日本人の考え方　（Nihonjin no kangaekata）－Stereotype Japanese thinking

28th March ‐ 弥生

Behind the history of being islander and not much connection with people from other countries, Japanese has established their own way to build relationship and communication method. Today’s topic is the stereotype of Japanese thought- It is of course not applicable for every single person in Japan, but it can be applicable in some points.

1. Japanese respect “和”(Wa)

Generally speaking, Japanese put importance on 和 (Wa)=harmony among each other, no fighting. Many of Japanese prefer to adjust themselves to the others. For instance, if one person says he wants to go to the BBQ today. The other 2 say that’s a good idea. The another one thinks he wants to eat salad, but he doesn’t want to break the 和, so he would say let’s go to BBQ too. Adjusting their opinion and being the same as others makes them feel secure.

There is a proverb: 出る杭は打たれる (Deru kui wa utareru). It means if you stand out, everybody will gang up and you will be bullied. Being different to others will break 和, therefore it is avoided and forced to make the opinion same as the others.

2. High contexts

When Japanese talk to each other, they generally understand what they really mean from the context of what they say – Japanese are good at reading others’ mind. For instance, when boss says ‘If you could help me with finishing this document, it would be great! But only if you don’t have nothing to do right now.’ This means the boss really wants your help. The second sentence is just a decoration, he wishes you to help whether you have other tasks or not. Japanese understand the context behind the words.

One really often case is that when one person asks you to go on a date, and you do not really want to go with this person, you just say I might go if I can, or I will check the schedule and see if I can. Sometimes, it really means possibility to go, but in many case it instantly shows I do not want to go, so the person who asks will probably not ask you too much from then. Showing possibility (but actually it means immediate NO from the first approach) might be the way to be polite to others, by not saying the fact that I do not want to go on a date with the person!

3. Strong work place relationship

Japanese company respect very strong connection within the coworkers, so there are generally not much separation in the private and work. Many case, coworkers hang out together a lot,become best friends, sometimes couples can be made within the coworkers. The strong relationship can be the reason why Japanese do not change the job easily.

Normally, Japanese companies hold drinking party after work, and if the boss asks the workers, it is very hard to say no as the boss has got the authority and make the atmosphere impossible to reject the invitation.

In summary, generally Japanese are recognized as:

-Low self assertion

-Prefer the same as the others

-Humble

-Sensitive for what others think about oneself

What are the stereotype of thinking in your country?