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Japanese convenience stores have been a mined-out topic for _years_. Where is the coverage of the rest of Asia? Taiwanese convenience stores are actually more i
by bllguo 5y ago
Japanese convenience stores have been a mined-out topic for _years_. Where is the coverage of the rest of Asia? Taiwanese convenience stores are actually more impressive imo, with a dizzying array of additional services. In China, the convenience store industry was already booming in recent years, with a diverse mix of foreign and domestic brands, and it has been growing even faster thanks to covid. Which sounds like an actually newsworthy topic, rather than the hundredth article about Japan. I have absolutely nothing against Japan but it is disappointing how it's the only East Asian country whose culture Americans care to look at.
- CapricornNoble 5y ago>>>I have absolutely nothing against Japan but it is disappointing how it's the only East Asian country whose culture Americans care to look at. I think it's a secondary effect of anime & manga creating a bunch of weebs that then proceed to wanna geek out about all things Japanese, all the time. The rest of Asia hasn't managed to produce the same sort of pop-culture inertia.
- tjpnz 5y agoWhat a strange comment. There's nothing stopping you from posting something that isn't about Japan you know. FWIW I've visited convenience stores in Taiwan. They're not much different to what I've seen in Japan - in fact they both sell many of the same products.
- bllguo 5y agoI suppose I wasn't clear, but I am referring to media coverage. What's weird is how people continue to view East Asia as some exotic strange place. We're all human and we should be promoting more cultural understanding. I'd love to have the power to affect that through my posts but I don't. I am not a member of the media! This article is published by the LA Times, which has enormous reach. Reach I think is wasted on yet another post on Japanese convenience stores (seriously, go look at how many of these there have been) just the fact that Taiwan compares is almost certainly less known to Americans than the contents of this piece
- b0rsuk 5y agoJapan has a robust movie industry, which does a lot to popularize the country. A relevant scene from Tampopo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38m-wnbHPLA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38m-wnbHPLA Other Asian countries have starting to compete in the area, notably South Korea and China, but Chinese movies have always been chock full of propaganda. It's unbearable to me. And the Party mandates all humor should be "praising" (positive) in nature. Taiwan probably has more going for it than just high quality electronics, but China is successful in bullying anyone that mentions Taiwan as a separate country. I heard Taiwan does remarkably well to suppress covid19, for instance.
- wyclif 5y agoThe Philippines also have 7-Elevens, but with nowhere near the variety of amenities compared to the Japanese or Taiwanese versions.