Perhaps the most fascinating-frustrating-freeing aspect of Japanese society is its cohesion. There is no encouragement to express your individual voice, and the harmony of the community seems to be everyone`s first priority. Note, I chose "harmony" rather than the word "wellbeing", which I am unsure of. I believe it is this aspect of Japanese culture that has most influenced my experiences thus far.
In the classroom, students do not have opportunity to practice speaking on their own. When learning a new word, most teachers ask the students to first listen to the model (me) and then repeat in unison. It is very rare to assign the students to give a speech or write their own thoughts. Even in university, it is unusual to learn through essay-writing or debate. Students always confer with one another before giving an answer, even to the simplest questions.
When eating, everyone times their consumption of food/drink with the others. If we are drinking at a bar, we don`t take a sip until everyone has their drink. We say in unison "kampai" (cheers). At the start of every meal, we say "itadakimasu" (I humbly receive) in unison. We eat together. Then everyone finishes eating at the same time. We say "gochisousama deshita" (thank you for this feast) in unison.
If we wish to give our opinions about a matter, there are three ways to do it: 1. American style - just say it. This is offensive and ineffective in Japan. 2. Drop our suggestions, vaguely, in a conversation. Use phrases like "this is probably a bad idea but. . ." or "maybe. . ." Hope for the best. 3. Invite our target to go drinking. Get him/her a little drunk, and have the conversation then. A lot of office politics are worked out this way, apparently effectively.
At times I really struggle with this culture of cohesiveness. Where is my privacy!? Why won`t anyone tell me what they think? Why do my students have no opinions -- even about their favorite color or pop star?! How will there ever be respect for diversity (of idea, ability, gender, sexual orientation, politics, religion, ethnicity, etc) if no one will share who they are?
In a recent NYT article, Thomas Friedman discussed democracy and diversity in Iraq. I have similar observations about Japan:
"But democracy is not about majority rule; it is about minority rights. If there is no culture of not simply tolerating minorities, but actually treating them with equal rights, real democracy can ft take root. But respect for diversity is something that has to emerge from within a culture. We can hold a free and fair election in Iraq, but we can`t inject a culture of diversity. America and Europe had to go through the most awful civil wars to give birth to their cultures of diversity."
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/opinion/11friedman.html?th&emc=th
My job is is multifasceted: I am an English Language Teacher, but I am also here for "Internationalization", whatever that will mean. I know I am here in Japan to be changed, just as much as I might broaden the minds of my students, coworkers, and friends. I continue to sort out how all of this will happen.
1 comment:
what an interesting observation, t. what we've noticed about the dutch culture is how open everyone is at expressing their thoughts, to the point of being insensitive sometimes (at least it seems that way to me, an american, who feels that certain topics should be off limits to strangers/houseguests: sexuality, religion, politics depending on the stance of the host...). and yet, the dutch also don't try to stand out... there are two sayings in the dutch culture, i can't remember how to say them in dutch, but one is basically "if you're doing it normal, then that's all you need to do." and the other one is something like "the tall weeds get their heads cut off first." (sounds almost japanese to me, at least from what i've read from your blog entries...) it is not really okay to stand out, at least not here in twente with all the traditional farmers and families. we dress similarly, we eat similar foods, we all get the exact same percentage raise at the end of the year, we are paid according to our age and not according to our abilities or expertise... it is all very socialized, i guess. but it's more than that. it's a culture of wanting to fit it, to be normal, to not draw attention to yourself. and yet, they are perfectly comfortable asking you in your own home if you've stopped using birth control so you can start a family now, or to talk about religion and how they truly feel about said religion, even if you adhere to that particular practice... for example. what is this dichotomy about? where does it come from?
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