To what extent do the tropes of Japonisme still apply to contemporary appropriation of Japanese culture?

Tropes of japonisme and contemporary appropRIation of japanese culture
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Tropes of Japonisme and Contemporary Appropriation of Japanese Culture
Introduction
Since first, Europe engaged in cross-border trade with Japan, Europeans have been fascinated with the Japanese traditions. During 18th and for most of the 19th century, when international travelling was far from ubiquity, European colonists in Far East Asia in collaboration with trade partners make significant strides towards othering eastern culture. They went to a great length to portray these cultures in a romantic colour in their campaigning based on exocentricism (Ono et al., 2003). Aside from exaggeratingly exalted orientalist depictions of Europe, there were certain elements significantly aesthetic about Japan that speak for themselves. Japanese art had a distinct place that was mainly behind the western craze with the things produced in Japan (Said, 2003). Even though Japan has managed to sustain some of its distinctive features to this day, the values that it has followed from the western culture has largely eclipsed the drive of Japonisme.
Reflection of Japonisme in Contemporary Context
Historical View of Japonisme
In its purest sense, Japonisme began during the 19th century when the western colonists had the opportunity to intermediate between the east and the West. Before proceeding to the subject of remainders of Japonisme in the contemporary context, it is fundamental to grasp what Japonisme is. The idea is rooted in the traditional fascination of the West with an exotic view of the eastern culture. Japan was among the most profoundly exorcised and romanticized territories (Said, 2003). Therefore, the people within the West were crazy about using and keeping the pieces of art produced by Japanese artists. The romantic and exotic view of Japan thrived on the lack of international connectivity. Since there was no internet and other robust means of information, people had to put trust in the secondhand information that they received from people who had the privilege to travel to the country. Colonists' and traders' othering of the Japanese culture was based on self-centric benefits that these groups drew from such depictions. Exaggeration of exotic elements associated with the Japanese culture enabled them to popularized made-in-Japan products in Europe (Gbazoul, 2007). In this way, they could import the pieces of art and other products from Japan and sell it to the Japanese art-lovers across the European markets. The political and economic motives were predominantly behind the influence that Japan succeeded in creating over Europe.
Soft Strategy of Japan
Realizing the potential harm received during World War II and the importance of global integrity, the Japanese government gradually shifted its focus from militaristic to soft strategy. The soft strategy is based on co-opting and collaborative decision making instead of authoritarian enforcements (Said, 2003; Daliot-Bul, 2009). A significant stride of that strategy was the cool campaign pushed by the Japanese government in the last quarter of the 20th century. The campaign was aimed at reviving the traditional impression of Japan and enabling the nation to sell locally produced products in the global market (Daliot-Bul, 2009). The campaign was aimed at promoting the powerful aspects of the Japanese pop-culture.
By a significant degree, the campaign is successful and mimics the tropes of Japonisme. The campaign has broken grounds in the popularization of the newfound cultural cachet of Japan. For example, since the launch of the drive, Japan was successful in promoting its 'animation-based content'. Currently, Netflix is hosting a massive amount of content produced by the Japanese animators and developers. The movies and cartoons produced by Japanese artists are gaining increasing popularity worldwide (Cooper-Chen, 2012). It is a sign that the contemporary appropriation of the Japanese culture the potential to revive its lost influence of the West.
Another dominant feature of the campaign is Japanese cuisine. For being distinct and sophisticated, the cuisine maintains the elements of exoticism that were specific to Japonisme and traditional orientalism. For example, Sushi is a highly popular Japanese cuisine that maintains high demand in different Western countries. Japanese see cuisine as an integral part of their culture that they can use to express their social identities (Omori, 2017). The exoticism attached to this cuisine is also playing a significant role in driving the attention of Eastern food-lovers to it. This aspect of the Japan Cool strategy is also evidence of the remainders of Japonisme.
Among the aspects of Cool Strategy embedded in Japanese culture that was successful in making it to the European markets is manga. Japanese manga that is the sum of comics has a high demand in European and American markets. Indeed, entire markets are devoted to manga collection in some European countries. The largest market of manga in Europe is Italy (Said; 2003; Hashimoto, 2017). Armour & Iida (2014) hold that the interest of Europeans in Japanese manga is based on traditionally sophisticated elements of this art. The demand for this art has its roots in orientalism that has managed to sustain its spell despite several decades past the era of romanticism.
The captivating power of manga is also evidence of the survival of Japonisme to this date. Japan continues to influence the western world through sophisticated art that constitutes Japan's distinct cultural identity. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that Japan Cool has a vital role in preserving the cultural values and influence that has always been the sources of pride for the country.
Another remarkable part of the strategy is the promotion of Japanese fashion. The local street fashion is setting new records of popularity in the global market. Models clade in charming Japanese dresses during catwalks being massively appreciated is a frequent observation (Said, 2003). Fashion is closely related to a country's culture. Therefore, the upsurge in demand for Japanese fashion is a sign that the Japonisme has not died following the age of modernization and globalization. Now it is clothed into a new colour which is termed as Japan Cool.
The discussion in this section strongly suggests that the Japonisme has morphed over time into its modern version. However, it has managed to survive even though the spell of orientalism has melted to the last. The exoticism that orientalists had pushed has lost to the rise of globalization and ease of cross-border travelling. People from the West can easily plan to travel the Far Eastern Nations to become the eye-witness of their culture instead of relying on secondhand information. These shrinking distances facilitated by the ease of travelling and the availability of information has eroded the curiosity that was the primary driver of exoticism. However, Japan succeeds in sustaining its distinction mainly because the government succeeded in adapting to emerging trends. Instead of seeing its cultural identity dying, the government preferred to popularize its value by renewing the idea. The Cool Strategy is the desperate attempt to restore the influential position associated with Japonisme and give it a new vigour. As shown in the discussion, certain aspects of this strategy have been successful in creating the demand for the Japanese cultural elements in the West. Therefore, it is evident that Japonisme has survived even though not in its original, yet in a recognizable shape.
Reversal of Japonisme
Despite the evidence of Japan's success in preserving its culture and sustaining its spell on the West, there are also evidences to show the reverse journey of Japan from Japonisme to Westernization. The history following the rise of globalization reveals different transition points of Japan's reversal from Japonisme. A few significant implications that highlight the impediments to the survival of Japanese include as follows:
Impact on Food Choices
Japanese are increasingly shifting from their time-honoured preference for Japanese cuisine to western food. Even though Japanese cuisine continues to impress and fascinate the world, the Japanese are getting fascinated by the global (mostly US-based) fast-food brands (Niehaus & Walravens, 2017). Today, Tokyo and some several other culturally established hubs of Japan are dotted with McDonald's, Subway, and several other multinational cha...