Once I was sitting on a train in Japan. An older lady fell while boarding the train. I got up to help her up, no one else did. Once she was up and daijobu, I turned around and someone had taken my seat.
When my dad recently went to Japan he saw an old man have a heart attack and no one did anything just walked around him and my dad can’t speak Japanese but began to help how he could and got people to notice. It was the strangest thing to hear cause I’d assumed the opposite for awhile.
@@norihiro01 Watch the video Nobita from Japan just did on this same topic. He tells about almost that exact situation happening to him, when he was a small kid with his grandmother at a train station. She collapsed and nobody stopped to help her even though he was standing there crying.
I have to say, sometimes the “Land of Harmony” just sounds more like the “Land of Conformity”. There are some things about that country I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand.
It's right there in the name. In order to attain this level of Harmony you have to suppress and crush a LOT of things that can create any type of friction.
So in other words it can be thought as this: "in this land: when there is conformity, there is harmony" tho I do not profess accuracy in the sentence, it is but a rough idea of it.
Here in the States, we have the exact opposite problem. Plenty of people meddling in other peoples businesses because they think their values are the "best" from idealogues to "compasionate" people who don't understand the very simple concept of long term consequences. It also doesn't help that there's almost no basic culture to fallback to anymore so nobody can chill or relate to each other which leads to so much conflict Japan is cold but you can always thaw things out. All you have with an exciting fire is burns and ashes
I remember about joker at train accident, Its Just one man with just a knife, killing oldman, and people already runing saving them self, no one care about saving the oldman,
I realized this mentality when a well known Japanese entrepreneur donated to help a child with an illness get treatment overseas. There was a lot of criticism from Japanese commenters along the lines of it being favoritism or unfair to other patients on the waiting list, and that he should donate more fairly. Geeez
Funny enough, we see a lot of the same criticisms made in the West, but they're usually made in bad faith, to slander the helping person or to move the "goalposts" of the argument. "Well if you care so much, what about this other problem??"
Nobita literally made a video about this two days ago. It really revealed a part of Japanese culture I always thought about for a long time but never knew if it was just my experience or part of the culture.
When the rest of the world went into lockdown, Japan stated that no foreigners would be allowed to enter the country (makes sense), even if they were residents (makes slightly less sense, but they are just trying to protect their citizens), but Japanese citizens could return to the country. Essentially, a Japanese citizen was allowed to go on holiday abroad (to a country that was allowing foreign visitors) as many times as they wanted as long as they isolated, but a foreign Japanese resident wouldn't have been allowed to return to be with their children, return from a funeral or anything else. It took months for the government to allow foreign Japanese residents to enter the country, but even then you couldn't leave, or get on a returning flight with the guarantee that you would be allowed back in. Foreign residents, people with jobs, homes, lives and sometimes, families, were treated like tourists. That being said, my experience with Japanese citizens was exactly what you mentioned, they were lovely and incredibly helpful during the pandemic.
It is true that people just walk by. As told by my Japanese friend. You could be dead on the sidewalk of a major cross street in Tokyo and people will just walk by. Unconcerned. I think it’s different if you ask for help.
I worked in Japan for six months and my boss was one of the coldest people I’ve ever met. She fired me and I had little money to get out of Japan. It was the middle of winter and I had to be out of my apartment at a specific time on the button. I was left to fend for myself with all my belongings. Fortunately, a foreigner helped me out.
When I was visiting Japan, we were in Osaka and my friend and I were taking a train to Hiroshima. My friend's mother and aunt walked us to the train station and after we got on the train the two elderly women were walking back. A man rushing to catch a train, knocked mama-san down in the intersection and broke her hip. He turned around and looked at her lying on the ground, then turned around to continue running for his train. That incident forever changed my view of the Japanese people as a humble and deferential people.
Fascinating how a culture obsessed about being perceived as polite and respectful is also rife with such cold-heartedness. Ofcourse I dont mean this as an insult to the Japanese people. It's more of an observation on the wider culture and how contradictory it can seem to an outsider.
I wouldn’t want to live there as a woman because of how victims of sexual violence are treated or lack there of and don’t even get me started on sexual harassment
My story the same as everyone else’s. Friend and I (Americans) spent a weekend in Tokyo. We saw an old man stumble and fall backwards in the middle of a busy street. He was well dressed, clean, so its not like he was untouchably homeless. We waited a moment since we are not experts in Japanese emergency response or anything. Two beats passed and we realized nobody was going to go to him. He was out cold in the street. We rushed to him and aggressively accosted passersby to call their 911 equivalent. Left the encounter with a serious sense of the amoral nature of Japanese society.
