“Hanmin: Koreans Who Cross the Line, Japanese Who Draw the Line”

March 31, 2024 657 Views

South Korea and Japan are often referred to as “close yet distant countries.” Geographically close and sharing cultural similarities, they can also feel psychologically distant from each other. In that sense, one might consider South Korea and Japan to be countries that are truly close yet distant.

Author “Hanmin” delves into the comparison of these two close yet distant countries through their cultures. In the book titled “Koreans Who Cross the Line, Japanese Who Draw the Line,” Hanmin compares and contrasts the culturally similar yet differently developed “cultures,” unraveling the story through cultural insights.

“A book exploring the cultural differences between South Korea and Japan”

In fact, even without visiting Japan, or even after several visits, one can immediately sense the differences between Japan and South Korea. Much of the content introduced in the book may already be familiar or felt by most South Koreans.

The book offers a more professional insight into what might seem like common knowledge, from the perspective of a “cultural psychologist.”

“Koreans Who Cross the Line, Japanese Who Draw the Line”

The title of the book seems to have been chosen very well. Upon seeing the title, one cannot help but be intrigued. It succinctly and neatly encapsulates the nuanced differences between South Korea and Japan that might have previously seemed vague.

The book’s core revolves around this very point. It explains and explores the cultural traits of Koreans who prioritize crossing the line and Japanese who prefer drawing the line.

Just by looking at the subtitles of each chapter, many can relate. Detailed introductions to each chapter can be found in the book. Here, let’s briefly summarize the “table of contents” as a simple conclusion. Since just looking at the table of contents can recall most of the content explained in the book.

Part 1: The Stark Differences between Korean and Japanese Cultures
Part 2: The Birth of Characteristics of Koreans and Japanese
Part 3: Unveiling Hidden Pictures by Examining Culture
Part 4: The Deep Psychology of Koreans and Japanese

“Japan, the Country of Courtesy? Japan’s Sex Industry”

This book offers a brief introduction to the cultural differences between South Korea and Japan.

In particular, while it briefly introduces the topic of Japan’s sex industry, known as “yobai,” the author, Hanmin, has recently been providing detailed explanations of Japan’s sex industry through various YouTube channels.

As channels supporting “individual content” concepts such as “OnlyFans” are rapidly growing (starting as creators’ creative spaces, OnlyFans eventually transformed into spaces overflowing with adult content…), and especially considering the continuous growth and development of Japan’s sex industry, it seems fitting for Hanmin, who seems to be well-versed in Japan’s sex industry, to write a book on this topic that the general public may not be familiar with.

Though one can currently occasionally hear his stories through YouTube, I also anticipate the day when his analyses, viewed through the lens of cultural psychology, will be systematically presented in a book.

“Chosun Confucian Scholars and Japanese Samurai” by Yuji Hosaka

A similar book to this style is “Chosun Confucian Scholars and Japanese Samurai” by Professor Yuji Hosaka. Similar to this book, it compares South Korea and Japan, focusing more on the past and the ruling classes of each country, the Confucian scholars and samurai : “Hosaka Yuji: ‘Joseon Scholars and Japanese Samurai’”

“Yuji Hosaka’s “Chosun Confucian Scholars and Japanese Samurai”