311
u/Emain_Ablach 6h ago
The pendulum swings eternal
12
u/lplqsnkczxccia 1h ago
DAE know japan sucks and they work to their deaths and never have sex though??????
1
2.6k
u/Klzone 7h ago
Fuck this meme, I moved to Japan after living in Europe and everytime I think “wow the scenery is pretty” I am reminded of this fucking meme, I am literally the second guy and it hurts so much
971
u/The_Lightmare 7h ago
just enjoy stuff, king. People on the internet will strawman the shit out of people they don't know either way.
125
u/Random-Talking-Mug 4h ago
I just ended up laughing at the idea of OC looking at Mt.Fuji and then this very meme is what he thinks of first.
48
u/Think_Wrap9662 4h ago
This isn't really a strawman thoughm it's nit calling out the people who find japan pretty but rather peoppe who think Japan is better than everything even if it's the same shit everybody has because it's Japan
12
u/spawndoorsupervisor 4h ago
I always enjoy it in the UrbanHell subreddit where they'll show an American studio apartment or a hostel and go on about "le boring dystopia" but if someone posts a tiny Tokyo apartment it's all quirk chungus cool to have a place so small your bed and tables fold down from the wall.
2
u/Sengfroid 2h ago
I like to follow some YIMBY spaces and urbanhell to balance out for eachother. I'll see a post in urban hell about how we demolished a neighborhood full of character to put up a shitty pastiche-of-architecture apartment building ("it used to be so much nicer!"), and then open up Twitter and see people saying we need high density housing for the affordability crisis and to help bring rent down.
They'd hate eachother.
2
u/jboe2026 12m ago
the difference is one costs 6k usd a month in a city full of smog, violence, crime, trash and junkies. The other one runs around 300 usd a month but you don't have to mace 6 crackheads in your hallway on your way to wade though 4 feet of trash and dirty needles just to get to work.
12
u/Asisreo1 4h ago
By definition, this meme is a strawman. The actual nature of the strawman just isn't about people overall finding japan pretty.
1
65
u/7StarSailor 5h ago
I visit the country every two years and no lame chud can ever make me ashamed for liking Japan. I love the trains, I love the nature, I love the big cities.
22
u/movzx 4h ago
Yeah. I can't relate to this meme at all. Japan has lovely scenery.
https://i.imgur.com/AwILYKa.jpeg
So do other countries. They've all got uniquely beautiful things.
6
u/SwashAndBuckle 2h ago
I really enjoy visiting Japan. And since I do business trips there I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been. It’s definitely a great place to visit, and I’d recommend it to nearly everyone.
But that said, I do think over the past several years it’s become overrated. Not actually overrated on its own merits, but more so that other destinations have become underrated comparatively, at least in terms of internet attention. Japan is awesome, but damn, there are other places. Often cheaper, closer destinations that deserve some love too.
And this meme can be a little accurate. I do see people freaking out about banal stuff like extremely mid convenience store food like it’s gourmet, and I chuckle at it. But ultimately. I think there is a lesson to be learned in the meme when viewed more optimistically. You shouldn’t view Japan less positively, you should be able to appreciate the beauty in your own surroundings.
→ More replies (1)8
u/Punch_A_Police_Horse 4h ago
Right, well what I hear is that obviously it's an amazing place to visit, but that it's an awful place to live. Mainly because of the horrendous work culture.
8
u/MadManMax55 3h ago
It very much depends on what company you're working for. Japanese branches of international companies typically maintain more of their home country's work culture and practices. But most Japanese companies are very much a grind. Especially if you ever want a promotion.
0
u/ryoryo333333 4h ago
I wonder when this outdated stereotype will finally disappear from the internet.
7
u/Punch_A_Police_Horse 4h ago
Well I hear that Japan has been getting better in that regard, so I guess, like, when they do that more better?
11
73
u/Lanceward 6h ago
people hate seeing others having fun. Part of the reason Place, Japan is better than Place, someplaceelse, is because of the friendly people, low crime rate, and culture.
171
u/niftygull 6h ago
Polite not friendly
37
u/Imicus 6h ago
So what instead of it being ‘fuck off’ is it more like ‘please fuck off’?
