If you are an anime fan then at some point in your life you have dreamed of going to Japan. We all do don’t we. You want to go to the anime wonderland where Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z are from. You want to dive in to the magical world of cosplay and wander around Tokyo with your friends. You want to go to the arcades in Japan and play until your fingers bleed.
Heck, you might be like some people that think they can find the love of their life in Japan. You might be obsessing about Japanese women like some men do. Maybe you think that you can find your waifu if you go to Japan.
I am here to tell you that some of you might be disappointed. Although Japan is awesome, it might not meet everything that is on your list. If you are an anime fan, going to Japan, you should not expect it to be this wonderland. So here in this article I am going to break down whether if you should or should not go to Japan based on your expectations.
Japan Anime Wonderland.
The worlds greatest creator of animation right next United States. Japan makes more anime or cartoons than any country in the world. If you think America had a huge animation industry well not as big as Japan does. Most of the old animators like Hayao Miyazaki were inspired by the grandfather himself, Walt Disney. While America has been moving away from hand drawn animation and prefer 3D animation, Japan remains traditional with its hand drawn unique style animation and its films gross so much more than those of Disney till this day.
Take a look a simple anime movies such as Your Name made over $300 million and it was made on a low budget.
If you love anime and want to go to Japan to look for anime related things such as, The Pokemon Store, Arcades in Akihabara, Mario Kart Racing in Tokyo and anime shopping in general (hentai) then yeah, I would say you should go to Japan. There is so much cool things related to anime in Japan that you will have a great time while not having to break bank.
However, if you are planning on going to Japan because you want to find the love of your life, thinking that you are going to meet a Japanese girl on your two week vacation then sorry my friend but it wont be that simple.
Here is a list of reason why you should not go to Japan if you are an anime fan.
Because you fantasize about Japanese girls.
Many Japanese are not interested in dating. As a matter of fact there is a huge decline in birth rates in Japan and both men and women don’t want the hassle of dating. That includes having sex. Japanese millennial can be uptight. That is not to say that you cant find a girlfriend in Japan. It is definitely possible, just as long as you accept the culture for what it is and don’t get all butt hurt when its not to your expectations. I personally like Japanese girls, I think they are sexy. I have witness how reserve they can be and how they treat dating as a long term thing especially when they are looking to get married. I personally am learning Japanese and plan to stay in Japan one day for at least six months to a year. Don’t go to Japan because you are fantasizing about Japanese girls. Don’t let that be the only reason.
You think Japanese people act like anime characters.
This one made me laugh. This is serious. I know people that live in such a bubble in
Thats me in front of Charizard
their anime world that they don’t have a realistic grasp of what Japan is like. They think that what they see in anime is what is like in Japan. Its not true. Japanese people do not act like anime characters. That is just talent. I would say that Americans act more like anime characters than the Japanese actually do. When I went to Japan in May 2019, the streets were actually very quiet and clean. I was staying in Asakusa Taito city of Tokyo. It was so quiet it felt like I was in the suburbs. Japanese people were reserve and very to themselves and their space and did not talk to each other much in Tokyo. Japanese kids do not act like the characters you see in anime.
You think A Lot of Japanese people know Karate or Martial Arts.
This is a common western misconception and it is caused by watching not only anime but also a lot of kung fu films and action films because the Asian guy in movies always kicks ass. Yes, Japan is home to Karate but that does not mean that everybody knows Karate. There are people that don’t care about Karate. Some people prefer sumo. Japanese people find it offensive when you judge them based on that. Its like when they assume all Americans that go to Japan are over confidence arrogant monkeys who are obsessed with sex. You have to take it easy.
You think all Japanese people watch anime.
No they dont. Although anime is a HUGE part of Japanese culture, not everybody likes it. Some people think its immature and only for kids. Japanese companies do use anime to promote their products and you see anime being used for advertisement like when Goku showed up for a Kentucky Fried chicken commercial but other than that. There is a huge tolerant for anime in Japan but geek culture or being an otaku is actually way bigger in America. Then again America does have one of the biggest populations with 350 million people in the states. Please do not approach people in Japan with the assumption that they like anime as much as you do or because they are Japanese.
There was this Japanese girl I met in Manhattan New York. I met her in the Think Geek store. She was in American cartoons more than anime. I was surprised because I thought Anime was way better than American cartoons. So do not be so judgmental. Keep an open mind and get to know people.
Final words
If you are thinking of going to Japan as an anime fan, keep these fours things in mind and you will do fine.
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