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Western Influence On Japanese Culture

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For the longest time, Japan had been an isolationist country, a country that let no foreigners enter it, but that changed in 1853 Japan started to open its borders once more. As it did so, Western influence on its culture began to grow. While the changes in its war tactics were the most famous and well-known form of Westernization, there were many smaller ways Japan's culture changed. Some of these ways were changes in fashion and architecture. Some of the biggest changes in Japanese culture that were caused by Westernization was the fashion industry. It manifested in two major fashion cultures with many sub-cultures branching from the main culture. These two cultures were Gyaru and Lolita. The first of these two fashion cultures to form …show more content…

The Lolita culture isn't like most fashion cultures which sexualize women, instead, it is where those participating try to follow the ideal of dignity, manners, …show more content…

Before the introduction of western style architectural techniques, most buildings were made of stone, wood, and paper which was influenced by Chinese architecture, which was manipulated to fit the Japanese culture (http://www.museumofthecity.org/). While Westernization of architecture had started small in the Meiji Period with the change to brick as a building material, the largest changes in architecture happened after World War Two (http://www.museumofthecity.org/). After World War 2 most post-war buildings were built in an efficient manner that did not use wood, a material that was easy for earthquakes, something they were able to become the pioneers on dealing with, and bombing runs to destroy. Also, due to the country being smaller then most Japan modified Western-style buildings, making them smaller and more compact, in order to give their large population more room (http://www.museumofthecity.org/). While being in isolation from the world for the longest time, Japan's culture changed greatly when it met the west. Old Victorian style dolls gave rise to the Lolita Style in the 1980s, a style that continues to this day. Another fashion subculture that rose thanks to Westernization was the Gyaru, a culture that used expensive western clothes and accessories as a way to show off wealth. Westernization of architecture

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