Investigating Japan's cultural exchange with the West
Investigating Japan's Cultural Exchange with the West Japan has had a long intertwined history with western culture, leading to a unique mix of eastern and western ideals which inform and shape the culture of modern Japan. How has this exchange specifically impacted Japanese art, music, and literature from the eighteenth century up until now? What has been the result of this intermixing of cultures and how has it evolved over time? These are some of the questions we will be exploring in this article. The first large influx of western culture into Japan began in the eighteenth century with the Matsudaira Domain, which was run by a succession of lords who wished for Japan to modernize and imitate many of the advancements of Europe. Of course, it wasn't a one-way street, and westerners who visited or lived in Japan during this period were exposed to the local art, literature, and music of the country, much of which was incredibly unique and different from traditional western prac...