Globalization/The Japanese Version

Today's topic is Globalization. I didn't really care affects by Western culture until I watched the TV show in the class. Japanese use lots of English in daily life. Most Japanese people may say that using English is very cool and fashionable. That's why we use English to titles, music words, clothes and so on. I can remember that I often was asked "Why does Japanese people use English on the T-shirts?" " Why Japanese singers use English in their songs?" So, our lives fill with English. I couldn't appropriately answer, but this is sure that I have been studying English because I had have been affected by strange English in Japan.

As we watched the TV show, from 30 to 40 years ago Japanese were especially affected by Westerner. So, I tried to ask these people about English affects. This Takoyaki shop is located in front of Mandai which is located nearby Hirakata civic hospital(枚方市民病院). The shop sign say "フレンド"(Friend). I asked shop owner who is around 60 years olds.

Me: Why did you choose the word not "友達" but "friend"?

Owner: As you know, friend means intimate. So I want to come to this shop intimate atmosphere. Why chose English is fasionable and swanky.

This woman answered fasionable either. A shop sign in English has something power for collecting many customers to the shop. Japanese may believe so.

Can you recognize the picture is sushi restaurant? I couldn't recognize at first. There is the shop at Shinsaibashi. This shop sign is like including Chinese and Western culture to Japanese sushi!! I of course love sushi. I was very hungry when I took the photo. But I didn't enter the shop. I didn't WANT to enter it. Because Sushi is Japanese culture, if foreign culture make it, it's so untrustworthy. I of course had an interests but I couldn't incline toward entering the shop. Foreign culture sometimes may go Japanese culture down in value.

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