Japanese culture

[timebomb]

Hi, folks,

I visited Japan last week with my family. We touched down in Narita airport and took a limousine bus to Shinjuku, Tokyo. On the second day, we took a train to Tokyo station and sat on a bullet train to Niigata. From there, we took a bus to ADA. It was a long journey but well worth the effort. It was snowing when we reached ADA. It was very cold and although I said "snowing" it was actually more like "raining ice" because the snow came down as small droplets of ice.

I'll describe more of my trip to ADA in another post but here, I would just like to talk about Japanese culture. There are many things about the Japanese which I find to be absolutely amazing. To put it simply, I would say they are a "people who puts a lot of thought into the smallest things".

For instance - the hotel's bathroom. With all other hotels' bathrooms that I've used, the mirror will always mist up after a shower but not in a Japanese hotel. The mirror will mist up but the part that is just behind the washbasin will remain clear. I believe they must have some sort of a heating coil behind the mirror to prevent it from misting. The other amazing thing, of course is the toilet bowl. It comes with a built-in bidet which will wash your backside for you after you have done your business. You can even choose the temperature of the water which you like your backside to be washed. The toilet bowl will also heat up the moment you sit on it. It detects your backside when you sit on the bowl and automatically flushes. The water that comes out of the cistern is warm, thereby keeping your backside warm and comfortable. Besides a built-in bidet, the toilet bowl also comes with a shower. I tried "showering" my backside but can't feel the difference between the shower and the bidet. Funny thing though, the toilets don't flush automatically when you get up from the seat.

The Japanese really give a lot of attention to the smallest details. Even their cotton buds, the ones which we used to clean our ears are different from those I know. Theirs are a round ball of cotton on one end just like ours but on the other end, the bud comes with ridges. I'm not sure if cleans ears more effectively but it's the first time I've seen such a cotton bud.

In Japan, you never have to use your hands to open doors or turn on taps All are on automatic mode, even those in public toilets. On the trains, there are heaters beneath the seats to keep everyone's backsides warm. The Japanese are a quiet people. The trains may be packed with people but it's all peace and quiet. No handphone ever rings as each and every commuter has either switched off his phone or put it on silent mode. When they talk to each other, they whisper. There's hardly a sound other than the announcements coming over the train's speaker. Before boarding the trains, they queue on one side of the doors. They wait patiently for commuters to alight before entering the trains. On the escalators, everyone stands to the left, leaving the right side empty for commuters in a hurry. On the buses, passengers ring a bell to signal to the driver they want to alight at the next stop. They then sit down again and wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before making their way down the bus. Although everyone seems to be in a hurry, they are nevertheless very patient with each other.

In Japan, it's very clean everywhere but it's damn hard to find a trash bin. When I compare this to our own country, I find this absolutely amazing. I don't know how they do it but I believe the Japanese keep their trash in their pockets until they come to a trash bin.

You can't smoke and walk around in public when you're in Japan. But strangely, smoking is allowed in most eateries and food outlets. I find this very strange but I think the reason behind this is that they don't mind being suffocated by the smoke and what they really don't like is when smokers litter the floor with the ash from their cigarettes. With almost all buildings, there's a smokers' corner where a trash bin with an ash tray is provided. From what I've observed, there are more women smokers than men smokers in Japan. They have a law against under-aged people smoking as I saw 2 young girls being questioned and having their cigarettes confiscated by a group of officials.

The Japanese are an amazingly polite people. When the inspector came to check on our train tickets during the bullet train ride, he bowed to everyone in the carriage before entering and bowed again to everyone when he exited. On my return flight, I saw from my window seat, the workers who were loading our luggage onto the plane's cargo hold, stand in a line on the airport's tarmac waving goodbye to our plane and bowing.

It was the first time I've been to Japan and my stay was pretty short but I must say I'm damn impressed. It makes me wonder why it is so hard to teach Singaporeans to do a simple thing like stand to the left on an escalator.

Loh K L

[genes]

Pictures!!!

Did they tell you they are very proud people? hehehe... Have you heard before stories of Tokyo Disneyland? For example tour guides or disneyland staffs telling tourists that they do not need visitors from abroad because they are sustainable by themselves? But i liked their culture. Like you mentioned, interesting technologies and extremely polite.

Oh by the way, the no phone thingy on train is because they do not want the handphones to affect the heart paces. Much like in hospitals. So their phones are usually on off or silent mode and instead of talk of the phone, they use sms while in the train. If they need to talk, they usually standup and walk to the end of the carriage to use their phone. I was puzzled too with this behavior so i asked my Jap colleague. Its so different compared to our MRT with MP3s at max volume to show other people how lousy their earphones/headphones really are, people talking loudly on their handphones.

[Simon]

in shinjuku and ginza area, it is prohibited to smoke while walking. There are ashtrays along the road and these are smoking areas. However it is an inconvenience to us smokers but however I do like the way they does things over in Japan.

