NO!! This is not another site on Japanese Zen and rock gardens, nor fantasizing about pretty *Important*: Japan has a lot of positive traits, and a lot of negative ones also. You'll find Japan
captivating, bewildering,
enchanting, enraging, humorous, frustrating, loose, uptight, accomodating,
and anal-retentive -- sometimes all at the same time. However, the contents
of this site center more on the negative aspects than the positive ones
since these are what make life for westerners more difficult here. They are
meant to show more of what culture shock is experienced and are *NOT* to be
taken as an accounting of the number of good traits vs. the bad.
This is one of the first things you will notice about the Japanese. The Japanese have been
raised to think of themselves as part of a group, and their group is always dealing with
other groups. This is viewed on many angles -- internationally it is "We Japanese" vs.
everyone else (more on that later), but in schools, companies, sections of companies etc.
there are many groups and sub-groups -- and not always in perfect harmony and cooperation
as it may look on the surface. Dealing with Japanese on a one-to-one basis usually comes
very easy to non-Japanese, but dealing with Japanese as a group can be a different matter
altogether. And no matter how nice you are, or how good your Japanese becomes, you will
always be treated as an outsider. In fact the literal meaning of "gaijin" is outsider. Many
westerners see Japanese as aloof, shy, and always walking on eggshells. There is a lot
of truth in that -- Japanese are extremely sensitive to what others might think of them
(or worse -- what they say behind their backs, and Japanese really do engage in gossip) and
are very hesitant to do something new, different, or independent. Being ostracized is
one of the worst things that can happen to a Japanese, who is raised to be part of a group
and depend on others. Therefore, when making requests, it often takes more time since
the person asked usually consults others in the group to reach a consensus. It also might
interfere with what your goals are -- when teaching an English class a teacher gave some
subjects for the students to debate. Of course the goal was for the students to use as much
English as possible and improve their abilities. But what happened was the students reverted
to their old habits and tried to compromise and reach a consensus -- in which case, the debate
promptly ended. In short, however, while the westerner starts so many sentences with "I",
the Japanese "I" usually means "with the approval of the group". This is not to pass judgement
on this trait, as in many things there are both positive and negative aspects. For the
westerner, it can be good in that you are often not subject to what sometimes becomes
excessive, even oppressive methodologies. On the negative side, even if you do find a
group or niche that you want to be in, you may be frozen out or the last one to find out about
many decisions that profoundly affect your schedule and work. Uchi-soto has one other important trait -- there are next to no strikes in Japan. Ever. Because
Japanese labour-management relations are better? Partly, yes. But in Japan there are almost no unions
like the Teamsters or AFL-CIO. But each large corporation has its own union,
and they feel no bond with other company unions even if they're doing the same work. In one
sense, the company union is almost a puppet, led by a management executive. But in another,
everyone in a Japanese company knows that to succeed they need to act together, and being
profitable in the long run is the only way to guarantee employment. You don't see a lot of the
friction between labour and management in Japanese firms -- one reason is that the workers often
cave in since they know a profitable company eventually benefits them. Another is that they
know the CEO and execs don't make 100 times the money the workers do, or $2500-$5000 per
hour (That's no exaggeration either -- you do the math.)
How Japanese view non-Japanese is always a subject of debate. Often there is a mixture
of admiration, suspicion, and most often a lot of nervousness about dealing with someone
who doesn't look or act like the Japanese. As stated in the Japan FAQ, it is very hard for
non-Japanese to get an apartment, or a loan, credit card, etc. There is no logical or rational
explanation for this conflict -- since Japanese do not think in a logical, rational fashion, at
least in western terms. If you look at Japanese TV ads, the first thing you'll notice is that
there are westerners in about a third of them. There are also half a dozen fluent Japanese speaking
foreigners endlessly recycled on TV variety shows, constantly ingratiating themselves and amusing
the Japanese enough to want them back. They are part of a group called "tarento". Their only real talent
is speaking Japanese well, and many long term ex-pats see them as intellectual whores since they must go
through the same problems others do, yet they know the rule of getting invited back is to never
bite the hand that feeds them.
Yet there are also periodically TV infotainment shows
following the cops and catching those awful foreigners committing crimes in "our country", with
sinister background music shrieking away.
Japanese youth generally show positive
attitudes about you, from others there is often indifference. And then there is the racial question.
Many people coming to Japan ask if the Japanese are racist and cold to westerners.
