On the other hand, at the same time they have been struggling to absorb European and American culture, the Japanese have been very anxious to insist upon their difference from the West. It is easy, I think, for foreigners to miss this tension, or to emphasize only one side or the other of it. To some, the Japanese seem uniquely interested mainly in interesting on the differences between themselves and other people. Many feel it is impossible for outsiders to truly understand the Japanese language or culture. Certainly, it is very easy to find individual Japanese who show one or the other of these attitudes.