84
u/russelcrowe 6h ago
I lived in Japan for nearly a decade then moved to the American South and the social vibes are pretty similar, if that makes sense.
Outwardly, there’s a performance of “niceness” but insularly there’s an odd amount of contempt towards people deemed “outsiders.”
Of course, neither Japan or the South are as bad as the internet seems to claim, but if you want a comparison that ballparks the vibe that is it.
24
u/Lanceward 5h ago
For tourists this is kind of the best tbh. You aren't there to make long lasting friendships but if everywhere you go the locals don't bother you and answers your questions in a polite and helpful manner it's impossible to leave with a bad impression of that place.
Worst places for short visits are usually the places where your personal space felt intruded unprompted and locals mind your business.
8
1
u/Head-Contribution393 23m ago
Contempt is a bit strong word, I would say. Unless you are talking about old generation living in the countryside
6
u/Tortue2006 6h ago
More like ‘oh wow, you’ve sure been here for a long time, that’s wonderful’
→ More replies (1)9
u/Malevolent94 6h ago
Technically yes but there are many legitimately friendly people like in other countries.
3
1
→ More replies (3)1
6
u/El_RoviSoft 5h ago
for me it’s infrastructure and prices
I have travelled a lot across the world and the only country that had similar level of infrastructure is Switzerland
7
u/DelcattyBatty 4h ago
I don't think that this meme was born from a place of "hating seeing others have fun." The meme was just poking fun at people who idolize and obsess over Japan, claiming that Japan is unique for having things that other countries already have.
→ More replies (23)4
u/Electric_Capybara 5h ago
Japan only appears to have a low crime rate because prosecutors only take cases that they know 100% they can win.
5
3
u/CaptainBlobTheSuprem Royal Shitposter 4h ago
Coming from America, I think part of it was the trains. It’s like when you’re a kid on a long road trip and you’re just staring out the window watching the scenery. You can actually take a minute to enjoy it. Also, the constant random old temples and shrines in the middle of nowhere just adds unexpected mystique that you don’t find much in the US.
3
u/LittleSisterPain 4h ago
But thats not what this meme is about. Its not about not being allowed to enjoy pretty scenery unless its not in Japan, its about fuckwits who ONLY enjoy shit then its in Japan
1
u/Yaarmehearty 3h ago
It’s fine, as long as you would find the scenery equally pretty if it wasn’t in Japan then you’re not the meme. It’s weebs who think that beauty only exists in Japan that are the problem.
1
u/dzan796ero 3h ago
I live in Korea and I have foreigners who tell me a certain street I've walked down for years without thinking is so beautiful. I thank them for letting me realize how blessed I am.
They're all beautiful. Let's try to cherish that.
1
u/WackyRacketeer 3h ago
It won't take anything away from you if you just enjoy the scenery wherever you are. I will marvel at the landscape as I drive across my home, and it isnt anything special to look at.
Even the boring can have pockets of special.
1
1
u/Gabasaurasrex 2h ago
It's just a case of Place I regularly live :😐
Place I haven't been before:😍
Like how I live in Calgary and am used to the mountains but will always be amazed at seeing the ocean since I dont live near it
1
u/MedonSirius 2h ago
But Japan is literally that beautiful. Been there this year and i cant think about anything else and i feel empty inside because there are no vending machines where i live and also no 7/11 😭 and also all the food is just fried bs here in non-japan
1
1
u/CallMePain- 2h ago
My girlfriend (Japanese) is like this with western scenery). The truth is that the scenery between countries is just so different that it can be surprisingly beautiful. I live in Japan and absolutely love the nature. Couldn’t care less about a meme. Took a vacation in Shimoda a while purely for the view (granted that’s just my vacation style. Even if I’m the west. I love looking at nature…from afar. Bugs suck.)
1
1
u/MaDpYrO 48m ago
See if you can break the cycle and get off social media and especially reddit, which is a pessimistic hive mind hellhole repeating the same nonsensical memes again and again, even if they don't make sense.
I struggle with this myself.
Japan IS beautiful. It IS unique. The people are exceptionally kind. It's NOT a racist hellhole, even if some of them are xenophobic, it's more in an anxious way than a hateful one.
