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AUTOBIOGRAPHIC ESSAY
Bridging Heaven and Earth| Chapter 6
The mystery of multinational marriage, part 1: Ugly idols
Culture Shock
I first came to Japan in 1999. The thing that gave me the biggest shock was the omnipresent aura of admiration for America. I felt it in the alarming number of English conversation schools, in the way people looked at me, and in the mildly disturbing difference in the way people treated me and foreigners from Asia. Why would Japan admire America? Before coming to Japan, I had never imagined such a thing might be possible. It was a bit baffling, really. America is the country that dropped the atomic bomb on Japan, and then took over the country with no respect or regard for its native culture. America is the country that even now militarily occupies a too-wide area on the island of Okinawa, with no respect or regard for its native people. Anger, I could understand. But admiration? Why?
I suppose most Americans enjoy the favorable treatment they get in Japan without questioning it. I enjoy it, too. But I do question it. To me, blind admiration to the point of idolization is bad news. I do not want to give it to anyone, and I do not want to get it myself, either.