The answer is not that simple. But it is no exaggeration to say that, bending the metaphor
a bit, the Japanese see things through race-colored glasses. It must be emphasized though that
Japanese racism is in almost all cases NEVER HOSTILE towards others -- so the idea of people
screaming epithets at you like in the U.S. is inaccurate. (And lest you feel superior, you won't
find skinhead thugs or people in white sheets in Japan, and being a
woman or minority religion or race might get you far worse treatment in many countries. Maybe even
yours). For some young Japanese, having a
western boyfriend/girlfriend is a status-symbol, but when things go deeper (especially for
a western man/Japanese woman) some people's attitudes can change dramatically. Suddenly
the same people showering compliments to the Japanese with a western lover are asking
if he/she is weird, or warning about terrible consequences. The attitudes from the Japanese
parents may be even more disturbing. In short, it's cool (kako-ii) to look western on a superficial
level, but anything more serious often brings a negative reaction.
Upon entering Japan you'll soon discover an unusual trait of Japanese -- they can both insult
you and compliment you at the same time. One good example is that on top of a few Japanese
"Love Hotels" (which are hotels decked out in glittery pink neon and rent rooms by the hour
or night for obvious reasons) you will find a big Statue of
Liberty. (photo)
It may be flattering that
such an American symbol is taken for "liberty", but at the same time to see it on top of a
sleazy hotel is a little disconcerting. In the same way, the westerner coming to Japan will
right from the airport be drowned in the "compliment" Nihongo wa jouzu desu neh, or "Your
Japanese is good". It's usually spoken in a "Look Mom, the horse can do math problems" kind
of way -- slightly condecending. The problem with all this is that it is put on you a thousand
times a day, every time you open your mouth, in exactly those same words -- never once said
in a different way. And the fact that it has nothing to do with your Japanese ability.
In fact, the better your Japanese gets, the less you hear it. Even more demeaning is hearing
"O-hashi wa jouzu desu neh" which means you can use chopsticks well. The fact that a 4 or 5
year old Japanese child is supposed to use them easily but you're never expected to know how
is an insult few Japanese are "international" enough to realize. To the Japanese, they are not
consciously looking down on you, but rather trying to establish rapport through bombarding you
with things they think you like to hear. It's important not to get upset about
this and just play humble by denying the praise over and over as they would. All of that is
relatively benign. The real problem is dealing with the occasional neanderthal where even if
you've attained near native fluency they still have a "See-White-Face, Hear-Japanese, Does-Not-Compute"
mentality, or the elitist complaining how you foreigners never bother to learn Japanese, and
then you come along speaking proper Japanese and they insist in doing all communication in
English. The reason being that more conservative types see language as race, and race as language,
and when there is someone not part of the group suddenly among "us", they unconsciously feel a threat.
Dealing with such Groupthink is going to be a challenge, but while you never have to like
it you're going to have to deal with it. Many Japanese view westerners on two levels -- if you are
taken as a temporary visitor, they nearly always treat you extremely warmly and helpfully; even lavishly.
But if you are someone trying to become a member of society, there can be quite a different attitude.
In contrast, other Asians are expected to pick up the Japanese language quickly, and there often is
little tolerance for those that don't.
The term "gaijin" according to the dictionary means foreigner or alien. In practice however, it
always means "white person". Japanese use a lot of discrimination -- Chinese and Koreans are
usually referred to by their nationality, not as "gaijin", unless speaking in legal terms.
[And whatever your complaints you may have, remember SE Asians have it far worse.] The
gaijin = white person stereotype is so deeply ingrained into the Japanese psyche that when the
Japanese go abroad they still refer to whites as gaijin, and despite using their passports,
US dollars, and going through US Customs, they are still not consciously aware of Hawaii as
being a US state. Even though all Japanese know Michael Jackson and Tiger Woods are from
America, it still doesn't dispel their notion that ALL Americans are blue-eyed blonds. The term
"gaijin" is not in itself pejorative (though it can be used that way), but when one Japanese tells another
he's doing something like a foreigner it's a strong put-down. Many Japanese ex-pats who've lived
abroad are viewed supiciously. If one's English is "too good", he might be ostracized. For Japanese
children who've spent time abroad and can speak English fluently (kikoku shijo),
bullying from classmates can be swift and cruel. There is one exception
though -- the Celebrity Factor. If one becomes a Japanese celebrity, singer,
actor/actress, etc., then paradoxically all is forgiven. Then the cruelty
is turned on its ear and you become a paragon of Japanese achievement. This
all sounds contradictory, but the Japanese often follow such an irrational and unpredictable course.
There is the way things are and the way we'd like them to be. The reality and the facade. The
real reason and the pretext. The substance and the form. Being direct and being diplomatic. And the
truth and the white lie.
