This might be removed as it’s not really related to ‘life’ here but I was discussing this with my wife and we thought it was genuinely interesting and funny.
So we all know what a classic weeb is, but I wondered if anyone’s met something that could be considered a Japanese version of a weeb who’s obsessed with another country. I’m not talking Japanese people who love England or Australia or somewhere else on a healthy level, I mean the equal equivalent to the classic western weeb who thinks they’re Japanese and passionately defends Japan against any wrong word.
No fighting please. To be taken with a pinch of salt for light discussion.
I just have this amazing image of a Japanese teen in Peaky Blinders clothing writing English slang terms on his bag and making bacon sandwiches for breakfast.
19 comments
Howdy, my name is Rawhide Kobayashi. I’m a 27 year old Japanese Japamerican (western culture fan for you foreigners). I brand and wrangle cattle on my ranch, and spend my days perfecting the craft and enjoying superior American passtimes. (Barbeque, Rodeo, Fireworks) I train with my branding iron every day, this superior weapon can permanently leave my ranch embled on a cattle’s hide because it is white-hot, and is vastly superior to any other method of livestock marking. I earned my branding license two years ago, and I have been getting better every day. I speak English fluently, both Texas and Oklahoma dialect, and I write fluently as well. I know everything about American history and their cowboy code, which I follow 100% When I get my American visa, I am moving to Dallas to work in an oil field to learn more about their magnificent culture. I hope I can become a cattle wrangler for the Double Cross Ranch or an oil rig operator for Exxon-Mobil! I own several cowboy hats, which I wear around town. I want to get used to wearing them before I move to America, so I can fit in easier. I rebel against my elders and seniors and speak English as often as I can, but rarely does anyone manage to respond. Wish me luck in America!
Not the exact same but gaijin hunters come to mind
B-stylers. (Stands for Black-style) The ones who pretend to be black. It’s super, super awkward. They go to tanning beds to get extra dark, only listen to American rap, R&B and Gospel, and copy black fashions and have box braids, etc.
Edir: this was ten years ago so the fad may have died down if it were a fad.
My black friend (f) and I (f) were walking once and a gaggle of them caught us and talked at her for fifteen minutes. I ended the conversation and pulled my friend away (she’s too polite) when one of the B-stylers started rubbing her arm saying she loved my friend’s black skin, that it was so smooth and wished she could have it. Yikes.
There is a subset of people (usually women) who have an unhealthy obsession with Disney (and other Western media) to the point where they fantasize about the world outside Japan being perfect, and because of this rose-tinted worldview they want to escape Japanese society and become “Western.”
Different from just being big fans who are really into Disney, etc., which would be completely fine, this group of people uses media as a mechanism to cope with their dissatisfaction and inability or lack of desire to fit in, similar to hikikomori.
You definitely have these types.
They insist on westernizing their name (“Lina” instead of “Rina,” “May” instead of “Mai,” etc.), just “don’t fit in with Japanese culture”, can “only express themselves freely in English”, absolutely refuse to acknowledge that they consume any kind of Japanese popular culture, think life somewhere in the US is like a Glee episode, can only date foreigners, etc.
Highlight of their week is if someone tells them they thought they were ハーフ or better yet, a foreigner altogether.
Now more younger people love Korea contents and cultures
Idk if you particularly mean western countries or just a foreign culture in general. But I’ve met some Japanese girls/women who seemed very into Korean culture. Now I don’t want to call them koreaboos over it. But noticing how popular Korean culture has gotten in Japan, it wouldn’t surprise me if Japan nowadays has koreaboos the same way western countries have them.
The fake “cholos” driving around in their fake lowriders looking like the guy from Pretty Fly For a White Guy. I see these idiots even here in the countryside.
There’s also the wannabe gangsters with their 20-year old Escalades.
I know one guy with obsession for union jack, curtain poster bedsheet etc
One thing I’d like to point out:
A lot of native Japanese people assume (incorrectly) that returnees (帰国子女) act like what you describe. “外国かぶれ” “西洋かぶれ” “海外かぶれ” etc. are terms lobbed at returnees often. (Even though it’s not really かぶれ when you lived there your whole childhood, but native Japanese people can’t tell just by looking at an ethnic Japanese returnee, hence why they get confused)
When in actuality, most returnees love Japan, and want nothing more than to fit in, and sometimes shun their more western sensibilities in an attempt to do so.
Which is why I generally don’t like to perpetuate the idea that someone who “looks Japanese” that’s “acting western” is something to ridicule.
That said, the other top comment talking about “B-stylers” is an almost perfect example, minus the nerdy connotation that “weeb” has.
Plenty of “Ouiaboos”. Usually middle aged obasans who are obsessed with anything French. They think France is the pinnacle of western culture and Paris is some kind of utopia. Usually shop at clothing stores like Iena, (a Japanese brand LARPing as French) and usually carry either a Longchamp, LV, St Goyard or Hermes bag. Sometimes sporting a “French bob” haircut. Also obsessed with Japanese bakeries LARPing as French.
Then they go to Paris and have a massive culture shock and meltdown called “Paris syndrome” which is an actual real thing. Because their dream France in their head is nothing like the real thing. Kind of how weaboos have their made up dream Japan in their head too.
I met a few woman crazy about France. They could talk endlessly about Loire castles and Marie Antoinette. First it was fun then boring as hell.
Well, Korean culture(kpop, drama, webtoon, food etc) are very popular.
I would say people who use hangul on SNS, are very much Japanese equivalent of weeaboo
I met a guy obsessed with brasil. Very funny, only listens to Brasilian music, and owns a Brasilian bar/restaurant
Some Japanese become super obsessed with Scandinavia. There is even a Japanese drama about that called ”Hokuo Kojirase Nikki”.
https://preview.redd.it/r3xu3uswkenb1.jpeg?width=874&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81c4e55216f1cfa49f95710920f6df1068cf195c
There was a fairly big cowboy subculture in older generations thanks to Western drama, some still remain.
Bozozokus are, deep inside, weebs.
Are you talking about those Japanese folks who get really obsessed with other countries, kind of worship them, and sometimes act like they’re better than other Japanese and Japan itself? We’ve got quite a bunch of them here, and we’ve even got memes and words to describe them.
Some individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds believe that moving abroad will solve all their current problems. They also proudly think they can gain admission to a better university or secure a higher job position, even though they lack the necessary skills.
They often fantasize about Germany and Scandinavia, and sometimes the USA. Some even believe that blue-collar workers in Germany are held in as high regard as scholars and company presidents.