Japan and Schizophrenia

I'm sure many people have told you that Japanese people are all very kind, friendly, or submissive. Well you can take that notion and wipe it completely out of your mind.

There is no doubt that when you come to Japan, you'll probably be treated very nicely by nearly all the people around you, especially if you're Caucasian or some other race that is not Japanese-looking. Even if you are Japanese or look Japanese (which has caused me a lot of trouble so far), just being a stranger entitles you to be treated kindly and politely. The whole idea is that being some sort of outsider, whether you are a guest in someone's house, someone's neighborhood, or the country of Japan, entitles you to special treatment. The social protocol is to treat guests with an elaborate amount of politeness and respect.

Just because Japanese people have to ability to be indescribably kind doesn't mean they can be described as "nice people". Obviously many people in Japan are naturally very nice people, but that's no different than the citizenry of any other country. And, like the citizenry of any other country, some Japanese people have the ability to be absurdly mean. The difference is that, in Japan, the nice people and the mean people tend to be one and the same.

This is because much of Japan is schizophrenic.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that the entire population has a psychological disorder. It's more that the social status quo has trained all people to act in a very bipolar manner. This is evident in the language structure itself. Those of you who speak or understand Japanese (and some other languages, like Korean) know that there is a tiered system for polite speech. At the very bottom is casual (plain) speech, followed by the standard "polite speech" (teineigo). Above that, there are two categories called "humble speech" (kenjougo, which is used to describe action performed by one's self in a very humble manner) and "respectful speech" (sonkeigo, which is used to describe action performed by others in an exalted manner). Essentially, the language system has a different way to say the exact same things in various situations. I, along with many other people from different backgrounds, have lots of trouble developing a situational awareness to use the different types of speech. I often inadvertently switch back and forth between plain, polite, and humble/respectful speech in the span of a conversation (and sometimes in the span of a sentence) just because I naturally jump to the form that I've heard used the most. Japanese people, however, are excellent at knowing when to use a certain type of speech, and they can turn on politeness like a light switch.

The cultural schizophrenia is easily visible when monitoring behavior between classes of the established social hierarchy. The service class - which includes people like clerks, bus drivers, or anyone who interacts with customers - does a lot of talking. They almost always use humble and respectful speech when they talk to customers, and are usually the only ones talking at all. Customers generally walk around being served without saying anything at all. At the supermarket, the clerk greets you, tells you the price of everything, tells you the total price, announces how much you paid, tells you how much change you get, and thanks you for coming. The customer is not expected to say anything. The vast majority of the time I've seen it, the customers have just walked in, thrown down their groceries and cash, and walked away without a word. This goes for people on the bus as well. The passengers deposit their ticket, pay their fares, and leave without a single word of thanks or appreciation to the driver for getting them to their destination safely. As a former bus driver, this particularly gets on my nerves.

The craziness continues into the educational system and workplace as well. For example, I work at several schools, and I get to see teacher-teacher and teacher-student interaction every day. I've never felt unwelcome at any of my schools, and I have also never seen a teacher be treated badly by another teacher. They don't criticize each other, and they definitely don't belittle each other. Most interactions are friendly small talk or notification of some important matter. Many of the teachers are docile and keep to themselves most of the time. Whenever teachers talk to the head teacher, they are always respectful and compliant.

However, I've seen these same teachers, who were always calm and respectful, turn into ferocious monsters. Some of these teachers yell at their students. And they don't just raise their voices; they scream and holler at their kids like they've done something atrocious and unforgivable. In fact, one of the teachers is letting loose the Guns of the Navarone on a student in the hallway as I'm typing this. Why? The times I've seen it, it's because the students weren't standing or sitting straight enough, or because they were talking softly during some sort of gathering. Things like this would seem trivial to most people, especially in the US, but somehow they are things to get worked up over in this country. Let me remind you that these teachers are the ones that have always treated me kindly, always smile at me and other teachers, and just generally seem like nice people.

It's not just the teachers who are schizophrenic. The students display many signs of this "cultural disorder" as well. During school assemblies and ceremonies, they are silent and steady soldiers. They walk in straight lines, sit or stand bolt upright for half an hour or more, and follow directions to a T. However, this only applies for those certain occasions. When the same kids are in a classroom, especially during break time or even during lessons (if the teacher is particularly weak), they can be uncontrollable gremlins. I've seen teachers nearly break into tears because their classes were so misbehaved.

All this schizophrenia has penetrated so far into their minds that it seems to have affected their taste buds as well. Those of you who know me know that I love food that has multiple stages. This is why I like Warheads and caramel apple candies so much. Japanese people share the same sentiment as me, but for a different reason. According to them, "the Warheads were so sour, but then got sweeter. I love this candy that is sophisticated and has many faces." They like candies that have the ability to delight you and smack you around a little bit at the same time. Basically, they like candies that act like Japanese people.

I don't really know why Japanese society finds it necessary to display one's self in a different way for every situation, but I have a long time to figure that out. Honestly, I'm sure there are many Japanese people who display their genuine emotions at all times, so I don't want to give you the false impression that all Japanese people have deceptive personalities. I just would rather not find out what the Japanese people I enjoy being around are really like when they're not around me.

Anyways, that's all for today! This post displays some disappointment and frustration, but I assure you that I'm still having a good time and a great experience. For now, Ryan out!