I was browsing the summer’s latest installment of shows and came across this crazy game show called “I Survived a Japanese Gameshow,” which is essentially a corny West meets East cultural experiment. Watch a few of the clips on the site (scroll by clicking the small arrow on both ends of the line) or tune in on Tuesday 7/14 @ 8 p.m. Then, write a brief paragraph response about what you think this show is saying about American vs. Japanese culture.
Because of its very turbulent history, Japan’s culture is often misunderstood and stereotyped into something it is not. In one other paragraph, tell me something that you find very unique to Japanese culture that you love (i.e.: sushi, karaoke?) or that you don’t quite understand (i.e.: punky-dressed kids, Sanrio accessories?). What makes Japan such an interesting contrast to our American way of life?
This reflection is due on Wednesday @ 10 p.m.
22 comments:
Scott
This game show shows how American culture styles and Japanese culture styles are totally different and hardly share anything in common. What I think they are trying to say is the fact that Japanese culture is more sophisticated than ours. These Japanese game shows are full with dumb humor and stupid comedy that it makes people laugh. I guess Japanese culture is different than ours in this perspective because when you watch our game shows, ours are more serious and actually meaning to serve a point. For example, like who can eat more worms in this amount of time, or who can survive the longest on a stranded island and etc.
One thing that I love about the Japanese culture is the food. Every time I go eat Japanese cuisine, the food is so good. The sushi, sashimi, shrimp tempura, rice, shoyu flavored items and snacks are just tasty. They are really delicious and it makes a good snack if you are hungry. The one thing I don’t understand is the random items in Japan, how they have machines for cigarettes and things that you can get at a store. It seems like an extra tool that is not needed. Since Japan is so much different, us Americans see this as an opportunity to expand our social acts towards the Japanese, so we can succeed like them to.
The show I survived a Japanese game show is saying how American and Japanese culture are very different. In this show the Japanese people find all of these ridiculous things funny while many Americans wouldn’t think the same way. The making of this show shows how we can learn from the Japanese people and their way of thinking. Not only is their sense of humor a little different than ours but also their society is also different. I still don’t know much about Japanese culture and the way they think. The game show, which is televised in America, wants us to know that there is other ways to laugh and have fun. In America we have television shows that entertain us like American Idol and fear factor, which is the contrast to I survived a Japanese game show. I was very surprised when I was watching the preview of this show. I found it strange that this type of silly show was going to get televised in the United States. I guess the directors of this show wanted to see how Americans would respond after watching this show. They wanted to see if Americans would find it funny.
Japanese are often stereotyped to different things like many other different cultures. Most Japanese are stereotyped as being very intelligent and very into their electronics. I find this part of Japanese culture very unique. They are greatly advanced in electronics and technology over other countries. They invented many electronics and small accessories. The major computer, television, and video game consoles brands are all from Japan. I enjoy all of these accessories in my home that Japanese made. Also some people might find Japanese people as very shy. I find that strange when some Japanese don’t say or talk about anything. There are definitely some very different ideas that the Japanese have that we don’t have. We can learn about Japanese people and their different culture.
After watching some of the clips from the t.v show "I Survived A Japanese Gameshow," it made me come to the conclusion that the show somewhat makes fun at some aspects of the Japanese culture. This is because even just from watching the clip that pops up right when you enter the page, it shows some people trying to go through these obstacle courses and falling everywhere. It looks a lot like this japanese gameshow that i used to watch on the SPIKE channel, except a little more exaggerated. Most people can say that some Japanese societies and the things that come along with it are a little bit strange, and for this reason, i think that's why people make these types of shows because they know its kind of funny to watch. But overall i think SOME, not all of these videos are pretty much making fun of the Japanese culture, or at least they believe by showing something that most Americans don't usually see on t.v is whats gonna make them money off of the show.