The country has a lot to offer, and there are not many places, if any, like it, no matter what idiots spout on reddit.
It's also a regular place with issues just like anywhere in the world, but that doesn't subtract about the many many many things that are unique and beautiful about it.
134
u/Ameph 5h ago
As someone who went to Japan last year, I can confirm the scenery was beautiful especially as I took a cable car up Hakone and sailed over Lake Ashi.
22
u/fool-0f-a-took 4h ago
Did you eat the eggs
25
u/Ameph 4h ago
I did not. I did get black ice cream, though.
8
u/MadManMax55 3h ago
You didn't miss much. It's a hardboiled egg with like 3x the normal sulfur stink/taste. Though seeing them dip the eggs and zip them away in those little baskets was cool.
4
u/Ameph 3h ago
My friend got the eggs. I knew of the legends that they increase your lifespan by 7 years. It’s why my ice cream was black. It was just food coloring on vanilla ice cream but ice cream in Japan seemed to hit so much better than in the US.
2
u/MadManMax55 2h ago
That's because they're basically pure heavy cream. They are delicious though, especially up in Hokkaido.
1
74
u/Odd_Needleworker3756 3h ago
Two things are true
Japan really does have some beautiful scenery
And Reddits constant glazing and near-deification of Japan is corny as fuck
1
u/According_Register55 1h ago
Three things are true: the pendulum is swinging and the second thing you said is becoming overstated and cliche.
33
u/ObjectiveMission8009 6h ago
5
3
37
u/thecodexdhnerbbTW 4h ago
It’s called overcorrection. Some people were doing the whole it’s Japan so it’s better stuff. But now we see more posts of people talking about people who idolize Japan than posts of people who idolize Japan
3
u/baconboner69xD 3h ago
I can’t wait till the Japan thing is over. I’d love to go there but don’t really like the feeling of being yet another swinging dick following a trend. It has to be obnoxious for the actual residents.
3
u/thecodexdhnerbbTW 3h ago
Good thing I’m East Asian so I won’t look like a swinging dick following a trend
3
1
1
u/LimpAfternoon6878 3m ago
Just go, don't be an asshole and you'll be fine. As long as you learn some basic social customs of where you're going, and don't be one of the dickheads trying to clear out one of the most popular shrines in the country at 12pm for your kimono photoshoot, you'll be fine. For a country with a reputation of closed-off people, Japan was a very friendly place. Not just "culturally polite" friendly, but people going out of their way to give directions or just to talk. The only time I felt any animosity was trying to order from one of the vending machine noodle shops, which was 100% justified.
50
u/West-Piccolo-687 5h ago
6
u/TrumpChildOnahole 4h ago
Me on the left
11
u/DrPhilihprD 4h ago
the comment that suspended the account
4
u/Hungry-Ingenuity8260 3h ago
is it just me or pretty much everyone is getting banned? it has happened to me multilple times to go checking someone's account after a few hours from the post/comment and boom it's either suspended or banned
1
u/Brave_Bag_Gamer2020 1h ago
Either bots karma farming bots or just people victim of mass reporting for having a different opinion
1
37
u/Dark_Dragon117 4h ago
There is also the opposite where any time Japan is even remotely related to the topic some dipshit will mention their atrocities commited during WW2.
I never see any other nation be called out anywhere near as often for their crimes as Japan, espacially when it's not even related or honestly appropiate.
Not sure if it's because of racism or just a sort of indirect reaction to the Japan glazing.
I hate both that's for sure.
18
u/pitLickr1902 3h ago
I think its because some folks are sick of the glazing and the obvious whitewashing of Japan's history so they feel the need to bring it up to remind everybody that Japan isn't all sunshine and rainbows. That's what I'm assuming since I've been guilty of this more than once and this was my reasoning. I definitely understand how annoying and uncalled for it really can be though. I dunno for certain tho
→ More replies (3)21
u/Quick_Assumption_351 3h ago
I agree it's overdone... let's focus on the horrible things they did before WW2 now!
