日本社会が変わっていく (1) ：ジャパニーズ・ポップカルチャーとオーバーツーリズム Transformation of the Japanese Society (1): Japanese Pop Culture and Overtourism

Japan is powerless in the face of social change. A revolution will take place silently, shattering feudalistic structures. Self-discovery through the influence of foreign tourists will have to find a new path. Urban, young Japanese women will play the pioneering role. The older Japanese man, who constantly complains about his self-inflicted suffering with alcohol, will be left behind.
Fans of Japanese Pop Culture (JPC) don’t always have it easy. Time and again, one has to fight against the clichés of Big Anime Eyes, mystified Samurai, and Schoolgirl Drawings whose ages one can only guess at. Western Pop Culture (WPC), however, is anything but innocent, loading these clichés with its own ideas. The image of medieval Japan, in particular, is now far removed from any historical reality, even though series like “Shōgun” attempt to rectify this.
Japanese Pop Culture was transported to the world as an important sector of the local industry by the government, with considerable investment. Video Game, Manga, Anime, Cosplay: the infantile image of Japan was strategically promoted abroad to attract tourists.
Now, Japanese people are wondering what absurd image of Japan prevails in the minds of Overtourism visitors.
The creepy video game “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” transports global players to the Japanese feudal era. This era, like modern-day Japan, is gradually suffering from overtourism.

“Assassin’s Creed Shadows” is a sprawling, very bloody and brutal, once you get used to it, also a slow weird storytelling set across 16th century Japan.
This creepy epic is a tale of two adventurers who are set on a mission to rid feudal Japan of a conspiracy of killers. The protagonists:
Yasuke is a formerly enslaved Black samurai whose unusual presence in feudal Japan drove much of the intrigue—and a heap of bad-faith online criticism—of Shadows ahead of release. He is the game’s non-assassin, a tank of a fighter for players not interested in sneaking around
Naoe is a vengeful Japanese shinobi, who quickly becomes the heart of Shadows. Due to how the game is structured and how the player choses to wander through its extraordinary world, Naoe was the main character in the game for nearly all of its first 12 hours (other players’ time will vary).
The impact of such video games should not be underestimated. Japanese behavior will change because they have promoted infantile Japanese Pop Culture. The inbound strategy worked. Now it’s up to the Japanese population to adapt to a new world of self-inflicted Japanese Hentai Absurdity.

Tokyo, Reiwa 7, April 24
Mario A

nonomiyamika
原宿で行われていた
Assassin’s Creed SHADOWS collaboration LEGACY
にぽぽちゃんといずちと行ってきました❤️
ゲームの話から女子会までできる
素敵な空間でした！
アサシンも引き続きプレイして行くぞ🦅✨
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『アサシン クリード シャドウズ』ゲーム本編を島袋美由利さん、田村真さん、岩中睦樹さんがいち早く体験！

Today’s Bonus 今日のおまけ：

「横尾忠則　未完の自画像 – 私への旅」 Tadanori Yokoo “Mikan: Myself, Incomplete”
Apr 23 (Wed) 2025 – Aug 24 (Sun) 2025
Reservations Prioritized 予約優先制
Gucci Ginza Gallery
https://www.gucci.com/jp/ja/