Essay: Japan National Identity

Japan National Identity
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Japan National Identity
In the entire world, there has never been a culture that is as intriguing as the Japanese culture. The identity of the Japanese has been at the center of many studies, as researchers attempt to understand how the country solidified its nationalistic values. Being closer to China, one would assume that the influence of China would weigh heavily on the nationalistic values of the Japanese. However, this is not the case as Japan continues to show resilience in developing a distinct character and identity. The same can be said of the West, from whence Japan is purported to take after economically. As written by Shin’ichi (np), Japan’s interest in the West was synonymous to how it perceived China. The country was neither infatuated with the West nor believed in the superiority of Western civilization. Somehow in the midst of all this, the country remained with its inherent identity. However, as will be shown later, its interactions with the Western and Chinese cultures helped to solidify its identity instead of influencing or watering down its identity.
China was always towering over Japan, and was the country to likely influence or exert its traditions in Japan. However, as Hermes and Hermes note in “Otherness in Modern Japanese Literature,” China simply served as a “parameter of otherness.” Japan did internalize other cultures. But, these only helped to enhance its identity and love for its culture and traditions. At ...