Job Discussion Forums

[Eric]

I am wondering what happened to the tougher than nails Japaneese of old who are not addicted to crazy t.v. shows, loud video games, and bowling. I lived in a country environment in japan before and there the Japaneese people seemed much more in tune with their culture then where I live now near Tokyo.

I am only wondering why the Japaneese have changed so much from their past and if any of you long time residents think that the Japaneese will maybe retain a little of their samurai spirit instead of buying what I believe to be some of the worst that America has to offer, including all kinds of crazy English schools.

I hope I:m not offending anyone here.

[chi-chi-]

[ChotoHen]

Nice post. Completely agree with you.

When globalization goes wrong, I guess. Its becoming oversaturated with the WORST of "quasi-cool" the west has to offer.

[chi-chi-]

By Jove, I believe the board has been hijacked.
Either that, or everybody's scared and doesn't want to rock the boat.
I have an inherent problem with dishonesty. If you are Japanese, don't like the West, and are posting on the board, be honest enough to say so, it would explain the obvious, repeated simple grammar errors.
And if you want the non-Japanese out, come out and say so. We're big boys and girls, we can handle it.
I'm not attacking anyone, just giving you the opportunity to vent your feelings, since this is the one time that nobody knows who you really are.
Tell us how you really feel, no one will find out.
Chi

[Glenski]

Eric,

Cultures change. You can't change that.

For what it's worth, however, can you define "samurai spirit" that you seem to want to keep in Japan?

And, while we're on the topic of defining, what do you feel is among the "worst that America has to offer" that you see in Japan (excluding English schools, of course, because those aren't exclusively American anyway)?

[Hondo 2.0]

I think Morning Musume has a way of sapping samurai spirit. You'll notice how carefully foreign athletes avoid exposure to its vigour-sapping effect. You don't see Bob Sapp bopping away to their tunes, do you?

[homersimpson]

I'm kinda confused about this post. Sure, Japan has changed superficially, but at its core, it is very much the same as it has always been. For example, men still hold a higher place in society, company promotions are largely (almost entirely) based on seniority and not competence, the kohai/sempai relationship is still in full swing, the country is still primarily isolated, foreigners are inherently "bad" ... need I go on?

[PAULH]

[Celeste]

I think that the "Samurai Spirit" of Japan's days of old is the same place the "Pioneer Spirit" of Canada's days of old has gone. We live in a modern world. Gender roles are changing. Women not only can but often must work outside the home to keep the family afloat financially. Companies are not responsible for their employees as feudal lords once were. There is no guarantee of a job for life, or even until retirement. No one feels loyalty to their company or overlord as a result. Due to overpopulation and modern farming techniques, there are a lot of people who no longer have a connection to the land. Food comes from a plastic or styrofoam box and is instant. Prepared with nonchalance by a convenience store employee, not with love by a family memeber in the home. Parents are too exhausted or busy with their own lives to spend time with their kids, therefore they are content to let the kids eat alone in front of the TV. The kids learn no manners, no loyalty to family, no connection to other human beings and learn to look out for number one because no one else is doing it.

THese are not the problems of any one country. These are the problems of ALL countries where capitalism and progress is put ahead of the well being of workers and their families.

[AgentMulderUK]

Celeste, I think your post was one of the most intelligent and thoughtful I have read to date.
I feel your insights are spot on and evidence for them can be seen every day, both here and in our home countries.

[Eric]

Thank you all those who wrote. When I post messages I have to pay by the minute so I don:t edit them for grammar even though I am aware that they are probably full of grammatical errors.

When I typed my original message I was reading the over read classic Shogun which depicts Japaneese people as extemely strong hearted and rather unforgiving. Many of the Japaneese I see around Tokyo appear to be very wimpy kinds of people with a fondness for American t-shirts that don:t mean anything, and they appear to me to lack the inner strengh that I read about. I am aware that it is unfair to generalize, and I have Japaneese friends who have the kind of charicter that Japaneese were and still are famous for.

Anyway thank you for the interesting responses.

Aloha,
Eric

[PAULH]

[The G-stringed Avenger]

I often wonder about that too (the disappearance of the samurai spirit). Seems to be an awful lot of effeminate young Japanese men whose worries extend no further than getting their hair just so and which shirt looks better - the blue one or the red one? Still, the blokes who get into their sport are some pretty sharp athletes, so I guess it just depends on the individual. Modern, prosperous Japan is churning out some very soft people, but you could say that about Western countries too.

[Eric]

After watching a baseball game with high school kids I see there is hope. These kids played their hearts out with the kind of passion lord Tokagawa himself might possess. It was an exciting game anyway with Chiba winning by 2.

Aloha,
Eric

[kovac]

When I 1st came to tokyo I was quite embaressed at the "cultural vacum" that seemed to dominate some tokyo peoples lives, I would try asking japanese friends about interests, cultural insights, history, etc...they didnt seem to care...when I was an eikaiwa teacher in conversation I would reveal to students things they didnt even know about Japan, history, myths, superstitions, etc with many "he-" and "shirinakata"'s

Its quite embaressing to see oversaturisation of western (mainly american) culture being embraced so readily...some young Japanese people you meet seem almost embaressed to be "Japanese" and aspire to some ridiculous MTV-esque monoculture...

The classic one for me was speaking with a well educated Japanese buddy once about films...

"ahh, you know 2fast2furious...now that is a really good movie"

I nearly wept.