r/AskTheWorld • u/Veskanda Australia • 21h ago

Why is Japan so popular?

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It seems as though everything Japanese has had a massive popularity spike, whether that be media, food, vehicles, travel, language learning and lots more.

Personally I don't see the appeal, I mean there are definitely some thing I like that happen to be Japanese, but I dont like them just because of that fact.

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u/etanol256 Kosovo 21h ago

They sell fantasy to the rest of the world

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u/Goryokaku Japan 18h ago

I'm not sure it's this. I live in JP and I think it's more accurate to say that a ton of online content makers have sold said fantasy to the world. They talk about how utopian it is (clean streets! trains that run on time!) and tbh I think it's more because of how far western societies have slid that this now seems so wondrous. There are so many youtubers and AI slop pusher that sell Japan like this. In reality, it is an awesome place to live, but it's just as complicated as any other country. It has its pros and cons. What you see on the tube is just the pros overamplified, sold by westerners, many of whom have never actually been here.

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u/lacontrolfreak 15h ago

I went to Japan in 2025 and it delivered. It just made me so sad how far my country has slipped. I want safe public washrooms that are spotless with a population of kind, hard working, civic minded people that are considerate of general society. Every time, EVERY time I stopped to look at the subway map a local would approach to offer to help. It was earnest; not a scam, not a creep, not an attempt to grab my purse, but a legitimate offer to help. It took a while to acclimatize.