Somewhere between the Tokyo drift edits and travel media romanticizing Japanese convenience stores, Japan transitioned from popular tourist destination to becoming a distinct aesthetic. Scroll through curated social media long enough and the imagery becomes predictable. Similar neon-lit alleyways in Shibuya, cinematic train rides, or spotless convenience stores are all aspects of travel media presenting Japan less as a real place and more as a fantasy consumed through filtered aesthetics.
It’s important to note that appreciation for other cultures is not inherently wrong. As junior Taiyo Chiba explained, travel can be an important touchpoint for fostering genuine appreciation. “If you go somewhere new you’re bound to learn about the culture [whether] that was your intention or not.” While travel broadens perspectives of other cultures, the rising success of “Travel-tok” increasingly reflects social media’s transformation of cultures into consumable mood boards.
Japan occupies a unique position in Western imagination, it feels accessible through anime, gaming, and fashion, yet it is distinct enough to be exoticized. Senior Mae Chilton noticed that “people have that sort of stereotype about it being…cutesy and aesthetic.” The country is often portrayed as a contradiction in itself: futuristic yet traditional, fast-paced yet peaceful, technologically advanced yet deeply ritualistic. “People go there because of all the traditional, structured stuff, they always like that kind of beauty,” junior Taiyo Chiba explained. In an era where many feel disillusioned with their surroundings, travel media focusing on countries like Japan have become a form of digital escapism.
The danger of this comes from the reductionistic view in which Japan is portrayed, serving to inadvertently pervade stereotypes with little meaningful understanding. The influencers flattening these cultures often do not stop to engage with the cultural structures that produce the same aesthetic qualities they claim to admire. This pattern is not unique to Japan, nor is it the result of malignant intent. Oftentimes it’s the unfortunate product of media encouraging shallow processing as countries become brands, cultures become trends, and experiences become content.
These social media algorithms not only promote but also accelerate the commodification of cultures. With the average Instagram post tagged #japan or #travel getting upwards of 1.4 thousand likes, it’s no surprise travel influencers are incentivized to produce content appealing to mainstream aesthetics. And the unfortunate reality is influencers are not rewarded for nuance. A 30 second edit of midnight Tokyo streets will perform better than an in-depth dive into tea ceremonies. Since complexity is difficult to package into viral content, cultures are distilled into recognizable imagery existing to capture a brief fascination.
As a result, travel itself begins to feel performative. Rather than focus on experience, tourists increasingly visit new countries to recreate curated moments originally seen online. However, it’s important to acknowledge that tourism itself is not exploitation, and Japanese tourism campaigns also actively market many of these aesthetics to international audiences. The issue arises when appreciation reduced to consumable visuals becomes the only exposure to rich and complex cultures.
There is no right or wrong way to appreciate a culture. “I think you can appreciate a culture in a lot of different ways,” Chiba said. “From a Japanese cultural perspective, I would be happy that people recognize the deity of Japan, [but] also just showing the good [of Japan] can be good,” he added. Describing media portrayals of Japan, Chiba shared a common pride towards all the positive portrayals of his culture. Ultimately, while travel media can be a brief and fun introduction to new countries and cultures, the responsibility remains on the consumer to deepen the narratives they encounter.
