American Perceptions of Japan
I heard that Penn State admitted 500 international students from 82 countries this past spring semester.
Canada (62), China (84), India (97), South Korea (39), the Philippines (20), Iran (19), Japan (14), ...
“Fujiyama, geisha, bushido, harakiri…”—that’s all ancient history. Japan is already an industrial powerhouse. Just look at the products: transistor radios, tape recorders, record players… Almost all of them are made in Japan (Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, Akai, etc.). Motorcycles (Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki), cameras, watches… even automobiles.
That’s why Japan is held in such high regard. So much so that I wonder if it’s overrated.
Are Japanese products really that superior? The prices certainly seem low.
Cameras are definitely Japanese, but if you think about it, you see KODAK Polaroids quite often, and the same KODAK products surpassed Minolta to be sent to the moon, and so on.
What about our perception of America?
“Clumsy to the point of not even being able to use chopsticks properly, blindly yearning for the Orient, and not particularly sharp-witted…”
It seems the opposite is actually true. It’s a country beyond imagination. It can’t be simply categorized.
Computers handle all school administration, and individual administrators work in pairs with secretaries who are skilled at typing, getting their work done quickly.
Beyond my expectations. I didn’t know that. That’s my honest impression right now.
Apollo 11
July 16: Launch
July 20, 10:56 p.m.: Lunar landing. Commander Armstrong takes the first step on the moon
July 24, 1:00 p.m.: Return to Earth
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One of the ironies of carrying the camera is
that you seldom get into a picture yourself.
That happened to Neil Armstrong on the moon.
Here, he recorded Buzz Aldrin near
the flag Aldrin had set up
in the powdery, slippery lunar soil.
“Look Special Edition 1969”
(Apollo 11: On the Moon)
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I watched this historic event intently on a color TV at a recreation center called HUB.
Wasn’t it the conviction of all Americans—filled with anticipation—that Apollo 11 would, of course, succeed? The expressions of the roughly 100 people gathered in front of the TV gave the impression they were watching a show with a sense of relief. They sent enthusiastic applause at every climactic moment, and when the national anthem played on TV, everyone stood up, placed a hand over their heart, and sang along. It was a deeply moving moment.
There were no anxious faces to be seen; they weren’t even experiencing the thrill.
On the 18th, when President Nixon announced that “Monday the 21st would be a holiday,” the atmosphere around me seemed to brighten instantly at the prospect of a three-day weekend.
Captain Armstrong’s message from the moon was wonderful, too.
“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
(Click here for a snapshot of Apollo 11)
The New York Times published a thick special edition covering this historic moment.
August 17: Apollo 11, Man and the Moon
August 21: Men Land on Moon
August 25: Astronauts Back from the Moon
The advertisements were also spectacular.
CBS TV cut out pages from The New York Times and reported on them with a touch of sarcasm, saying, “There’s this one, and this one too.”
It’s interesting how each advertisement competed to capture the spirit of the times, but here I’ll share the Takashimaya ad that appeared in the 17th’s special feature.
Takashimaya salutes the United States of America for its courage and
dedication in making this century one of the outstanding periods in the
history of man.
Part3 Reading (8:01) on
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