One thing about the Japanese culture that i find so interesting is the invention of sushi. Sushi is one of my favorite things so eat and i know that for a lot of Japanese people, they feel the same way. I think sushi is such a smart food invention, and there's nothing weird about it. However there is a lot of weird things about the Japanese culture in general. I really just don't get the way a lot of the Japanese people wear such outrageous and weird clothing. The only thing that i can think of as to why they would want to do this is to stand out from all of the other millions of Japanese people. They all want to get recognized in one way or another, and by dressing weird or different from other people, maybe they think it will get them noticed. This is really stereotypic of me to say, but it's the only reason i can think of as to why they would dress so crazy. For instance, i've see so many Japanese girls wearing neon stalkings, tutu's and other punk rock type clothing. Also, a lot of people in Japan will wear little cartoons on their clothing, even the men (which is the REALLY weird part) and they actually like the styles and cartoon figures. Overall, the i love some things about the Japanese culture, but i think for me there is more weird (or different)aspects about the culture that i just don't understand and don't really agree with in general. But this is what makes the culture so interesting. It's because of the weird things that make the culture so different from the American way of living. Things such as a large majority of the population wearing cartoon or other weird styles of clothing (which is "whats in" over there) is what makes me think of the culture being somewhat "weird," even thought the truth is that i just don't understand their ways and styles.
This game show, "I Survived a Japanese Gameshow" pits a bunch of American citizens who have never left the U.S in their lives, and put them in a house and have them compete in a Japanese setting. In my opinion, this gameshow is a lot like Big Brother. They stick a bunch of people in a house, have them compete in challenges, and have eliminations. This is also just like MXC on Spike Tv. It is sort of a mix because MXC has all of the crazy Japanese type of challenges, like running on a spinning log, or trying to get past rolling boulders. In America, we have shows like America's Got Talent, or Survivor, which actually show real life events happening, with slight variations here and there. The gameshows here in America cater more towards the hardcore crowd,(people who actually get serious about these shows, i.e vote for who they want to win etc.) rather than the more casual, laid back crowd who like to just sit and watch the show.
Something I love in the Japanese culture is their sense of humor. When you walk up to a Japanese person or tourists, they are so amused by the things you do, when you think it's normal. They become so fascinated in the things you do and that is what makes things fun between each other. The simple things, like when you say an unfamiliar word, or when you make a funny gesture, their reaction is a lot different than ours. You become engrossed with how different they are from you, and that is what interests me and is unique in the same sense.
This show certainly does say that in the American's eyes, the Japanese are very strange. All the players were wondering "where the heck do they come up with this stuff?" It's all about cultures and pop culture however. What we think is strange as Americans,could be something completely fun for the Japanese. It's a way of us seeing how their culture works and what they do to have some fun.
If there's one thing I love in Japanese culture. It has to be their video games. In fact any game made by "Squaresoft", "Konami", "Capcom", or "Nintendo" all have a Japanese version because that's where those games were made. Games like Resident Evil, Megaman, Silent Hill, and Final Fantasy are all excellent games and where do they come from? Japan of course. The game consoles are also another big part of it, I don't think I could survive without my PS3 or Nintendo Wii.
-Kyle Sugii
I think this show make Japanese culture seem kind of stupid. At the same time they must be thinking the same thing about American culture too. We make a reality show about everything! The show also seems to be comparing the two cultures. The reality show aspect of American culture and the interesting culture of the Japanese.
I don't really have a favorite thing about the Japanese culture because I don't know much about it. My family is fourth generation american and the Japanese culture that my family came with is pretty much gone. If I were to choose an aspect of the culture that I liked it would be the ninja show that comes on really late at night. When men go through this obstacle course that ends when you fall in the water. The show is really funny and I alway enjoy watching it. I wouldn't say the show is a huge part of the Japanese culture.
Watching "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" made me think that they were poking fun at the Japanese culture because of it being filmed IN Japan. I also felt that it was sort of insulting Americans by making the contestants do really insane tasks while they look like idiots.
I think that the Japanese culture is interesting because it's a combination of a lot of different cultures. They were inf I love Japanese food and luenced by China and Korea and Western cultures. I don't understand why a lot of the Japanese teenagers or young adults color/highlight their hair. I love Japanese food, it's a good combination of different foods from different cultures and it tastes really good.
