Japan explained
First entries for my new page (see right). On one page, I aim to give a plausible explanation for any question that possibly could have troubled you about Japan. They might not all be the reason, but they are almost all a reason… Questions I can’t answer or have yet to answer are at the bottom. Comments gratefully accepted.
Why are the Japanese so obsessed with food? It’s a safe topic of conversation.
Why is Japanese TV so obsessed with food? It’s cheap TV and a safe topic of conversation.
Why does Japanese TV flash up what people are saying on the screen all the time? In a serious programme it might be because what a politician etc. says is easier to understand with the kanji, due to the large number of homophones in Japanese. Mostly, though, it’s just someone in the production department trying to gambatte (do their best) by adding more things than anyone else.
Why are Japanese offices so unautomated? Because no one could possibly tell their boss “Look, I can’t do all this work, please buy an extra computer”.
Why do Japanese girls have bendy legs? Their parents make them stand up too young (the sons are more spoilt so don’t have the same problem)
Why do Japanese girls walk in high heels with their knees bent? Its (subconciously) to stop their hips swinging- how fabulously demure!
How could the disciplined and well mannered Japanese start disobeying orders and go so wild and out of control in WWII? There are a million possible answers to this one- religion, racism, letting off steam they couldn’t at home, not having a clear chain of command etc. etc. I think the most important point to understand, though, is that the Japanese not obeying orders is not the surprise you might think. Japanese harmony is not achieved by writing down rules and following them, or at least much less so than Germany or even the UK. it achieved by following unspoken signals in order not to stand out from the crowd. This can be seen when one person starts walking the wrong side of a platform staircase or crossing on a red light and others follow without looking at the official sign. And so I predict it will be again whenever order next breaks down in Japan.
August 5th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Some really funny one, and I like the answers too. Coudln’t post these in the page (there’s no comment box I can see) so here they are:
Why do Japanese students (and I assume everyday people too, but i havent had the chance to check that one properly yet) answer yes/no questions that have no other possible answer with maybe?
It’s beyond irritating.
What’s the meaning of kawaii?
I mean I’ve seen it used in so many situations now I’m starting to be really puzzled as to its actual meaning.
otsukare sama!
August 5th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
See the latest post for my answers. More questions gratefully accepted.