What Do Americans Think...

[unforth]

So, my friend ireneadler is a teacher in Japan, and she's coming back to the states for the summer. She offered to find out things for the students, and so they concocted a list of questions that they want to know the answers to - basically, they want to know what Americans think about a bunch of stuff. I thought some of you might get a kick out of this, so I figured I'd pass the questions on - answers as few or as many as ya feel like.

So...what do Aemricans think about...

1. About Uniqlo in USA. (Uniqlo is a super-popular cheap clothing store here, and they recently opened a store in New York. Guess I'll be visiting!)
2. Some Japanese words which many Americans know
3. Is there some Japanese Boom? (as in trends)
4. We are afraid few people know where Japan is in a map. Do they know the place of Japan?
5. What kinds of menu are there in MacDonald in US?
6. We Japanese do "Peace!" as a gesture when we take pictures. What do Americans do when taking pictures?
7. Do they know Japanese actors, actresses, musicians, and talents?
8. What do they think about Japan?
9. In restaurants where they serve Japanese dishes, is there any differences from Japanese restaurants in Japan?


1. About Uniqlo in USA. (Uniqlo is a super-popular cheap clothing store here, and they recently opened a store in New York. Guess I'll be visiting!)

While I don't have any particular opinion of Uniqlo, it's funny that this should get asked now, because I kept noticing people with bags from there yesterday! Like, in one evening, I saw at least 4 people with bags from Uniqlo - they're very noticeable because they've got snazzy anime images on one side. And I'll say, they make me curious - I never cared much either way to go to Uniqlo when I was actually in Japan, but now that I'm in NYC, I might just wander over.

2. Some Japanese words which many Americans know

Again, I can't answer this one well, cause I actually know Japanese - but judging by my family, I'd suggest the answer is basically none - though "konnichiwa" seems relatively familiar to people.

3. Is there some Japanese Boom? (as in trends)

Definitely. Manga is selling like crazy here, and Japanese culture seems way popular...but once more, I'm biased. ;)

4. We are afraid few people know where Japan is in a map. Do they know the place of Japan?

I'd guess everyone I know does in fact know where Japan is in a map. :)

5. What kinds of menu are there in MacDonald in US?

Much more boring! No Teriyaki burgers! Cheeseburgers and triple beef things and hockey pucks (chicken mcnuggets)...

6. We Japanese do "Peace!" as a gesture when we take pictures. What do Americans do when taking pictures?

Uh...I do "peace," also, though I tend to think of it as V for Victory! Because of the anime I watched as a teen. But I'd say mostly we just grin like idiots and say cheese...

7. Do they know Japanese actors, actresses, musicians, and talents?

In general, I'd guess not really, though some of the horror movie directors have gotten pretty well known because of the popularity of Ring and Grudge and such.

8. What do they think about Japan?

Everyone I've spoken to, myself included, think Japan is a damn cool place that is utterly intriguing and a bit mysterious.

9. In restaurants where they serve Japanese dishes, is there any differences from Japanese restaurants in Japan?

Yes. Like, I was in a place called Haiku in Columbus, OH, the other day, and they were serving soba noodles cold with a dipping sauce, and I asked, "is this zarusoba?" and they had NO CLUE what I was talking about (it was.) I can't find good daifuku anywhere, and while it's really easy to find udon noodles in a broth, it's very hard to find the staples of this dish as it's served in Japan - the only places I know to get kitsune udon are Japanese restaurants in NYC. And don't get me started on inari or onigiri...(though I went to one of the only places I know that serves onigiri last night, and it was heaven...) ...in general, I think that Americans do a better job at Japanese food than they do at Chinese food, but they always feel the need to add meat to everything, and the name thing is annoying - and a lot of really basic Japanese food is hard to find. The sushi at Tsukiji is still the best I've ever eaten, and sushi is much more expensive here. I don't think an American who hadn't been to Japan would know this, though.

And I miss mochicreams...

(I made some generalizations, which hopefully aren't wrong.......

In other news, I'm making lasagna tonight - have all the ingredients now - and I'm very excited about it. :)

Comments

[mistress-sin.livejournal.com]

know what's funny . . . i made lasagna last night for supper. of course, mine is in no ways healthy for you. =)

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Yum! Mine'll have turkey, no-sugar-added tomato sauce, non-fat mozzarella and ricotta, and whole wheat noodles...hopefully it'll be super tasty...

