Won't Miss #278 - shufflers

One of the things which seems to occur with far greater frequency in Japan than back home is people who walk and shuffle their feet. It's a rare day that goes by that I don't hear someone dragging their feet as they walk around the local shopping areas. I have pondered about why this is so, and have some theories, but will never know for sure. Part of me thinks it has to do with Japan being a nation of people who often wear slippers that don't fit. Shuffling means that your ill-fitting mules don't fly off your feet. Part of me thinks it has to do with living in small places in which long, full strides result in stubbed toes. Shuffling takes the energy of the movement and directs it to the ground instead of sending it forward.

Whatever the cause, hearing people frequently shuffle over long distances drives me crazy and I won't miss it.

Will Miss #277 - Japanese psychological concepts

My university degree is in psychology, so my interest in Japan is squarely rooted in the complexities of behavior in this country. One of the most fascinating things is how a particular culture views mental health problems. There are concepts and problems in Japan which have terms which we would not consider serious issues in the United States. These differences reflect cultural priorities. A few examples are ‘fear of one’s own glance’ (jiko-shisen-kyofu) and "amae". This is when someone tries to induce another person to look after them and it happens because of the extended dependence Japanese have on their caregivers. Another is "hikikomori" or social isolation.

I will miss these interesting cultural reflections of psychological issues and how they are regarded and created in Japan.

Won't Miss #277 - bribing/paying back victims

In Japan, there is a curious habit of allowing criminals to bribe or pay back the victim so as not to be charged with a crime. My first experience with this came via the news that my successor at my former job, a Welshman, was arrested in a post-soccer game brawl and held in prison (without charges or bail) for 21 days. At the end of his stint, the instigators (who were Japanese) paid him between 3,000,000-4,000,000 yen (~$34,300-$45,700) in order to compensate him for the trouble. I find the idea that one can commit a crime and simply pay the victim or return stolen money or goods to avoid jail unsettling.

Of course, there is some small consolation in the fact that repeat offenders aren't let off the hook so easily, but it still seems like justice is not being served and I won't miss it.

Will Miss #276 - Asagaya Tanabata Festival

Every year, the Asagaya Tanabata festival takes place in my neighborhood and I complain about it. I complain because the crowds are annoying and get in my way when I need to do my regular grocery shopping or get to the local JR station. It always takes place when it's insanely hot. It is crass and merely a way for merchants to draw in a ton of people and make more money. I complain, but then I always take a bunch of pictures (many of which get used in my blogs) and think that there are a lot of cool and interesting aspects to it. The huge papier mache figures that adorn the street are deliciously ostentatious and impressive in their stature and the effort that went into them.

I think I've come to take the festival for granted, and I'm going to miss it when I'm no longer here.

Won't Miss #276 - lowball (medical) weight estimates

Okay, this guy probably has a weight problem by any country's standards. 

In Asian countries, the "ideal weight" for people on the doctor's charts tends to be 10-20 lbs. lower than the ones you'll get in your home country. I once read about a woman who was 5' 7" (170 cm.) tall and weighed 125 lbs. (56.7 kg.) and the doctor told her she was too fat and needed to lose 10 lbs. Note that the "medically recommended range for this height is between 121-160 lbs. in the West and the "ideal weight" is 126 lbs. Doctors will recommend that you lose weight down to an incredibly scrawny level for your height and frame size based on nothing more than charts. They won't even look as musculature, and won't distinguish between people based on build or bone structure. To be fair to the doctors, the reason for this is that diabetes occurs among Asian populations at lower BMIs (body mass indexes) than those with populations composed of people of largely European descent. Nonetheless, they are doctors, and there is no excuse for ignorance of facts that are so well-known that even a lowly blogger with no medical training (i.e., me) is aware of them. 

It's as if they have no capacity to assess a healthy weight based on anything but arbitrary guidelines and do not trouble themselves to understand the needs of their foreign patients, and I won't miss that.

Will Miss #275 - seeing your culture through new eyes

Uncle Sam may appear to be hung and slumped dead over that sign, but he's really hawking tacos and American beer.

There was a series of books published by Tuttle which is no longer in print called "The Adventures of Max Danger." In the second book of the series, the introduction talks about the perspective of an old Japanese woman who said that Americans are "big people...who believe their opinions are facts." I've come to learn that, for the most part, this is true. Americans do believe their opinions constitute facts and Japanese people rarely regard their own opinions with such solid belief in their foundation. Some of the ideas and views of Western folks by Japanese people are based on stereotypes and lack depth of understanding, but it's not uncommon for there to be wisdom about the nature of foreign cultures from those who have more experience with foreign cultures and a broader perspective of life.

Seeing my country through the eyes of the Japanese (when it isn't reflecting ignorant assumptions) has been incredibly valuable and enlightening and I will miss that.

