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After losing the war in 1945, Japan was in ruins -- both physical and mental. Although it was gradually rebuilding itself economically since the late 1940s, the lost war, occupation, change of system and the upheaval of values caused mental trauma and identity crisis for many of its inhabitants. Motifs typically associated with Franz Kafka -- especially his existentialism, absurdity, avant-garde methods and dream imagery against the background of everyday reality, create an interesting parallel to this situation and seeped into the works of post-war authors. This paper focuses on two postwar authors, Shimao Toshio (1917-1986) and Ishikawa Jun (1899-1987), and examines how "kafkaesque" writing and reality of post-war Japan intertwine in "Everyday Life in a Dream" (Yume no naka de no nichijō, 1948) and "The Raptor" (Taka, 1953). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orientalism means imitating Orient, i.e. the East. It is an image which task is to distance the East from us instead of bringing closer. It was defined by Edward Said (1935–2003) in 1978, who argued that Orientalism is a strongly idealised Western science on the East that divides the East and the West. Elements of Orientalism are then evident across every cultural branch: literature, cinematography, music or arts etc. Wes Anderson (1969) is an American director, actor and producer. He is one of the most sought-after and original authors of the modern era. In 2018 W. Anderson made a film called Isle of Dogs. This animated movie is set in Japan in future, showing the boy’s effort to save his dog. This moving story has won many awards and has been very well received by critics. Still, there are also adverse reactions, which are particularly striking in the way Japan is portrayed. According to these critics, the film shows substantial racial stereotyping and cultural appropriation. In this paper, I will focus on analysing Orientalism elements and think about whether the complaint is justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the introduction part of this paper, one will find definitions of terms Orient and Orientalism. Two conflicting views exist in Orientalism’s description – Edward Wadie Said (1935–2003) and George Paul Landow’s (1940) perspectives. An American movie intorduced to the public in 2013 47 Ronin is supposed to be an excellent example of Orientalism. It presents one of the most famous stories in Japanese history. In this film, we will find several orientalising elements, which are marked and subsequently analysed. One type of features offers a glimpse into the lives of samurai. An integral part of the movie are the Japanese martial arts and the fate of the ronin. It also points to the religious background of Japan. Despite all American filmmakers’ efforts to bring Japanese culture and historical events closer to the Westerners, there are moments in the movie that do not correspond to reality. The content and design are adapted to the eyes of the Occidental audience. This article therefore discusses the inspiration of Japanese culture and customs that used to be commonplace in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]