In short, that is honne and tatemae, respectively. Since avoiding conflict and trouble
is extremely important in Japan, using diplomatic language is often used rather
than the direct approach. It's said that in formal situations a direct "No"
is avoided and there are a thousand nicer alternatives -- which can be true, but it
depends a lot on the situation and social status of the parties involved.
Some westerners unfairly call this deceptive, but this shows more ignorance of how the
culture and language are intertwined. Japanese may say things very politely
and vaguely, but if the meaning is not clear it's perfectly acceptable to ask
for clarification. But while we in the west judge tatemae to be cake
icing and hypocrisy, the Japanese have elavated it into an art. Sometimes, anyway. When it
comes to creating a reason, in some cases the Japanese seem to have left their reasoning
on Pluto. Like blocking European ski equipment from the Japanese market because "Japanese
snow is different". In fact, almost every "reason" for not importing foreign goods is crammed
full of it. While many so-called Japan "experts" tell the world about how much Japanese stress
"harmony", the reality is that they push THE IMAGE OF harmony. What lies beneath may be
completely different.
"Let's have dinner together sometime." -- A Culture Clash
In the west when someone says to another "let's have dinner together sometime", it usually
means "let's have dinner together sometime". Sounds like an invitation, doesn't it? And if
you're new in town, don't have a lot of friends yet, or looking for a date, it sounds even better.
Unfortunately, if a Japanese person says that or "come over to my place sometime"
to you, what he/she really might mean is
"I hope we get along well together." Is that more than a little confusing? I had 2 big shocks
from this myself. When I first started working at a company, I had one secretary (the cute one
everybody wanted to date) tell me this. Now, if the other 5 or 6 secretaries all said the same
thing to me as a matter of etiquette, I would've caught on immediately. But only one did, and
after agreeing on a date and time, I got stood up. I dismissed it as a misunderstanding, but
when a similar situation occured again later, I finally got the message. So let this
be a warning -- take offers with a pillar of salt. Unless specifics like a
date and time are mentioned, don't hold your breath. If you're really interested, leave your phone number,
tell the person to call you anytime, but don't sit waiting by the phone Saturday night.
Once you adjust your thinking from romance language syntax (subject-verb-object) to the
Japanese syntax (subject-object-verb), Japanese is easy to learn. Understanding it is a
different matter though. How's that? In Japan, a part of tatemae is speaking diplomatically,
and what is not said may be more important than what is. There are also a certain number
of fixed phrases that translated directly don't mean a lot. "That's a little difficult" (Sore wa
chotto muzukashii) really means "No way!". "I'll think about it" (Kangaete okimasu) is a
declination or refusal. And "Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu" can mean "pleased to meet you", "with
my best regards", or "I leave it in your hands, please do your best". Why don't they just say
"no" when they mean no, you ask? How western of you. We might like it more but in Japan it's
not part of the culture -- besides that, there's always a 1 in 100 chance that the situation might
change and then you might say yes -- so why burn your bridges behind you?
Japanese society has two concurrent streams that frequently bump heads and the result as you
can guess is tension and stress. One current is protecting your own privacy, following your
dream, and doing things your own way at your own pace. Facing this is the overwhelming social pressure
to conform, follow the rules, and make sure everyone else is in the same boat as you. With big Japanese
cities having extemely high population densities, personal space is scarce, and with little space
in front of you many Japanese retreat to the only space they can; inside their heads. Becoming
introverted, shy and withdrawn is not atypical. There are exceptions to this of course; some
young people love to associate with westerners because of this and they can more freely
express themselves and not have to worry about being looked down as too gregarious. Liquor
consumption is also high in Japan and used as a social lubricant to loosen up. But privacy
in Japan is a precious commodity, more for cultural than demographic reasons, and nobody likes someone
to butt into your life.
Unfortunately pushing everyone to conform often does just that, and many Japanese take it
upon themselves to make sure everyone is in lock-step with one another. Most often, like many
things in Japan it is done indirectly, such as through gossiping, backbiting and meddling. Hence
in Japanese there's a plethora of terms referring to a nosy busybody, such as osekkai, sewa yaki,
kansho-zuki, yakkai na sewa, and deshabari. This is viewed in different ways of course.
In the ivory tower books on Japan there is the company superior who is also your counselor, paving
your way to a better future, getting that reservation at a popular place or bank loan for you, etc.
But there may also be the company autocrat who tries to know everything about you to manipulate you
or run your social life, and for women can even cross the line into sexual harassment (seku hara).
The term goatism comes from scapegoat, and for a time was a frequently used buzzword by the Japanese.
