Mastering Japanese-Lesson 8-Japanese Mindset & Culture

In this lesson, we are going to explore the sometimes unfathomable
and very mysterious aspects of the Japanese mindset and culture
as it relates to Japanese language study. These are very important
things you should know because a nation's language is strongly linked
to its culture. Hence, the more your knowledge deepens of one, the
more insight you develop into the other and vice versa.

When I was 17 years old, my father was transferred to Japan from
the States for a couple of years on business. This resulted in the
whole family including me being suddenly relocated into a foreign land
whose language and ways were completely Greek to us. I ended up
attending a private Catholic international school called St. Joseph
whose curricula was all-English. It was a very high quality (and also
very expensive) education whose graduates ended up attending some
of the finest universities in the world (mainly concentrated in the US).

One class that I'll never forget was our history class taught by a jolly,
rotund man named Mr. Alf. He had a theater background and his
lectures could be as entertaining as they were informative. Further,
having lived in Japan for quite a long time, his insight into the cultural
differences between Japan and the West were very perceptive. One
day he was talking about the attitudinal differences that Americans and
Japanese respectively have toward their nation's languages. What he
said struck me as quite profound and to this day I have never forgotten
his comment.

"Americans" he said, "don't really give a damn how somebody speaks
English as long as they speak it." "On the the hand, the Japanese
don't expect non-Japanese to speak their language and are actually
quite uncomfortable with foreigners who are as fluent as native
speakers."

His comment reminds of the following other interesting quotes:

"Seeing that you speak Japanese, they will wag their heads and
smile condescendingly, and will admit to each other that you are
really quite intelligent-much as we would do in the presence of a
pig or ape of somewhat unusual attainments."
(Basil Hall Chamberlain, 1904)

"The foreigner in Japan, so long as he is not thought to be a
permanent immigrant, is treated very politely, but always as an
outsider. If he speaks Japanese at all, no matter how badly,
he is praised for this remarkable accomplishment, as though he
or she were an idiot child who suddenly showed a streak of
intelligence.
(Edwin O. Reischauer, 1977)

When I look back over the years at my own experience of
having pretty much spent two lifetimes both here (in Japan)
and the US, I recall Mr. Alf's above comment along with the
others and it strikes me how very right he was. In a
heterogenous society such as the US, (especially if you live
in a fairly big city like San Francisco), it is commonplace to be
exposed to a myriad of different accents, rhythms and speaking
styles as one goes about one's daily routine whether it be
grabbing a cab driven by a Lebanese, purchasing a newspaper
from a Russian, calling the local phone company and speaking
to a Chinese-accented operator, depositing a check at the bank
with a Korean, stopping at the deli to get a sandwich from a
Romanian etcetera. And I'm not referring to stereotypical roles,
you could easily switch the nationalities of each of the above and
in terms of realism the scenario depicted above would still be just
as valid.

Contrast this with homogenous Japan, outside of that rare exception
that occasionally slips through the crack (and that person is usually
one of those rare cases of being a foreigner who was born and grew
up in Japan. In other words the native-Japanese speaking foreigner),
foreigners who can speak Japanese fluently but have foreign accents
are usually nine times out of 10 relegated to roles that are specifically
connected to their native tongue (especially if its English) or are in a
"specially-created position" where they only deal with other foreigners
just like them. However, outside of fastfood joints, it is very rare and
I would surmise also very difficult for a foreigner although being fluent
in Japanese to land a career position that has nothing whatsoever to
do with his or her foreignness.

So basically in a nutshell what we are dealing with is a high degree of
xenophobia characteristic of all ethnic groups but in Japan's case
bordering on extreme levels of paranoia bolstered by fear and deep
insecurity.

America says: If you want to be one of us, learn English!
Japan says: You will never be one of us, so why bother learning
Japanese?

In other words, speaking from personal experience, what it comes
down to is this: DEEP DOWN INSIDE, THE JAPANESE REALLY DON'T WANT
YOU TO BECOME TOO GOOD AT THEIR LANGUAGE.