@@StefanVeenstra Hearing about the old man falling down and no one helping doesn't make you upset, but hearing about some outsiders helping him and accosting the locals who didnt help does? You need to seriously review your own priorities.
EDIT: Just to be clear, I don't want to generalize japanese people. I just told a story that depicts a social problem in Japan which we encountered in different ways during our stay. But every society has its problems, not just Japan. I really enjoyed living in Japan and found many things I liked about the people's mindsets. I lived a year in Japan with my girlfriend. One day she visited a mall and saw a man physically attacking a woman (who was his girlfriend supposedly), dragging her through the mall while she was screaming. The other people just passed them without helping that woman; my girlfriend confronted the attacker and called the police and informed the mall manager. Something like that would be unimaginable where I come from. Apart from that I always found japanese people extremely helpful if I asked for help or directions.
It seems like a part of the Japanese mindset of not causing trouble and maintaining the status quo. A consequence of that is you don't do anything whatsoever and stand out until something is expected of you specifically. This seems to be why Japanese people are very friendly when they are involved in something and very cold when not.
@@btat16 the group thinking is what we were warned about in first aid training. Never ask who can help, because nobody will come forward thinking somebody more appropriate will help. Instead, point to a person and give a specific task. ie call 911 or get a defibrillator. people cant avoid the expectation.
@@loviebeest But I think that is the same everywhere. I remember that warning from first aid training as well. It's just how humans work, especially in a stressful situation
What a funny coincidence. I just read a thread on Twitter about the Japanese unwillingness to help and its connection to the Japanese shaming culture aka being shamed for acting different and then kicked out of the group. So the same here, but I guess the thread used a bit more rude words than this video Such a shame. That the Japanese people jump right in to help foreigners shows they're not cold people at all. It's their own collective culture that's stopping them from helping each other
@@norihiro01 You're gonna do it bro! By making a snarky response to every person sharing their ideas, you're gonna be able to cope with reality. I believe in you!
Having been raised in a society that stresses individualism, it is very hard to try and view the world through this lens of collectivism. I can comprehend it (thanks to your help) at an intellectual level, but actually "feeling it" seems so very foreign to me. I am so grateful for your videos; this one definitely causes me to pause and seriously think. As always, thank you for your time and work. This is very illuminating.
It's not just a lens. Individualist Collectivists(1) dichotomy has genetic aspects : schmoogle *Culture-gene coevolution of individualism-collectivism and the serotonin transporter gene* *1. (def from same paper): A fundamental way in which culture shapes human behaviour is through self-construal style, or in how people define themselves and their relation to others in their environment (Markus & Kitayama 1991;Triandis1995;Nisbett et al. 2001). In particular, cultural psychologists have identified two primary styles of self-construal across cultures: individualism and collectivism (Markus & Kitayama 1991;Triandis 1995;Nisbett et al. 2001)(figure 1a). Individualistic cultures encourage thinking of people as independent of each other. By contrast, collectivistic cultures endorse thinking of people as highly interconnected to one another. Individualistic cultures emphasize self-expression and pursuit of individuality over group goals, whereas collectivistic cultures favour maintenance of social harmony over assertion of individuality* in 2022 Most Charitable Countries index there are no N East Asian countries in the top 40, who curiously just so happen to be the highest in collectivism as per serotonin transporter gene correlations.. Curiously aren't any NEast asian countries in the top 20 of the happiness index and only a couple in the top 50 . I wonder if being happy and and freely helping people are connected versus serving some impersonal hierarchical obligation. It must be individually depressing not feeling free to do things of your own volition all the time, versus individualist societies where freedom is a paramount virtue and making people happy and like you as a person is much more an individual choice as per freedom of association and other individual rights.
Very interesting. On one of my trips to Japan, I was supposed to fly back to Tokyo from a small regional airport. I got there early and the airport wasn’t open yet. I sat down on the edge of the road, waiting. A couple in a car drove up, saw that the airport was closed, then the woman got out, bought a can of coffee from a vending machine, gave it to me, then they drove away. I still have the can. A happy memory.
@You tube Censorship it's not, really. But I'm not sure if it has something to do with being a foreigner in Japan (and looking obviously like one) that makes them be extra attentive. Because honestly I too felt very welcomed and was helped in many different occasions by japanese people without really asking them to 🤔
This maybe unheard-of for Westerners, but Asian-Asian people tend to treat Western-looking foreigners in a much more welcoming way compares to other Asians, Arabs, Hispanics or ethnic Africans. The more west-European-esque features you have the warmer the treatments. (this doesn't mean they're not welcoming to other races, just not as friendly) If you retell the stories being someone from said regions, then you truly met a progressive Asian
@@jungefrau they have vending machines all over the place where you can buy coffee, in cans, as well as many many different types of food. It’s really cool!
