Changing impression: I think only now I may be beginning to understand

I have lived in Japan for 3.5 months now, and even though I leaned a lot about Japanese culture, I’ve also come to understand that I there are many things that I really don’t understand.

As I arrived to Japan, I noticed how strict and inflexible things are here. In such a way, if one orders a meal set at a restaurant, and wishes to substitute desert for another slice of bread, for example, it is likely that he/she wouldn’t be able to do so even though a slice of bread is evidently cheaper than a slice of a cake. Why? Because set is a set. The same thing sometimes is also true for cafeterias. Another example is the seating in the buses of a long destination. The seats are assigned, and normally person is seated next to someone of the same gender. Once my friend and I did not get seats next to each other, and we asked if it was possible to switch with somebody. It wasn’t. Small things and nuances like these examples I see everywhere. Furthermore, if you break a rule, Japanese may be merciless, which I not only witnessed but actually got to experience on my own.

So how do Japanese survive in this country of rules and restrictions? Yes, Japanese are diligent people who like rules, but I also began to notice that they find ways to get around those restrictions. It all seems to be a matter of relationships and communication. My otoosan (host-father), for example, gets speeding tickets from time to time, but he always gets away without paying a fine. My okaasan (host-mom) can get discounts anywhere she goes and also seems to get around restrictions pretty easily. Unfortunately I do not know Japanese well enough to understand what my host-parents actually say in such situations. Sweet talk? There is common expression in Japanese goma o suru. In literal translation it means to grind sesame seeds, but as an idiom it is “applied to a person who plays sycophant or who fawns upon another” (Buchanan 63). Although this expression is often used in negative connotation, it seems to be a big part of Japanese culture and maybe even necessary component of building good relationships. Being nice to people and playing by “social rules” is taken to a whole new level in Japan. Moreover, Japanese culture is especially big on omiyage* and present giving.

If you go traveling, you are expected to bring back an omiyage for your boss, family, and other people, to show that you were thinking of them while away. Moreover, twice a year in Japan people send presents to everyone who helps and takes care of them. My otoosan in this time of a year gets at least one package a day. First when I heard about tradition of omiyage and present giving, it seemed a bit strange to me, but slowly I begin to see the whole picture. It is all about establishing good relationships. Japanese culture is strict, but if you have good communication skills and connections, you may be able to get around many things. Yes, it may be true anywhere in the world to a certain extent, but, from my observations, in Japan it is especially emphasized. Although I still do not fully understand how it works.

Another question is what do you do being a gaijin** in Japan? Do these techniques still apply?

* omiyage – lit. “souvenir”

** gaijin – lit. “foreigner”

Reference:

Buchanan, Daniel C., 1965. Japanese proverbs and sayings. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 63 http://books.google.com/books?id=wGb4zNqYj10C&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=goma+o+suru+expression&source=bl&ots=RAaFGE5hHg&sig=XNOl2C0luQqhdCv_CYLQYip4l4s&hl=en&ei=VOUlS6_pHIvW7AOUs9W0Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CB0Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=goma%20o%20suru%20expression&f=false

Politics of Garbage in Japan

Many who come to Japan often wonder, “What is the deal here with the garbage cans?!” You can walk for many kilometers without seeing a single garbage can. At that, surprisingly, you almost never see garbage lying around on the streets. So what is the deal with Japan and garbage?

There are seems to be more than one explanation for the lack of trash cans on the streets, and I will mention two of them. Some say that garbage cans were removed as one of the precautions against terrorist attacks. After sarin attack in subways of Tokyo in 1995*, lockers and garbage cans were sealed and removed as a potential bomb hiding places. However, I was not able to find a source stating that for the same reason garbage cans were removed on the streets and in the parks. Moreover, it seems that trash cans disappeared from public places before 1995. The second explanation, that seems the most reasonable to me, is Japanese recycling system. Japan (standing next to Germany) has one of the best recycling systems in the world. Japanese sort their garbage by PET bottles (with caps and labels removed), plastic, burnable, glass, aluminum, and sometimes more categories exist. To keep up this system, whenever placing a garbage can, the city would need to set up at least 3 or 4 types which is an additional expanse that the cities perhaps are not willing to pay for.

You may think, “But isn’t it necessary? Wouldn’t people otherwise throw their garbage wherever they stand thereby littering the streets?” Apparently not in Japan. Japanese, as good citizens, carry their garbage with them and then recycle it when they get home. There are certainly many reasons for this phenomenon, which make a great topic for a separate discussion. Here I will only mention that it is part of Japanese philosophy to comply with rules, do what is the best for society, and think of the consequences. It could be a part of collective thinking. In individualistic countries people may think “If I don’t litter, somebody else will, so my action won’t make a difference” or “No one litters here so if I will this one or two times, it will not make a difference,” hence everyone thinks just in terms of themselves. In Japan, on the other hand, people tend to think, “If everyone will litter, streets will become dirty, and neither I nor others will enjoy it; so I will not litter even if it makes an inconvenience for me right now to carry my garbage with me.” The same philosophy may also apply to recycling.

To sum up, the garbage politics in Japan are as follows. The absence of trash cans on the streets of Japan seems to be partially caused by recycling system which is essential and well-developed in this country. However, despite the lack of garbage cans, littering is not an issue which may be explained by Japanese collective psychology.

* For more information see: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e9ERAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rewDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6553,2434296

References:

Olmsted, J. 2007. Japan’s recycling: more efficient than U.S.A. http://www.unwstout.edu/rs/2007/Recycling.pdf

"The Deseret News. - Archive Search." Google News. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e9ERAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rewDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6553,2434296.

"Garbage in Japan." Bonsai Superstar. http://bonsai-superstar.blogspot.com/2007/08/garbage.html.

"The Philosophy of Garbage and Japan." EzineArticles Submission - Submit Your Best Quality Original Articles For Massive Exposure, Ezine Publishers Get 25 Free Article Reprints. http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Philosophy-of-Garbage-and-Japan&id=2103972.