Japanese Christians and the religion of being Japanese: Article by Tom Aaron

The religion of the Japanese

Once again, I found myself out drinking with Fred. We were in a cheap place, one of those places with the little red lanterns outside, which usually signified cheap food and drink, the drinks being of an alcoholic nature. We were peacefully solving the problems of the world, when a drunk homed in on us. We Westerners, living in rural Japan, were like magnets for drunks. Red in the face, four sheets to the wind, Jiro Hamasaki welcomed us like long lost brothers, Christian brothers, as he babbled in Japanese and English repeating the same basic points again and again: He was a Christian, he loved America, and he loved us. I didn't have the heart to tell him I wasn't religious and Fred didn't say anything. Not speaking to drunks was one of Fred's mantras.

We called for the check, beat a hasty retreat, and ducked into a coffee shop a few hundred meters away. We ordered beer, which was the only alcohol the coffee shop served and Fred began his theory on Japanese Christians. "A few of them were born into Christianity and grew up with it due to their Christian parents or other family members. I can understand that. What I can't understand is the others. So few Japanese become Christians, in spite of all the missionaries and the English conversation classes missionaries use to attract potential converts. So, why do these few become Christians?"

I knew this was a rhetorical question, but I thought I would try and get a word in anyway. I opened my mouth, but Fred continued, "I know that some of them do not fit in Japan. They are lonely, and they become Christians to become part of a community. What I can't understand is how they can turn their backs on what I think is the true religion of Japan- being Japanese.

I opened my mouth again, but the monologue continued, "Being Japanese is a religion in and of itself: Shinto for birth, Buddhism for death, Japanese holidays and festivals in between with some visits to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples for weddings, memorial ceremonies for the deceased, and so on. Combine all that with a belief in Japanese culture, the secure knowledge that Japan is a unique country, and the even more secure knowledge that the Japanese are a unique people, you have the religion of the Japanese- being Japanese.

Once again, I tried to say something, but I should have known better. Fred changed tack in midstream, "Actually I take that back. Being Japanese is actually stronger in terms of faith than most of the Western religions. How else could we have beliefs such as Japanese snow being unique and not fit for Western skis, people from other countries being unable to speak Japanese, and Japan being the only country in the world with four seasons."

I finally managed to break in to Fred's monologue, "Japanese don't really believe that Japan is the only country with four seasons."

"They don't?" Fred shot back. Then why are they always saying that Japan has four seasons as if it something unique?"

I didn't have a good answer to that. Fred's statements may have gone a little bit overboard, but he did have the gist of the matter right. Being Japanese was almost like a religion due to the beliefs involved. Most Japanese put a lot more into being Japanese then many Americans who claimed to be religious put into their religion. Being Japanese may not be a religion like Fred claimed, but it definitely meant subscribing to a strict set of beliefs and rules.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-12

Myths About Working in Japan

Having lived in Japan for three years and employed as a temp-worker by the same employer for that time, I saw firsthand how the Japanese work in Japan. I was working for a city government entity in their board of education and can say that there were more artificial holidays requiring office closures than anything experienced in the US.

There is no doubt about it that the Japanese put in long hours. On a short day, they may work 10 hours days and on a long day, 12 or more hours. The idea that Saturday and Sunday are reserved as "off days" is more like working on Saturday and off on Sunday.

But, it is important to define "work" as the Japanese do. In the US, there are tasks and deadlines and there are groups of people that are working on those tasks to meet those deadlines. Well, the government workers in Japan are a lot like the ones in the US and will work a bit, loaf a bit then have a pointless meeting where nothing will be resolved then shoot the breeze a bit then the next thing you know, it's around 7pm, and you have really accomplished nothing since the meeting ended at 4pm.

The idea of a guy knocking off work at 5pm is a big no-no due to the culture. The idea of working a 50 hour not 40 hour week is the norm and the overtime that you put in may or may not be recognized at time and a half.

As the old Navy saying goes, "Work Smarter, Not Harder". While this scenario is based on my observations of the Japanese government worker, this is not too far off the mark having worked for a year in California for an old-fashion Japanese trading company. This was over five years ago and the idea of distributing info via e-mail was seen as taboo. Ridged, structuring of meetings and people sitting in assigned seats and information being passed in Japanese with people like me who do not know the language at the business level were the norm. Doing something "more manageable" was seen as taking the easy way out.

A few things that must be taken into consideration about working for a Japanese employer are that you must adapt to their ways, they will not adapt to yours despite being in your home country, you must be very patient, and you must get use to being henpecked to death and the way the Japanese manage is by micro-managing their underlings. Promotion is based on seniority, not results. While these are my findings, the Japanese are changing their ways while operating outside the US. For example, they realize that outside of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other big cities with Japanese communities that they cannot assume that the average American can understand Japanese or operate as the Japanese do. Therefore, there is only one Japanese person working at a branch office in "Middle America" and that Japanese manager's staff comprises of an all-American staff and the American foremen report to the Japanese manager and communication passes through the manager and down thought the foreman to the front line of American workers from the home office in Japan. (Top-down) The front line workers work in shifts and their needs are channeled back to their American foreman.

Furthermore, it was noted that in Japan, the fast food chain, KFC will change their pay structure to compensate employees who put in overtime which is similar to what goes on in the US.

Today's picture was taken in May 2006 and is a tribute to the American professor who introduced agriculture from the West to Japan, Dr. Clark. His quote was "Boys be Ambitious". Underneath me should be a sign that reads "Work Smarter, Not Harder"

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-10

Japanomics 101- Japanese Culture in a Nutshell

There are three basic things that I tell people when asked about Japanese culture. They are the senpai-kohai relationship, kaizen and "on" and "giri".


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
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09