Our Man in Japan -- Mythkiller 7
DeanRaker - Columns - Comments - 08/19/05
Myth #1: Japan is so xenophobic that if you can so much as hear the sound of an American game, housewives will cover their childrens' ears to prevent contamination.
Reality Check: This one's weird. If Japan is so xenophobic, why are we so gung-ho for going on vacation all over the world? Why are we one of the world's biggest importers of foreign products like Friends, McDonalds, Harry Potter, Moomin, Ratchet & Clank, Starbucks, iPods, and all things Disney? The real reason is because our storied xenophobia is just a myth. For most people here, Japan's rampant xenophobia faded a long time ago.
Racism exists, of course, but it's almost entirely centered around other Asians. For example, I've been to California and noticed how some people gripe about Mexicans as if they were a plague. But I certainly don't think there's anything inherently xenophobic about Californians. It seems to me to be a function of geography rather than innate hatred of all things foreign. I've never heard a Japanese gamer dismiss a game based on where it was made (well, any game that isn't Korean).
So why don't American games have a prominent place in the Japanese market? Just like plants adjust to the trees that block sunlight in the forest, Japan is saturated with its own product. Before that was the case, there was more penetration. But now its harder to find places to emerge and grow.
Status: Completely untrue
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