It is Now Alright to Smile in Japan!

Dramatic Shift in Japanese Culture

Upsets Social Critic

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

Cultural changes in Japan since the 1950s have been both profuse and profound—beginning with and prompted by the introduction of personal freedom and individuality into Japanese society for the first time in the history of the country.

One of the new elements in modern-day Japanese culture that is both amazing and enlightening – in comparison with earlier times – is the custom of smiling. Traditionally, the Japanese were known for smiling when they were embarrassed and when referring to personal tragedies, but not smiling in situations that Westerners considered funny and not continuously injecting humorous comments or actions into their behavior that would elicit smiles in other countries.

It is not fair or correct to say, however, that earlier Japanese did not have a sense of humor and did not laugh and smile in their daily lives. They did have (and still have) a highly honed sense of humor, and both smiling and laughter had their place.

But it is true that the Japanese have traditionally been restrained in their use of humor and in smiling because of the formality and strictness of their etiquette in their relations with others. A serious demeanor in virtually all formal situations and in the workplace was a key part of the culture of the Japanese. At the very least, it was considered rude for clerks, receptionists and others to smile when dealing with customers.

There was a time and place for humor and for laughing in pre-democratic Japan, but to engage in such behavior when it was not the time or the place could have very serious consequences. During the long samurai era (1192-1870) a smile in a formal situation could get you shortened by a head. And still today in offices and workplaces a smiling face can get you labeled as insincere and not worthy of promotion to a higher position.

But beginning around the 1970s the new breed of Japanese began adopting the Western custom of smiling as an integral part of creating and maintaining harmonious relations with others—something that was diametrically opposed to traditional Japanese behavior.

Now, says noted Japanese social critic and author Tomomi Fujiwawa, the Japanese born after 1970 have gone so far in substituting smiles for seriousness and sincerity that it has begun to have a deleterious affect on their ability to solve problems.

In an interview published by the Japan Economic Weekly Fujiwara is quoted as saying that there is now too much smiling in Japan and that he fears for the future of the country. He says that the constant smiling that one sees in restaurants and stores gives an impression of peace and harmony, but in reality it can be and often is misleading and can make genuine communication difficult or impossible.

Fujiwara adds that people who have become conditioned to smiling their way through life become susceptible to “running amok,” when they encounter challenges or obstacles that they cannot deal with by smiling.

Having been intimately involved with Japan since the late 1940s my own judgment is that adoption of the Western way of smiling and using humor in private and public relationships by the younger generations of Japanese has been one of the best things that has happened to the country.

One of the primary cultural traits of the Japanese born and raised before the spread of unrestrained smiling was a deep-seated feeling of being fundamentally different from people in the rest of the world, of not feeling at ease with foreigners, of experiencing extraordinary stress when dealing with foreigners.

This feeling no longer exists among post-1970 Japanese and has dramatically subsided in those who are older – and is one of the reasons why so many resident foreigners and foreign visitors regard Japan as a kind of paradise – made so by the friendly outgoing personalities of the people and their continuing attention to the care, comfort and needs of others.
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Copyright © 2007 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente
For a list and descriptions of the author's 40-plus books on Japan, go to: phoenixbookspublishers.com

The Japanese Way of Pleasuring in the Brevity of Life!

How Communing with the Fragility of Life Can Sharpen

Your Sensual, Intellectual & Spiritual Enjoyment!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

One of the special elements of Japanese culture is the tradition of creating both environments and occasions for communing with the fragility of life—an element that adds enormously to the recognition of this fragility and makes people more inclined to enjoy the years they have.

One of the most memorable afternoons I have spent in Japan was in a traditional ryokan (rio-kahn), inn, situated on the slope of a gorge on picturesque Izu Peninsula southwest of Tokyo. It was a Sunday afternoon. I was alone, and it was raining—not a heavy rain but a light, steady rain that was close to being a mist. I was sitting on the balcony of my room, looking out over the gorge, waiting for a friend to arrive.

As I sat there I began to experience what the Japanese call mono no aware (moe-no no ah-wah-ray)—a Buddhist concept that includes being very conscious of the ephemeral nature of man, his struggle in the face of great odds and the inevitability of his downfall and disappearance.

This aspect of Japan’s culture, developed between 700 and 1200 A.D. was based on the acute recognition of the impermanence of all things—an element that was enhanced by the code of the samurai which required them to be ready to give up their lives at a moment’s notice—resulting in their lives being compared to cherry blossoms...beautiful but fragile to the extreme and subject to being wafted away by the slightest breeze.

This culture of impermanence was especially reflected in the haiku and tanka poetry of the era, as well as in the such great literary works as Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji), a novel about the intrigues and loves of an imperial prince (usually regarded as the world’s first novel) written in the early 11th century by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady in the Imperial Court in Kyoto; and Heike Monogatari (The Tale of the Heike), compiled by a blind monk named Kakuichi in 1371.

The opening lines of Heike Monogatari, which depicts an epic struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans for the control of Japan in the 12th century, say more about the human condition than many philosophical tomes:

“The sound of the Gion Shôja [temple] bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sâla flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last; they are as dust before the wind.”

The culture of Japan reflected this theme in many ways, resulting in the Japanese developing an extensive vocabulary that expressed this inherent sadness of life.

While mono no aware means something like “indulging one’s self in grief,” neither this phrase nor any of the other key words were actually used in sad situations. Instead they referred to a gentle melancholy view of the fragility and preciousness of life that included an element of subdued pleasure.

The annual custom of celebrating the short life of cherry blossoms is the largest of Japan’s the mono no aware rituals. It reminds them to take the time and find ways enjoy life while you can because it will soon be gone.

My spending a quiet afternoon entranced by the natural beauty of the setting as it was being cleansed and renewed by rain was another of the mono no aware practices that are dear to the hearts of the Japanese. Still another way is to engage in “forest bathing”—spending time in an isolated forest, letting the sights, sounds and vibrations of the trees wash over you.

There is also an element of mono no aware in most of Japan’s classic art and craft designs, from kitchen utensils to the kimono wore by older men and women. The famous Tea Ceremony is a pure mono no aware ritual.

Knowledge of this cultural element makes it possible for one to appreciate more fully the distinctive essence of things Japanese—the elements that make them Japanese.

This factor is one of the unspoken and generally un-described things that makes the traditional aspects of life in Japan so sensually, intellectually, and spiritually attractive to everyone, including foreigners who are sensitive to the realities of life, including its brevity.
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Copyright © 2007 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente
For a detailed and definitive discourse on aspects of Japanese culture see the author’s book, ELEMENTS OF JAPANESE DESIGN—Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts; The Japanese Have a Word for It!; JAPAN UNMASKED—The Character & Culture of the Japanese; and SEX & THE JAPANESE—The Sensual Side of Japan. To see a full list of his books on Japan, China and Korea, see his personal website at: www.phoenixbookspublishers.com, and/or Amazon.com and other online booksellers.