What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to analyze how Finland is depicted in Japanese fiction and its implications for cultural identity.

March 14, 20260 citationsOpen Access

Imaginary Finland in Contemporary Japanese Fiction

SCSerena A.A. CeniccolaUniversity of North Carolina at Pembroke RVR.L. Valijarvi

Key Points

The aim is to analyze how Finland is depicted in Japanese fiction and its implications for cultural identity.
Analyzed three contemporary works: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, Scattered All Over the Earth.
Utilized concepts of nation branding, social imaginary, and self-other dichotomy.
Examined character coding, plot advancement, and historical understanding through representations of Finland.
Finland serves as a cultural mirror for Japan, highlighting shared traits like perseverance and connection to nature.
Stereotypes related to Finland, such as Moomins, play a crucial role in character development and narrative structure.
Imagined Finland helps reveal underlying themes in Japanese culture and societal reflection.

Abstract

This study analyses representations of Finland in three contemporary works: the fantasy manga and anime series Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle by CLAMP, Haruki Murakami’s novel Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, and Yōko Tawada’s dystopian novel Scattered All Over the Earth. We conduct the analysis using the concepts of nation/countrybranding, social imaginary, and the Self-Other dichotomy. The imagined Finland, with its cultural exports and stereotypes such as sisu ‘guts,perseverance’, nature, and Moomins, functions as a mirror image of Japan. In our data, Finland is used to code characters, advance the plot, and understand history.

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