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

No ebi burgers.

Japanese words: imports. Sushi, samurai, katana, ninja, shogun (maybe), sayonara (from movies, I'd guess), kimono, karate, Zen, Shinto (maybe).

[ireneadler.livejournal.com]

Cool, thank you.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

That's a good list of words, I didn't think of most of those. Toss in judo, too.

[milbrcrsan.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm going to try this. It's obvious that either the teacher or the students put this together because of the grammar, so I'll do my best, but questions like: "Do they know the place of Japan" do they mean where it's location is?

1. About Uniqlo in USA. (Uniqlo is a super-popular cheap clothing store here, and they recently opened a store in New York. Guess I'll be visiting!)
I've never heard of the store since I live on the west coast and unfortunately have never been to Japan, but from Unforth's answer, it sounds like a cool place.

2. Some Japanese words which many Americans know
I actually don't know many words at all, I do listen to Japanese music and after hearing the song a few times, I can remember the words, but I have no clue what's being said.

4. We are afraid few people know where Japan is in a map. Do they know the place of Japan?
I'm guessing you mean its location? I know where it is.

5. What kinds of menu are there in MacDonald in US?
Hamburgers, french fries, shakes, ect.

6. We Japanese do "Peace!" as a gesture when we take pictures. What do Americans do when taking pictures?
Occasionally if I'm being playful, I'll do a version of the peace sign, but rather put it behind someone's head as if they had rabbit ears.

7. Do they know Japanese actors, actresses, musicians, and talents?
I know quite a few since I watch anime and there are some who appear in movies.

8. What do they think about Japan?
I find it very interesting and wish to go there someday, I also am in love with the language - I think it's very beautiful.

[ireneadler.livejournal.com]

Yes, I left the language as it was given, including misspelling McDonald's. Number 4 is asking whether people can find Japan on a map. Could you tell me which Japanese entertainers you know? I think the students wanted names, although it's not clear from the question.

And thanks for your help!

[milbrcrsan.livejournal.com]

Ah, that explains it! :p

Well off the top of my head, I just love Maaya Sakamoto, Motoi Sakuraba, and Hikaru Utada. There are many others, but I can't quite tell if they're Japanese or Chinese. :p But like I said, I'm a big fan of watching anime (though, I do admit that I usually watch english dubbed) and reading manga, so I know quite a bit - but I guess I'm still a novice compared to many others. And anime and manga aren't quite popular where I live, I even get weird looks when I bring manga with me to work.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

I love Sakamoto Maaya, too...

If they want specific names, I can toss out a few more -
I like Japanese music - L'arc en Ciel, Kiroro, Aiko, and Glay are my fav Japanese bands (along with Sakamoto Maaya, who is in a kinda of different category).
At least among the geeks in my acquaintance, Yoko Kanno is very popular, too.
Of course, any one associated with Final Fantasy has a following, especially Yoshitaka Amano and Nobuo Uematsu. (I hope I have those right, I'm not that into that stuff).

The manga by Matsuri Hino is very popular here among people who read manga, and people here really like Naruto too (there are almost 50 volumes out in English) - the personally I prefer One Piece (there are only 21 volumes out in English, though!). Furuba is popular with girls. CLAMP, too, especially Tsubasa.

Even in NYC, there are weird looks when I read manga on the train - that and a lot of 10 - 15 year old boys looking at me curiously - one even started talking to me enthusiastically about how much he liked Bleach (he was about 11 or 12) when I was reading it during my commute.

Japanese stuff is way more popular among younger people; older people tend to think we're all weird...though my mom loves Fushigi Yuugi and Rurouni Kenshin, so it's not as simple as old and young...

milbrcrsan - I'm curious - which folks aren't you sure if they are Japanese or Chinese? Generally speaking, if the name is consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel, it's probably Japanese (s-a-k-a-m-o-t-o, u-t-a-d-a) where as if there are more consonants, especially ch's, it's probably Chinese or Korean - I can't always tell the difference - (Chan Ho Park, Chun Li) - but if you're curious I could definitely tell you just by reading them if they were Japanese or not. :)

[ultimabaka.livejournal.com]

hehe I'll try to keep the sarcasm to a minimum. But babe, you know me, that's real hard to do :P :

1. About Uniqlo in USA. (Uniqlo is a super-popular cheap clothing store here, and they recently opened a store in New York. Guess I'll be visiting!)