I believe that I Survived a Japanese Game Show speaks volumes about the differences in American and Japanese culture. One difference that I felt the show illustrated quite clearly was the level of pride that the American contestants had verses the audience members. The show had the American contestants compete in crazy challenges and embarrass themselves on television. I think that it plays directly into the stereotype that the rest of the world has of Americans that we will do anything to get our fifteen minutes of fame. The show also touched on the differences in the way Americans vs. Japanese compose themselves. I think that the show, in a way, mocks American reality television shows. American reality TV shows and game shows never offer prizes to winners that are culturally informative. The winners of one challenge on this game show learned from a Japanese professional how to make Sobe noodles while the losers learned how to shuck clams. Both of the experiences made the Americans more knowledgeable. By giving the winner’s educational prizes, which is a sharp contrast to the “fun” prizes given by American shows, it shows that the Japanese know how to have a good time but also learn something worthwhile, unlike their American counterparts. One might also note that these educational experiences might have been given to Americans because the Japanese believe that Americans are dumb.
I have always been a big fan of Japanese cuisine. I absolutely love tempura, sushi, and yakitori chicken. The use of seasonal ingredients allows the cuisine to slightly differ from time to time, making it familiar but exciting and new. The dishes are traditional yet very flavorful. I also enjoy the fact that Japanese cuisine does not incorporate a lot of desserts and sweets because I am not a big dessert eater. The cuisine is definitely an interesting contrast to our American way of life because of its overall simplicity, flavor and use of ingredients and materials foreign to American taste buds. I became intrigued by Japanese cuisine when I heard about a Japanese poisonous blowfish that was actually served in Japanese restaurants. I guess I really liked the fact that people who wished to consume the poisonous blowfish (Fugu) had to sign a waver that acknowledged the danger of consuming this fish with poisonous organs. It is the use of materials, such a fugu, that intrigue American palates and curiosities.
This show was very amusing because it was Americans in a Japanese game show. It kind of reminded me of the show on SPIKE that has Japanese people doing similar things. I Survived A Japanese Game Show kind of made fun of Americans. It made American people look funny while Japanese people was laughing at them. I don’t think it is a very nice portrayal of Americans. I think that if they had Chinese instead of Americans, China would ban the show for bad representation of their country. Although it was a funny show, it showed Americans as babies in “big baby go boom” and chickens in the elimination round. I kind of wondered if this was implying something about America.
One thing I really love about Japanese culture is their candy. They make some of the best chocolate. A lot of their candy is really nicely presented. In contrast to American culture, the Japanese seem really interested in presentation. Their famous sushi is all about looking really nice. Similarly, their candy is very colorful and beautifully presented in nice boxes or bags. Half the price you pay probably went to the pretty bag it’s in. If you go to Longs, they have lots of nicely wrapped and colorful candy. Although Japanese candy is often a lot more expensive than the average Hersheys bar, it is really worth it because it tastes much better.
I think this show, “I Survived A Japanese Game Show”, pokes fun at both American and Japanese culture. First of all, I think it shows that the some Americans are greedy enough to embarrass themselves on TV by doing ridiculous stunts just to win $250,000. Japan has some of their own game shows like the incredibly hard obstacle courses. I think this show is kind of messing with the American’s minds by making them think, “This is what all Japanese game shows are like.” But unfortunately for the contestants, that’s not true. The only reason why they are on the show is to humiliate them, hence the Japanese audience. Normally, most reality TV shows that the US produces test your talent in positive ways. “I Survived A Japanese Game Show” does show your talent, but it shows it in a negative way because if you fail it is just embarrassing. In all, I think this game show is extremely stupid and whomever wants to get laughed at constantly just win $250,000 is very desperate.
One thing that I love about the Japanese culture is how advanced they are. Their technology and style is ahead of western culture by like 10 years. I think it’s so cool how a trend can pass on from country to country. What makes me sad though is how the US doesn’t get all the new gadgets till all the Japanese people do. I mean, why do they get all the awesome stuff? Why can’t our intelligent inventors create new electronics before Japan does? Usually, stereotypes are bad and are derogatory toward a culture. The stereotype that new electronics are from Japan isn’t a bad stereotype because (a) it’s true, and (b) who doesn’t want an awesome new camera? I think that’s the difference between American culture and Japan. We’re so behind on everything from them, it’s sad for us. Their pretty much our role models for technology and style.
