Leo Fuchigami thinks otherwise.  "The Japanese seem to have the greatest hatred towards being like everyone else. This is what fuels their economy and drives them toward outside cultures.  The Japanese want their own uniqueness that no one else has."  Japan is the world's second largest economy and despite the recession in Japan, its people are still among the largest group of consumers.  Japan consistently ranks among the top countries in the world in number of new products introduced every year.  In fact, many of the products that are introduced and regularly available in Japan are never even introduced in other countries because the rate of change in the rest of the world is so slow that they would never buy these products.  To appreciate this one has to check out the types of cell phones being used in the United States - the largest economy and supposedly, one of the most high-tech country in the world.  It seems that cell phones in Japan are at least a century ahead.  

Fuchigami continues, "Why do you think there are so many Japanese car companies? Because, no one wants the same car as everybody else. They just have some sort of deep hatred of being like everyone else.  The Japanese chose the American culture because it was nothing like their own and by becoming more "American" they became less Japanese, less like everyone else".

It may be interesting to note that Japanese consumers buy foreign products when certain companies have learned to market these in the right manner.  For instance, French and Italian fashion goods are the rule in Japan because they allows Japanese people to express their individuality.  No surprise then that Tiffany's and Louis Vuitton count Japan as one of their top markets.  Japanese will never be seen buying products that are common in the rest of the world.  Thus, the Japanese media and fashion houses will constantly talk about the latest trends that are emerging so that before they become common, the Japanese can get a chance to try them.  Thus, when it comes to fashion, Asia looks to Japan for trends.  Increasingly, even a lot of young people in the west look to Japan for latest trends.

It is clear that Japan will have to wait a long time before it can shed its image of being a robotic society where everything is dull and boring.  The Japanese people can no longer be seen as human-machines working on the assembly line mass-producing electronic goods and cars.  Maybe the Japanese were never really homogeneous - their egalitarian approach has simply been misunderstood.

Recommended links:  Has Japan lost its soul?        Japanese in Canada        Japanese work ethics

Designer gifts for Japanese business contacts       Japanese influence on New Zealand

American view of Japanese businessmen     Information about Japan  Honne and tatemae     

Faking it      Life of a salaryman     Discrimination in Japan      Making friends in Japan      

Generation gap in Japan   Dissolving stereotypes of Japan