even just stuff like the shapes of the buses) compared to Tokyo. I suspect that just like with novels or movies, a lot of the time creators set things in the world they grew up in as kids, so the world you see through media is the world as it was 20 years ago rather than now. Tokyo changes rapidly, whereas the countryside is similar to how it was.

Is the anime-fan subculture really looked down on in the US? Here in Europe it seems to be growing a lot, part of a general status upgrade for "nerdy" interests.

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cyorir 4340 days ago
We have to keep in mind that much of Anime targets specific demographics and specific subcultures. It is not usually intended to portray society in a realistic or general manner, with some exceptions.
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aestra 4340 days ago
>The only places you saw anything anime related was at gambling establishments and certain districts of Tokyo.

How about airplanes? :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Jet

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ranran876 4340 days ago
I wonder if the Japanese groan when they have to get into one of those...
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