BRIDGING THE GAP
Contemporary Philippines-Japan cultural interconnections
Japan has been given the moniker “Land of the Rising Sun” throughout most of its history. This has come about because of the myth that the country’s imperial family descended from the Sun Goddess. But, another implication of the title is because of the enviable position of Japan as a very progressive, powerful and influential country in Asia, like the bright sun that rises from the east.
As it is with the rising sun that touches everything with its rays, a lot of Japanese influences, subversive or otherwise, has touched many aspects of the lives of contemporary Filipinos. Other than the fact that the Filipinos prefer to drive Japanese-made cars like Mitsubishi,Honda, Nissan, Suzuki and Toyota; and like to use household appliances and personal items with brand-names like Canon, Casio, National, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sanyo, Seiko and Sony, Ajinomoto has always been a popular item in their household. And, not to be ignored was the widespread popularity of karate and judo in the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s up to the present times, it is not only the products of Japanese technology and ingenuity that have brought the Filipinos intimately closer to the “Land of the Rising Sun” but many other things.
For the past two decades, many young Filipinos go to Japan to work there as entertainers. Young Filipina entertainers have become popularly known as “Japayukis” and are able to speak Nippongo in a fluent manner. The desire to work in Japan and to earn plenty of money has become so strong that a popular joke has even widely circulated. The joke goes this way: In the 1940s, when the Japanese were coming, the Filipino mothers would tell their daughters, “You get inside the house quick! The Japanese are coming!” But now, when mothers see Japanese in the streets, they would tell their daughters, “Hurry! Come out! The Japanese are here!” The joke extends even to Philippine mangoes as dessert of the Japanese after their encounters with the Filipino girls.
Japanese foods have also begun to be popular in the Philippines, including Iloilo and the rest of Western Visayas. One can find restaurants or food stands offering sushi, sashimi, tempura, takuyaki and ramen in practically every city in the country nowadays. And, this so-called third invasion of the Philippines (the second one was the coming of Japanese cars and appliances) by the Japanese does not stop here. Imported Japanese telenovelas have gained an increasing number of Filipino adult audiences. More popular are the Japanese anime (animation) and mangga (comics), like Voltes V, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Doraemon, Samurai X, Flame of Recca, Shaman King, to name a few which have gained certified “utakos” or addicts among Filipino teenagers. Not only in terms of movie and comics preferences that local young people have been influenced by the Japanese but also in the way they dress up. Dresses that Hino Matsusi would cloth her anime characters have become fashion expressions for some Filipino girls.
When it comes to art, Japanese influences are very evident nowadays. Anywhere, one can find bonsai, the art of growing small trees and shrubs in small shallow pots. Then there is origami, the art of folding paper or cardboard that has become a hobby to many Filipinos today.
There are good reasons why the Japanese continue to have a very strong interconnections with the Filipinos. Firstly, because of the fact that they have made a good impression on the Filipinos (despite what happened during WWII) as highly industrialized, economically progressive, and admirably disciplined. Secondly, the Japanese way of life and advanced technology have wider exposure in the Philippine media. Thus, Japan continues to be perceived by the Filipinos as an Asian model image of success, affluence and national pride. And, thirdly, because Filipinos have always been beneficiaries of the durability and efficiency of Japanese industrial and consumer goods since the 1960s.