Reminds me of the project we did for Japanese history class last semester, talking about the consequences of some crisises in Japan, one being the current problem. I remember reading an article about the homeless people in Japan and how they basically got overlooked by the rest of society. As I recall, they were encouraged to stay indoors, but all indoor public spaces were shut down, so the homeless people had nowhere to go at all, and I believe it also mentioned the fact that because Japanese people were more unwilling to help, it was harder for them to get by.
I believe the reason homeless people get overlooked is that they have all the means to fix their lives, but they don't try. Japan has a shortage of workers and you can pretty find a job if you look anywhere. Not to count all the assistance and support you can easily get from the government and people's tax money. Basically, it's very difficult to unwillingly become homeless unless you are really old or very sick.
its no different in Western cities, people walk by the homeless all the time and the government puts up things to prevent homeless from camping there. Biggest problem is that lack of facilities for the mentally ill
A middle ground needs to be found. Japan is known for certain shitty things like a toxic work culture, shitty justice system or extreme collectivism. Seniority instead of merit isn't ideal. This reminds me how anime tends to portray the opposite of what you talked about in this video. It's been said by others before, but I believe that manga, light novels and anime are sometimes the cries of help by the authors. They wish their country was better but they don't have the power to change it, so they portray an ideal Japan in fiction.
@@glennduke5853 Yes, Japanese porn is very alarming, or at least it was 15 - 25 years ago. Virtually every situation ends up looking like a rape scene, the woman wincing in extreme pain and crying out. Often very degrading things are done to the woman, and I don't remember ever seeing a situation where the woman was either enthusiastic or showing enjoyment. Usually very passive or at best dutiful at the start.
As an Indonesian living in Indonesia, I can confirm during this pandemic years more people are willing to donate and help each other to the point that they are willing to send daily groceries to the families in isolation if that family get positive test of Covid. And lastly, imo natural disasters doesn't have correlation with willingness to help, because Indonesia also home to many natural disasters (Flood, Earthquake, Volcanoes, etc).
I think natural disasters still have a big role for the 'coldness' culture in Japan. What make it different to Indonesia is how they approach that kind of situation. Since Indonesia is diverse in both ethnicity and religion if you compared to Japan, people will more likely to accept the difference between others and more likely to be more generous too. I mean if there is some place with two or more ethnicity got struck into some sort of natural disaster, being cold to each other doesn't help you either, right? Edit : sorry if my English little bit messy since it's not my native language
@@ivanzero8854 SEA people are probably laughing because my country philippines expierienced more than stroms but typhoons that cause bigger destruction and losing not only resources and homes but families. Edit: I am not rude here but my country do has a lot of storms except (march, april and may, as we considered this as summer times but 2x hotter) but in my country collectivism is more of a group of people with same goals and helps each other so in my country when pandemic came, people started to build free food stand here and give it for free and may people including most populous cities came running around here and standing it for early and even earlier than what time is it supposed to be opened, this just my expierience and i am not bashing other cultures, i find them interesting.
@@cyrilmarasigan7108 Yeah, I find it interesting too. I also an Indonesian, and I know that the our people is collective, but has different approach to that of Japanese collectivism. And I always wonder why. If it's about geography and natural disaster factors, then our countries, Philippines and Indonesia, are also island countries with many disasters. I though of about SEA people being religious society, Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia, Buddhism in Thailand, Christianity in Philippines, so they have a drive to do kindness because of the religions' teaching. Maybe. If I'm not mistaken, Indonesia's collectivism is the society model that Marx used as his base for communism (or maybe just an anecdote). I don't know if the collectivism is because of European expansion, religious teaching, or the original social model in the first place. I wish I can find studies about these topics because it seems interesting.
Your explanation was excellent. My cousin, James Heisig who is a permanent research fellow at Nanzan University gave me a very similar explanation of the collectiveism and habits of the Japanese people. You are doing much to educate foreigners about Japan and Japanese people. I for one, appreciate the education.
they doesn't help old people but they force themselves to help lost foreigners (or who drop out objects) who doesn't speak japanese? they allow themseves to criticize us or others, but they do mind when we do it ? WHAT is this? WHY?
