Japan is one of my countries of interest. Based on this discussion, I will be able to learn more about its identity, social construction, and culture.
The national identity possessed by Japan has been inflexible for the last many years. Throughout history, the Japanese have defined their national identity as a homogeneous lingual, cultural and regional country. Although there has been friction and battles over the assimilation of other foreign populations and their languages, Japan has remained a united nation with a distinct national identity. Generally, Japan’s identity has been socially constructed to a high degree based on its core culture of ren, yin, and yang which implies togetherness, collectiveness, and heartedness. Based on this, Japan has been able to improve and rise to a level being witnessed today. It has become a world exemplary country setting trends for other upcoming countries. Despite the upcoming science and technology, Japan has always maintained its cultural identity focusing on social customs, cultural values, and intellects.
Ethnicity and racism have played a minor role in the social construction of Japan. However, cultural concepts and Japanese core values have contributed to a higher degree of idea construction and general growth of the country. Currently, the modern-day society of Japan is defined by its vast landscape and a diverse population most of which share the same language (Japanese).
There are several organizing symbols in Japan. The culture of Japan has been evolving greatly over the past years. Originally, the Japanese engaged in Jomon arts and has now evolved to contemporary culture gaining influence from other continents like Asia and Europe. Japan now engages in arts like architecture, cuisine, manga, and video game consoles. These art forms originated from crafts, performances, and traditions. Japan enjoys eclectic music and has borrowed various instruments, dancing styles, and scales from other cultures especially those close to it. Currently, Hello Kitty is becoming a Japanese popular culture with a character portrayed as a female bobtail Japanese cat. Hello, Kitty has now become a trademark for various products like pen sets, clothing, televisions, and other products. Financial products, high-end products, video games, and establishments form part of Hello Kitty’s products. Considering music, Hello Kitty’s album named hello-world features her inspired songs performed by artists like Pelmer and Yarckin. It is among the most popular music in Japan. In terms of sports, baseball forms today’s Japanese favorite sport. However, the original type of sports activity that was enjoyed by most Japanese was sumo. Language also forms part of the organizing symbols of the Japanese nation. As a country, almost ninety-nine percent of Japan’s occupants or population speak Japanese as a national language. The country is linguistically homogeneous and this forms one of its greatest organizing symbols.
There are several stories of collective identity shared in Japan. One of these stories is the culture of ren. The Japanese share the cultural concept of ren which ensures collectivism among the Japanese people in almost all sectors. The concept requires that all Japanese work in collaborative efforts and strategic alliances to achieve the best in every engagement. In terms of quality, the Japanese believe that the best quality products are meant for them. Goods and services of the highest quality produced in Japan are normally reserved for the Japanese themselves. This and other similar stories bear a low significant historical accuracy as Japan is one of the nations that have experienced recent development. In the past, Japan had a very low potential record in terms of development. Although there were many opposing forces on the national identity of Japan, there is still a high degree of homogenous lingual, regional, and cultural identity that is inflexible.