-kayla
After watching “I Survived a Japanese Gameshow”, I definitely think that it is saying a lot about American culture and Japanese culture. I think that it was a very funny show, although it does poke fun at Japanese culture. In one of the clips I watched, the contestants were forced to eat as much mochi as they could off of their partner’s head, while the partner was running on a treadmill. Although hilarious, you still get the impression that they are making fun of Japanese culture. Mochi is a treasured practice that is made near the New Year as a sign of luck, although here it is used as a funny game. Even though it does make fun of Japanese culture, I also think that it is making fun of American culture. Americans are known for watching TV and are also known for reality TV shows. When I first watched this Japanese show, I thought immediately of “Survivor”. It has basically the same plot although “I Survived a Japanese Gameshow” is much cleaner and more just for laughs. The ideas that American TV shows are like that, just to test people and just for fun it does poke fun at American culture. Just American TV shows make our culture much hated and makes us look uneducated and not very smart, since we would spend our time on such a silly idea.
On another level, Japan is often known for specific stereotypes that are not always true. I personally love that Japanese families are most of the time very close, and get together many times a year. I also love sushi, and all the different food that comes from Japan. Some stereotypes that I don’t really understand is the teenagers who you sometimes see who are dressed in styles that are a mixture of school uniforms, plad, ripped tights, and punky hats. I also don’t really understand why the Japanese always buy the LeSportsac bags when they come to the United States. I think that Japan is a very interesting contrast to our way of life because they have so many different cultural values and styles.
Sorry about my earlier post, I was typing it up and it accidentally sent and I didn't like how it was short and vague, so I re-did my entry.
“I Survived a Japanese Gameshow” was interesting to watch. The show consists of American contestants competing for a quarter of a million dollars within Japan. I found that this show—although insanely humorous—was somewhat degrading to the American culture and slightly jesting the Japanese culture. In some way, it does insult the Japanese culture by taking traditional practices and using it as challenges for the show. The American contestants had to do extremely humiliating tasks such as, dressing like a baby for an obstacle course or dressing like a chicken and popping eggs with your butt for the elimination round. I was slightly depressed watching intelligent human beings stoop down to that level to win money. Although that was the downside to this show, there were some good values that I saw. There were displays of sportsmanship and confidence. Even though the Green Monkeys did loose the “Big Baby Go Boom” challenge they still displayed sportsmanship but accepting their punishment and tried not to complain about it. Each team has an aura of confidence as they enter each challenge hoping that their team will win and succeeding in becoming the winner.
The Japanese culture is really diverse. It’s originated from multiple Asian countries as well as the modern Western countries. The Japanese culture is unique because they really adapt to what they were given in order to survive. Some things that I absolutely LOVE about Japanese culture is the art and history, although influenced by other countries the Japanese people have managed to create something that is entirely their own. I love Japanese paintings and calligraphy. Japanese paintings have a lot of detail within them you can see how it was colored or drawn so carefully to make it look beautiful. There’s a Kimono hanging on my Dining room wall and it’s so beautiful to look at, the intricate design on the fabric looks as if it took forever to create making it seem more special than an average Kimono. I also love Japanese calligraphy, although I cannot write or read Japanese, it’s beautiful to look at. The way the lines just flow together and it doesn’t look forced it looks gentle and it’s not intimidating to look at compared to the Chinese characters. Japan’s history is something I find extremely interesting, because I’m more Japanese than Chinese. When my Grandma was capable of recalling what she knew of the Hori and Saito families, I used to ask her about our families and what they were like, I enjoyed hearing the stories and it always intrigued me. To this very day, I’m interested in the Samurai classes and how it was created because the Saito side of our family was part of a Samurai clan, but I can’t trace my roots back far enough to the correct dynasty.