"Land of Harmony" means "Land of Conflict Avoidance", so much to the point that people will do anything to not recognize a situation, often even when it's life or death. About a year ago a sumo wrestler died from injuries simply because no one could bring themselves to act in an urgent manner. People were just standing around talking about what to do because no one wanted to be the one to stand out and "be trouble". The same happens at schools for bullying, worklpaces with sexual harassement and verbal/physical abuse, gyms with psychological outgrouping, you name it. People are taught to not have their own independant sense of values, everything is based on a group-orientd gut feeling of conflict avoidance and belief in the status quo. "Everything is fine and don't act like it isn't or you are the problem". People will pretend to care for you, but will drop you like a hot potatoe without a sign if they sense you are in any way associated with "trouble". Maybe one in 10,000 are not like this. Generally those people are not from the primary culture, like Okinawan's or a non-traditional religious group, or those who have lived for an extended period in another culture which has a deep-rooted element of compassion away from other Japanese.
they have a hyper active cringe instinct ,everything embarrasses them.. Empathy is not distributed evenly amongst the groups aswel , which should be common knowledge with internet showing what mainstream hides for over 2decades..
Shogo this really needs to be addressed in a professional and fair manner, you did this perfectly, you and your team are geniuses at addressing culture.
Definteily not fair. Shogo is spreading some misinformation and obviously has his own views which may and mostly not the same as other people's views or experiences/knowledge. THis video is very misleading and all the poor people on these comments have no real clue of how the Japanese people and culture is. Before you go believing all this nonsense, do some more research or go and actually visit Japan and live there like I have.
I feel like this is changing over time though. I live in Japan and younger Japanese people tend to be more into volunteering and helping out others and are generally more open to thinks outside the norm.
This is because of globalization, mainly in the form of the internet, which provides outlets and exposure to things outside of Japan thus, widening perspectives and interest. This is true of all other cultures with regular internet exposure as well.
Sorry to shed somewhat disappointing light on this topic, but the direct reason is that corporate recruiting questionnaire nowadays asks "Have you done any volunteering work?". This started a chain reaction in the pecking order, and nowadays you see groups picking up trash in Shibuya so university students can confidently answer "Yes" to that question. Yeah, Social change in Japan is triggered mostly from "Above", not from the grassroots as westerners would intuitively think.
Thank you for putting this out; not only does this offer insight into Japan in particular, but it is an excellent introduction to the paradox of collectivism and individualism.
It's interesting how extreme collectivism can result in many of the same issues as extreme individualism although the reasoning behind it may differ, i.e. "Don't stand out" vs. "I don't care, not my problem." We see this with the bystander effect but in other areas as well. I think the moral of the story is that balance is preferable.
Very similar to how extreme unfettered communism, and extreme unfettered capitalism also often lead to the same results - scarcity in resources, ultimate lack of variety or innovation, and small and corrupt authoritarian governments or dictators. A balance of the two with regulation and proper maintenance of the democratic process is best.
So just to give some perspective. Yes, as an individual maybe they help less. However, as a collective society, the Japanese government has one the largest aid programs that give to the world at large!!!! They are generous as a collective/organization/nation.
The Jewish Bolsheviks thru collectivism starved 10 million of its own citizens including famers and children thru Communist Marxism in Russia. Why do you think Hitler went East? To save the German minorites in Ukraine and Poland.
In 2000 my whole family and I were stranded in Japan because we were Using my father’s chance passenger benefits from His Job from United Airlines but we didn’t get enough seats for my family on the transfer plane to The Philippines. So we got stuck in Narita. The Airport didn’t allow people to sleep over in The Airport over night and we didn’t know what to do. Japanese Man who worked at the Airport who was walking by and looked like he was just getting off work saw us looking lost and guided us step by step through customs,filling out cards and guided us through the Airport and how to get a hotel and bus. There was a language barrier but he was very patient. He helped us big time and he left a big impression on me. Sometimes when I see tourist here in San Francisco I do the same now.
I think he was just doing his job. The Japanese values quality greatly, that's why services and products in Japan are top-notch. But for generic citizens, I have to say even most Asians are quite "cold-hearted" (no time to help, busy, more pessimistic)
As much as I like Kakashi that quote never resonated with me. Like you are a Ninja. That's a pretty childish way of looking at things. Some ninja missions may require you to abandon your friends and not because you are cold hearted but because lives are at stake.
@@SuperMurray2009 I personally think it means that - IF, you have a situation in a mission where you are going to lose your partner - try your level best to save the mission AND your partner. But IF it’s understood that only one is going to happen; considering the partner itself is a ninja - they themselves would ask you to leave them and save the mission. All I am saying is, when you as a ninja go with ur brothers for a mission, atleast try and talk with that person instead of just ghosting on them the moment things go south.
My first time in Japan several years ago, I ever lost my way to a train station where my team was waiting, so I asked a young man in a book store (because he seems can speak English). After he knew I am finding that train station (actually I needed him to point me the direction then I can asked someone else further), but he called me to follow him to the shop front, and then he walked, walked, turned left, turned right, walked, walked up overpass, and walked, walked until reached that train station.
