[vagrantJin]

Fascinating.

I have no idea what the fascination with Japan, I must have missed something.

[onlypassingthru]

A beautiful set of volcanic islands with extremely polite natives, rich in art, culture and history and practically zero crime is not for everyone.

[sorcerer-mar]

Nah you're probably just cooler than everyone else

[missedthecue]

Very successful cultural exports in the 1980s, 90s, and early 2000s. Now the kids who grew up in that era are young adults and have some money.

There are many low(ish) crime, polite, picturesque destinations, rich in art, culture, and history, but Kazakhstan never exported anime.

[onlypassingthru]

It's no anime, but who doesn't think of Kazakhstan every time they bite an apple?

[beering]

A big part of their success today is embracing globalism, beginning with the Westernization effort in the Meiji era and continuing into the present era with top Japanese firms becoming multinational, eg Nintendo/Sony of America, Toyota opening plants in the US, etc.

Communism, on the other hand, seems to have led to more isolation in the Cold War era, and is also another way to cultivate some interesting cultural identity, although not necessarily the culture you want.