Japan in the 1950s

[Chasseur]

The Atlantic did a nice photo essay on Japan in the 1950s that is well worth a look:
http://m.theatlantic.com/infocus/20..._type_map=["og.recommends"]&action_ref_map=[]

 

[tonyb]

That's pretty cool, Chasseur. Well worth the time. Thanks for posting it.

I suspect that most of us here are of sufficient seniority to remember when "Made in Japan" was pretty much synonymous with "junk." So much of Japanese made stuff that arrived on our shores (back before the late 1960s or so) was very inexpensive toys and such. Look at it harshly and it might fall apart.

 

[Tomasso]

Great pics, thanks for posting. I've always found it interesting how quickly the Japanese warmed to the American culture following the war. I can't imagine Americans doing so had the situation been reversed.

 

[Metatron]

Thanks for posting.
I particularly enjoyed the photos of the model ships against a sky background used in the Yamato film. Great insight into film-making techniques.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Very interesting.
Another thanks for posting this..!!
HD

 

[Tomasso]

Thanks for posting.
I particularly enjoyed the photos of the model ships against a sky background used in the Yamato film. Great insight into film-making techniques.

If you liked that then you will probably like this piece on the making of Dr. Strangelove which shows the magic behind the bomber scenes.

[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ6BiRtGTAk[/video]

 

[Fading Fast]

Great pics, thanks for posting. I've always found it interesting how quickly the Japanese warmed to the American culture following the war. I can't imagine Americans doing so had the situation been reversed.

I'll leave it to the historians (which I am not and am not qualified to even offer a layperson's opinion) to explain why so many parts of American culture were adopted by so many in post-WWII Japan, but I love that it happened and not for some narrow-minded, America is great worldview, but because it has been part of an incredible transition from enemies to friends. But also, Japan has kept much of its culture - so it wasn't some sort of cultural replacement by America - more just an expansion where some things - baseball, Ivy-clothing and other fun cultural aspects - were adopted and adapted in Japan.

So much so, that it could be argued that Japan has a stronger bond with American Ivy (or Trad) clothing than America itself does. But then I love that America adopts and adapts many cultures too - be it pizza, Karioke or (maybe) someday soccer - America today is culturally different than when Mexican or Italian food was considered "exotic" and movies with Asian actors could be ignorant to the distinctions amongst all the Asian cultures and countries.

My last point is that I love when it happens organically and isn't shoved down our throats by some bureaucrat or other "cultural" or "thought" leaders, but happens because the people truly love and enjoy some aspect of another culture. And when it happens bottom up and organically, it is real, represents true cultural bonhomie and will - hopefully - reduce conflict and geo-political stress. I for one love that the Ichiro Suzuki is a Yankee and that Masahiro Tanaka is a Yankee now. It just feels good to be at Yankee stadium and hear the cheering and heartfelt joy and embrace the fans have for Ichiro (and, I bet, will have for Tanaka). Of course, they'll get booed when they don't play well (like every other Yankee), but when that happens, we are booing one of our own.

My Dad was from the WWII generation, and while it took him awhile, he got there too (before passing away). I'm proud that he did and it reflects how wonderful these cross-cultural adoptions can be.

 

[Metatron]

Good post. My thoughts exactly regarding the organic adoption of foreign cultural elements.

 

[Haversack]

Fascinating Photos. It should be noted that Japan made an even larger cultural/social/technological adaption a bare 90 years previous to the end of WWII.

Haversack

 

[Benny Holiday]

Accoding to the films I used to watch on Saturday afternoon TV as a kid, Japan was pretty much destroyed by giant radiation-mutated monsters back in the 1950s!

 

[Chasseur]

Accoding to the films I used to watch on Saturday afternoon TV as a kid, Japan was pretty much destroyed by giant radiation-mutated monsters back in the 1950s!

Well maybe until Ultraman stopped them! Er uh well according to some 1960s TV shows I watched as a kid in Hawaii...
[video=youtube;QL1p1iGZYb8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL1p1iGZYb8[/video]

 

[Talbot]

Great pics, thanks for posting. I've always found it interesting how quickly the Japanese warmed to the American culture following the war. I can't imagine Americans doing so had the situation been reversed.

A hugely popular TV show in Australia in the 60's was 'The Samurai'. Forget cowboys and indians, in the mid 60's Sydney and Melbourne schoolyards were full of little ninja's!

An odd show to be ambraced by whitebread Aussie kids so soon after the atrocities of the Pacific.

A I understand it the show was only ever distributed to the Phillipines and Australia, so few in the US will ever have heard of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Samurai_(TV_series)

An indication of its popularity at the time:

'The program proved so popular that a promoter brought out star Ose Koichi and a large supporting troupe to appear in a specially written 90-minute stage play based on the show, which played to capacity houses in both in Sydney and Melbourne, and it was reported that more people (over 7,000, many of them in costume) turned out to greet him when he arrived at Essendon Airport in Melbourne than greeted The Beatles when they visited there in June 1964'