12
u/Holiday-Tangerine136 3h ago
I'm confident people have a bigger hate boner for any positive mention of America or Russia far more than Japan.
8
u/blizzardplus 3h ago
Oh yeah, the Reddit hate boner for America is easily 10-20x the hate boner for Japan lol.
Russia and China too.
5
u/Bitter-Climate3610 1h ago
I never see any other nation be called out anywhere near as often for their crimes as Japan,
Are you perhaps legally blind? 🤔
15
u/videogames5life 3h ago
I thinks its because japan is still not apologetic for those things to this day. But i see what you mean
5
u/DeficiencyOfGravitas 2h ago
I never see any other nation be called out anywhere near as often for their crimes as Japan, espacially when it's not even related or honestly appropiate.
Really? I can't even name one specific country due to how often it derails the conversation.
Even ignoring that specific country, you really don't see anyone calling out Germany, China, Turkey, or Serbia? Even Belgium can't escape "But actually, you're all war criminals due to something your ancestors may have done".
2
u/Truly_Meaningless 2h ago
Whenever you see that stuff being brought up, just bring up how Canada is the reason most war crimes are classified as war crimes
2
1
u/Total_Marketing5844 1h ago
I never see any other nation be called out anywhere near as often for their crimes as Japan, espacially when it's not even related or honestly appropiate.
So you have never heard of a certain country that rhymes with Beefrael?
1
1
u/FlirtyFluffyFox 16m ago
Anyone who consumes enough Manga made for adults knows very well how atrocious Japan was during the war. Most Japanese artists loathe the military faction that assassinated their politicians to take control of their country in some desperate suicidal charge against the west fueled mostly by economic uncertainty, racism, and conspiracy theories. They even tried killing the emperor for not being radical enough.
...imagine if every time a photo of America was shared the top post was about Native American genocide.
89
7h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
31
u/otirk 6h ago
This is a bot and there isn't even grass in the meme
4
u/french_snail 4h ago
How can you tell it’s a bot
11
u/otirk 3h ago
-female avatar and name sounding somewhat female/seductive ("charm")
-2 weeks old account
-comment makes no sense and "feels" like AI. This is a lot of intuition and I'm sometimes wrong (a few days ago was the first time someone replied), but when you pay attention, you will notice that most of the bot comments follow the same schema (look at the rest of the bot's comments to get a better feeling).
Usually the comments are somewhat connected to the post but if you think about it, they make no sense.-retroactively, when you call them a bot but they don't respond
-not the case here, but if you see the other signs I mentioned and then in their comment history, a lot of comments in nsfw subs and one of the first posts being a nude of "themselves", that's a tell-tale sign too.
-also not the case here, but in the past few weeks, I've seen many bot accounts that are like 5 to 12 years old, but have barely any karma. One I came across was not a bot, but someone who got many downvotes when there was no limit to negative karma, but all others have not responded, so I assume they were bots.
When you start looking at all of this, it quickly becomes depressing, since there are many bots on Reddit recently. It's exhausting
→ More replies (2)4
6
9
3
u/Talgrei1781 4h ago
I think the original meme was supposed to make fun of people who believe that everything Japan does or has is superior to everywhere else's in every way.
But as time went on, it becomes a shorthand for shutting ANYONE down who even dares to compliment Japan or Japanese people in any way.
Or maybe some countries just hold a really deep grudge against Japan for their past war crimes and they spam this meme to vent their frustration at everyone being seemingly ignorant towards them.
3
u/fat_kaiju 2h ago
Me being like "omg pretty flowers at mt fuji :3" and getting instantly disemboweled and eviscerated for daring to say something nice about the place.
13
u/jackofslayers 5h ago
I am fully convinced that the "Thing, Japan" meme became popular because of CCP propaganda
28
u/fartypenis 4h ago
It was a reaction to how dominant "weeb culture" was on Reddit a few years ago. Pendulum swings and such
→ More replies (2)1
u/CavulusDeCavulei 3h ago
Finally. Reddit is a place where I can freely be a weeb. Dunno why they want to make me feel an outcast in my home. They really seem the bullies of high school
1
u/Mystical-Turtles 1h ago
It's not even specific to this Japan meme. This website just has a "lol, you LIKE things? How cringe. I'm miserable so I'm more mature than you" attitude at times. May as well be cringe. They're going to hate you regardless
9
u/LeastResistancePath 4h ago edited 2h ago
Every time state media from China tries to advertise their country, it's always some slice of preserved nature surrounded by bleak, stripped and hollowed out land or next to concentration camps.
