The senpai-kohai relationship
First, the senpai-kohai relationship is the backbone of Japanese culture. The seniors, upperclassmen and the like are the senpai and their juniors, underclassmen and the like are the kohai. As early as the seventh grade, Japanese people act on this relationship. The senpai are expected to show the way for their kohai and the kohai are expected to follow. Like anything, there is abuse of this relationship when senpai dumping excessive amounts of work on the desk of their kohai at the end of the day. Just as there was a time when I never said "no" to my father, the same can be said in general when the senpai asks something of their kohai. One thing to note is that this relationship is strictly for Japanese as Westerners simply can not follow this kind of mentality on a long-term basis. On that note, in the early 1990s, there was a movie, Rising Sun, staring Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes.
The older Connery refers to the younger Snipes as "kohai" as the law enforcement duo investigates the death of an American call girl found inside a high rise Japanese business complex in downtown Los Angeles. This movie shows how mighty Japan was prior to their economic bubble bursting. Snipes disregards what Connery tells him and fumbles the case. At one point during the movie, Connery says to Snipes, The Japanese fix the problem, not the blame instead of the Americans finding someone to blame for the problem." This leads to my next point.Kaizen
Next, there is "kaizen". This is an improvement, a change for the better or a betterment. This is the basis of the Japanese auto giant, Toyota. The method of carrying this out is first to plan, then do, followed by check and lastly action. Approximately 80% of the time is spent on planning while 20% is spent doing by the Japanese. It is the opposite with us Americans. This explains why the Japanese have far more meetings than us Americans and why us Americans get frustrated and misread the Japanese actions as pussyfooting. Unfortunately, American products and services often lack the quality, diligence and superiority that Japanese products and services offer leading one to believe that the American way has room for "kaizen"."on" and "giri"
Last, there is "on" and "giri". These are the two forms of obligation that take place in Japan. "On" is the long-term obligation of the two. It is easiest to remember by thinking that "On" goes on, on, and on. I currently know of a situation in Japan where a man is in jail and his senpai from 50 years ago checks on his jail bird kohai's family and takes the wife to visit his kohai in jail. The drive is three prefectures away. Often, expensive property is purchased in Japan and is paid off not in 30 years but in three or more generations.
"Giri" is when the obligation is met equally. For example, the Japanese do celebrate Valentine's Day, but it is more or less a formality. Japanese women give the men in their life chocolate. In general, it could be their boyfriend, husband, co-worker or even their English teacher for example. Then, exactly 30 days later, there is the manufactured holiday in Japan known as White Day. The boyfriend, husband, co-worker and even the English teacher (if he is at the school)returns the favor by giving chocolate back to the person who gave them something. Then, the obligation is met equally.
This past Christmas, my wife was persistent about giving movie tickets to a few people that were good to her in her first full year in South Carolina. One was a couple who have been friends of my family since the 1970s who would visit her on a regular basis when she was working part-time at the neighborhood library. Then, there was my brother-in-law's mother and her husband. When my nephew got baptised, we went out to eat after the church service. They paid for our meal which really impressed my wife. As a result, we gave them some movie tickets. My wife felt that my friend from childhood should also get a pair of tickets since he had been very helpful with all of the trials and tribulations that I went through at my former job.
In conclusion, I believe that if a Westerner can gain a basic understanding of these concepts, they will go a long way when dealing with the Japanese.
The Divine Wind Vault
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