--Kacie Young
I think this show is kind of showing the Japanese as stupid. This show and Most Extreme Challenge (MXC) seem ridiculous. When the contestants are shown talking about their opinion of the challenges, it just seems silly. These shows really have no point besides having entertainment value. This show did not only make the Japanese culture seem strange, but it made the Americans who participated seem stupid as well. They had them dress up in strange costumes and do tasks that would only make them fall and embarrass themselves.
What I love about Japanese culture is their food. What makes Japanese food even better for me is their use of seafood. Japanese food is so unique and most of the food takes good. What I find unique about Japanese food is the use of mostly fish and rice. Even though other cultures use those foods, Japanese meals almost always include either or both.
-patrice
I think that the show is a perfect example of how Japanese cultures and American ones merge. The show is a mixture of popular reality/elimination-type shows here in America mixed with the Japanese love for their wacky game shows. When the American contestants won or lost, it showed them going and experiencing Japanese culture, that was a interesting thing to see. That was because you go to see the winners experiencing the good Japanese life, going to temples and eating great soba counts as the good life. Where the losers had to go and shuck clams for hours, a job they showed old women doing. The losers didn’t get to enjoy Japan like the winners but still experienced part of the culture, especially the fact that their experience involved seafood, a major staple in the Japanese diet.
I find the Japanese ability to take something that has already been made, and make it better. For example cars or video games, both were invented in America but Japan holds the market on them. The car industry is dominated by companies like Toyota, Honda and Subaru, no-longer Ford or Chrysler. In comparison an average Ford is clunky and inefficient whereas the Honda is smooth and environmentally friendly. The story is the same for video games. The market is dominated by Nintendo and Sony, although closely followed by Microsoft. The Japanese took gaming to a whole new level with the Gamboy, Playstations and Nintendo 64. Before the X-Box there wasn’t a single American console on the market. I personally prefer the Japanese video games, because like the cars they look better, run smoother and are more fun.
Georgia Kelliher
After watching the clips of “I Survived a Japanese Gameshow” I thought the overall concept for the show was very hilarious because my friends and I watch the original Japanese game shows. I enjoyed how they use the cute little sound effects and voices and keep to the interesting obstacles that can be found in the actual gameshows. American society compared to the Japanese is very different. Our main shows on tv are all reality shows that usually have scripts but the Japanese gameshows are just for pure entertainment and are not staged. In this new show it seems that we are making fun of the Japanese because the culture is a bit overly done and fake.
My favorite part of the Japanese culture is sushi. I am not a big fan of dead fish or squid but I love to eat California rolls and inari. I guess California rolls are a slightly adapted version of normal Japanese sushi (hence “California”) but they still have rice, seaweed and crab in them.
On the other hand I do not quite understand Harajuku girls. Harajuku Tokyo is located in Japan and it is a major fashion center where girls and sometimes boys like to dress up in insane outfits and hang out. Many of the outfits are very dark looking and gothic. It doesn’t make sense to me why you would buy pieces of clothing that are so absurd and out there and wear them around town.
I think this makes fun of both Japanese and American culture. They show the American contestants doing all these ridiculous tasks, which make them look stupid. Then it shows them being really serious about surviving on the show and planning out who they want to kick off their team and all this immunity and stuff, which is a big contrast to all the silly games they’re playing to actually win the contest. In a way this is making fun of American reality shows where people are so caught up in these TV shows to get famous or make money. It’s also making fun of Japanese culture because while the contestants are doing the tasks, the Japanese people in the audience are laughing hysterically at them, and the Japanese host guy makes fun of them. This reflects upon their culture because what they think is funny says a lot about them. Also, the contestants keep saying like, “who comes up with these things?” which is degrading to the Japanese culture because its kind of calling them stupid. This show makes both cultures look bad and show that they don’t mix.
The thing I like most about Japanese culture is the food. I grew up eating a lot of Japanese food, so it’s kind of a big part of my life. I probably eat the same or more Japanese food than American food. Japanese culture in general is a big part of my life, and I think a lot of Japanese culture has influenced Hawaii a lot too. For example, everyone in Hawaii takes off their slippers when they go to someone’s house, which is a Japanese thing. We don’t always think of it as a Japanese thing, because we do it so often and don’t think about it because it has become a part of our culture.