@@princejames287 He's saying that the man went far out of his way to help. To the point of literally leaving his job area to walk a stranger to the destination rather than just give directions.
I really love how Shogo puts down sentences. "This is my understanding" instead of "this is the truth". The soft spoken and polite talk is so refreshing. Keep up the great videos!
I'm from Malaysia, we too have idea of collectivism but it is different than Japan collectivism At least from here, collectivism more focus on helping others for earning positive point. Doing charity and helping your neighbour in hard time (gotong-royong is the term we used here) been done to take care for our community. Yes, we also have some people saying doing charity for certain people seem just for self indulgence but for us, help is still help regardless of their reasons. Nonetheless, I can see the main difference of Malaysian collectivism and Japanese collectivism is Malaysian collectivism doing something to help someone in need for ensure stability and order of the group while Japanese collectivism avoid doing something that will rock the boat for sake of community my 2 cents
Malaysia is a muslim country, and a formidable harsh one even to middle eastern standards. There is no way people can become like the japonese without became a kufr by avoid one of the pillars of Islam, the zakat (charity).
I love how Shogo sometimes tackles serious topics that need to be addressed, which also makes his channel unique among Japanese channels and popular. People can learn some things by watching these, regardless of their country or color.
Agreed. He’s fair and states the way things are. Many other channels you see one extreme to the other very pro Japan where everything is perfect or anti-Japan whereas Shogo is very fair and levelheaded about these things
This video was EXTREMELY insightful and thought provoking. When someone is completely unfamiliar with another's culture it's very easy to misinterpret things and assume the worst. My wife lived in Japan for a year and absolutely loved it there. We especially appreciated what you shared about your own difficulty with helping people and why. Great video, thank you! 💪🏼💪🏼
There's isn't a single channel on TH-cam about Japan talking about these kind of issues and I'm glad I found this one. My friend currently lives in Sapporo and works as a English Teacher there, and he was surprised at how cold some people can be in Japan; it was a huge wake up call for him. I'd like to think anime kind of colors our view of Japan, and I'm glad there are channels like this to discuss the realities of Japanese society.
@@elyeliza8287 Hmmm, people allow media to shape their views of other countries though. I think it's so much better for a kid to allow anime to color his eventual view of a country as an adult than an adult allowing media propaganda to color their view of other countries.
@@N0noy1989 I've lived in south east asia (thailand and cambodia mainly) for over 25 years and found MOST japanese people to have mental health issues...they complain the most out of all asians and have the most problems with others behaviour
Isn't it selfish to try to hide in the crowd when someone else needs help? If the point of collectivism is group survival when there's a disaster, people not being willing to help each other seems counterproductive. I live in Tornado Alley, so I would know.
@@ZestyWiggle Well, you didn't cross the finish line. You make it sound like choosing not to help someone would be risk-free, and that simply isn't true. If you let someone die, the collective is deprived not just of their potential to drain resources, but also of their potential to contribute. That means that if you choose not to help someone who would have contributed more than the value of resources they would have consumed if they have lived, then your decision is a net negative for the collective. So, to determine whether the collective is better served by an ethic of helping people in need vs leaving everyone to their fate, the deciding factor is whether people of that society on average are more likely to be productive or unproductive. If they are more likely to be productive than not, then the ethic of helping those in need provides the net benefit and the ethic of hiding in the crowd results in a net loss. If a society is functional, then it it stands to reason that the majority of people are productive, or the load of unproductive people on the economy would be much too heavy to bear. Therefore, the assertion stands that hiding in the crowd is counterproductive to collective survival. (Though I apparently missed it coming up in the video somehow.) No, the reason they hide in the crowd is because the society makes it dangerous for an individual to be seen, not because letting people die is beneficial.
@@ZestyWiggle That’s just conjecture, though. People wouldn’t automatically know the value of the person that just so happens to need help at that point in time. And this is with setting all moral dilemmas aside.
As a foreigner, I have had the very kind and generous hospitality mentioned in the video. It's a shame to hear that's not the case within the culture. Cold hearted is not a term I would use to describe it though. More like social or cultural awkwardness, unwilling to initiate a generous exchange. I love Japanese culture but I still prefer the brash enthusiasm of some in the USA. I also noticed a degree of longing for that enthusiasm from young Japanese men and women I know.
Come here to SEA. It has social culture that not too much different with USA, but elevated much more with enough collectivism. And we won't make you an alien too by just speaking the local language well
@@domidium A perk of USA individualism is diversity in culture. In a crowd, some will look away but some will jump to help. The "woke" is a feature and not a bug.
I have visited Japan a couple of times, and found that the japanese were generally very polite and helpful. In the subway, my wife and I were confused and looking at a map. A 30ish japanese man offered help and even walked us about a quarter mile to the correct exit! So in all cases, and in all countries, it depends upon the individual.
