Nippon or Nihon (日本) literally means “origin of the sun”. This is what Japan is called by the Japanese. World-wide hence we know Japan as “the land of the rising sun”. One may imagine Japan to be a country producing world class cars, hi-tech robots, & also as a country of volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, samurai, etc. Until a year ago, I too had almost the same view of Japan. But my long stay here has added many new, beautiful & contrasting vistas to my vision of Japan.
In metropolitan cities like Tokyo one gets a very western feel. Crowded streets, skyscrapers, packed trains, coffee shops, beer bars & so on. Yes, Japan is extremely “urbanized”, especially in the big cities. The way Japan has risen like a Phoenix from the ashes of the Second World War & progressed in the last 60 years is astonishingly remarkable. Meticulousness, discipline & the burning desire to pursue things to perfection is the definition of the Japanese mindset. The precision with which Japanese trains are run is impeccable. Be it a short distance Metro or a long distance Shinkansen, one should believe the train timetable rather than the time told by one’s own watch. Not many countries in the world might have as many vending machines as Japan has. The quantity of vending machines, the areas where they are situated & the variety of stuff they sell is all amazing!
But with all their modernism, the Japanese tend to be very traditional in personal as well as business exchanges. Where else in the world would you find patrons greeted by shops & restaurants with an “Irrashaimase” - a sort of Welcome wish - & then again bid goodbye while leaving with an “Arigato gozaimasu”. All this with a nice genuine smile. Where else is politeness followed so religiously that any small slip is immediately reacted to with “Sumimasen” with a real sincere tone rather than the “over-used” English “Sorry” without any emotions. Even an introduction to a person & exchange of business cards has a “procedure” & is an important event in itself. While travelling on trains, cell phones are kept in silent mode & people refrain from talking for the peace of fellow passengers. Can anyone believe that once an eastern “to-be-superpower” can be so much a peace loving country too? No? Then “seeing is believing” – one should visit to believe this. At work, when it is time to take leave for the day, the greeting “O tsukaresama deshita” ("You're tired") is often used to those departing, & the person who is leaving often says “Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu” ("I'm sorry to leave before you"). These gestures & mannerisms are genuinely a part of Japanese tradition.
Another aspect that cannot be missed when one thinks of the words “Tradition” & “Culture” is the hospitality of a nation. The saying goes “You are what you eat” & considering that the Japanese have the highest longevity rates in the world, Japanese cuisine naturally occupies an important place. The invited guest is at first allotted a well-thought-of seat & then the others seat themselves. When on “Sake”, it is to be filled for each other & not for oneself. Now in Europe, though people eat the entire world’s cuisine, they normally do have potato in their meals. In the same vein, Japan too might eat everything else but will always include “gohan” or rice in at least one meal. Dinners in Japanese restaurants are unique. They start early in the evening before sunset. One has a huge variety to select from including, if I may say, almost everything that the ocean has in it & more. Of course, one cannot forget all the varieties of red meat too. Japan now produces one of the best beef or “wagyu” in the world that comes from Matsusaka. Well, no occasion is complete without accompaniments like the famous Japanese “Wasabi”. The party doesn’t end after all the drinking & eating at the restaurant. It then continues at a Karaoke bar where everyone is made to feel that he is a melodious singer. The final destination can be a noodle bar as it is already close to midnight & once again everyone is ready for a short supper. The Japanese do eat at coffee shops and burger outlets quite like the westerners do, but when one enters a traditional Japanese restaurant, one has to remove shoes & wear the sandals offered & sit on traditional low-height wooden furniture. All in all, the Japanese enjoy the celebration of life. That is more evident when you see the “Sakura” or “cherry blossom” in spring. It really feels as if the “leafless” & “lifeless” cherry tree has “re-born”. The Japanese pay very apt tribute by eating & drinking under this miracle of nature.
Since time immemorial, adversity of circumstances & paucity of resources makes man more resilient, fit for survival & teaches him to respect & nurture Mother Nature. Japan is a shining example of this. It is often rocked by earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, etc. but there is so much of preparedness for all these calamities that one hardly sees any gross mismanagement. The Japanese buildings have flexible structures to withstand earthquakes. Even in calamities, the Japanese mind works calmly but efficiently. The planning is so impeccable & goes down to the last minute detail that even the worst of the possibilities has a back up plan.
I feel that micro level thinking is inbuilt in the Japanese genes. They are a breed short in height (historically, not now), have small eyes (probably allowing a critical view of everything) & the country itself is geographically small. But then how this inbuilt constitution has manifested into all walks of life is a marvel. A typical hotel room in Tokyo might be very small but it would have all the necessary utilities properly compacted in that space. Some Japanese houses in crowded areas have a small area around them but there too they plant trees & flowering pots such that the boundary looks like a green belt. Many modern compact electronic devices have major Japanese contribution. This could be out of their tendency to pack things efficiently in a smaller space. No wonder, semiconductors is another field where Japan has been continuously advancing in a major way. The Japanese are obsessed by everything related to electronics. “Akihabara” electric city – the home to anything that one needs in electrical & electronic equipments proves that. Starting from “touch & go” train passes to the various household gadgets; the “electronization” of Japan has extended right up to the toilet wherein the “washlets” as they are called, are electronically operated. Another example of Japanese electronization is the “e-Sushi” bar the bill is tallied based on the coded plates picked up by the customer from a conveyor belt.
However, with all the above “globalization”, due to its very location as well as years of isolation from the rest of the world, the Japanese society still is very much deep rooted into its own beliefs & traditions. The Japanese may have adopted a lot of American ways of life but are comparatively averse to speaking English. They eat pasta & pizza with forks & knives & also eat the Indian naan with hands but still will eat all Japanese food with chopsticks. They do drink coffee but given a chance they would prefer “O-cha” or the Japanese green tea. They would work with foreigners but would prefer to call them “San” rather than calling them “Mr.” or “Ms.” They might not be regular temple goers, but when it comes to the August summer vacation, all of them would attend the rituals to pay tribute to the departed ancestors.
Coming towards the end, I remember an old Indian saying-“Keep old roots, grow new shoots”. I find that’s what Japan has been following - very much in keeping with the bamboo plant that grows tall & has fresh green shoots with its roots running deep. That is why Japan has established its identity as a “modernized eastern nation with a strong culture & tradition” rather than just being branded as yet another “westernized nation”.
Watashi wa Nihon to nihonjin ga totemo suki desu!!
Atul A. Bivalkar - during my working days at EKK in Japan
8 Comments
Prashank Gupte
3/10/2009 11:04:06 am
Atul,
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10/27/2010 10:54:14 am
Each one particular flower, Is a lyrical ballads, each and every a gentle wind, Is often a comfy greetings, Each field is a single coronary heart,The moist, Every single communication is often a constant genuine feeling!
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11/7/2010 08:57:02 am
To accomplish their dreams and efforts to fight! This is best feeling.
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6/27/2012 10:40:20 am
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6/27/2012 10:40:29 am
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Pramod Kurhade
1/31/2015 07:16:56 pm
Very Nice Blog. Excellent writing.
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Pramod Mehata
5/23/2017 05:31:04 am
Japanese people, culture and technology economical growth very well put in words.
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