Won't Miss #275 - New Year's postcards

Every year, my students, foreign and Japanese acquaintances, and blog buddies complain about having to write New Year's postcards... well, "write" isn't really correct. Most of them just print a sheaf of them en masse from their color printers. I have never met one person who likes sending them out, and few who care much about even receiving them. It's a tradition which is even worse than sending Christmas cards because the messages are shorter and hollower than the boring, mass produced yearly holiday letters that people cram in them. They're really just something people do out of obligation or for business purposes. The tradition seems to exist mainly so that people can get the equivalent of an entry into the postal lottery which comes along with certain types of cards and stamps. Most people don't win anything (or at best, win some stamps), but it is pretty much the only reason they care about getting the cards since the messages are so brief and perfunctory.

I won't miss getting these cards knowing that they're sent out of obligation and I won't miss feeling guilty that I don't send any myself in return out of similar obligation.

Will Miss #274 - the SK Japan "metabo" kitty

I have to confess that I am not entirely immune to the "kawaii" (cute) aspects of Japanese pop culture. My head is duly hung in shame at being in my mid 40's and still being lured by the occasional cute thing. One of those things is the SK Japan mascot (called "debuneko"／でぶねこ or "fatty cat") which is sometimes marketed as a "metabo" cat. "Metabo" is the Japanese-English term for "metabolic syndrome". It essentially refers to middle-aged spread and has become a ubiquitous term as of late so it is applied to this big, fat kitty. As a long-time fan of Kliban cats, and as someone who eventually (when I go home) wants to get herself a big, fat real cat, I love this mascot. Every time I see it, the 8-year-old girl in me says, "squee!" I want one, but I only see them in UFO Catcher (claw) games and I can't play them.

I'll miss seeing the SK Japan cat mascot and its glorious fat cuteness.

Won't Miss #274 - psycho over scratches

I know that many men all over the world treat their cars with the same or better regard than their genitalia, and that they can get a bit nutty if someone dings or touches their cars. In Japan though, that level of investment seems to be turned up to "11". I have witnessed and heard about a lot of cases where Japanese men went absolutely bonkers over the slightest touch of their vehicle by a passing bicycle, a pedestrian, or other vehicle. No damage even has to be done for them to go ballistic. They just have to perceive that the potential for damage could have been done. If you happen to hit a spot which was previously blemished, you're going to be blamed even if that scratch is rusty and clearly old. The Japanese are just far nuttier about perfection in their cars than almost any other country's people, and this obsession is reflected in these reactions. In most cases, you'd get far more passion for imperceptibly scratching a guy's car door than for insulting his wife's appearance.

I won't miss the psychotic way some Japanese men react at the mere hint of a ding on their vehicles.

Will Miss #273 - "White Day"

A culture is not only revealed in the greatness of its practices, but in its lame ones as well. Too many people think about Japan only in terms of its best points and its quirky aspects. "White Day" reveals just how uncreative and pathetic the marketers in Japan can be when setting themselves to the task of creating their own non-traditional consumer-minded holiday rather than usurping that of Western countries (as they have done with Christmas, Halloween, and Valentine's Day). White Day is a "Hallmark holiday" invented by sweets manufacturers as an "answer" to Valentine's Day in which women in Japan are supposed to give men chocolates. On "White Day", men are supposed to give women white treats like marshmallow-based sweets, cookies, or white chocolate. The idea is bland, poorly named, and very few men actually observe it. Unlike most holidays that were born with some sort of meaning and had it stripped through marketing practices, White Day was born without a soul and has always been utterly hollow.

White Day is an empty monument to corporate greed and a complete lack of creativity and I'll miss it and the way the displays always bring a wry smile to my face.

Won't Miss #273 - inconsistent labeling information

For reasons I'm sure have nothing to do with serving consumer interests, products in Japan are labeled in a highly inconsistent manner. If you look at the picture of a bin of carrots above, they are priced at 25 yen per 100 grams (3.5 oz.). Next to them are bags of potatoes which are 180 yen per bag. This shop is one that I shop at often, and usually carrots are priced per bag as well, but they play this game with the pricing when a particular product gets expensive. What is worse than this sort of thing is packaged foods, particularly drinks. Sometimes a drink's calorie information is given per 100 ml. Sometimes it is given for the entire bottle. Sometimes it is given per 200 ml. You have to be very careful to scrutinize nutrition information carefully when you buy food in Japan.

There is no consistent labeling among Japanese products either in terms of prices or nutritional content and I won't miss the way in which information is manipulated to mislead consumers who are not scrupulously attentive.

Will Miss #272 - design going the extra mile

A container of gum has a separate pocket with slips of paper so that the chewer can wrap the gum in paper when finished. This means they don't have to worry about gum sticking to the trash bin liner when they throw it away.

If there is one thing you can say about manufacturers in Japan, it is that they are detail-oriented when it comes to considering consumer needs. One of the reasons that U.S. manufacturers have historically had difficulties breaking into the Japanese market is that they offer products "as is" rather than tweak them at an intimate level for the fussy Japanese consumers. You find that a lot of products will be adjusted to cater to the smallest of concerns on the part of consumers so that using the product is more convenient. Sometimes, this is all a bit much, but often these little changes make a difference. Whether those changes are of use to me or not, I find the choices manufacturers make to be a fascinating reflection of the Japanese consumer consciousness and that such fine details reveal something about the psychology and priorities of Japanese people.

I'll miss the way product design often goes that extra mile to make things more comfortable or convenient for consumers.