With the rise of international platforms, it has become easier for audience to know more about countries and cultures stories are set in. Lovers of Japan can now get to know more about Japan’s society and popular culture directly with the help of international streaming platforms.
Japanese Food Culture
Food is something that Japan is popularly known for. Dishes like sushi have become household names around the world. To have a peek into the food culture of Japan, viewers may watch series, and many more. Midnight Diner is about the food culture in Shinjuku, which is popularly called the «District of Tokyo that never sleeps.» Given that Japanese dramas are known for the real-life stories, viewers will appreciate the actors’ performance in the Japanese series.
Like food, gourmet food is another popularity in Japan. Dramas like Samurai Gourmet reflect the gourmet food culture in Japan, where a Japanese dish is made like gourmet food in each episode. These dramas are a perfect treat for any viewer who is enthusiastic about Japanese gourmet food culture and Japanese food in general.
Anime
Anime is perhaps Japan’s most famous export and is a constant source of curiosity around the world. Japanese series like Dragon Ball Z is an integral part of the childhood of the millennials. However, Japanese series are not necessarily for entertainment; they combine technological advances with psychoanalytic theory and religion and many more, as seen in the Japanese series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Life in Japan
Japan is associated with workplace ethics, which are sometimes considered too brutal upon the workers themselves. Japanese workers are often called «workaholics» who only care about work. However, the workplace culture has some dark stories that are rarely told. Dramas like Downtown Rocket, The Auditor, and Aggretsuko provide viewers insights into Japanese workplace culture, workplace bullying, and social phenomena like the omiai or arranged marriages in Japan. Series like Rilakkuma and Kaoru depict the everyday life of Japan and what can be loved in them: cherry blossom viewings, summer festivals, along with real-life issues like finding one’s place in the world.
Japan and Cleanliness
The Japanese are known to place great emphasis on cleanliness. Marie Kondo is one of the most famous experts on cleanliness in Japan. Her Konmari method of cleanliness believes in deciding whether an item sparks joy in the owner when it is around. If it does not, Kondo believes that it should go away. The Konmari method involves thanking items for their services before being thrown away. Her method is famous worldwide, and she has written a book about it titled The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. However, she has reached a wider audience with her web series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, where she travels to the US to help American households tidy up. The series provides an insight into the Japanese approach to cleanliness and how the viewers could keep their homes tidy.