Synopsis

The Vapors perform "Turning Japanese" inside a stylized Japanese-inspired interior, surrounded by tatami mats, shoji screens, and other decorative props. David Fenton sings directly to the camera while the band plays in a theatrical, tightly framed setup. A geisha-like figure appears among the musicians, and Fenton later handles a samurai sword as the video leans into the song's playful, exaggerated imagery. The deliberately artificial setting matches the track's catchy new wave energy and its fascination with imagined Japanese motifs.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was made in 1980, during the early period when promotional clips were becoming an important part of a single's campaign. It was among the early videos shown on MTV.

• Much of the video's Japanese atmosphere comes from stage dressing rather than location filming. The set includes tatami-style flooring and shoji screens, while the band members perform in front of an obviously theatrical backdrop.

• David Fenton's samurai sword routine became one of the clip's most memorable images. The martial-arts display is more exuberant than technically authentic, fitting the video's knowingly exaggerated tone.

• A woman presented as a geisha appears in the clip, reinforcing the song's broad, stylized version of Japan. The imagery reflects the Western pop culture shorthand commonly used for Japan at the time.

• Fenton has said that the song was intended as a love song about being isolated and fixated on a former partner's photograph. The widely repeated interpretation that "turning Japanese" is a euphemism for masturbation was not his stated intention, although the ambiguity helped the single attract attention.

• The song was The Vapors' major international success, reaching No. 3 in the UK and No. 1 in Australia. In the United States, it peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• The track's faux-Asian guitar motif and the video's visual references work together closely, making the clip a particularly clear example of how early music videos could turn a song's sonic idea into an entire visual world.