Features of Japanese life (that seem sorta different from American life)

By Greg McCulley

Drafted 20 December 1997

����������� When I was in high school, I recall my impressions of what life must have been like in Japan:� the people work too many hours in a week, all the food is raw, and the whole nation just might be bent on world domination.� These paradigms are largely the result of prejudices inherited from the generation before me.� As one grows older, however, one hopefully sees the value in variety and diversity.� There is a great deal of diversity between the cultures of the United States and Japan, and a paper could go on for volumes analogizing such material.� This paper, however, will limit discussion to the areas of customary manners, women's role in society, Japanese business, and Japanese family life.� Nearly all social groups have a set of accepted norms, but there are some definite differences between American and Japanese customs and manners.

����������� In the United States, many mannerisms embody the way Americans interact.� For example, the shaking of hands is a very important part of the act of meeting an acquaintance.� This is done in Japan as well, but more common is the act of bowing.� Bowing has been a part of Japanese custom for centuries, and really shows the importance the Japanese put on proper relationships. Bowing represents respect for one another in Japan.� The deeper the bow, the deeper the sign of respect intended, and the children learn it at a young age.� Since mothers commonly carry small children on their backs wherever they go, the children bow when the mother does.� There is an adage in Japan that states, young rice stalks stand tall, but mature rice bows deeply.� This implies that with age, comes the wisdom that bowing is a right and proper thing to do.� Bowing is so much a part of Japanese life that it is not uncommon for customers to be greeted at department stores by designated "bowers".� The act of bowing is often thought of when a Westerner thinks of Japan.� Another such icon is the use of chopsticks.� Chopsticks are the primary tool used by the Japanese with which to consume food.� For many Americans, who are accustomed to a knife and fork, eating with chopsticks can be tricky.� Chop sticks require patience and a bit more finesse than do forks or spoons, and other Japanese eating utensils have evolved around them.� For example, most dishes in the United States remain fixed on the table during a meal.� In Japan, the dishes are designed to be lifted to the mouth during eating.� This facilitates the consumption of the Japanese cuisine, which relies heavily on rice.�� Rice is another aspect of Japan that is quite different from America.� Rice is an indispensable part of the Japanese lifestyle, and has been for many centuries.� As recently as 1868, there are records of taxes being paid and wages being earned in the form of rice (Gakuseisha, 1).� Americans have traditionally consumed large amounts of meats, be it from hunting or raising of livestock.� Japan has no such grazing lands available, so it is understandable that her diet evolved differently.� One final element of custom or mannerism that differentiates America from Japan is they way people communicate interpersonally, especially in the business world.� The Japanese are careful not to engage in conflict with peers, superiors, and even competition in the business world of Japan.� In business meetings, there is seldom any type of interaction that could cause one or the other to lose face. �Few questions are asked that would force a definite answer immediately, and much time is spent ?talking around? issues;� it is more polite to be vague than to be negative.� To many American businessmen, this could be misinterpreted as indecisiveness.� This is not the case, it is merely they way in which the Japanese attempt to harmonize their lives, even when their American counterparts might rather grudge out or "dicker" an agreement at a meeting.� Business meetings in both the United States and Japan have had the same faces for many years: the faces of men.� That is changing in America, and it is in Japan as well, but to a lesser extent.

����������� The place of women in American society has changed a great deal. Most of these changes have been seen in this century. In Japan, in contrast, women have enjoyed a few more epochs throughout history.�� There have been eight Japanese empresses, compared to zero female presidents in the United States. One of Japan's empresses, Jitoh-Tenno, wrote Japan's first constitution in the 7th century A.D.� One of the world?s� first novels, The Tales of Genji, was written by a Japanese woman in the 11th century (Gakuseisha, 2).�� In modern Japan, it has been common for most women to raise the family while the men go off to work. However, more and more women are desiring to realize careers of their own.� Despite this shift in attitude, many women in Japanese business are not afforded the opportunity to advance because it is expected that they will leave the company when they marry and have children.� This does little to motivate the young Japanese woman.� Many women in Japanese business hold positions known as ?office ladies?, a kind of secretary.� Like American secretaries, office ladies carry out administrative tasks, but they are also responsible providing coffee at regular intervals to the male workers on the office floor.� In America, this privilege is usually reserved for the more senior workers.� It is difficult for Japanese women to advance from this secretarial position. In 1987, women made up only 7% of management in Japanese companies, compared with 40% in the United States (Gakuseisha, 2).�� This does not mean that most women in Japan never work.� On the contrary, many Japanese women must work outside the home to supplement the family income, or to satisfy their own quality of life standards.�

����������� As stated earlier, many Westerners view Japan as a collection of workers who never sleep and never tire from their labor.� Well, they do sleep, of course, but it is fair to say that if work habits are any gauge, differences do exist between Japanese and Americans view of work.� It can be said that in Japan, work is a mean in and of itself, and in America work is only to meet other ends or goals.� This may be true, given the amount of dedication the Japanese have for their careers.� (From henceforth, when I refer to the Japanese, I am referencing Japanese males)� Many Japanese commute over an hour to work every day.� They get home late at night, and this often means less time spent with the family.� This is all worth it for most of them for a number of reasons.� First of all, it is not inexpensive to live in Japan;� housing and food are costly, and most Japanese send their children to jukus. Jukus, or cram schools, help ensure the children will get into reputable schools.� Another reason for a dedicated work ethic is the degree of competition in the office.� I said earlier that conflict was avoided in Japanese business.� This is true, but underlying this is the awareness that all workers must do their part, and they don?t want to appear lackadaisical or uncommitted to their company.� The company, the team, is something� most workers insubordinate themselves to.� For example, when introducing themselves in a meeting, the Japanese state their company name first, followed by their department name, their position in the company, and lastly their name.� This precedence is underscored by the exchange of business cards at meetings, a kind of ritual.� Incidentally, these cards are kept face-up on the table at meetings, lest one forget the name of one?s counterpart and lose face.

����������� In America, there seems to be an attitude that work is a necessary evil, something you have to do to eat or to have a nice car or simply to posses money.� This is a generalization, of course, because many Americans have a sterling work ethic.� Having said that,� the United States is a nation that has been founded on the proposition that just over the horizon, life is better, easier, and more equitable than it is here today.� We seek to improve what we have, even at the cost (maybe preferably at the cost) of disposal of what we have today.� In Japan, this is not the mindset. �Rather, it is to improve and keep, or at least learn to live with, the life they lead.� I think this is a necessity of the conditions in Japan, to a large extent.� With so many people on the archipelago, they cannot afford to take an attitude that everything is disposable. The people must adapt and survive to be successful in the midst of the tension that is life in Japan.� In America, it seems we strive to adopt in order to survive and be successful.� We adopt what we please from groups within and without our society.�� Admittedly, this is a generalization, but it helps us to capture the difference in mindset between Japan and America.

����������� These are only a few examples of the features of Japanese and American life that are diverse.� As nations, both have strong suits and weaknesses. With cooperation and continued interaction, a learning relationship for us both could result.� It follows, therefore, that as we move into the 21st century, it would behoove us to look at one another to see what the other sees. �In doing so, we just might remove some of the paradigms which hinder progress and stifle intercultural relations.