Three Images...
This image is an action shot of a city in Japan. There is quite a lot going on, between the people moving about and the numerous (very much so) signs that take up almost all the focus in the frame. The streets are swarming with people, with little open space to even see the pavement, and those in the foreground are blurry, because they are moving so quickly. The photo depicts the nightlife of Japan; it is bustling, action packed, and fast paced. Lights and activity that is captured signify the excitement and unrest that apparently goes on--the city does not know sleep, it is active even at night.
This photo depicts a maiko (left) and geisha (right) who look like they are putting on a performance or giving a talk of some sort. They are dressed in traditional Japanese garments, and are positioned in front of a decorative screen featuring cherry blossoms. They stand on tatami mats, yet one holds a microphone to speak in, pulling the viewer back into reality from this seemingly perfectly framed image of tradition and old times. The entire image smacks of traditional Japan, as almost all of the signs in the image signify the unique and original culture of the country. Save for the microphone, the picture almost entirely excludes any evidence of modern technology or influence, in stark contrast to the first photo that focuses on that very thing.
Finally, I wanted to choose a photo that squeezed almost everything into one image. While this is not an actual photograph someone took with a camera and instead a computer generated image, it is still a sign that carries a lot of meaning. This image looks as if it were designed to be the epitome of Japan. Creators took time to include many things commonly associated with Japan, featuring Fuji-san, a red torii gate, banzai tree, and maneki neko. Creators also made a point to make the sun in the image red, as it appears on the Japanese flag. The text on the image reads only "JAPAN", as if the culmination of these symbols represent the country as a whole. While it would be outrageous to ask one to put the entirety of Japan in one photo, I find it interesting that the images were so limited. They didn't even include *GASP* cherry blossoms...what to do indeed. The photo does however succeed (in my eyes) to show some of the beauty and tradition of Japan, which seems like that's what the creators were going for.
Food for Thought...
For all of these searches, I simply typed into google "Japan". There were some recurring themes that popped up in the images which I initially disregarded, but my last image choice made me think: what would come up if I typed America? What would a graphic like the one above look like if someone made the same concept but with America, taking all the things that America was known for? Curiously, I googled "America". The difference in the results were stunning. Nearly all of the results were the American flag, either by itself or plastered on the outline of any other shape. Alongside those images were scattered results of eagles (typically posed with some sort of flag) or the Statue of Liberty (again, with the same overbearing presence of the flag--AGAIN). Looking back at my search for Japan, the Japanese flag appeared three times in the first 5 rows of results. America? Fifteen. FIFTEEN. I wonder what peoples' opinions are regarding the apparent obsession with the American flag--why is there such a difference between what signs represent Japan and what sign(s) represent America?
I really like what you said in your last paragraph--indeed, it seems like there's this strange fascination with the American flag being the universal symbol of America, while the Japanese flag only bears a fraction of the same symbolic meaning (the rest of it is dispersed between other symbols, like the bonsai and Mt. Fuji. Upon doing some quick searching of other countries' names, the same thing happens. I think part of this has to do with the distinctly American kind of national pride that celebrates the flag as a uniting symbol of 50 separate states, but in an aggressive, homogenizing way (all the stars are the same). To me, this signals a sense of insecurity, one that makes the American consciousness overcompensate and project an aura of unification while in fact being deeply divided (and causing hatred towards any groups that appear to be causing division).
ReplyDeleteThis blog post was very informative, and interesting to see what your thoughts and opinions. The pictures you chose highlighted different things that are recognizably Japan, but containing different subjects. It's interesting to look into what comes up in a google search, and how that relates to the countries values/what other people value about the country. I think America, since there (in some form of generalization) is no traditional culture, clings to their only symbol of "tradition," which is the flag. Japan has a long history full of traditional symbols, and because of this, that's usually what gets picked to represent the country.
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