I'm from the Philippines and it was a shock to see how a lot of Japanese people don't give a care to people who need help especially on trains when someone is being molested growing up when I saw a person who needs help I will always see someone helping them so it really shocked me when I first saw no one helping thank goodness my family was there to help when a lot of people don't
Pinoy people seem to be some of the most caring and helpful people I've ever met . Also they appear to have a sense of humor I've only ever seen in UK . Love the Philippines : )
Shogo's explanation actually makes sense. I used to live in several cities in Japan for several years in Sendai, Yokohama, Niigata, Tokyo, Kobe, and Fukuoka, What I can conclude is, that Japanese people weren't unwilling to help, but they lacked the courage to act differently than people around them. IMO, maybe "Stagnate" is a proper word to describe what Japanese society today
Have you seen the videos with the children though? Like just standing there while children drown in the shallow end of a pool… Get run over multiple times for hours while people walk around or step over the body of a child.. That goes beyond “I don’t want to stand out” and into the sociopathic monster territory. It’s also not just Japan but nearly every East Asian/South East Asian country. These are people with very different histories and cultures, so all the history and cultural reasons given in this video don’t really explain and certainly don’t excuse it.
@@SaltNBattery I don't know which part of SEA you're seeing that kind of behaviour, but I can confirm that's not how the Malaysian/Indonesian/Singapore people act. East asia maybe, but certainly not SEA
@@vixz6441 Cambodia? Laos, Vietnam.. I'd add Singapore to that list as well. Weren't they ranked the least emotional country in the world at one time. The countries you listed seem to be the exception, including possibly Thailand. Even still I wouldn't exactly call these cultures empathetic. To be clear, I'm not talking about how they treat other people, foreigners on vacation. I'm talking about how they treat their own people. Of course, I'm also not saying that all the people in Asia are this way but it is a problem that you don't typically see elsewhere. At least the very specific situations we're talking about, there are a lot of places that are way worse for different reasons. I mean, look how "we" treat our homeless/veterans/elderly in places like America. That would horrify people from all over the world, at the same time it doesn't negate the empathy issues in East/South East Asia.
If you're driving in Japan and trying to merge into a stream of traffic, you will find that Japanese drivers NEVER give way, even when it wouldn't inconvenience them (e.g. when there is a queue of traffic). Of course they won't cause a crash if you force the issue, but also they won't do anything to help such as slowing down. I think this is because Japan is such a rules-based society. If there is no rule telling them to do something, they won't do it!
This is so true. It's almost as if, and this might sound harsh, they have no concept of how to make a decision for themselves if there's no rule about it. Kinda scary.
When I first started driving in Osaka, I got stuck at the end of the merging lane. While wondering what I was going to do, everyone else behind me, including the big truck, merged successfully. After some more experience driving there, I finally discovered that they were in fact letting you in. You just had to be very aware of the few centimeters they would open up for you by slightly dropping their speed. After moving to Tokyo, I was shocked at how polite the drivers were. Merging was generally pretty normal, and I lost all my Osaka driving skills.
Well said👏I have lived out of Japan for about 12 years and have been homesick lately, ESPECIALLY since I started living in the U.S. The cleanness, fantastic public transport, food, not unnecessary loud/crazy people on the street, and so on I miss so much, but I recall how uncomfortable I was to live in Japan. When I helped the elderly or whoever needed help in public, I acted without thinking, but others completely ignored those people and looked at me like 🤨Always. Being myself is not a thing over there, at least to me. Of course, I love the country where I was born and raised, but still conflict... I want to go back there, but I do not.
Nope stay in the usa I'm here in japan. People still act like that here, I had to help two people out because nobody would help them. Selfishness seems to be common here.
@@alaskanwhiskey I am sorry that you experienced that, too😞It is heartbreaking to me that my people act like that. We humans all have the potential to live with kindness, compassion, and love. I used to focus on why we couldn't do that. But these days, I have focused on becoming the light itself. I will visit Japan next month and be kind to others no matter what happens.🙂❤🩹Have a lovely day.❣
That explains a lot - thank you. I was in Japan many years ago, in Shinjuku station. A young lady was struggling with a piece of luggage up one of the stairways. Since I'm much taller than Japanese people, I saw her struggles from almost 100m away (she was on the stairs I was headed towards). Between me and her were a sea of people. I fully expected SOMEONE to help her long before I got there. It took some 3 minutes or so to cover the distance and there were hundreds to men who just walked past her. I ended up grabbing the luggage (in those 3 minutes she only got about 5 or 6 steps up) and carried it up the stairs for her baffled why my behavior was clearly abnormal in Japan.
