2.2.1 Japanese Society
The events described in the notebooks or in this novel seem to relate mainly to Tokyo in 1930 or so, but it was not until about 1935, when the Japanese
military clique was first beginning to rampage in the open. The story happened during the war.
Japan today is a developed country. It produces many electronic tools and the technology is increasing rapidly. Japan is one of the countries in Asia which
can make the same position with another developed country in West. Even Japan has become the community which is capitalist and industrialist and growing
rapidly but it is completely different with another capitalist and industrialist countries. Generally, there are positive and negative traits in Japanese society. If
one comes to Japan and wants to have better relations, as well as a better understanding of how many Japanese people think and perceive him or her, there
are a lot of key items one should be aware of. Some might be liked and others might be not. Do not feel that one will ever have to completely understand the
Japanese, since the Japanese dont completely understand themselves either. The Japanese have been raised to think of themselves as part of a group,
and their group is always dealing with other groups. Many westerners see Japanese as aloof which means not friendly or interested in other people, shy, and
always walking on eggshells. There is a lot of truth in that -- Japanese are extremely sensitive to what others might think of them or worse -- what they say
behind their backs, and Japanese really do engage in gossip and are very hesitant to do something new, different, or independent. Being ostracized is one of the
worst things that can happen to Japanese, who is raised to be part of a group and depend on others Japanese Culture. A Primer for Newcomers. 1997-2004. 2.
Therefore, when making requests, it often takes more time since the person asked usually consults others in the group to reach a consensus.
In short, however, while the westerner starts so many sentences with I, the Japanese I usually means
with the approval of the group. Everyone in a Japanese company knows that to
succeed they need to act together, and being profitable in the long run is the only way to guarantee employment.
Many people coming to Japan ask if the Japanese are racist and cold to westerners. The answer is not that simple.
But it is no exaggeration to say that, bending the metaphor a bit, the Japanese see things through race-coloured glasses.
It must be emphasized though that Japanese racism is in almost all cases never hostile towards others so the idea of people screaming epithets at you like in the
U.S. is inaccurate. Since avoiding conflict and trouble is extremely important in Japan, using
diplomatic language is often used rather than the direct approach. Japanese may say things very politely and vaguely, but if the meaning is not clear it is perfectly
acceptable to ask for clarification. It is said that in formal situations a direct No is avoided and there are a thousand nicer alternatives which can be true, but it
depends a lot on the situation and social status of the parties involved. Japanese society has two concurrent streams that frequently bump heads
and the result as one can guess is tension and stress. One current is protecting one’s own privacy, following one’s dream, and doing things his own way at his
own pace. Facing this is the overwhelming social pressure to conform, follow the rules, and make sure everyone else is in the same boat as him Japanese Culture.
A Primer for Newcomers. 1997-2004. 5. With big Japanese cities having extremely high population densities, personal space is scarce, and with little space
in front of one many Japanese retreat to the only space they can; inside their heads. Becoming introverted, shy and withdrawn is not atypical. There are
exceptions to this of course; some young people love to associate with westerners because of this and they can more freely express themselves and not have to
worry about being looked down as too gregarious. Liquor consumption is also high in Japan and used as a social lubricant to loosen up. It is the easiest way to
loose their stress. We could see the main character of No Longer Human as the example of someone who always drinks liquor if he has problems. But privacy in
Japan is a precious commodity, more for cultural than demographic reasons, and nobody likes someone to butt into your life. Everyone belongs to some group, and
every group has people of superior rank and status. The notion of boss and worker being perfect buddies after work without a thought of the company relationship
for Japanese is impossible.
2.3. Theoretical Framework
Kategori