Japan and the U．S．A

At first glance，Japan astonishes and fascinates the American because it seems so different．All that characterizes the United States—racial and ethnic heterogeneity，newness，vast territory，and individualistic ethic—is absent in Japan．Instead one encounters an ancient and homogeneous population，traditions that emphasize the importance of groups  and communal  needs，with a rich  panoply of  highly elaborate rites and ceremonies that cover every aspect of daily living， from drinking tea to saying hello．

Where Americans pride themselves on a studied informality and openness， their Japanese counterparts employ formality  and  complexity．If Americans value time，the Japanese treasure space．While Americans have always enjoyed a sense of continental scale，employing metaphors of size to describe both the natural environment and industrial production，Japan has exerted its  genius on the diminutive and the miniature．It seems appropriate for America to produce the world's airplanes，while Japan creates cameras and transistors．

Yet these two cultures，so apparently opposite in almostevery way， have always  possessed a strange affinity for each other．Like their descendants， 19th century American visitors found the  world  of Japanese  art， philosophy， ceremonies， and social life to be compellingly attractive．One reason is its very comprehensiveness．Japan is a filled-in culture，with few imprecisions or empty spaces． Little has been left to chance； nothing  has  been too small to  escape  attention．

Opposites supposedly attract， but there is more to it than that．Japan and America share，to differing degrees，some large experiences and broad skills which have bred a certain kind of sympathy．

Both，for example， have transplanted cultures．Each nation has a“mother” society—China and Great Britain-that has  influenced the daughter in countless ways：in language，religion，social organization， art， literature， and national ideals．Japan，of course， has  had  more  time  than  the  United States to work out its unique interpretation of this older culture．But even today the debt to China is perceivable and gracefully acknowledged． It has produced in some artists and philosophers the same kind of ambivalence and self－consciousness dominating American cultural nationalists．

Both societies， moreover， have developed the brokerage art， the business of buying and selling， of advertising and mass producing， to unprecedented levels．Few sights are more representative than the tens of thousands of bustling stores to be seen in Japan，above all the disciplined and enticing department stores．To American eyes they seem comforting and reassuring as an expression of the commercialspirit．

Both  peoples love to shop， to travel， and to record．And both peoples have always emphasized the importance of work and are paying penalties for their commitment to development and modernization．

日本与美国：异中有同

初看起来，日本显得如此不同，因而使美国人感到惊奇和着迷。美国的所有特征——种族与民族的差异性、新潮、疆域广大以及个人主义的伦理观念——在日本是见不到的。相反，人们所接触到的是一个古老而趋同的种族，还有那以团体和社会需要为重的传统，带有一种由周到的礼仪与客套筑成的富丽外表，这些礼仪与客套遍布于日常生活的各个方面，从喝茶到打招呼。

美国人为自己有意不拘礼节和开放而自豪，相反地，日本人却着意于礼节和繁复。美国人看重时间，日本人珍视空间。美国人始终给人一种大陆式感觉，用大分量的暗喻描述自然环境与工业产品，而日本人则把天赋放在细微的事物上。似乎美国人适合于生产世界的飞机，而日本人则适合于制造照相机和收音机。

这两种文化几乎在每个方面都明显地相对，却始终具有一种奇特的吸引力。与其后裔一样，19世纪的美国观光者们发现日本式的艺术、哲学、礼仪和社会生活世界具有巨大的吸引力。其原因之一就是它的包容性。日本是一种充实的文化，几乎没有不精确和空余空间，不听天由命，也不会因事情太小而不加注意。

异质体大概都会相吸，但是，与此相比，更为重要的还是这一点，那就是日本与美国，不同程度地在一些重大的经历和众多的技能上却很相同。这就培育了某种同感。

比如，二者都移植过文化，且各有一个“母”文化——中国和大不列颠，它们在语言、宗教、社会组织、艺术、文学和民族意识上，都对“女儿”有数不清的影响。当然，与美国相比，日本有着更长的时间并以其独特的方式来消化那较古老的文化。但是，就在今天，来自中国的影响还是明显可见和世所公认的，这在一些艺术家和哲学家那里产生了矛盾心理和自主意识，这一点也同样支配着美国的文化民族主义者。

而且，这两个社会都发展了舶来式的艺术，发展了买卖经纪，发展了广告和批量生产，并达到了前所未有的高度。再没有什么情景比日本成千上万个熙熙攘攘的商店更具代表性，尤其是那些训练有素和令人着迷的百货商场。在美国人眼里，它们似乎舒适宜人而使人心安，是一种商业精神的表现。