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Started By
Message
Visited Japan recently, an observation
Posted on 7/3/25 at 2:28 pm
Posted on 7/3/25 at 2:28 pm
Went fly fishing for trout and had a great trip, would recommend it to anyone.
It occurred to me while there that if one looks hard enough it becomes somewhat apparent that they are a conquered people. They have English on their money and cars, and American influences abound. With almost zero military of their own they rely on the US armed forces umbrella to keep threats at bay (could they even get us to leave if they wanted to?).
Again, I enjoyed the trip. But while there I couldn’t help but wonder what the ‘real’ Japan would be like today if it had never gone to war with the US.
Curious if any other travelers made the same observation, or if I am just overthinking it.
It occurred to me while there that if one looks hard enough it becomes somewhat apparent that they are a conquered people. They have English on their money and cars, and American influences abound. With almost zero military of their own they rely on the US armed forces umbrella to keep threats at bay (could they even get us to leave if they wanted to?).
Again, I enjoyed the trip. But while there I couldn’t help but wonder what the ‘real’ Japan would be like today if it had never gone to war with the US.
Curious if any other travelers made the same observation, or if I am just overthinking it.
7
Posted on 7/3/25 at 3:28 pm to weagle1999
Americans like to spend, spend, spend... no surprise they have English on their money
Posted on 7/3/25 at 5:32 pm to weagle1999
quote:
They have English on their money and cars,
We have latin on our money and half our cars are japanese. Most of our government debt is owned by (owed to) the japanese.
This post was edited on 7/3/25 at 5:34 pm
Posted on 7/3/25 at 6:51 pm to weagle1999
quote:
and American influences abound.
And our own country is full of weebs who constantly consume anime.
Posted on 7/3/25 at 7:32 pm to Zappas Stache
quote:
Most of our government debt is owned by (owed to) the japanese.
Didn’t realize 1.1t out of 35t is most
Posted on 7/3/25 at 9:54 pm to weagle1999
quote:
With almost zero military of their own
Is this really true?
Posted on 7/3/25 at 10:32 pm to GOP_Tiger
And Japan is full of people who are obsessed with cowboys and stereotypical American culture. Like honkytonks are a thing in Tokyo
Its honestly an interesting dynamic
Its honestly an interesting dynamic
This post was edited on 7/3/25 at 10:32 pm
Posted on 7/4/25 at 8:45 am to weagle1999
You're incorrect. Japan does have a self defense force, *we* limited them to that in the peace treaty.
American culture invades everything. Culture has been a game mechanic in Civilization for 20? years. Better yet, the English language invades everything. It is the language of global business, and has been for decades. There is plenty of stuff in English in Korea, and plenty of other places. When you go to a fast food kiosk, it's usually the native language and English. There is no selection for German, or any one of 1,000 African dialects. It's English.
What you saw is the real Japan. Watch the Shogun series to see what it was like before the modern era. And newsflash, they went to war with the Chinese, the Russians, Koreans, and just about anyone nearby long before they bombed Pearl Harbor. There are plenty of villages you probably drove by on the way to fly fish that you could have paid attention to in order to see how the non urban set live.
Why are the Japanese obsessed with pouring concrete as a metric of success? I don't know, but it's deeply entrenched in their politics. Read "Dogs and Demons."
American culture invades everything. Culture has been a game mechanic in Civilization for 20? years. Better yet, the English language invades everything. It is the language of global business, and has been for decades. There is plenty of stuff in English in Korea, and plenty of other places. When you go to a fast food kiosk, it's usually the native language and English. There is no selection for German, or any one of 1,000 African dialects. It's English.
What you saw is the real Japan. Watch the Shogun series to see what it was like before the modern era. And newsflash, they went to war with the Chinese, the Russians, Koreans, and just about anyone nearby long before they bombed Pearl Harbor. There are plenty of villages you probably drove by on the way to fly fish that you could have paid attention to in order to see how the non urban set live.
Why are the Japanese obsessed with pouring concrete as a metric of success? I don't know, but it's deeply entrenched in their politics. Read "Dogs and Demons."
Posted on 7/4/25 at 8:48 am to HoustonGumbeauxGuy
"English" is different from western alphabets. And you can read how much of this:
Posted on 7/4/25 at 9:00 am to LemmyLives
We could learn a lot about adopting the Japan way of life.
Posted on 7/4/25 at 10:10 am to dallastiger55
Well, I’d rather not work 12 hour days, but the utter silence on buses and trains is pretty awesome.
Posted on 7/5/25 at 7:54 am to Zappas Stache
quote:
Most of our government debt is owned by (owed to) the japanese.
No it’s not.
Posted on 7/5/25 at 2:53 pm to Mo Jeaux
People have been repeating that shite since the 80s.
Posted on 7/5/25 at 11:01 pm to weagle1999
Japan with the ultimate case of FAFO in history.
Posted on 7/5/25 at 11:03 pm to weagle1999
quote:
Curious if any other travelers made the same observation, or if I am just overthinking it.
I’m am amazed that you visited Japan and this is what you took from your trip.
Posted on 7/6/25 at 7:24 am to Zappas Stache
quote:
Most of our government debt is owned by (owed to) the japanese.
Google: who owns most of us government debt
AI Overview
The majority of the U.S. national debt is held domestically, with the largest portion held by the U.S. government itself, including intragovernmental holdings like Social Security trust funds and the Federal Reserve. A significant portion is also held by private investors and entities, such as mutual funds and pension funds. Foreign investors, while holding a substantial amount, own a smaller percentage than domestic entities.
***
As of April 2024, foreign countries own approximately $7.9 trillion in Treasury securities — or 22.9% of total US debt. Japan and China are the biggest foreign holders.
Posted on 7/6/25 at 10:56 am to Twenty 49
249 too dumb to research links to find sources! Even Gronk know crypto not real money! You people and your obsession with AI bullshite.
Congress dot gov
quote:
Including private investors and governments, the top three estimated foreign holders of federal
debt by country, as of December 2024, are Japan ($1.1 trillion), China ($0.8 trillion), and the
United Kingdom ($0.7 trillion). Based on these estimates, Japan holds approximately 12.4% of all
foreign investment in U.S. publicly held federal debt, China holds approximately 8.9%, and the
United Kingdom holds approximately 8.4%.
Congress dot gov
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