Culture Clash

Japanglish: creepy coffee whitener

To kickoff our week-long English training, this Monday all new employees were made to take a 2 hour long course on “How to understand foreigners for dummies”. Lucky us the lecturer was an entertaining jovial American who could tell very good jokes in Japanese. It felt like a legitimate baby class in Anthropology, yet I doubt this will help us understand the Japanese better or make the company more global.

Gist of the lesson: the land of the rising sun is one of the most homogeneous countries of the world. From Hokkaido to Kyushu, people receive the same education, are taught to aim similar aspirations and have similar expectations. In this kind of society, non-verbal communication (interpreting body language, being attentive to manners, reading the air…) takes a leading role in everyday interactions. Many things are left unspoken, leaving culture to explain.

Japan is thus a “High Context Culture” (E. T. Hall, 1976), and in order to avoid misunderstandings it has invented a myriad of rules that are to be followed, cheers ‘groupism’ to boo individualism and has a very strong power-hierarchy.

Some silly rules that are followed without being questioned: wear tights even in the searing heat of the summer, no sleeve-less clothes, always obey your superior, love and refer to manuals, be polite, don’t express your opinion, go with the flow.

Coming from a “Low Context Culture” I pretend ‘no understand Japan’ and get away with everything! Life is wonderful.

Bento Box Time!

The bento at the top-left was bought at Tokyo Station and eaten in the bullet train that would bring us, 39Jishuu-sei (trainees), to the factory that would host us for our 3-week long 'apprenticeship'. ¥ 1,050 - all veggie.

The other ones were eaten at lunchtime in the factory's canteen. ¥270 - but mostly meat or fish. Yet so yummy for your money!

And I quickly learnt how to barter meaty food for those cherished vegetables that the boys hate so much. And bring a banana and an orange that would inevitably be split among my group (4 people).

Good times.

Now, back in Tokyo, it feels like a relatively relaxed bootcamp.

Dance Dance Dance

Golden Week, the longest national holiday of the year* is about to finish. Just came back to Tokyo from a trip to Shikoku, which, despite being one of the four main islands of Japan, is an oasis free from tourists. Beautiful desolate nature, warm and welcoming people and heart-filling food! Being easily accessible from the tourist hotspots, I would definitely recommend you to visit Shikoku to get a true sense of what ‘rural’ Japan is.

But here is an artist from Ehime prefecture, Shikoku, whom I discovered at the Bansuisou, in Matsuyama city. TCHINAI Kyousuke’s (智内・兄助）paintings have me mesmerised. The profane and the traditional are beautifully entwined with dazzling touches of gold leaves.

北の火祭　咲きのぼる葵

因果　（１９９３）

More can be seen here and here.

* Nine days for lucky me, but five for most people