Japan – A case of curious culture

There is more to Japan than Suzuki, Samurai, Sumo and Sushi. This land of Geisha and lovely kimonos is in the spotlight once again after the humongous success of the gaming app Pokemon Go. Known around the world for their disciplined life, hardworking nature and constantly evolving fads and fashions, this island country is as unique as they come. Japan has evolved culturally over the years, and so has Japan Tourism. But the Japanese also has an interesting way of life that is unheard in the rest of the world. Here we try to take a grip on some of the cultural practices that shot up our curiosity. Read on to know more:

Table Manners

There are many intricacies to the Japanese culture, and not surprisingly, this extends to how they treat their food as well. They attach a lot of value to courteous dining table behaviour. But don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t match your benchmark for courtesy. In most countries, popular table manners demand you to eat in silence. But in Japan, it is impolite to not slurp loudly while eating your buckwheat noodles. If you are wringing your nose in disapproval at this, be glad that you are not in Japan, because for Japanese people slurping is synonymous to lip-smackingly delicious food. When you eat out of a bowl, it is polite to lift it up to your mouth. And if you are travelling anytime to Japan, learn to use your chopsticks well and NEVER stick it upright in your rice. In Japan, it is absolutely alright to sniffle or clear one’s throat loudly in public. But if you think Japan is forgiving when it comes to public behaviour, try grabbing a quick bite while walking and you will know.

Crying therapists

Japanese have surely found many unique ways to grapple the loneliness that most of them face in today’s busy world. In a country where its people are too hard-pressed for time to nurture friendships, emotional support is hard to come by. And so, they are willing to pay a price for hiring a shoulder to cry on. Japanese women, for instance, can call a crying therapist to her work place if she is facing a particularly stressed day at work. This therapist will sit with her till she is through her crying spell and will wipe her tears away. The licensed crying therapist will also comfort the woman with reassuring words and acts as an effective sounding board. Now if the woman is already not in tears, he will play a sad movie and induce tears in the woman. This is done so that she can release her stress through tears.

Family life

Japan has a multi-layered and complex culture, and it is one of those unusual countries which has more pets than children. Though the Japanese culture revers familial relations, their birth rate is low, and hence Japan sells more adult diapers than baby diapers in a year. It is also amusing that a stunning number of adoptions that take place in Japan are of adult males. If you think that the Japanese like to pamper grown up men, then you are in for a surprise. This unusual adoption is in reality a very clever strategy to get an heir to take over the business. The Japanese also tend to live longer, with about 50,000 people over 100 years old. It is also alarming that though often the sole breadwinner of the family, men have little control over their income. Men usually hand over the entire salary to their wives, who then make a budget for the family. The husband has to survive on the meagre pocket money given to them by their wives. If this doesn’t bring a whimsical smile on the lips of our women readers, what will?

Hikkomori

Hikkomori are people who withdraw from social life and lock themselves up in their rooms. Sometimes this social withdrawal can be so severe that they remain confined for many years, or in some cases, decades. At a time, there are as many as a million young men leading the lives of a Hikkomori. Those who suffer from this condition are nocturnal beings that stay up late at night and sleep through the day hours. Experts who have studied on Hikkomori cannot put a finger on the exact cause of this, but they believe that societal pressure to succeed, and indulgent parents are contributing factors.

By Neetu George