brunoafh wrote:hashiriya1 do you have any comment on the American flags in Japan thing? Seems odd.
American flags are a common sight in Japan. A lot of clothing stores use American flags to advertise that they sell American brands. There is a big clothing chain called "Amerikaya" which sells Japanese-made American-style casual clothing. They always have American flags all over the exterior of their store. They are not alone.
So in the end. American flags are used as marketing tools. The majority of Japanese people think anything American is "cool" so shops and companies use that to their advantage. You will see some restaurants or shops decorated with all American stuff even if they don't serve American food. There really is no deeper meaning behind it other than just advertising. I see confederate flags from time to time as well, but I doubt they know the meaning behind it.
Other than American flags, you see a lot of British, Italian, and French flags...but not nearly as much as Old Glory.
Americans are also the butt of many jokes on nightly comedy shows. It's like how on American TV you sometimes see clips of strange Japanese TV shows. They do the same thing. They show some American TV show or YouTube video and all the comedians afterward make fun of Americans.
A mix between a Saab and a Subaru 