Uniqlo is an amazing place. You can get 96 dollar pairs of pants in 600 colors. And all of them are awful. It's amazing! I remember when they first opened up and had this ridiculous sale - it was something like 15 dollar pants, and I picked up some stuff there. They stopped doing that as soon as people knew who they were. Now, unless things have changed in the last month or so, they're like every other niche fashion boutique in town. Except the clothes suck.

At work I play with Fast Retailing stock every so often (they're the guys who own Uniqlo along with a bunch of retailers out in Japan) and they do much more interesting things out there that might prove profitable here. Who knows :P

2. Some Japanese words which many Americans know
mindstalk pretty much hit this on the head, but I would like to add "doumo arigatoo, mr. roboto" :P

3. Is there some Japanese Boom? (as in trends)
The first thought that hit my head when I read this was "do Japanese trends come from us?", in which I thought "yeah I imagine half of what is popular in Japan comes from Gwen Stafani now right?" In reality, no there is no Japanese boom here. The anime fills a small niche, and Japanese cinema had a minute in the spotlight, but I would say 99% of people here have little idea of anything involving Japanese culture.

4. We are afraid few people know where Japan is in a map. Do they know the place of Japan?
They do, but I would say most dumber people in this country wouldn't get it right on the first try.

5. What kinds of menu are there in MacDonald in US?
Everyone else answered this pretty well. Burgers, fries, the like.

6. We Japanese do "Peace!" as a gesture when we take pictures. What do Americans do when taking pictures?
The answer to this depends on how drunk we are. Fist pumps, arms around the shoulders, and the like do well here.

7. Do they know Japanese actors, actresses, musicians, and talents?
Other than possibly the butcher job Utada Hikaru subjects us to when she tries to sing in English, probably not. Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui in the baseball world are becoming as popular as Yao Ming in basketball, but those guys are actually Japanese :P. This is a loaded question though, since most people I've met can't tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc., so they'll tell you Lucy Liu :P.

8. What do they think about Japan?
This depends. The people I know who are into Japanese culture will tell you it's a mythical place, filled with advanced electronics and beautiful women :P. The people I know who aren't either don't care, or wonder how the Japanese haven't gotten themselves into another war. Or blown out the world financial system. Or something.

9. In restaurants where they serve Japanese dishes, is there any differences from Japanese restaurants in Japan?
I've never been to Japan, but the Japanese people who work at some of my favorite Japanese restaurants tell me that "teriyaki" doesn't actually exist in Japan. Which is a bummer, cuz for the most part, that's all I can eat. They relate it to how "chop suey" isn't actually Chinese at all, and no Chinese person in China can tell you what it is.

After reading this, I hope those kids don't hate Americans...too much :P
-- Gerardo

[unforth.livejournal.com]

That wasn't that sarcastic at all! In fact, I'd say it was a little sadly accurate. I mean, unfortunately, me and my circle of friends represent something far from the typical American - I mean, I know you could name other Japanese folks, starting with Ayumi Hamasaki and moving on from there...

[bakanekotoo.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna try to answer this...

1. About Uniqlo in USA.

I heard of it, and their clothes are relatively inexpensive, but I'm not too crazy about their style of clothing. Too plain for a wannabe FOB like me :-P

2. Some Japanese words which many Americans know
"Sayonara" is the only one that comes to mind :-P

3. Is there some Japanese Boom? (as in trends)
Not really, nothing mainstream. Anime and manga are popular with some people, and there was a brief period in time where fashion was influenced by Japanese culture (tshirts and accessories with the Rising Sun, etc.) but that's it.

4. We are afraid few people know where Japan is in a map. Do they know the place of Japan?
I think most people can find Japan on a map.

5. What kinds of menu are there in MacDonald in US?
Big Macs, Filet of Fish, Quarter Pounder, Fries... Pretty standard. I kinda like the menu for McDonalds outside the US, where they have things like the Paris Burger :-P

6. We Japanese do "Peace!" as a gesture when we take pictures. What do Americans do when taking pictures?
Most people just smile, but there are the occasional "bunny ears", and for drunk girls, the "kissy face."

7. Do they know Japanese actors, actresses, musicians, and talents?
No, I don't think most people do, except for Hideki Matsui though.