@robertoh3633 Because it was her luggage? Perhaps it rolled easily across most floors but had to be carried up stairs? Also, she's from a society where no one helps anyone else. How else is she going to get something from Point A to Point B? Come on. Just a little creativity and you could come up with an answer to your own question.
Oh yeah. Some years ago in Tokyo, my bicycle slipped and fell down sideways in the rain, with my infant son in the front and young daughter in the back. Three of us on the ground in the rain. I then saw a young couple watching us, as they walked past without comment or help. Truly surprising moment in my life.
Im married to my Japanese wife we met in London. She gave birth to our first child in London but now live in Japan. Since moving here we had another child. My wife was shocked at how cold and seemingly uncaring all the hospital staff were while looking after her in hospital in japan compared to London. Also... London birth was no cost to us on the NHS. In japan it was very expensive!
I had japanese neighbors I used to help look after a few years ago. One time I had a friend come by to check on their refrigerators and repair them. Incidentally we found out that a local bike shop tried to rip them off of a few hundred dollars just to inflate the tires so we also put some air into them. When we refused any payment they offered they seemed a bit confused and even told us we were "too nice." I'd just assumed living in California for a while my countrymen (especially from this state) made their usual impression on them and they became cynical towards charity/help for its own sake. Suppose though this explains a lot and I was a bit hasty in assuming
I think for a country like this to move more toward individualism (where charity seems to be more likely), you have to start with baby steps. And because a whole nation of people takes a lot longer for them to move toward change than say an individual, that will take, much, much longer, especially if you are looking for these kinds of results through natural means. Nobody in our live times will see Japan change, but maybe in the next two generations if this level of kindness if maintained, it might help to bring more balance (but that takes a long time). It seems what this video pointed out, is the people in Japan who show a willingness to help foreigners, are the ones who may be craving for this sort of change the most. That's why it will take time.
the video said though that during covid in japan; "people living in the countryside put up signs all over town telling people not to come home from the cities"
You always gotta wonder, were those rare individuals rare like the nationalists here? Funded by towns? Its hard to pinpoint; but at the same time, what stage of covid, and how many could it have helped by staying where you were?
Osaka is FAR FAR different then Tokyo. I often suggest to folks first visiting to go there instead. I believe it has something to do with there "trading tradition" as a port city for generations. And that they needed to be extra nice and hospitable to others for that very reason. Which has carried over into today's modern day society.
I've had a Japanese friend explain to me that one of the reasons that people won't easily help someone who slipped or tripped is because it's embarrassing for the person who fell to be helped. By "needing help" you're burdening the people around you. By taking care of a problem by yourself you're not a burden and you don't stand out. So helping someone would actually make them feel worse. Obviously not a universal thing (people don't randomly die on the street while people walk over their corpse) but for small things...maybe. Has that been other's (besides my Japanese friend's) experience?
This is the exact same reason I was given by one of my Japanese friends. The same applies when you offer an older person or a pregnant woman to give them your seat while on the public bus. To them, is as if you are looking at them as a burden that they need to be taken care of. That's why you don't see them accepting your seat, and besides, there's also the stigma of not sitting on the side of a foreigner.
I experienced totally opposite several times last year when people tripped and fell and half a dozen of people run to help…another fell of a bike because she had too many thing in the basket and everybody run around and helped to collect the content that was scattered while the lights turned green to red for pedestrians…
I'm not Japanese but I agree with it that you are a burden for others that help you but I still ask for help sometimes cause I'm not perfect I can't do everything by myself so I ask for help or just do it my ways of doing something if I can't do that thing.
This is actually surprised me. Once, I was walking around Shibuya with a lot of shopping bags. All at once, the bag ripped and all my items fell from the bag. I had several Japanese strangers, who didn’t know each other, immediately came help me grab my things. It was only a one time thing, but even so I was so grateful because I’m not even sure if the people where I’m from would do the same, and I’m from Indonesia. Though this happened 10 years ago, so things definitely have changed.
I understand why he feels that way. If you dig deeper into the report, Indonesia actually only ranked 26 in the category "helping strangers", while being the no. 1 in the other 3 categories.
@@leinadatidumarp Survey is always subjective. Im Indonesian never do volunteering work like the survey asking but i did and will always help strangers.. I use japan shopping proxy a lot and they are very helpful when theres problem. But many stories in here that expatriate usually from Japan and Korea can very strict and unforgiving
@@gueomduduto Not subjective. It is objective but it's statistical. When we or what/who we observed aren't reflected by the results, it's normal. Surely you might be one of those who do that (helping strangers), which is nice.