Japanese also have very positive traits, but this is not one of them. In many
instances, Japanese love to think of themselves as the victim -- when trade frictions grow,
when international criticism of Japanese stances mounts, or especially when it comes to
responsibility for WWII, Japanese often retreat into a scapegoat or persecution complex.
The fact that their export frenzies and occasional cases of dumping have brought hardship
and unemployment in their target countries rarely dawns on them. Perhaps the best example
of this was 20 years ago when Mitsubishi and Hitachi were accused of espionage against
IBM to gain industrial secrets. Yet in the Japanese press IBM was villified of hatching a plot of
entrapment along with the FBI against 2 innocent and successful Japanese firms. The Japanese
are just doing their best, producing things people want. What could possibly be wrong with that?
Ok, boys and girls, it's test time! Ever see the Borg on Star Trek? Ever wonder if the Japanese
are really the Borg in disguise? See if you can tell which said the following statements!
"We only wish to raise quality of life".
"We are not Saracens, we do not come as invaders to sow desolation...we offer our knowhow,
better quality of life, greater reliability, and the beauty of sound and image."
"You're nothing but raw materials to them."
"You will be assimilated!! Resistance is futile!!!"
A little tough? The first and third are from Japan -- the third was a full page ad in the French
newspaper Le Monde after growing criticism that Japanese mass-exports of VCRs to France
were seriously hurting the economy and draining foreign exchange reserves. But the Japanese
have extreme difficulty in seeing things objectively when Japan is involved. When things
go well, the whole world is just jealous at how hard Japanese work. When things go bad,
suddenly it hasn't anything to do with me. When the Japanese military in WWII overran other forces,
the whole country rejoiced. When the war was lost, it was the army that was guilty, not me.
This attitude is still in the A-bomb Museums in Nagasaki and Hiroshima -- never a word about the
war or its causes; only one day the Japanese went out to work as usual and this big bad bomb
was dropped on them. Want to know what happens when some Japanese brings up the subject?
Ask the former mayor of Nagasaki -- he made a statement that Japanese should discuss Hirohito's
role and possible amount of guilt, and a right-wing kook promptly shot him. So much for a
debate in Japan. Many Japanese have their noses so hard-pressed against the grindstone that
they can't see the forest for the trees. The majority of Japanese are not well educated or
are indifferent about the past. And many Japanese wonder why many SE Asians still
harbor ill-will towards Japan. Periodically, without fail, some Japanese politician makes a
remark that Japan's "advance" into Asia (not "invasion" -- that term was
purged from textbooks by the Japanese Ministry of Education) was all well intentioned, and the
Rape of Nanking et al either never
happened or was grossly exaggerated. And this view doesn't come from the kook fringe, it comes
from the elite leading the country. If this is the way Japan's leaders act, it's no surprise that
other nations still hold a grudge. Until recently all Japanese music was banned in Korea. And the
Chinese, despite having a massive superiority in military might as well as nuclear weapons,
is still hypersensitive when it sees anything like an active military in Japan.
Of course, the subject is never brought up in Japan. The image of harmony is very important,
and so the Japanese try to avoid open conflict wherever possible. And to be fair, the
Japanese may have a lot of Groupthink, but no, they don't all act as one like The Borg. The
stereotype of "Japan Inc." is false -- within the government, the parties, the companies, and the
company departments you find sub-groups, all working strongly against eachother for more
money, budget, power, etc. Only when the diverse groups agree on something (like keeping
foreign goods out as much as possible) is anything decided and implemented quickly. The
Japanese are NOT hate-mongers, it must be re-iterated; they don't froth at the mouth when
you bring up these subjects, rather they think what they are taught to think. You'll find the
Japanese are very open, gracious and kind to westerners in Japan. On television
Japanese spend a lot of time patting eachother on the back on how supposedly "unique" they are. The problem
comes when someone in charge takes that one step further and thinks unique is really
"superior". The term "giseisha" means victim, or sacrifice. It is also used when things don't go the right
way. No one wants to take responsibility for reform in Japan if it offends those who pull the
strings (even if it benefits the nation as a whole). "Gaiatsu", or pressure from abroad (usually
for political reform the Japanese bureaucrats are too constipated to do themselves),
is often used as a whipping boy. Japanese also have one other
noticeable trait -- the Urami Complex. Urami means envy, and Japanese are keenly aware of
what others in their group have or get. Many Japanese motives are based on envy, and while
equality in the west means a fair chance for all, in Japan it's more like spoiled children
thinking, "if I can't have it, neither can anyone else". Japanese society itself has been pictured
as a round table, with everyone sitting around it -- and viewing what everyone else has or
does. Being branded as someone who causes trouble (meiwaku) is the worst scarlet letter
(even if you are just standing up for yourself) and almost
carries the stigma of child killer in the West. Lots is spoken about harmony and being equals in a group.
