Matthew P. Bachand
Japan is cool. Students love its animated cartoons, are intrigued by its stark differences from American culture, and are curious about its history. They seek Japanese electronics with zeal and have even fallen in love with their card games (Yu-Gi-Oh). However, students know very little else about this island country that has been, at different times in its history, the victim of our gunboat diplomacy, our most enthusiastic fan, our enemy, our outpost, number two trading partner, our ally, and our competitor. Now, Japanese popular culture has more entrée with American audiences than at any time in its history. In fact, this author believes that Japan may be the one nation with which American youth culture has a pop culture trade deficit: Japan seems to have little need for our television and children's literature, while we are voraciously consuming theirs. All of these elements combine into a grandiose "teachable moment" for prospective teachers of world literature.
