Australia is a multicultural nation. We pride ourselves on diversity and being open to new cultures and the Japanese culture is no exception. In recent years manga, anime, cosplay and all things Japanese have all exploded into Australia culture and the cultural and media exports make Japanese culture a soft power deserving of our attention. Through my digital Asia studies I have discovered how much Japanese culture is available for consumption in Australia and it’s popularity among Australian audiences.
There are some who believe that the rising popularity of the socially constructed ‘cool Japan’ and products that have an essential ‘Japaneseness’ about them serve to reduce bad feelings toward Japan that came after WWII (Allen 2006). What creates this idea of ‘cool Japan’ are the innovative technology and interesting cultural products that Japan are able to export to Australia, and Australian consumers can’t get enough of them. From sushi and…
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Digital Asia 
Hey Rosie!
Firstly, thanks for such a super interesting read! Personally, I like to think that I’m pretty familiar with a range of Japanese culture despite not consuming much of it of my own accord. A lot of Japanese culture that I’ve been exposed to has been incidental! I’m not complaining, though!
What your blog made me realize is that there is a plethora of Japanese culture readily available to us – and your case study of currently open Japanese food venues in Sydney was so well-written and researched that a) I’m hungry and b) I’m probably going to check some of them out the next time I’m there haha.
The examples you explored were relevant and engaging, even to someone with little factual knowledge on the subject.
I really enjoyed how you persist in drawing attention to Japan being a soft-power. It’s a concept I’m currently exploring within another subject and I find it fascinating. I look forward to you exploring further the potential of soft-power to influence cultural nuances outside of the origin country.
This is well-researched, interesting blog and I can’t wait to see the final project! 🙂
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