FREE ESSAY ON THR JAPANESE PEOPLE

THR JAPANESE PEOPLE

The number of foreigners learning Japanese continuously increases each year. This
therefore leads me to believe that these people must have an interest in Japan. However,
it does make one wonder what images they have of Japan. Do these people really have a
good and right image of Japan? I am acquainted with a few of these people and they claim
their love of Japan is due to its fascinated with their own culture and heritage? The
Japanese are amongst the easiest people to get along with, even if one does not
understand them completely. Understanding the Japanese is one of the most difficult
obstacles to overcome, however this should not deter anyone from trying to comprehend
Japan and her people. The purpose of my essay then is to increase my readers
understanding of Japan and its people, especially give their rather complex
characteristics.
Being part of a group is very important to the Japanese. As a starting point for my
analysis of the Japanese I would like to discuss the balance between the individual and
group within the Japanese culture. The human race is made up of individuals, but each is
born and lives, for most part of his or her life within a group or community.
Various societies differ greatly especially with respect to the emphasis placed on being
an individual or being part of a community. This difference is obvious when comparing the
Japanese to the Western culture as the Japanese would sacrifice the individual for the
good of the group. This ideology extends beyond the group of the people's sacrifice for
the common benefit of the country as this is seen as something to be proud of.
As compared to the Westerners, the Japanese prefer to exist as a group. While Westerners
put on a show of independence and individuality, most Japanese will be quit content to
conform to their community in dress, conduct, lifestyle and even thoughts. This is all
part of maintaining "face"- originally a Chinese term but is of most importance to the
community.
The Japanese are constantly being reminded of how unique their culture, beliefs, customs
and lifestyles are. The constant reminder is perpetuated by the government through
references in government publication and hammered home by publication of literature
devoted exclusively to the subject.
Take for example Japanese that are banded together, this group is ranked according to its
social position and disparity of age. Japanese have placed a high priority on rank even
during the initial period. The notion of a ranking has strongly affected Japanese social
life. Also we know that the honorific expressions are of the great importance to the
Japanese language.
The head of the household, regardless of age, occupies the highest se at; his retired
father then retreats to a lower seat. Nowadays, age becomes a deciding factor only
amongst individuals of similar status. In Japan, status also precedes gender. It is
commonly known that Japanese women are nearly always ranked as inferiors. This is not
because their gender is considered inferior, but because women seldom hold higher social
status. 
Generally speaking, the Japanese that are born to a certain class behave in a certain
way. Hence, in front of another these people are very aware of what the other party is
thinking of them. Whilst Westerners are bold in their opinions and do not hesitate in
expressing them, the Japanese tend to voice any opinions only after due consideration of
another's feelings. It is said that the Japanese are very diplomatic but this also means
that they do not give direct answers, a characteristic based on a long trading of
avoiding unnecessary friction. 
The fact that the Japanese behave in this way especially when in contact with another can
be partly explained by their homogeneity and long periods of isolation from the rest of
the world.
Japanese respects the harmony of nature. This is apparent in the architecture and style
of their gardens. Another characteristic of the Japanese is to give back the some
quantity as they receive. While I was in Japan, a friend explained this concept to me. He
claims that despite the fact that most Japanese do not like to do this, they conform as
it is a tradition handed down from generation to generation.
From now on, I would like to talk about the general images of Japanese.
The image portrayed by Japanese to the outer world is one of people of hard working.
However having lived there I have my doubts.
One of situations that I observed is as follows:
Young salesmen are given pep talks first thing in the morning. They leave their
headquarters in high spirits. Half an hour later they can be observed in the "Kissaten"
(literally meaning tea-drinking shop) in front of their headquarters.
Another situation would be 4 co-workers in an office putting their heads together to push
a plan through. They will visit the "Kissaten", to discuss their plan of action. All this
is done on company time. They even play golf during office hours. All these situations
only goes to prove that the Japanese work longer hours (partly to collect overtime) but
not any harder than anyone else.
Most of us recognize the strong Japanese spirit of unity. Due to this spirit of unity
Japan is now one of the major economic powers in this world.