Right now, you've just started studying and maybe you're receiving
a lot of praise from your Japanese friends encouraging you and
urging you to keep up with your studies. Well, what I'm about to say
might not be pretty but I believe there is a ring of truth to it. So
here goes: I submit to you that the Japanese friends who you speak
English to now will cease to be your friends once your Japanese
reaches a level exceeding their English level and you begin to speak
to them in Japanese.

I'm sorry to say this and I hope to God that I am wrong but from my
own and my many friends' personal experience, this phenomenom has
reared its ugly head time and time again. I can't even count how many
girls suddenly lost interest in dating me once I stopped speaking English
to them and or how many other so-called "friends" suddenly stopped
hanging out with me once my Japanese level started to become
dangerously fluent.

This leads me to my next point. It can be summed up in the following
four words:

"The Japanese English Complex"

Have you ever wondered why the Japanese don't have any
problems speaking their own language fluently with Chinese,
Koreans or other Asians that can speak Japanese but when it
comes to Westerners or those whose native language is English,
they've just got to speak English or at the least slip in as many
English words as they can into the conversation. The answer is
simple, it all comes down to the English complex.

I don't think one can even begin to measure the psychological
toll Japan suffered after being defeated by the Americans in WWII.
I'm talking about psychological ramifications that continue to hold
this nation in bondage to this day. It has basically divided the
country into two camps:

*****************************************************************
CAMP A:
The Japanese in this camp have a severe inferiority complex towards
native English speakers. In the sixties, seventies and eighties, this
worship complex was limited to only caucasians but has now extended
to native English speakers of all colors and backgrounds. This type of
person actually wishes he or she wasn't born Japanese having been
so brainwashed into believing in the superiority of the American or
Western culture. I wouldn't even try speaking Japanese to a person
from this camp. Variant strains from the thought processes of this
camp can manifest themselves in the following ways:

1)
The Japanese (usually female) who dates foreigners because
not only can this person practice his/her English but it elevates
his/her self-esteem. He or she somehow feels more sophisticated
and suave than the "simpleton" and "uncool" masses.

2)
The Japanese person who would never date a Chinese or Korean
but if the individual in question were a Chinese-American or Korean-
American, would have no reservations whatsoever in dating that
person. In other words, if you're a Chinese from China or a Korean
from Korea, VERY BAD. But if you're a Chinese or Korean born and
raised in America, VERY GOOD! What kind of messed up thinking is
that? (Actually, a lot of Japanese I met in this states think like
this.)

3)
The Japanese parent who would rather have his/her daughter or son
marry a white westerner rather than a Chinese or Korean even though
the Chinese or Korean is obviously racially and culturally closer to the
Japanese.

4)
The Japanese returnee (帰国子女）who feels ultra-special or superior
because he or she can essentially speak both languages like a native.
However, this person's "superiority complex" is just the other side
of the coin known as the "inferiority complex".

Here are a couple of interesting quotes shedding more light on this
interesting pyschological phenomenom:

"They also point to Japan’s longstanding unease with the rest of Asia
and its own sense of identity… Much of Japan’s history in the last
century and a half has been guided by the goal of becoming more like
the West and less like Asia. Today, China and South Korea’s rise
to challenge Japan’s position as Asia’s economic, diplomatic and
cultural leader is inspiring renewed xenophobia against them here."

"Japan is VERY westernized. they basically put the white man on a
pedestal. hence the portrayal of japanese with caucasian features,
how pathetic is that really. it’s quite strange how they supposedly
“belittle” chinese and koreans by depicting them as having asian
features which they for the most part have as well."

******************************************************************
CAMP B:

The Japanese in this camp deep down inside are basically
right-wingers. They are still extremely frustrated about the
fact that Japan lost WWII and the fact that their present
constitution is a document drawn up by the United States.
They pity those from Camp A, considering them to hopelessly
brainwashed. This reminds me of one comment I overheard heard
from some Japanese bloke who when referring to a fairly attractive
Japanese girl walking arm-in-arm with a foreigner remarked,
"Everytime I see that I swear I wanna slap the girl and stab the guy."