I Survived a Japanese Game Show shows an intense contrast between American and Japanese culture. This show is a pretty ridiculous representation of Japan’s culture. The way it exaggerates the Japanese television elements like extremely bright colors and almost incomprehensible Japanese accents gives it an amusing quality, but also seems to poke fun at Japan. You can see from some of the participant’s interviews that the show tries to bring out the American personality more as opposed to having a crazy challenge that seems to have an odd combination of a Japanese game show (of course) and Survivor. Survivor being an American made series seems to poke fun at the U.S. as well. By combining these two different culture’s shows it creates somewhat of a confusing and brightly colored dramatization. While being very amusing, this also speaks for both countries. This show seems to say to me, “This is a ridiculous show from Japan, this is a stupid show from America. You do the math.” As you can see what I’m getting at is that this game show gives you the best of both worlds and provides a comparison of the two cultures. Showing ones love for people getting dunked in pools of various liquids off of treadmills and being dressed like one year olds and ones love for drama and over the top arguing among unstable people. In short this show is saying that Japanese culture enjoys seeing more of an action related and slapstick comedy based show, while America enjoys the drama and exaggerated arguing of television.
One thing I don’t understand about Japanese culture is the tight clothing. It may just be me but it seems that many of the Japanese tourists seen around places like Waikiki and many hotels prefer to wear tight clothing as opposed to the more loose style of American culture. I don’t know if there is any way of explaining this observation but it seems as though this is a more popular style for Japanese than any other cultures. The contrast to American culture in this case is of course the fact that Americans prefer not to wear tight clothing. This could be a certain aspect of American culture that the Japanese don’t understand and are just as perplexed about our styles as well.
I think this show is sort of mocking both American and Japanese cultures in different ways. It is showing how dumb American people can be for doing these strange things just for their 15 minutes of fame and their shot at a prize. It is also making fun of the Japanese culture because I am sure when Americans watch this show they think of all Japanese shows being like this. I know that when I watched it I thought it was such a ridiculous form of entertainment to watch people go through silly obstacles for an hour.
A thing of Japanese culture that I love is the food. I am completely obsessed with Asian food, especially Japanese. My family often has some sort of Japanese food at least once a week be it sushi(tonight's dinner), sashimi, tempura, yakisoba, ramen, or some other Japanese cuisine. Something I don't understand is their harajuku culture. I have never understood people dressing is the strange clothes they do and walking around in public like that. I don't think I always notice the contrast of Japanese culture and American culture as much as a person on the Mainland would because Hawaii has many of the same customs as Japan.
-Kanoe
This game show seemed like a mix between a game show and a reality show, mostly because of the drama that was put into it. In most game shows I've seen, the drama comes from the pressure and the excitement. However, this game show was very infused with the American idea of reality TV - high pressure and high stakes (the money prize) combined with high drama. The producers always take the time to develop a little rivalry, especially things happening within the teams, like the whole pact with the monkey's team, and if the team members would stick to it or follow their own agenda. Another thing that is played up is the rivalry between the two teams - only intensified by the fact that the winners get to experience the culture in a more fun way than the losing team. However, I think that he losing team still gets to experience just as much of the culture, just maybe in a less enjoyable way for them. The game show side of the show is obvious in the way the audience is portrayed, as well as the way the announcer talks and makes little sarcastic and condescending, in some cases, comments -- it is very stereotypical in that way. The comedy is quite funny, but in a more blatant, three stooges type of way than typical american comedy.
One thing about Japanese culture that really mystifies me is the anime obsession. It is big in American as well now, but it was started in Japan. There are comic books, tv series', movies and video games based on anime, which is basically a type of animated cartoon. One stereotype of it is that all the characters are really good looking, but to me they're all cartoons anyway. Of course, I could turn this right around and say I don't understand american cartoons, but cartoons don't have quite such a devoted fan base. People go to anime conventions and dress up as characters, buy paraphernalia, and meet other people who are just as into anime as they are. Not only that, but american cartoons are in general meant to be amusing, whereas anime seems to be like a soap opera in cartoon form, in a lot of cases.
-Emily
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