ABSTRACT

"Worldwide, non-Western cultures faced fundamental challenges to their cultural identities-not so much a recentering of culture but a decentering of culture.” This quotation may be taken to mean something different for both cultures; namely, the United States and Japan. Much of this has been influenced by worldwide events that happened following the 19th century in both countries. Both nations have since prospered, and we are currently seeing a joining of both cultures. In fact, neither the West nor the Eastern country of Japan may be distinguished one from the other any longer. They have truly made the most of this new global environment where we find ourselves today.

Almost all non-Western cultures have been influenced by the mores of the West, including countries in Asia. In general, this means that many of these cultures are becoming influenced by Western cultures, namely that of America. For example, in many Asian nations McDonalds and other American influences like Starbucks and clothing stores are coming to their countries. They are being influenced by Western culture, hence the "decentering of culture." What’s more, I spent some time in Japan a few years ago and was surprised to see such a preponderance of Western society in an area that was so far from home.

However, the decentralization of Asian culture may go both ways, meaning that although we in the U.S. have influenced Japan greatly, so have they made significant gains on our shores. One only needs to review popular culture to see the effect of Japanese style on American youth. This includes such items as cinema, Pokemon, anime, pop music, television dramas such as Tokyo Love Story and Long Vacation, It is easy to see that the export of Japanese media and culture is big business (Iwabuchi, 2002).

Nevertheless, much has changed for Japan over the period from the