Was in Tokyo last weekend as well. The polite-ness of the japanese also prompt us to speak politely to them as well. Sometimes giving a slight bowing gesture.. I saw an illegal parked bicycle along ginza and the police left a note on the bicycle, stating that it is illegal to park at that area. Have been there thrice and I really enjoy the place, however the pace japanese move is so much faster than us, maybe except for the Hongkongers. With more foreigners visiting Japan, more english is widely used, 10 yrs ago when I was there, they spoke very little to no english. We were at one of the supermarket getting some dinner and the lady who were serving us spoke english to us, what a relieve, also there are many China and Taiwan national there as well.

Dining in their food court is also an experience, once you made your order, they will give you a 'pager' like device. When your food is ready for collection, they will beep for you and after your 'makan' return your own tray to the designated wash areas.

I will visit Japan again.. hopefully soon

[TS168]

Thanks You TimeBomb for sharing your trip experience.

Just from my view:
I find it is the education/training they get and it is possible to happen here if "every human being" not just Singaporean put in that effort.

Correct me if i am wrong. Thanks

[rwalker]

I worked in a Japanese company before. I must say they are an interesting bunch of people and we can learn a lot from them, for example, their politeness, obsession with order, and continuous improvement spirits.

However, your experience could be very different if you are not just a tourist but actually stay and work down there. You may feel suffocated by their workaholic (not necessary efficient) culture, group thinking, endless meetings, drinking and smoking habits.

[ranmasatome]

Loke... spoken like a true blue japanese worker.

i've worked there before as well... so i have to agree with Loke... most things can't be judged on the surface.. after the first year.. their true culture starts to sink into you and you realise why exactly they are what they are. its not a bad thing persay.. just different and you have to keep constant vigiliance not to be too sucked into conventional pressure.

[juggler]

KL: Thanks for sharing.

[Aquaculture]

However, your experience could be very different if you are not just a tourist but actually stay and work down there. You may feel suffocated by their workaholic (not necessary efficient) culture, group thinking, endless meetings, drinking and smoking habits.

This is so so true. In an organization, we're not known as colleagues but referred to as members. At least half a day is spent in meetings after meetings.... after sometime, I personally think its an excuse for kopi break.

Yeh they don't walk and smoke and why you don't see cigarette butts everywhere is because they carry cigarettes pouch to dispose of the butts and emptying it when they find a bin. Maybe NEA should start distributing such pouches.

Though their drinking and smoking habits is bad. I still feel that they're way better than dealing with Thais, Cambodians and the Chinese from China.

[Shadow]

did you notice that they are wearing mask when they sick?

[genes]

There is another habit that they exhibit that amuses me. Have you ever seen their station master point up, down,left,right before the train moves off. Its like he is doing the para para dance...

And apprently, the workers in my jap factory does it too when they cross the road within the factory. They would not only look but point left and right before crossing the road. This to remind themselves to check that the roads are clear before they cross. So the para para thingy that the station master does is to remind himself that all his responsibilities have been checked and met before the train leaves the station.

[juggler]

Reminds me of something we do as recruits: "Helmet, rifle, SBO, water bottle, bayonet ...."

[meerkat]

Heard from the local tour guide from my Hokkaido trip two months back that the reason for people being disallowed to smoke while walking was because of a case whereby a child being blinded by a smoker's cigarette.

[timebomb]

You know,

It's not hard to understand why the Japanese are the way they are. The main reason, I believe is Japan is a densely populated country. I'm not sure of the geography but I remember reading somewhere that most of Japan consists of mountain ranges which are unsuitable for inhabitation. As a result, the Japanese are forced to live in close proximities with each other. In such an environment, conflicts will easily arise if there isn't a clear set of rules for everyone to conform to. I used the word "rules" but it's more like an unspoken understanding among everyone in that whatever they do, they consider how it will affect others. It's a society where people are highly considerate of each other.

For instance, I was queueing in a public toilet in a train station for my turn to pee. In the toilet, there were 3 cubicles and a row of urinals. The 3 cubicles were all occupied but when one was vacated, the first person in the queue did not move forward to use it. I was puzzled at first until I realised that in Japan when you only want to pee, you shouldn't use the cubicle but leave it for someone who actually wants to take a dump. Isn't that amazing!! What a considerate people they are. But how did the culture evolve into such a state?

Here in Singapore, where our population has sky-rocketed to 4 and a half million people in a very short time, conflicts between people have become an everyday affair. Our culture lacks a clear set of rules for everyone to follow.

In today's papers, there was a story of an old man who occupied 2 seats on a bus. He sat on one and use the other seat beside him for his bags. When a lady commuter asked him to remove his bags, he refused and a quarrel ensued. Stories like these have become common in Singapore. People fight over all sorts of things, from seats on the trains to parking lots.

Can we be like Japan one day, I wonder?

Loh K L

[hwchoy]

Oh by the way, the no phone thingy on train is because they do not want the handphones to affect the heart paces. Much like in hospitals. So their phones are usually on off or silent mode and instead of talk of the phone, they use sms while in the train.

you mean pacemakers for the heart? no I don't think that is the real reason. a phone will transmit as long as it is switched on, whether or not it is in use, albeit at a lower power level. that is why you have to switch off phones in the plane, not just switch to silence. sending SMS will also raise power level to transmit level.

besides cellular phone transmission is not strong enough to affect pacemakers. the real reason is probably their social consideration for not disturbing their immediate fellow travellers.