So in office politics there might appear to be a lot
of non-committal attitudes and indifference, and lots of smiles and superficial agreements to
avoid open conflict. But not everyone can end up as CEO or section manager, etc.
so there must be a weeding out along the way. Behind the smiles and polite courtesies there are
often feelings of resentment and stress, often from being in a cramped room with
others for 5-7 days a week, as well as from jockeying for position on who'll get promoted.
If the Japanese are really so happy and harmonious, why are
they gulping down liquor and chain-smoking their lungs out every day? Behind the veneer you'll
find a lot of stress and pressure which is kept well hidden.
Amae means basically dependence. In Japan, mavericks and lone-wolf
types are very much frowned upon. When Japanese go off alone to a foreign
country or somewhere, many rapidly become insecure. It's no exaggeration
to say that Japanese (particularly women) think on a more childlike level.
Again, this is a double-edged sword. Japanese women undeniably have a lot
of charm that comes from this. But it has its drawbacks as well.
Douglas MacArthur made a remark that the Japanese should be treated
like they're all 12 years old. And that was 60 years ago. That sounds
condecending of course but these days you don't exactly see a large number
of western women carrying around Mickey Mouse pencil cases and Hello Kitty
notebooks well into their 30s. Women are taught to act and look cute, not
sophisticated. Japanese pop music sounds like it was written by elementary
school students, and pop-stars ("idoru", from idol) are here today, gone
tomorrow. At any rate, amae is a fundamental characteristic of Japan--one
(the 'kobun') presumes on a superior (the 'oyabun') in a group, and a
vertical, symbiotic relationship is created. It often occurs when one
joins a company or school, and a person needs something and to get
integrated into a comfortable niche very quickly. The underling gets a
channel to move upward and the superior gets someone to do their bidding.
And as part of a group, success is shared by all, and guilt is diffused
when something goes wrong. In the latter case, it can be detrimental because it's
impossible to find out who is responsible, or for anyone to take responsibility.
Amae has several other manifestations. Women are always portrayed as frail,
delicate, or dainty in pictures, tv, movies, and music. And in adult
videos women are treated like trash who are just asking for it. When
movies are dubbed in Japanese, the women's voices are always ultra-soprano;
the men's are very low. The same for women announcers. And regarding all the
overblown praise you still hear ad nauseum about Japan's "lifetime employment
system", in reality it only applies to about a third of the Japanese workforce,
namely elite white collar workers and unionized blue collar workers in large companies.
It does not apply to women, and it certainly does not apply to foreigners. Women are relegated
to being "Office Ladies", or "OL", doing minor clerical duties, making tea, and being
wallflowers (shokuba no hana). When they reach their 30s or if they marry they are coerced to quit.
With Japan's population in decline and needing workers however, this may finally be changing.
A take-charge woman in Japan will not get as much help or attention as a cutesy airhead
who always needs the help of some big, strong, kind Japanese man. And
why are things like this? Perhaps it's because some men might actually
have an even bigger ego-deficit than the women, despite appearances.
Tate Shakai means a vertically structured society, like the military
or a caste system. The phrase was made by Japanese sociologist Nakane Chie,
who wrote a good book on it. From 1600 until 1868 Japan was an officially
segregated society with 5 classes of people. At the top were the samurai,
then the farmers, then the artisans, then the merchants, and finally the
outcasts (the grave diggers, leather tanners, etc.). The system collapsed
because by the end of the Shogunate rule the merchants had all the money.
Yet even today a shadow of this system is still around; while a democracy
on paper, the notion of Jeffersonian egalitarianism is still alien.
Everyone belongs to some group, and every group has people of superior
rank and status. The notion of boss and worker being perfect buddies
after work without a thought of the company relationship for Japanese is
impossible. The language itself has many words for "I" and "you", each
showing how much respect (or lack of) one shows the other. This trait also
contributes to a strong materialist mentality in Japan; of always trying to
"keep up with the Jones" and many paying absurd prices for brand name and designer
goods. There are other manifestations also. We'd think universities exist to educate the
students. Yet in fact in Japan universities serve the needs of the
professors more, who are given carte blanche for privileges while students
are subjected to numerous excessive rules, and professors pay little
regard to the quality of their classes. (In Japanese colleges you can
nearly sleep your way through and get straight A's though). And some
foreigners have quipped that the Mercedes that are illegally parked on
the street get a lot fewer tickets than other cars--that may or may not
be true. However, while in the US it's a "government of the people, by
the people, and for the people" in Japan it's really a plutocratic
government "of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich".
