Japan, The Strange Country

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<Japan, The Strange Country> is a short, animated documentary by graphic designer Kenichi Tanaka. The objective of this animation is to make Japanese people think about what is happening in their own country, and that some aspects of Japanese culture are not that normal. It illustrates 8 aspects to sums up Japan such as character, Tokyo, food, technology, water, sushi, love and suicide in less than 12 minutes. Tanaka explains that even though Japan is relatively small country, it is significant for both its heritage and history. But the video also shows how such a small country has an adverse impact on the world today. Finally, it emphasizes that the Japanese themselves are to blame for these conditions (contrary to the popular belief that everything unfavorable in Japan is from outside influence). Tanaka is showing the Japanese how their country looks from a foreign perspective.