8. What do they think about Japan?
Hmm.. I dunno.. I assume people think of geisha and samurai when they think of Japan :-P

9. In restaurants where they serve Japanese dishes, is there any differences from Japanese restaurants in Japan?
You know, I never went to a Japanese restaurant in Japan. My aunt took us to some pizza buffet, a Korean BBQ, or we just ate spaghetti at her house :-P Hmm, I don't know the difference :-P

[unforth.livejournal.com]

You didn't eat Japanese food in Japan? That's sad, it's yummy there. :(

Was the pizza you ate at all like American pizza? Cause the stuff I ate wasn't at all - it was more like Italian style, and even then, there was something different about it...

[bakanekotoo.livejournal.com]

The pizza was like one of those personal pizzas you get at Singa's Famous Pizza? I don't know if that constitutes as American or Italian, seeing the only pizza I really eat is the usual type of NYC pizza with the big slices, and the Pizza Hut itty-bitty slices :-P It was good, small and crispy, and they had different toppings, like shrimp and fish.

My Answers

[sharonskinner.livejournal.com]

1. About Uniqlo in USA.
I have no idea.
2. Some Japanese words which many Americans know
Sayonara and domo arigato come to mind.
3. Is there some Japanese Boom? (as in trends)
We love the Wii
4. We are afraid few people know where Japan is in a map. Do they know the place of Japan?
I know where it is and have even been there. I Spent a month there when I was in the Military and I loved every moment!
5. What kinds of menu are there in MacDonald in US?
I don't eat at McDonalds
6. We Japanese do "Peace!" as a gesture when we take pictures. What do Americans do when taking pictures?
Smile, and put devil horns behind friends' heads (Mostly I try to look younger and slimmer)
7. Do they know Japanese actors, actresses, musicians, and talents?
Not really, but I don't keep track of that many American celebrities, either. I do know about a few baseball players.
8. What do they think about Japan?
Japanese culture is amazing.
9. In restaurants where they serve Japanese dishes, is there any differences from Japanese restaurants in Japan?
It depends on the restaurant. The better restaurants seem to have more accurate fare, IMHO. But I have never found anywhere that serves tacos that taste like ones I bought from a small shop in Yokosuka. Yummmmmm!

Re: My Answers

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Tacos in Yokosuka? That sounds delicious!

Re: My Answers

[sharonskinner.livejournal.com]

Rice flour tortillas, cabbage instead of lettuce and a sweet salsa.
So different and so amazingly good.
I ate them every chance I got.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

I've thought of a few other things that might be interesting.

-Japanese products are pretty popular here with many people. I have a Sony TV and a Subaru, and I wouldn't trade for American brands. There tends to be a lot of brand loyalty, though, and a lot of people flat out refuse to buy non-American products.

-At least in NYC, the restaurants do a decent job at replicating most Japanese food, though, as ultimabaka says, there are some things on the list that aren't common in Japan, like Teriyaki, and we make up all kinds of strange (but generally tasty) sushi rolls. However, it's worth noting that food in Japan that isn't Japanese is also different - like the serving sizes are much smaller, and everything just takes different. Burgers were all wrong - the only burger I ate in Japan that tasted anything like an American burger was from Wolfgang Pucks restaurant in Takashimaya Times Square in Shinjuku - though once I realized how wrong the burgers tasted I stopped eating them so I don't have a big sample size. :) And cheesecake. Japanese cheesecake is tasty but it's much more cake like and much less creamy than our cheesecake. As a result of these changes, I didn't generally bother eating non-Japanese food unless I was going some place really nice. I don't generally eat fastfood anyway (I only ate fastfood once the whole time I was in Japan, and that was Wendys) Oh, and Japanese bread, like from one of those bakery/cafes, the big square pieces? Way more awesome than our bread for no reason I've been able to figure out. I find I miss melon bread and cream bread, too...and scones with cheese in them...aw man, the more I think about it, the more I miss Japan... :)

[sharonskinner.livejournal.com]

When I ate at the Kentucky Fried Chicken in Tokyo, the chicken tasted like fish. At first, I thought maybe they used fish oil to deep fry it, but then I discovered that they fed fish meal to their chickens.

Apparently, for chickens at least, you really are what you eat!

[ultimabaka.livejournal.com]

haha I miss that melon bread...I think I'm going to get some! You want me to grab some for ya? :P