Page 30 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Japan

28  INTRODUCING JAP AN

Modern Japan

Perhaps nowhere else does the modern world of high
technology and constant change show itself more
poignantly than in Japan. For some people, modern Japan
is an anathema, a kitsch distillation of the Western world
that destroys traditional culture. Others embrace the
nation’s fascination with inven tion and image, and praise The Japanese automobile
industry manufactures about
it for often leading the West. Few urban buildings are more ten million vehicles each year.
than 25 years old, and consumer trends may change in a In a land where space is at a
matter of weeks in this economic powerhouse. In some premium, the small car is king.
ways, though, the liking for change is a manifestation of Kenzo Tange’s earthquake-
ancient religious concepts (see pp30–33) that emphasize proof Tokyo Metropolitan
Government Offices (see
the importance of impermanence and renewal. p96) are praised by some
Mount Fuji and villified by others.

A forest of neon characterizes the shopping and
entertainment districts of cities that strive to be
modern, such as Tokyo, Fukuoka, and here in Osaka.
Vast television screens and public announcements
over loudspeakers add to the audio-visual tumult.
The Sony Corpora tion has grown from 20 employees
in 1946 to an electronics empire with assets of
$124 billion. The Sony
Showroom (see p70)
displays the latest
inventions before they
reach the shops. The Yamanote train line
connects Tokyo’s main
districts in a loop.
High-Tech Toys and Games
Japan has a proud tradition of video games and toys, beginning in
the late 1970s with arcade classics like Space Robot (robotto)
Invaders and Pac-Man. Today the industry technology
continues to flourish, and companies like was exported
Nintendo, Sega, and Sony have developed to Japan from
generations of powerful home entertainment the US in
systems with sophisticated graphics and 1967. Today,
audio. Technological phenomena include about half of
robotic pets (such as Tamagotchi) and the world’s
motion sensitive devices, with more robots are
innovations never far behind. found in Japan,
used widely
Tamagotchis for sale in Harajuku in industry. Some are
delightfully zoomorphic.

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