Shikata ga nai means "There's nothing you can do about it", and is
often used by Japanese when they face a troubling situation they think
they can't change. It is in fact a strong form of brainwashing put on the
Japanese from the day they're born to conform and follow orders without
question. Again, this fits in with Tate Shakai in that the strong control
the weak and the weak exist to serve the strong -- be it the almighty
Company, or the Establishment. You will find the Japanese do an enormous
amount of complaining about things they can't change (e.g. the weather),
but put up and shut up about things they can (e.g. political corruption,
unfair treatment by superiors, etc.). At least until they're full of
liquor and you see their personality do a 180. By making the underlings
feel powerless it is far easier to control them, make them work harder or
give "voluntary overtime" (work for free, which is illegal but many
companies practice), sacrifice themselves more for the group, etc. In the
West this would be seen as sinister, and it can be. But to be objective,
it also makes the Japanese tougher competitors in both Japanese and
international markets. If ever one falters, or feels he can't take it,
he is told to put up with it (gaman). Gaman means to take it or be
patient, and again, is a double-edged sword. For Japanese it's a source
of great strength. No matter how hard things get, they just keep fighting
(ganbaru). This has allowed Japanese to overcome enormously difficult
times, including natural disasters as well as a bad economy. But on the
negative side, there is also a time to cut your losses and reform -- and
Japanese sometimes get blinded to this and fail to see when more
fundamental structural changes need to be made.
The term Nihonjinron (or "Ware Ware Nihonjin") is a "We Japanese"
mentality. It is part of the Uchi-Soto mindset except it is almost always
applied in a "Japanese and everyone else" kind of way. Japan is the
center of the world -- and if you buy a map of the world don't be surprised
to find Japan in the middle of it. This can be very bewildering to
westerners in Japan. If there's a Japanese news report of a plane crash
somewhere in the world with 398 non-Japanese and 2 Japanese people, the
news report will focus on the crash and then the lives, family, and
friends of the 2 Japanese. The rest of the people? They don't exist. They're
never even mentioned. Another example is when 2 Japanese baseball
players, Hideo Nomo and Irabu, made it on US teams. Suddenly, you start
seeing lots of major league baseball games on Japanese TV, with the
promos blaring "Major League Baseball--Nomo!!" as if he were the captain,
manager, and God's greatest gift to the team. Other MLB games without
Japanese players are never shown. And all this in spite of the fact that
Nomo became a persona non grata in Japan's leagues because he wanted to throw the
ball his way, not the way the manager dictated. (Nomo now says he'll
never play baseball for a Japanese team ever again. And he's still hailed
as the baseball hero of Japan.) As stated, when Japan is involved in an
issue, the Japanese often find it hard if not impossible to look
objectively. If a foreigner criticizes some act of corruption in the
Japanese government, many Japanese will feel offended that this foreigner
is attacking "us". In other words, in a society where show takes
precedence over substance and getting along with the group is more
important than work performance, there are more than a few Japanese who'd
take anything even slightly negative against Japan as a sweeping
condemnation of everything Japanese as well as insulting their mother's
honor, and might be anwered with "then why don't you just go home, you
racist foreigner". Japanese don't have a monopoly on this attitude by any
means, but it can be quite surprising to suddenly get such a retort.
Hypocrisy is something attacked in the West, but in
Japan it is often standard procedure. Even today, when western nations ask Japan
to open its markets (to the benefit of the whole Japanese population),
many Japanese initially see it as an attack on the Japanese way of life
and culture. Rice, the most heavily protected product in Japan, is the by
far the biggest example of this. The agricultural unions cranked up their
propaganda machines about how rice is the soul of Japan and how "unsafe"
foreign rice is. And the Japanese people bought it hook, line and sinker.
The current recession is testing this notion however, and due to GATT
Japan has been forced to grant "minimum access" to foreign rice. The
powerful yen also has sent many Japanese shopping overseas. Yet instead of
wondering why Japan is so expensive, the typical reaction is how weird it
is that other nations are so cheap.
The term "Kokusaika" or
"Internationalization" is another trendy buzzword being bounced around the
country. Everyone is supposed to become more international these days.
However, since the Japanese never bothered to define what exactly
"international" is, it is just another vacuous idea. To many Japanese
women being international is carrying a Louis Vouitton bag and drinking
Budweiser. To others it's meeting foreigners (i.e. white people--the rest
of the world doesn't matter) and speaking English. And many Japanese
can't even picture anything of what "international" is supposed to be.
