Products like electric blenders and such?
Oh yes! After World War II, electrical appliances were the symbol of not only a wealthy life, but an American life. The blender was a symbol of the power of appliances, so there were a lot sold; but because the Japanese don’t habitually drink juice in the morning, and the blender was introduced as a tool for that, most Japanese didn’t actually use their blenders. The Japanese population became completely enthralled with American culture and lifestyle. Imagine, a few years before, America was the enemy, an ogre in our minds. Now it was not an ogre, but a dream! That’s the strength of design; the power of culture is transmitted through design. It was the same power of culture, and strength of design, that transformed Japan at the end of the Edo period, when we abandoned our policy of national seclusion. As soon as the Meiji era began, Japanese chopped off their traditional top-knots and started wearing western hairstyles. We came to know a new culture, and the power of culture, through e
