Because I mentioned this in our first meeting, I wanted to follow up. As I told you, when I talked with this reporter - who was clearly trying to get the story right - I wanted to use the term “orientalism” as a key term to describe my reaction to this (insane and yet totally expectable) Logan Paul story. As we discussed, sometimes theory and theoretical terms help and sometimes - especially when your interlocuteures don’t understand the terms you use - they really don’t. To me, the general American interest in this story is equal parts orientalism and a particular kind of toxic White masculinity via YouTube celebrity.

Inside Japan's 'suicide forest'
By Michael Nedelman, CNN

Updated 2:32 PM ET, Thu January 4, 2018

[...]
But when it comes to the now-viral YouTube video, the story is less about what sets Japan apart and more about how it's often perceived as "other" by Americans, like 22-year-old Paul, according to one anthropologist.
"His motivation to go to this particular spot is not an accident," said Allison Alexy, a cultural anthropologist at the University of Michigan who specializes in contemporary Japanese culture. "It is part and parcel of a larger American fascination" with Japan.