My Close Unnie's Anti-Japanese Sentiment

I have a Korean unnie who is more than a dozen years older than me, and we are very close.

She comes to Japan for trips many times a year, and she says she often comes to Japan for family trips with her mother and others as well.

Her mother, in particular, seems to want to come to Japan even more frequently than she does.

Whenever she tells me things like that, I naturally respond with something like,

"Wow! You really love Japan!"
"Oh my! Your mom really loves Japan!"

but

every time, she corrects me by saying,

"Well, it's more like I like Japanese culture and food!"

"My mom doesn't necessarily love Japan, she just likes the culture."

At first, I didn't notice it at all, but

after the umpteenth time, I felt a bit strange, thinking, "Wait? Am I being corrected? lol"
Well, it's common for Koreans to have anti-Japanese sentiment, and given her age... maybe that's how she feels?

No, but she's so gentle and kind, she wouldn't express her opinion like that...

I was wondering about it, and then it happened again in conversation, so I decided to just ask her.

I asked her quite directly.


"I feel like you're intentionally avoiding saying you like Japan, why is that?"

(In English!)Then, she looked slightly apologetic and said,


"Honestly, I don't think I like Japan as a country. I like traveling to Japan as an experience because I have a good time, but as a country, there are things I dislike about Japan, and in the first place, I don't really understand the feeling of saying you like an entire country."

In other words, she draws a line between the following two things:
1. Like as an experience



Food, cities, culture, travel2. Like as a nation


History, politics, nationalismAnd she said that's not limited to Japan, but something she feels about other countries as well.I was honestly a bit sad thinking that if she actually had anti-Japanese sentiment, so I felt a sense of relief. 💭
Well, honestly though,

this is completely my own speculation,

but seeing how she corrects me every single time, even for her mother, I think there might be an unconscious sense of distance she has toward the nation of Japan.

She received history education in Korea at the time and has lived her whole life under the influence of her Korean relatives and the media,
so even though she likes traveling to Japan and likes her Japanese friends,

there might be a small psychological line that says, "I don't want to say I like Japan."

There was probably a part of her that thought, "How can you ask me that directly when I'm talking to a Japanese person!"

Thinking about it, it really is more deeply ingrained in individuals than I imagined.
It's amazing how some ideologies can be planted in people through history and education.

It stung a little, but it was a feeling I wouldn't have experienced otherwise, so I'm glad I did.

And well, it's fine as long as we're close... ( ﹡ˆᴗˆ﹡ )

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I upload travel vlogs to YouTube. 🧃
youtube @maivlogyay
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