I think many from the west come here seeking the authenticity and tradition they feel has long since died in their own countries. But, in reality, it has died here too, and the presence of the tourist hordes is just further evidence of that fact.

There is a deep craving for tradition in the west after decades of self-destruction and self-hatred not to mention immigration. I am not a traditionalist but it is absurd how for my entire lifetime I have seen the influencal centers in our culture only focus on the worst parts of western and American culture and tradition.

It is a deep problem and like it or not this has deep consequences. The election of Trump is one of them. The people that hate him so much really need to do some soul searching and ask themselves how we got here. It's not just because people are evil or dumb. Thats not the reason. At some point people get tired of being told they don't matter and their history should be treated differently than every other culture.

Even people that hate their culture in the US have a craving for tradition. We even are seeing this in Christianity. A rise in interest in both Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Humans need meaning. Our modern self centered materialist world is losing its hold on people. Some will cling to politics. This is dangerous but inevitable.

I hadn't thought of Japan as an example of this but it fits. Japan is also still a mystery to most in the west. I'm in that camp as well. I do know of the problems though. I've long been skeptical of the high praise of the culture but to me the fact that they had a strong and more cohesive culture has certain benefits that a westerner would appreciate.