12
u/DelcattyBatty 4h ago
Not all criticism towards Japan is CCP propaganda.
I don't understand why we have to resort to conspiracies when the boring answer makes perfect sense. Japan exploded in popularity and there was so much content making it out to seem like a utopia that has so many things that other countries don't have. If your first and final thought is that this isn't a real phenomenon and that it can only be explained with a conspiracy, then you were probably just not paying attention to begin with.
Also, I speak Japanese and regularly interact with Japanese people and their netizen world. Many of them genuinely think that Japan is unique for things that already exist in numerous other countries. A lot of people think this about their own country, but Japan is really insular and Japanese people take this to a whole new level. For example, I've never heard anyone talk about their country being completely unique for having four seasons like I heard countless times from Japanese people.
4
3
9
u/nulln_void 5h ago
It really is lol, Reddit is now wumao infested after that Tencent investment back on 2019
4
u/french_snail 4h ago
Nah, I remember over a decade ago visiting Japan for the first time and how underwhelming it felt due to the conditioning
In the same way Japanese tourists have that Paris syndrome, us western tourists have some kind of Tokyo syndrome
→ More replies (1)1
u/BufferUnderpants 4h ago
No it's JINA.
Agent Krassnoff lets CCP wumao propaganda run rampant on Reddit because Putin ordered him to.
It can't be that what's cool among people with low social capital (Redditors) can become the subject of mockery organically.
5
u/PrivilegedPrejudice 4h ago
No shit. The trend pretty much started late last year and if you've been paying attention to international politics at all you know what that's about
5
u/IDoLikeMyShishkebabs 3h ago
"Thing, Japan" has been around for at least a few years (I've been here too long)
0
u/jackofslayers 4h ago
Which also lines up with when China publicly announced their transition from “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy to the “China’s Peaceful Rise” strategy
2
u/dexter810o4 3h ago
This is my reaction to beautiful Japanese tourist spots and some random staircase or a river bank in Japan that I saw in an anime
2
u/bboy2812 2h ago
Guys, that's a text box, not a thought bubble. This is a commentary on how that meme gets shared everywhere even when it's completely unjustified
2
2
u/johnboy2006 Virgin 4 lyfe 1h ago
I would like to point out that the original meme isn't meant to call out people who think there's beautiful scenery in Japan. It's calling out people who can't appreciate something unless it's from Japan. I know it's still a straw man, but it's not the straw man you think it is.
2
7
u/Denysskotnyk 7h ago
Recursive image
9
2
u/PM_ME_UR_0_DAY 5h ago
This is more of an "inception" than recursion. If you look in the thought bubble, there isn't another thought bubble with another thought bubble inside it with another thought bubble inside it which would have another thought bubble inside it, etc.
3
u/That_one_cool_dude Breaking EU Laws 4h ago
Am i just stupid? I don't get what this is saying.
7
u/nio-sama123 4h ago
You see the original meme? It means to mock how people glaze Japan too much and treat every "non-Japan stuff" as bad-mid.
But now in this meme, the chud right here actually enjoy everything as they are all good to him. But when he visit Japan, still finding them beautiful, yet he remembers the original meme, making himself thinking (wait, am I the stupid Japan glazer in that meme?) which also making him downplay Japan and turning him into the opposite version of that Japan glazer
7
5
u/MelodicFacade 5h ago
I took my American friends to Japan for their first time and to visit my family who is Japanese, and I would point out things out in Japan that were done differently or looked different, mundane things like mailboxes or the train system. Repeatedly, I would get this meme, or even "Uhhhh you know we also have this back in America?" and completely missing the point
The internet has ruined people's minds
4
u/FamiliarRip8558 5h ago
The issue is we DO NOT have the shit in Japan they do. We get shittier Red 40 filled trash supplemented with subsidized virtually costless high fructose corn syrup food and shittier infrastructure everywhere.
