5 Reasons Why The Japanese Are So Polite Japan has a population of 126 million, much
of which are found in the larger cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Kobe.
With a high density of people crowded into a relatively small space, people have to learn
to get along with one another.
At the same time, Japan is made up of local Japanese with very few foreigners among them,
so they are also very similar in culture, values, and manners.
They have been described as being “one nation, one civilization, one language, one culture
and one race” and are actually one of very countries in today’s globalized world to
be so homogenous.
Politeness is a typical characteristic of the Japanese that other people admire, and
here are five possible reasons why.
Number one: Japanese Philosophy and Religion For the Japanese, the country and family are
considered more important than self.
This idea stems from the teachings of Confucius, the Chinese sage who laid down strict codes
of conduct, as well as Shinto religious beliefs.
For centuries, Japanese have been taught from a young age that they need to be responsible
members of their families and their country, and serve others’ needs before their own.
As a result, the people became obedient and relatively passive, used to having their lives
regulated by rules.
Number two: Group Culture and Rules Japanese culture is known to be highly complicated
with very fine differences between what is seen to be ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, and
it continues to have a strong influence on anyone who wants to live and work in Japan.
Unlike in Western societies, the ‘group’ is seen as more important than the ‘individual’.
If you step out of line on any aspect, it has a strong impact on the way other people
see you - your basic character and values are at stake if they judge you negatively.
This is reflected very clearly in the Japanese language itself which has both a formal and
a casual form, and which makes learning Japanese very difficult for outsiders.
The good thing about these guidelines and expectations is that it helps maintain social
harmony and makes living together go much more smoothly.
It is like the oil that makes the tricky parts of a machine move in tandem with all the other
parts instead of causing irritation and friction when rubbing against each other.
Number three: Children’s Upbringing and Schooling
Japanese parents place a whole lot of importance on teaching social manners so that the child
avoids causing trouble for them and for others.
Many stress the value of learning the social ‘rules’ so that their behaviour is not
criticized by other people.
At the same time, parents value closeness with their children and spend time together
on various activities.
This parent-child closeness positively helps children want to please their parents, and
naturally they accept the rules and regulations that their parents set for them.
In school, too, children learn proper ways of behaving together.
For example, they are taught to clean up their classrooms and school grounds every day, and
exhibit extremely polite manners towards teachers and other adults.
They enjoy learning to work together in groups on projects and in other forms of learning.
Many schools also require their students to wear uniforms which makes them even more aware
of their ‘one-ness’.
Number four: Extremely Close Encounters Rules guide the way the Japanese live and
interact with others, and everyone is generally very polite to each other no matter if you
are friends or strangers.
They try to avoid all kinds of conflict, especially in the public eye.
This is partly because there is so little personal space available in the over-crowded
cities and people know they need to cooperate and respect others to make life flow more
smoothly for themselves.
For example, if you talk loudly into your mobile phone while riding a packed train to
work, you are very likely to annoy other commuters.
If you smell bad, or dress sloppily, you will have that same effect as well.
Number five: Individual Status and the Formal ‘Pecking order’
The way a Japanese uses everyday language clearly shows who they are and who they speak
to.
There are formal rules for speaking differently to different people depending on their age
and relationship to you.
Even a simple greeting like ‘good morning’ can be formal or informal, depending on who
you say it to and when.
For example, the older members of a family, like a grandmother or father, must be addressed
in the formal form to show their importance in the group.
This goes for the boss of your company, or colleagues holding a higher title than you,
unless you don’t mind being instantly fired.
Even bowing to another person to say ‘thank you’, already considered to be very respectful
in other cultures, has different rules for ‘levels’ depending on who is doing the
bowing or is being bowed to.