They are amongst the most intelligent people in this world. Japanese scholars have gained
great recognition from their peers abroad.
For a some time now, the Japanese have put great emphasis on education. All Japanese
students are concerned about their university entrance examinations. This attitude saw to
the emergence of the "Kyoiku mama" or education mother who deprives her children of a
normal childhood while pushing them up the education ladder. All this is due to the
"Shiken jigoku" which literally means the examination hell. There are many universities
in Japan. However those who graduate from Tokyo University are considered the dream of
society. They progress into the government service and eventually become bureau chiefs.;
Should they choose the business line, they are the ones that hold all the top positions.
In present day Japan it is necessary to be a university graduate if you wish to amount to
anything. This is said to be the root of some of Japan's problems. Within the government
and private sectors, there is a definite distinction between a high school and university
graduate. Even though practically every Japanese will agree that the exam system is cruel
and ought to be abolished, they also realize that nothing will ever be done to change
this form of selection. Japanese have learned by rote, advancing simply by repeating what
they are told. Take for example Sony, the company respects each person's creativity and
imagination. However most Japanese companies are unable to change their approach yet.
These companies need to recognize individual talents in order to prosper as a company and
henceforth benefit the nation as a whole. The Japanese education system ought to chance
to accommodate students' abilities and interests. It is thought that this will enhance
students' interests in learning. As it were, Japanese normally have been educated
regimentally. From time to time, Westerners have claimed that the Japanese fall short
when it comes to originality. I believe the Japanese have lost their originality, because
of their regimental education system.
It is well known that Japanese are kind people. People over the world envy their kindness
and have tried to learn from it. This inherent kindness amongst the Japanese is said to
make a person happy. Ones first impression when seeing a Japanese smile is charming.
Suspicion is only aroused when the same smiles through situations of pain, shame and
disappointment. I also think Japanese's kindness is immoderate. For example, if you go to
department store in Japan, you can see easily woman staffs who always only make a bow
like a mannequin all day long. It must be hard labor, but the most customers are more
concern about buying goods than bows of woman staffs. Unconsciously, the department store
is dissipating their labor.
We should familiarize ourselves with the words "Honne" and "Tatemae" in order to
understand the Japanese. These 2 words are generally used in pairs. Honne is what one
thinks while Tatemae is how one behaves. These are translated in English as principles
and practice. "Thank you for inviting me for tea, please come to my house next time." and
"We have just bought a new house, so if you are in the vicinity, please drop in." are
nothing more than expression of friendship. But if you believe these words and wait for
an invitation, there are many cases when you will be kept waiting forever. The
differences between principle and true intention, between formality and reality and
between words and actions is quit common in Japan.
It is true that it is difficult to understand the Japanese people's true characteristics
through these discussions in this essay. This is because we grew up in a society where
our senses of values are different from the Japanese. It is hoped that one is able to
understand that actions taken by the Japanese people are not abnormal but very much a
part of the Japanese culture. The fact that the Japanese do not think or act the same way
as Westerners does not mean that they are better or worse than the Westerners. Only that
it is different. 
Bibliography
Benedict, Ruth. The Chrysanthemum and the Sword. Rutland and Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle,
1946,1992.
Isao, Komatsu. The Japanese People, Origins of the people and the language. Tokyo:
Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai, 1962.
Kimpei, Shiba. OH, JAPAN! (Yesterday, today & probably tomorrow). UK: Paul Norbury
Publications LTD, 1979.
Martineau, Lisa. CAUGHT IN A MIRROR, Reflections of Japan. London: Macmillan London
Limited, a division of Pan Macmillan Publishers Limited, 1993.
Reischauer, Edwin O. The Japanese Today. United States of America: the President and
Fellows of Harvard College. 1977, 1988.
Smith, Patrick. JAPAN, A Reinterpretation. New York: Pantheon Books, 1997.
The Japan of Today. Tokyo: the International Society for Educational Information, Inc.
1989.
Van Wolferen, Karel. The Enigma of Japanese Power. New York: Vintage Books, a division of
Random House, INC. 1989.