How I Became Captivated By Japanese Art and Culture

     I got my first taste of Japanese art and culture during the pandemic. Due to the widespread danger of COVID-19 and the quarantine policy locking my mom and I in our home, there wasn’t much to do, at least together, especially since it was just the two of us. This meant that most of our time was spent doing our own independent activities, which we didn’t mind, as we were (and still are) both introverts that naturally give each other plenty of space to do our own thing.

One day during lunch, however, we decided it was time for a little change of pace. After all, YouTube, video games, and books can only get you so far after a few months of quarantine. The two of us sat on our soft leather couch and gathered around our Roku TV, the warm steam and delicious smell of our lunch presented in front of us on our wooden coffee table. We were browsing what was available for free on my mom’s Amazon Prime Video account when we came across a Japanese TV show called Slam Dunk. My mom’s eyes filled with recognition and reminiscence as she excitedly exclaimed her recommendations, recalling the show as extremely popular when she was a teenager. Considering that I’d never watched anime before and the art style appeared unfamiliarly old-fashioned, I was a bit hesitant to watch it at first. However, I obliged, both to humor my mom and because her reaction piqued my curiosity. 

I’m glad I did so. From the very first episode, the show had me laughing and smiling with its clever usage of drama, jokes, and amusing antics. These mainly came from the main character, Hanamichi Sakuragi, whom I took an instant liking to. The mixture of Sakuragi and his team’s passion and ambitions towards qualifying for nationals as a basketball team with the players’ hilarious interactions with each other and with their enemy rivals made for a well-balanced, high-quality plot that boosted the show as a whole.

From what I’ve seen, however, while a significant part of it, Slam Dunk’s quality didn’t just boil down to its plot and characters. The art, while reflecting the age of the series, was still professionally drawn, a lot more detailed than I’d seen in other animated shows. This art in combination with the catchy music (both the opening theme song and the soundtrack) added to the visualization and drama of the story, creating an engaging and entertaining watching experience. 

I didn’t know it at the time, but this would be the start to my fascination in Japanese art and culture. As my mom and I progressed through Slam Dunk, my first year of high school also began (virtually), and I felt inspired by the show to take Japanese as my foreign language class. Each day, as I learned more and more Japanese phrases, I began picking up and recognizing phrases the characters of Slam Dunk used when they interacted, which only further advanced my interest in the show, as well as anime and Japanese art and culture as a whole.

Even with the conclusion of Slam Dunk (which ended far too soon), my fascination continued to grow and evolve. For the rest of the quarantine, my mom and I spent continuous lunch hours exploring more modern anime, discovering the thrills of stunningly meticulous modern animation, as well as exhilarating music that can easily and instantly heighten my energy levels. The library of anime is so vast and diverse that even to this day, my mom and I continue a weekly tradition of anime watching.

Like many things, simply watching something can’t compare with experiencing it first-hand. A few years after the lockdown, my mom and I decided to travel to Tokyo, Japan. The experience was beyond breathtaking; it was a lot to take in. The endless rows of tall buildings. Entire buildings dedicated to anime and games, the game-focused ones containing floors of different kinds of games. The grand architecture of the temples. Even the smaller and sometimes unpleasant aspects of life in Tokyo, such as the jam packed trains, the substantial amount of exercise through solely walking and public transportation (Tokyo’s primary modes of commute), and the loud slurping sounds heard within ramen restaurants (as a sign of respect and enjoyment), added a uniqueness to Japanese culture that I truly appreciated. While we only got a taste of this lifestyle and culture, I hope to visit again for longer to fully experience Japan.

Nowadays, I immerse myself into Japanese art and culture as much as I can. I am an avid Japanese music enjoyer and use it as a source of energy. I attend Japan Bowl Club, a club in which we study and learn about aspects of Japanese life, culture, and history to prepare for a competition. In addition to the weekly tradition of anime watching with my mom, I watch anime in my own free time, using it as a mode of inspiration and a way to destress. Sometimes, I reflect on how Japanese art and culture has helped me discover a new side of my identity, and I remember how it all began with the humorous antics of Hanamichi Sakuragi.