However, since they view the global dissemination of English as a
product of Western imperialism, they refuse to succumb to, as
they see it, the Englicizing of the world. Hence, they have a
tendency to take the attitude that foreigners in Japan should
learn Japanese. However, that is putting it quite lightly. If they
could have their way, there wouldn't be any foreigners in Japan,
they would rewrite the consitution, begin bearing arms (I doubt the
United States would allow this.) and I guess try to take over the
whole world again. In Japanese this type of mentality can be
expressed in the word 島国根性(shimaguni konjou)

In terms of language, ironically, it is easier to speak Japanese with
those from this group but forget about ever trying to be friends with
somebody from this camp unless you are Japanese-blooded. The
Japanese in this group tend to be very racist but they will accept
full-blooded Japanese who were raised abroad due to extenuating circumstances
(or half-Japanese that look pure Japanese like Rie Miyazawa for example).

The underlying thought processes of this group tend to manifest
themselves in the following ways:

1)
Everytime you see a JAPANESE ONLY sign hanging on some
establishment, rest assured you are dealing with Camp B folks.

2)
They would never, ever date a foreigner with a foreigner being
strictly defined as an individual with zero Japanese blood in him
or her and they look down on interracial relationships.

3)
Ironically, sometimes native-Japanese speaking foreigners will
adopt this attitude, basking in feelings of superiority because
they can speak Japanese just like a native and adopt a
condescending attitude towards foreigners like us who have had
to struggle to learn the language. (Talk about immaturity!) A lot
of these types of folks grew up in Japan attending international
schools. My response:

"Look retard! Of course you can speak Japanese like a native
speaker, duh!. The reason is because YOU ARE a native speaker."

This ridiculous attitude would be equivalent to me getting a big head
because I was born and raised in English. Big deal. I can't see
the point in bragging about something in which you didn't have to
work to achieve.

4)
Have a tendency to be male and heavily into comic books,
computer games and Japanese-only pornography.

5) Right-wing politicians like Shintaro Ishihara and nationalistic
authors like Yukio Mishima (this guy actually committed suicide
via ritual disembowelment). For more details, check out the
following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shintar%C5%8D_Ishihara

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukio_Mishima

6)
Have a tendency to be company presidents of Japanese
corporations that deal only in the domestic market.
I'm worried that maybe a substantial amount of this
lesson might have come across as a bit negative. If so,
please know that it wasn't my intention. Again, I reiterate
that I have meant for all of the above to be observations
not criticisms.
**************************************************************

However, on a more positive note, before closing I should
mention that there is another camp out there. Let's call them the
CAMP C folks. It is because of these hearty friendly folk that I
live in Japan and will continue to live in Japan. The Japanese from
this group have a healthy pride in being Japanese that is not
arrogant in any way but actually translates itself into a healthy
respect for other people and cultures. Some positive manifestations
from this group are the following examples:

1)
Japanese people who appreciate your efforts to learn their
language and have no hangups or prejudices speaking with you
in Japanese. This also includes the non-English speaking
Japanese who will date you and has no qualms whatsoever
about speaking Japanese with you because he or she is
interested in you as a person and not as an English-speaking
tool or a fashion object.

2)
The Japanese boss who doesn't single you out for special
treatment just because you are a foreigner and assigns you
work duties commensurate with your ability that challenge
you and allow you to grow.

3)
People from this camp have a tendency to be among those
whom Jesus refers to in His famous Sermon on the Mount
as being the poor, the meek and the peacemakers. I'm talking
about the humble stopkeeper who goes that extra mile to
wrap up your mikan so they won't spill out on the way home,
or that co-worker who's always there if there is something
heavy on your heart that you need to discuss, or even that
stationmaster when no matter how late it is greets your return
home with a friendly smile.

4)
Tend to be Christians. No surprise here. Maybe the "C"here
should stand for Christians.

5)
Will actually have a tendency to criticize many aspects of
Japanese society. But it will be balanced and usually quite
accurate. Not tending towards the ridiculous Western man
worship characteristic of Camp A.

6)
Usually characterized by an educated middle-aged Japanese
couple with children who are interested in studying English
to expand their horizons and learn more about the world.

Alright, I am going to close it here before I end up writing
another 20 paragraphs. If you have interesting thoughts or
observations of your own that you would like to add, I'd love
to hear them.

Stay-tuned for the next lesson, where I will talk about the
amazing similarities between learning a language and martial
arts training.