This is not surprising since many Japanese haven't a clue as to what
"being Japanese" is either. It is often the subject on tv shows. McDonalds
was first told they'd never make it in Japan, since "Japanese eat
rice-balls, not hamburgers". Coca-cola got the same message with green tea.
Now both have billions of dollars in revenue from Japan. Some Japanese
even ask Americans if Kentucky Fried Chicken is in America, as if
it were a Japanese invention, or even ask if there are 4 seasons in your country,
believing that Japan is the only nation in the world where the seasons change.
Since no working definition exists however,
"being Japanese" usually means doing things the traditional way -- a
backwards looking view. Whenever some big reform happens, it's always
decried as anti-Japanese, but Japanese soon adapt and it disappears from
mind. And Japan is still Japan.
OR: The Buck Never Stops
These terms are the lowest common denominators of how things run in
Japan. The Iron Triangle is the Japanese System -- the politicians, Big
Business/Special Interests, and the bloated bureaucracy. So who runs the country? None of them,
really. Each is engaged in a tug-of-war for their own interests. The
politicians want re-election, the bureaucrats want cushy jobs and bigger budgets (and fight
reform and any attempt to streamline themselves out of a job) and Big
Business/Special interests want protection, public works projects, subsidies, and freedom from the
other 2 groups' meddling. And each coddles or lambastes the others to
get what they want. The bureaucratic ministries themselves are often at war with eachother, with one
department or ministry fighting another in turf battles. The winner gets more clout and a
bigger budget. What happens when something goes wrong? Each side
points their fingers at the other, and plays the blame game. Since
Japanese do things by consensus, getting a consensus means a lot of
negociation and horse-trading (nemawashi). In Japan even the smallest problem must
turn into a major crisis before something is done about it. Even if some
reform is passed, it's up to the bureaucrats to implement it; and by tacking
on numerous procedures and red tape (called gyosei shido, or "administrative guidance")
they can severely water down its effects.
People vote for politicians who can bring home the most pork. Fully 10% of the
Japanese people are employed in the construction industry, a major beneficiary
of public-works spending. With Japan's post-war economic miracle and rapid urbanization,
but no change in the distribution of political power, today's dwindling rural voter has
4 votes to every urbanite--and they continue to pursue protectionism and pork at the
expense of everyone. And politicians are more than happy to oblige for the votes.
Today Japan's budget deficit is officially over 140% of GDP (unofficial estimates put it
at over 270% of GDP) and rising. And these practices
show no sign of ending soon. And in many industries, the mafia (yakuza) carry considerable
influence. (For a comparitive study, look at Italy's history for the last 100 years. The
parallels are uncanny).
So how can such a system exist in a "democracy"? In part because there is no
accountability or taking of responsibility -- nor any effective Freedom of Information
Law where the public can see how its tax money is being spent. In other
nations, there is the public "right to know", but in Japan info is only
disclosed if there is a "need to know", and so far the government feels
the public doesn't need to know. Only in 2001, after a full 22 years of
Liberal-Democratic Party stonewalling, will any such law come into
effect -- and the politicians and bureaucrats can still withhold any info
if they feel there are "sufficient reasons". To sum up their attitude,
one LDP Diet member warned that the law could give "a mistaken notion of
direct supervision by the people".
The Empty Center is another term for
the Japanese System. In short, the person at the top is not the person in
charge. The Prime Minister is not the most powerful man in the country,
but the puppet-masters who put him there are. The person with the most
business contacts and bureaucrats in his hip pocket stays in the shadows
and exerts influence from there. This is not new. Historically, for centuries the
Emperor was a powerless figurehead -- it was the Shogun who ruled. Yet to
maintain order, the Shogun always said he ruled in the Emperor's
name -- never was there a declaration of a new dynasty. Often when scandals
errupt, it is the president of the company who resigns -- even if he didn't
have any connection -- out of a sense of giri, or a duty to fufill
social obligations.
In fact, by the time a proposal reaches the CEO,
it's more or less decided by the underlings and consensus already. The
top-down, take charge approach is not common in Japan. However, for small
companies and the like, the manager may exercise total control. For you,
maybe in a small school or firm, you might face a petty-dictator or a
control-freak. Power is the ultimate drug -- if you come here, you can't
get it, but you may have to deal with those that are addicted to it.
