The Popular Cultures of China, Indonesia and Japan

Topic 2: Discuss some of the ways Western and other foreign cultural elements have been incorporated into the popular cultures of China, Indonesia and Japan. How do these elements interact with Asian cultures? Do Asians accept foreign cultural elements without criticism or opposition?
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Introduction
The entire Asian society has to a large extent been influenced by the Western culture in the last century and the trend is expected to continue in the coming years (Burkhardt, 2017). Western and other foreign cultural elements have slowly been incorporated into the popular cultures of China, Indonesia and Japan, leaving most people in the three countries confused about what they are supposed to follow and believe. The societies in China, Indonesia and Japan have been influenced in terms of values, religion, language and alphabet, diet, lifestyle, economics, politics, law, as well as industry and technology (Thompson, 2011).The modernization of the Asian culture is attributed to the many visitors from other regions that visit the region and subsequently come with new influences. In addition to that, there are many people from Asian countries like China, Japan and Indonesia that live in Western countries such as the U.S and Europe and therefore end up adopting the Western way of doing things (Duara, 2010). After returning to their native countries, it is always difficult for them to abandon the foreign influences. In fact, they play a critical role in popularizing Western culture in the region. This paper will discuss some of the ways Western and other foreign cultural elements have been incorporated into the popular cultures of China, Indonesia and Japan, and how these elements interact with Western cultures. The paper will also determine whether Asians accept foreign cultural elements without criticism or opposition.
The ways Western and other foreign cultural elements have been incorporated into the popular cultures of China, Indonesia and Japan
China
Cao et al. (2010) observes that internationalization provided an opportunity for foreign firms to invest in China and to a large extent, this has made China abandon some traditional markets and adopt foreign brands. Supermarkets and food markets are the most affected by the foreign influence. The emergence of Western fast food joints has made the local people start eating foods associated with the Western culture, such as pastas, donuts, cakes, pizza and burgers (Burkhardt, 2017). The film industry in China has also been influenced in the recent past by Western elements and young people are always eager to watch Hollywood films and other American TV series as opposed to their local films and series (Curtin, 2007).In addition to that, most people in China have embraced Western festivals such as Christmas and Halloween. Western wedding traditions such as the accompaniment of groomsmen and bridesmaids, exchanging of rings in a wedding, fathers walking the bride down the aisle and wearing of white dress traditions also dominate in Chinese weddings (Burkhardt, 2017). Western culture is also evident in other areas like movies, music and sports. It is important to point out that the Chinese people embrace and own Western influences, but they still retain some basic elements of their native culture. In addition to that, the Chinese people have in the recent past been adopting the Western positive way of thought, open-mindedness and freedom (Burkhardt, 2017).
Japan
Despite the different instances of rejection, in the last century there has been an increase in Western influences in Japan. The modern Japanese culture is characterized by a combination of both local and Western cultural elements. The Japanese have come up with their own versions of Western foods such as chocolate, gratin, crepes, pizza and Tempura (Pingali, 2007). The Japanese people have also adopted the Western sports like athletics, marathon, football, table tennis, tennis, badminton, football, volleyball and baseball. In addition to that, Japan has adopted other Western cultural elements such as Western-style furniture, Western movies, Western music such as rock and pop, Western hairstyles as well as Western Style clothes.
Indonesia
Indonesia is located in Eastern Asia and religion is known to define most of its cultural elements. The Western culture has become very evident in the modern era of globalization and Indonesia is one of the countries in Asia whose culture is largely influenced by the European culture. The Dutch religious tradition has always had a strong influence on the Indonesian culture and this is because of most cultural elements. The Dutch occupied the country for more 400 years and in the process influenced different elements of the local culture in Indonesia (Atmosumarto, 2004). The Dutch influence can be seen in clothing, culinary, language, and the education system. The Indonesian law is also influenced in a great way by the Dutch especially in the area of land regulations. According to Shome (2009), the “Indische-culture" in Indonesia is a combination of the indigenous culture and the Western ideology (Shome, 2009). The Indonesians kitchen style incorporates Dutch influences and this has led to the development of dishes such as Selat Solo, Roti Bakar, Sop Kacang Merah and Bsitik Jawa (Atmosumarto, 2004). The Indonesian society has also adopted Western Festivals such as Birthday, New Year, Easter and Christmas celebrations. Other areas of the Indonesian culture that continue to experience massive influence from Western culture include dance, music and art. Oil painting, which was originally a Western technique, was introduced in the country in the 19th century. During the colonial period, Western musical instruments such as piano, violin and guitar and cello were introduced in Indonesia and have since then changed the musical culture in Indonesia. European concepts such as currency, emancipation of women, Latin alphabet, mass production banking, rails, justice system, Schools, University and the policy system are also common in Indonesia (Dawis, 2009).
Interaction of Western and Asian cultural elements
Western cultural elements have been incorporated in the Asian cultures and the interaction between the two cultures has so far been very positive. There are some instances where the Western elements have been fully accepted, whereas there are also other instances, where the elements have been partially accepted (Ryoo, 2009). However, it is important to point out that the majority of Western elements are responsible for the socio-economic growth in the region and have made most countries in the region to be at the same level with other super powers. Some of the Western elements that are easily accepted in Asia include technological, sporting, industrial and social elements (Ikenberry, 2008). However, West...