Japanese Inventions Used in Chinese Everyday Life

[Jar Jar Binks]

Hard Not to Love: Japanese Inventions Used in Chinese Everyday Life

Feb 03, 2014 By Elaine Pang

Now we all know there is just a little bit of tension between China and Japan. And while overzealous nationalists sometimes like to make a show by smashing up Japanese made vehicles, if they were really going to rid themselves of all things Japanese they might have to give up a few more of their favorite things. Here are just some examples of Japanese inventions used in Chinese everyday life.

China’s national pastime, KTV

1) Rice Cookers
What is a Chinese meal without rice and who cooks rice without a rice cooker these days? Except under abject poverty, a rice cooker is essential to every household treasuring the fluffy white grain as a staple. Chinese rice cookers range from the no-frills on-off kind to the bells-and-whistles versions with porridge and cake-baking functions. In fact Chinese travelers to Japan will often returned weighed down by Japan’s latest high-end rice cooker.

2) Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Evidently, one does not live on rice alone and there is nothing that brings life to a stir-fry like MSG – a shortcut that commercial food businesses and home cooks resort to. Spending hours brewing up a good chicken stock is a forgotten art in this pressure-cooker era of rising ingredient costs. Most locals are reluctant to forgo these Japanese invented bright white crystals in noodle bowls or barbeque dishes and those that claim to eschew MSG in cooking actually use chicken granules, a cleverly disguised MSG-variant.

3) Instant Noodles and Cup Noodles
One area to which MSG lends its oomph is instant noodles, a long-distance travel staple. And thanks to Nissin, this dish can now be enjoyed anywhere, in cup form. On every train across China you can see hungry queues balancing brightly colored cups snaking their way through carriages to fetch hot water. Instant noodles have also become a ration item and the ultimate comfort food in dormitories and homes, It seems people are unaffected by circulating urban rumors that the human body takes a week to detox after consuming this Japanese invention.

4) Flat-screen Televisions
What better way to enjoy instant noodles at home than in front of a new state-of-the-art flat-screen. But wait, flat-screen TV technology, both plasma and LCD, also hail from Japan. This also presents a problem for those using flat-screen desktops and laptops. Guess the only alternative would be to switch to bulky CRT machines then. Now those would be challenging to wall-mount.

Evidently it is impossible to avoid any form of Japanese influence in the home as even top-loading washing machines are invented in Japan. Perhaps it is time to escape outside. Seems easy enough if one does not drive a Japanese car… or is it really?

5) Karaoke or KTV
The karaoke lounge or KTV (in local lingo) is a popular stop for belting out pop songs or red songs in a show of patriotism. But the idea of singing to a screen is still a Japanese concept. And it is likely that the screen you are singing to is a flat-screen (see point above). KTV in China has become a favorite among all age groups from prepubescents to post-war boomers for every occasion from birthdays to business entertainment.

6) High-speed Rail
Perhaps the only way to get away from all that Japanese influence would be to renounce modern conveniences and head for the countryside. Good idea – just choose the mode of transportation carefully because bullets trains are obviously the invention of a country that loves efficiency and speed.

7) Digital SLR Camers (DSLRs)
The countryside is a good place to hone your landscape photography prowess. That is, until one takes a look at the camera in hand. If it is a DSLR, dump it, because not only is it a Japanese invention, it carries a Japanese brand. The tiny point-and-shoot is unlikely to be expensive enough to appeal to well-heeled patriots.

So there you have it, while tensions rise and nationalism rages, there is nothing as harmonious as the relationship commercialism creates. Perhaps the leaders of both countries just need to jam out to some Backstreet boys or Westlife and all will be forgiven and forgotten.