Main Character in Your Story retweetledi
Rather than clearly defined “rules,” Japan has a strong culture of unwritten expectations — manners, morals, and the overall atmosphere of a place.
For example, if you talk on the phone inside a train, people around you will look at you as if to say, “Seriously…?” It is also true that many tourists are confused by this.
Also, for example, I have visited more than 60 countries so far, and I still travel around quite a lot these days. Based on my own experience, in most countries, taxi drivers may talk to someone on the phone, or they may listen to or play music they like. But I have never seen a taxi driver in Japan driving while talking on the phone with family, a partner, or a friend. Music is generally not playing either. At most, you might occasionally find an elderly independent taxi driver playing the radio, but basically, unless the passenger requests something, the inside of the taxi is a quiet space. Well, taxi drivers from Kansai, such as Osaka or Nara where I was born and raised, may casually start talking to you, though.
In any case, it is true that Japan has many unwritten manners and Japanese-standard moral expectations depending on the place or space: don’t be noisy, stay quiet, line up properly, wait your turn, take off your shoes, arrange them neatly, take your trash home, and so on.
However, I think the idea of “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” exists to some extent in every country.
I go to the USA very often, and when a complete stranger gets into an elevator, that person may give me a light smile or casually say “Hi” to me. That happens, right?
Back when I was not used to that kind of culture yet — when I was in my teens or twenties — this was very confusing to me.
I asked my online gaming friends in the USA what the correct reaction was supposed to be, and they told me:
“We do that to show other people, basically without even consciously thinking about it, that ‘I’m not your enemy.’ It’s better than standing there silently with your arms crossed and an angry-looking face. It’s a way to avoid trouble.”
That conversation made me start trying, whenever I made eye contact with someone in a confined space, to raise my eyebrows a little and give a slight smile with my mouth. Though, to be honest, I often still fail to react in time.
Then, with that habit, I would return to Japan. When I made eye contact with a stranger entering an elevator and raised my eyebrows with a slight smile, they would look at me with a very suspicious expression, as if to say, “Uh… what is this guy doing?” Then I would suddenly remember, “Oh no, this is Japan!” After that, whether in elevators, hallways, or trains, I would switch back into a mode of either having no expression or pretending to be completely indifferent (Although, in Osaka, random older ladies and men around town may casually talk to you, so I switch into Osaka mode there. In other words, even within Japan, it may depend on the place).
I don’t think either side wants more and more rules to be created. But in the sense of treating each other with respect, I do think it is necessary for people to respect each other’s cultural customs.
Andy@do_fliper
@Harada_TEKKEN Japan needs to be even more strict about rules The artificial western academic idea of letting anyone in, and then letting them do whatever they want, is by far the biggest threat the country has faced in the last centuries (yes, including that)
English