For the foreign resident in Japan, the attitudes of the ex-pat
actually goes through three predictable phases, of varying lengths 1)The
Honeymoon Phase, 2) The Critical Phase 3) The Integrating Phase. Let's
look at each of these--
This always is the mindset of
the eager foreigner who has just arrived, and usually lasts a few months
to a year. Every day in Japan is like a new day at Disneyland; everything
is new, there are lots of places to see and things to do, meeting the
warm Japanese is always a joy. Usually the language isn't much of a burden
since you simply don't know much of it and don't worry about it. It is
these people who stay a short time, go home, and spread myths about Japan
being a mystical Shangri-La, full of happy, happy people and money just
lying in the street waiting for you to pick it up and make "Big Money
Fast".
For those that stay longer, they usually leave
the Honeymoon and then enter the Critical Phase, which might last several
months to even a few years. The disillusionment of Japan not being a
Paradise on Earth sets in hard, and the ex-pat encounters frustration at
dealing with the language (which is profoundly difficult), cultural
differences, and Japanese social obstructions such as the constant
treatment of being an Outsider, as well as the needless difficulties in
finding an apartment, getting a credit card, or functioning in society.
The ex-pat may also find that some of the young Japanese have been really
friendly more to practice their own English than to become genuine
friends. The pleasures and joys of the things back home become missed
more, and the realities of paying the highest prices on the planet become
clear. Meeting other ex-pats who vent their stress by attacking nearly
everything about Japan may aggravate the trouble.
Depending on the person, isolationism or alienation may also set
in. It is quite easy to spot an immature ex-pat by seeing how they make
sweeping generalizations about Japanese people, Japanese women, etc. and
think they know everything there is to know about Japan because they just
do the same things every day.
He may also believe he has all the answers to everything wrong with
Japan and become more irate with the fact that Japan isn't following his
brilliant conclusions. These types who go home for good usually have
little positive to say about Japan, spread misinformation about Japan on the
internet and may permanently hold enmity toward it.
If the ex-pat sticks it out though, and usually takes a periodic vacation
to blow off steam, he will usually enter the Integrating Phase, the most objective
of all. He can see both the good and the bad of Japan and where he's from, and
learns to appreciate the best of both worlds. This is the person who has matured
more and is an asset to any company. It is not unusual for long-term
ex-pats to have a love-hate relationship with Japan, but over all, they
have a stronger resilience as well as a greater tolerance than most people
back home. Different people of course will behave differently, and your
mileage may vary. It is important though to keep an open mind, to learn about yourself
as well as Japan and where you're from, and not to get
bogged down with negativity. And remember whatever problems you face, others like
southeast Asians have it far harder. It's not unusual to learn as much about your own
country as well since you can note the differences.
This then gives you a few of the more difficult cultural aspects of the Japanese.
Many of them may delight you and others may completely sour your stomach -- but
remember that they may take your behavior as equally "uncivilized", so there
are always more than 2 ways to look at it. In many of the aspects listed above, the
Japanese do not have any kind of monopoly; many traits could apply to other
nations as well. Nor are the Japanese all wind-up drones - you'll find variety
there, as anywhere (though many bureaucrats would love to run things more like an ant
colony). Remember you're not from Utopia either,
and if you were, you wouldn't be thinking of coming to Japan. Once again, for the
"why-is-there-only-bad-things-in-the-newspapers" crowd, it's necessary to re-state
that what's listed here is not the whole of Japanese culture, only the things that
are difficult -- Japan has many, many positive traits as well but these of course
will not be problematic for those adjusting to Japan. On the whole, the Japanese
people are very warm, helpful, and gracious to the western visitor. One can attain
a lot of personal growth as well as make a lot of good friends in Japan. Only when
the westerner stays here long enough and tries to go deeper into the Japanese
society does the resistance begin.
Japanese Culture: A Primer For Newcomers, ©1997-2004 All Rights Reserved.
Go to the whole version of The Japan FAQ: Know Before You Go.
Or go on to these other pages in The Japan FAQ Annex
Here are a few basic traits to remember--
1. Uchi-Soto ("Us and Them")
2. The Gaijin Complex
Nihongo Wa Jouzu Desu Neh!
3. Honne and Tatemae
4. Osekkai! -- Mind Your Own Business!
5. "Goatism"-- Giseisha and Urami
The Japanese vs. The Borg
6. Amae - Dependency
7. Tate-Shakai -- The Vertical Society
8. Shikata ga Nai and Gaman - You Can't Fight City Hall
9. Nihonjinron and Kokusaika - "We Japanese" and Internationalization
10.The Iron Triangle and the Empty Center
Where do I fit in?
The Honeymoon Phase
The Critical Phase
The Integrating Phase
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