Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Japanese Culture

Line for kerosene 
The earthquake and tsunami in Japan last Friday are just beyond belief.  The damage and loss of life is incomprehensible.  Now the threat of the nuclear power meltdowns is horrifying.

I admire the self-control and politeness of the Japanese people.  Even though they wait in line for hours and hours for food, water and other necessities, they're all calm, respectful of each other and no one is fussing or yelling.  

It's totally astounding that there is no looting!!

Can you imagine this happening here?
What a contrast to the cultures/people in other countries where disasters have hit --- especially some areas here in the USA.

Oh, that we could learn from observing this amazing manner of behavior!

p.s.  One thing we can do is pray for the people of Japan as they recover.
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4 comments:

  1. UnknownMarch 16, 2011 at 9:39 AM

    Mary,

    When Philip and I were stationed in the Philippines from 1987-1990 I was lucky to travel to Japan with a group of other Air Force wives for a week. Yes, Japanese people were very welcoming, polite and wanting to go out of their way to serve us. Japan has always been the one place I would jump at a chance to revisit. Loved your thoughts on the disaster that has taken place in Japan. I want you to know you hit the nail on the head in your comparison of the American culture and the Japanese culture.

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  2. Rexcrisanto L. DelsonMarch 16, 2011 at 11:54 AM

    Great perspective on their culture. There is so much that people can learn from the Japanese culture. I am an Igorot from the Philippines who recognizes the value of Japan's traditional cultures and attribute alot of it to many life lessons, which I've blogged about recently at http://amerigorot.blogspot.com/2011/02/igorotdo.html

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  3. BethMarch 19, 2011 at 1:56 PM

    Americans have proven that the majority wouldn't be so restrained in similar circumstances. It's really a shame that good manners have largely fallen by the wayside here.

    In college, I tutored a Japanese student my age in Spanish. Much of his difficulty stemmed from not asking questions in class when he didn't understand. I never found out if this was an individual or a cultural behavior. If asking questions of the teacher when one doesn't grasp a concept is considered rude in Japan, they've carried politeness to the point where it's detrimental.

    That said, I believe good manners help to make everyone more comfortable in just about any situation.

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  4. marymayMarch 19, 2011 at 5:29 PM

    Isn't the current anti-bullying campaign a direct result of poor manners? Such a shame that this has evolved in the USA to this extent. http://www.stopbullying.gov/

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