Exploring overseas culture locally

It used to be that if you wanted to experience the culture of another country, you’d have to jump on a boat, plane or some other sort of reliable transportation and make your way to that country to see it with your own eyes.  Eventually, this evolved so that movies and television conveyed information to people in the comfort of their own homes.  

With the coming of the Internet, the ability to peek into other ways of life expanded even more.  Now we can do a simple search and find out about pretty much anyone we’d like and see whatever aspects of their culture are of interest to us. But for those that still want to be face-to-face with the culture and immerse themselves in it due to love or interest, there’s another option - culture conventions.

Being as how I’m a huge fan of Japanese culture, I’ll concentrate on that for the purpose of examples.  But Japan is by no means the only country represented in this culture-transfer phenomenon.  Anything that has enough popularity will no doubt have some gathering of like-minded individuals who wish to share in their passions as well as learn more about the culture that they love.

Anime is one Japanese art form that has taken the Western world by storm. Though it’s perhaps not the most appreciated aspect of Japanese culture, it is still huge among a certain segment of society.  Even kids’ shows have adapted the anime style with amazing success. Anime Expo is one of, if not the biggest, convention devoted to anime.  This roaming gathering has taken place at many locations though it currently makes its home in Los Angeles.

Summer Con is a more general Japanese culture convention. Located in El Paso, Texas (certainly not someplace I’d think to look for an event of this type), they feature everything from anime to cosplay to gaming and more.  Anyone looking to get a full range of the popular side of what Japan has to offer would enjoy the wide variety of offerings at Summer Con.

Another of the largest conventions covering most of Japanese pop culture is Otakon. Twenty years in the running, it has become one of the biggest of its type in the world. Otakon takes place in August of each year, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Though this very short list may look like it’s a bit geek-centric (and it pretty much is), there are plenty of other conventions that take a more historic approach to Japanese culture.  One can learn anything from samurai fighting techniques to Japanese tea ceremony to traditional calligraphy by visiting the right convention.  And, as mentioned before, the same goes for many other cultures of the world.  

We’ve transcended the physical barriers of the world and now almost anything we want to know has begun to come to us.  It’s always nice to get out there and actually visit the country, but for those on a budget this can be a great way to experience your passion without having to empty your wallet. 

Image courtesy of Piotrus