06/06 - Why Otaku, Why Japan?
Lately in class we've been discussing the Otaku phenomenon that's swept over Japan in recent decades. One of the most crucial questions in examining this trend is "why Japan?" So, I'll try to talk about why I think fate chose Japan as the breeding ground for this culture.

Unconstitutional
I'll start with a broad generalization, one that isn't really telling but that makes a lot of sense. The American imposition of western government and social systems at the end of World War II is probably the root of all of this. Imagining an entire nation of a people with thousands of years of history behind them, full of tradition, clashing with a western constitution, conjures a frightful image. But as nightmareish as this match may be, it's way too vague to say it's an actual reason.

Repression
Some of the atrocious things done by the most notorious otaku criminals can probably be explained by some sort of repression. Especially in light of the relatively new ability to see the rest of the world, being stressed into acting a certain, very strict way, could sort of break one's psyche and cause them to be legitimately

Sense of Reality
Many otaku are said to be obsessed with video games, virtual worlds, and other self-containing behavior that characterizes them as hikikomori. After a very long time of this kind of seclusion, it seems like without much exposure to real responsibility, the law, and outside activity, one could easily lose one's grip on reality. This seems sort of true especially in the case of those few who have been doing it for decades.

Media
I'm surprised I haven't seen more blame placed on violent video games in the limited information I've seen on otaku. Contrary to America, where every single act of juvenile violence is blamed on video games, Japan might not pay as much attention to that influence. And the same types seem available in both places. Not only video games, but movies too, and manga, have increased in their violent content over the past few decades. This sort of degeneration of content has probably, in part, led to the degeneration of some otaku.