They absolutely do some nice crafts, but so does everyone else. Aside from personal tastes, the primary reason Japan holds a special place in certain people's hearts is because of a fairly mature and extremely successful ongoing marketing campaign, Cool Japan [1]. This meme quite aptly illustrates the phenomenon: https://old.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/mw20up/this_site_is_...
They have nice pens? So does Pelikan and Visconti
They have nice paper? So does Smythson and G. Lalo
They have nice architecture? Beautiful, unique, inspiring? So does every other country (except of course for modern architecture)
They have nice pop art? There's some really nice anime out there, just like our comics, though anime is generally more soulful than the capeshit stuff, for sure
Food? As tasty and unique as any other country's I'd say, though you'll leave the restaurant with an empty stomach
I think Japan has done a better job than most countries at preserving the economic viability of arts and crafts, deliberately via protectionism and accidentally via cultural elements. I wish my own culture valued cultural tradition and quality over absolute economic efficiency, as they once did.
>I think Japan has done a better job than most countries at preserving the economic viability of arts and crafts, deliberately via protectionism and accidentally via cultural elements.
This is probably the secret sauce. I'm only a neophyte Japanophile, but respect for masters of crafts seems a big part of their culture[0]. But experts can't make a living off vague cultural values. So the Japanese government, in their fervent desire to preserve their ethnic and national identity, pours a lot of money and attention on craftsmen associated with their cultural heritage[1]. And now the cultural values are important, because Japanese voters have a more positive view of this spending than citizens of other countries might.
[0]Yes, all cultures respect experts. But what matters is how much respect relative to other figures. For example, in the United States, business leaders enjoy more respect than master craftsmen.
They have nice pens? So does Pelikan and Visconti
They have nice paper? So does Smythson and G. Lalo
They have nice architecture? Beautiful, unique, inspiring? So does every other country (except of course for modern architecture)
They have nice pop art? There's some really nice anime out there, just like our comics, though anime is generally more soulful than the capeshit stuff, for sure
Food? As tasty and unique as any other country's I'd say, though you'll leave the restaurant with an empty stomach
I think Japan has done a better job than most countries at preserving the economic viability of arts and crafts, deliberately via protectionism and accidentally via cultural elements. I wish my own culture valued cultural tradition and quality over absolute economic efficiency, as they once did.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Japan