He adds, “Often we hear many negative things about Japan in magazines and newspapers, and I realize that those comments may be caused by a lack of understanding.  What I wanted to ask you is this: What are your favorite aspects of Japanese culture that are not the same in America and other western countries?  Or what positive aspects of Japan are there that most westerners are not aware of?  I suppose those are very broad, big questions, but I hope you'll answer them.”  He continues, “It's rare that I read anything that talks about all the wonderful aspects of Japan and Japanese culture, and I think that's a shame. “

My favorite parts of Japanese culture

There are actually several of them and I will talk briefly about each of them.  I would not claim that none of these exist in one form or the other in any other part of the world or we do it better than others – but these are my favorites.

Work ethic

We are very committed to our work and consider our jobs as a blessing.  Whether we like a job or not, we always do our very best.  Additionally, no job is too mean for us.  Even after going to good universities and earning prestigious diplomas, we all start at the bottom of the ladder and sometimes do things that do not fully use what we are capable of or are just too mundane.  However, the attitude that most Japanese have is that they need to do this in order to fully appreciate all aspects of business.  For instance, if you join a retailer, your very first job for months or years could be stocking the shelves and helping customers find products that they are looking for.  While this may sound like a job that does not require any intelligence at all and can be boring at times for university graduates, most people who do this for a period of time find out that they have learned a lot more about retailing in the store aisles than they would in a conference room or by just making phone calls from their offices to their subordinates.

Family values

For us the family is everything.  Living in a joint family is a way of life for us and we have a simple system in place.  The elder members help out with the raising of the kids and younger people can rely on the elders for guidance and support.  At the same time, the younger people have a lot of freedom so that they do not think that they are being watched very closely just because they live with their parents and grandparents.  Since Japan is such a safe country, most kids can stay late out of the house but at the end of the day we can all get together as a family and enjoy a meal or just sit down on the tatami floor under a kotatsu and chat about our day.  Even if we do not live with our elders, we still visit them more often and make sure that they still feel part of our extended family system.  

Social support

While Japan is often accused of not being a perfectly capitalist country, we like it this way since we are still focused on people rather than wealth.  We have universal healthcare so that we can make sure that we are a healthy nation and regardless of our social status we can always feel comfortable that when we get sick someone will take care of us.  I have never been a big favorite of lifetime employment and I am glad that it is declining but I like the fact that Japanese companies think of layoffs and downsizing as strategic decisions rather than as a short-term solution to meet analyst expectations.  Thus, layoffs have started to happen recently but they are done in a very 'humane' manner.  For us, people are everything, we care for their feelings, and are concerned about their well-being.

School education

Our literacy level approaches almost 100%.  Going to school or dropping out is not a matter of choice for Japanese kids.  We provide as much funds as needed for schools on a national level and regardless of the financial status of a family, all children go to the same school.  The education level is fairly standardized and we push our kids hard.  While it may sound regimental, it can actually be a lot of fun.  After graduating from high school, we all feel very proud to have such good quality education and Japanese students consistently perform extremely well in international exams.  (Related article:  Ridiculous rules in Japanese schools)

Relationship with Nature

Nature is an integral part of our lives.  While we have turned into voracious consumers over the years, we are still very close to Nature.  Even in our tightly packed apartments, we raise plants.  In the most crowded neighborhoods of Japan, you will find trees and small parks hidden behind houses.  Our fascination with electronic gadgets or fake objects is our way of not destroying Nature.  We eagerly wait for seasons and watching the cherry blossoms is not just about admiring beautiful flowers – it is a spiritual experience for Japanese people.  Life in the countryside revolves around Nature and those who live in large cities rush to their native villages on one excuse or the other to connect with Nature.  

Privacy

We have recognized the importance of privacy in our personal lives.  While most Japanese are not religious, even for those who are religious, religion is a private matter.  It does not define our culture today and those politicians who try to do this are considered to be on the fringe rather than mainstream.  These continue to be private matter for us and our politicians will typically leave us alone in such matters.  I really like the fact that the most private decisions can be taken by an individual and confidentiality is assured at all times.  If I wish, I could stay in any hotel, visit any entertainment establishment, buy anything I like, and practically do almost anything legal, without someone even asking me for an ID.  In a crowded country like ours, privacy means a lot to us and we have developed systems that allow us to do that – we can carry any amount of cash with us without fear of being robbed, pay with cash for almost anything (including cars and houses), and feel comfortable that people around us will be discreet at all times rather than get on TV to talk about anything they ever saw in their lives.  

Concluding remarks

While I do not want to sound cocky, but I think that Japan is a great nation.  I also think that a lot of foreigners who are genuine lovers of Japan recognize this and continue to indulge their Japanese passions.  Japan has its imperfections and I am glad that the rest of the world talks about them.  Otherwise, we would not change and get better if no one criticized us.  Several Japanese people do not like being criticized but I am very glad that the international media is bringing these issues out anyway.  It is human nature to blow out of proportion what is scandalous and take for granted what is working well.  I am glad that Chuck made me think about all this and hopefully people will benefit from my perspective.

I want to reemphasize that I have not tried to belittle other countries or to claim in any way that we do it better – I have simply shared my views on what I like.  There are wonderful things in every culture and I admire a lot of these things myself.  I sincerely hope that from this story non-Japanese people will learn to look at Japan in a more balanced manner while the Japanese people will find ways to improve themselves.  

Recommended links: Japanese television   

Culture shock in Japan    Discovering Japan

Getting to know more about Japan        Japanese motorbikes   

Suggestion on enjoying Japan   Has Japan lost its soul?        Japanese in Canada        

Designer gifts for Japanese business contacts       Japanese influence on New Zealand

American view of Japanese businessmen     Japan as a homogeneous society      

Honne and tatemae       Faking it      Life of a salaryman   Discrimination in Japan      

Making friends in Japan      Generation gap in Japan   Kyoto shrines