The "Why" of Japan: social background and motivations of Italian people interested in Japan and its culture

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to find out the reasons underlying Italian people's interest towards Japan and its culture. Rather focusing on "what" of Japan has appealed them, the objective is to unveil "why" Japan, in all its possible expressions, from pop culture to history, arts, literature has had an attractive influence over them. The research has been conducted through quantitative methods, with a survey, and quantitative methods, organizing semi-structured interviews. The period of time taken into consideration when inquiring the interviewees is, mainly, the age of mandatory education from elementary school to high school, but the situation in the present time has been assessed too. Through the opinions emerged from the interviews, it has been also pointed out a range of personal experiences that are common in Italian people who consider themselves interested towards Japan, involving social issues such as episodes of bullying, loneliness and isolation, sense of loss and pessimism towards one own’s future, family issues, gender identity and sexual preferences, escapism from reality and the research of a parallel and more appealing world to hide into. In this sense, Japan and the entertainment it offers have a “healing” role for many young (but not only young) people: it represents a safe space where to be one’s true self, far from the expectations and the pressure exerted by Italian society.