Yay!
7
u/MelodicFacade 4h ago
Eh, yes and no, most of the konbini food is also overprocessed with many additives, and their government also subsidizes industries unfairly, but Japan definitely has better infrastructure
The internet simply doesn't have an ability to discern something as being different, only better or worse. You're either a Japan glazer or you're a contrarion/hater. Japan is either a dystopia or a utopia
2
u/FamiliarRip8558 4h ago
Idk man, nothing at the Konbini quite compares to the shittiness of American gas stations. The 16 hour rotated hotdogs and taquitos and 72oz soda cups will kill you sooner then any Konbini fried chicken ever will.
Also, it's a large amount of additives for Japan. It's pretty minimal compared to the US anything.
Also our government is actively letting our food safety fall apart 💀
1
u/MelodicFacade 4h ago
Oh the konbinis are better, food fresher and more options, but that's a result of demand, supply chain, and a better business model, not from better ingredients. Obviously the rice of the onigiri is from Japan, but a lot of the fish is imported, chicken used to be from China, and most of it is from factory farms in Japan or from outside Japan. Like all that flour, I'm pretty sure a majority of Japan's wheat is imported from the US, and it's used for all the cheap options like the desserts in the konbini
And to be clear, we're talking about konbini specifically, Japanese restaurants definitely still have better quality food
1
u/Born-Procedure-5908 2h ago
Honestly, Japan’s metro system, convenience stores, and excessive vending machines are something I really wish we have here in the state - while we do have those things, the Japanese equivalent blows them out of the water especially since they’re much more well maintained.
Coming back from the JR line to a homeless guy harassing me on my train to Penn Station is sure an experience
1
u/MelodicFacade 2h ago
My opinion, the konbini and vending machines only work because Japan is developed around people and their metro systems. Those two won't work, especially from a purely profit standpoint, until the US starts designing healthier urban spaces instead of prioritizing suburban sprawl.
2
u/BluePhantomHere 5h ago
We reach the second layer, let see how long it takes to reach the third layer
1
1
1
1
u/RevolutionaryFlow347 3h ago
The difference is that you NEED to see it in person it is and 2nd guy is 100% justified. It just people online who just glazed Japan like it is their home country
1
1
u/Klobb119 2h ago
He kinda right though. Japan is beautiful dont get me wrong but so are soooo many other places, like every shits on china but its beautiful
1
1
1
1
1
u/HasAngerProblem 1h ago
There a chick called Kiki in New Jersey who makes videos going around New Jersey and makes Japanese style videos about it.
Like “omg look at the hot dog rollers they never stop!”
1
1
1
u/Elsa_Fault9401 1h ago
Can someone please explain to me what the meme means? i'm new here, is this a reddit thing and cause i don't see this on tiktok or anywhere else
1
1
u/CommieDrifter 40m ago
am i getting old or are these memes getting way out of hand, like this isn't even the worst example, but I feel like if you came in not knowing anything about memes you'd need to read like a PHD dissertation to merely get the gist of some of them
1
1
u/Noobiru-s 4h ago
I unironically refuse to visit Japan whenever I have my two weeks off every year, because of the extreme online fetishism towards that country. It's stupid, but whenever I see ticket prices to Tokyo, my mind gets flashbanged by this meme, the weeb chasing the geisha meme and by western livestreamers harassing locals.
1
u/FrothyWhenAgitated 1h ago
You're right, that is stupid. Japan isn't perfect, but it is a very nice place to visit, especially if you get away from the tourist corridors. Choosing not to visit because of how other people view the place is some pretty weak shit and I'd encourage you to form your own thoughts and opinions instead of relying on others.
Tourism in Japan is almost entirely isolated to a narrow slice of the country and that's where basically all of the people you're describing go.
I'm in Japan yearly, mostly for vacation but also with some work-related stuff tossed in (and to spend some time with some friends/colleagues I rarely see in person). I also cringe at the turbo-weeb stuff when I encounter it, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying the country.
1
0
1.9k
u/Sea-Locksmith-3436 7h ago
Illusion of free will