I actually clicked this video because my experience in Japan was the complete opposite. Everyone was so kind, warm and helpful to me! But then you explained that it's easier for Japanese people to be that way towards foreigners, I had no idea that my baby blues were working in my favour that much! All jokes aside though, it's a shame they apparently don't treat each other that way more often as well. I was actually really impressed and it seemed to me like a positive example of what collectivism is capable of. All in all though, I reckon a balanced marriage between collectivism and individualism would be the ultimate way for any society to go.
I think the same attitude may be true in the U.S., as far as helping strangers...It's a short-term obligation. With the explosion of homeless people in the U.S., you see tents on sidewalks and in parks. There's not overwhelming support to rent out spare rooms or garages to these folks, but the panhandlers (who will claim they are homeless, but aren't necessarily) get cash from people easily. I've noted in my town it is easy the get food, but you can't easily get housing. One is quick, the other takes time.
@Daenack Dranils A key point of formulating a *solid* point is to be articulate. But even though I know what you're saying, it still makes no sense. Why do you talk as opposed to speaking?
I’ve been all over the west, and no one came close to being as nice as at least a dozen Japanese people were during my trip earlier this month. I’m not bad-looking, but I don’t think it was because I dazzled them in any way.
hello shogo! im your viewer from indonesia. i personally feel that indonesia is also a collectivist society. that's because indonesia has various races and we live in maritime country where most of our country's area is water. which makes people are more diverse than the others. so, we also have no choice except working together with eachother to maintain our unity. but the difference is, here we are told that people who behaves greatly and kind to the others are the one who needs to be praised and looked up to. i've been told since i was a kid that i need to help the others because, in the future i might be on that person's position and i need people's help. also since i was a child, i saw my community treating people who are unwilling to help the others very badly. uhm, note that all of these are 100% my opinion and things from my point of view. it's so interesting to learn about japanese society that i can tell very different from us. i'm planning to visit japan one day actually! your video helps me to learn more about japanese culture so i can avoid culture shocks! great video as always✨
Indonesian here too, I absolutely agree with your statement. Considering how many natural disasters occur in the country it's common knowledge to help them in a way to help them in the slightest
Ironically we are generous because we are colonized country before. So we were indeed need to help each other and praise Foreigner too high. Which is the opposite of Japan
When I was in Japan, there was a group of runners and their coach in the park I was walking in. One of the kids got trampled during the stampede, and was on the floor crying & holding his knees. Not only did the other runners keep running, but the coach stood at a distance staring as I tried to help the Kid.
I really appreciate how you approach these cultural topics. There's not much sensationalism, you're to the point about reality and history, and you're honest about the nuances, and on top, you include that no culture is above any other. I'm Taiwanese, and I grew up in America. The growth of consumption of Japanese media/culture in America, as well as the plain culture difference between collectivist and individualist societies, has led to some odd and simplistic perceptions of "asians" in the USA. So I really appreciate what you do to explain some complexity of how/why people act. Your videos are fun to watch too! Wish for u a warm winter
Some cultures are above others in some ways. To believe otherwise is blind moral relativism. People passing by those suffering heart attacks without helping, seeing a woman get beat up in public by her spouse without helping, and many other examples of the inferiority of Japanese culture are everywhere in this comment section alone.
@@benjackson7872 yup if u don't wanna risk life just be in shade/group and if u dare fight back for anything even tho have to risk /sacrifice then just be individualist and men up
It’s no wonder that people in Japan might use anime as a form of escapism. All the messages of being “the chosen one”, the leader, the one with powers just like everyone else but something about them makes them special, unique, and sought out.
I think Japanese culture may be understood as what psychology would call "co-dependent", a form of social neurosis in which there is a hyper-attention given to the social-emotional reactivity of others, not being able to have or act upon one's own feelings, needs, and thoughts. A balance between collectivism and individualism would probably be best.
Quite interesting point of view! Collectivism, instead of meaning "no one is left behind", is "no one unvaluable will leave _us_ behind" in Japan. As a japanese descendent, I have always imagined that this posture was a characteristic of us, immigrants, struggling to survive in a new country. But really things gone as pointed: if someone can contribute to the community, that person is helped; if not it's left on his/her own. Thanks for sharing your interpretation!
Very clearly & objectively presented. I’ve lived in Japan (Tokyo) for 25 years & this is the first time I’ve seen a Japanese person describe their culture in such an impartial manner. Very thoughtful analysis & assessment of why things in Japan are the way they are - thanks!
Shogo spent most of his early youth in the USA so that's probably given him a unique perspective on Japanese society (look up his video on bullying) that would be difficult for the average Japanese person to perceive that's never spent significant time outside of the country...
Wow. I lived in japan for 10+ years. And your explanations on various topics help give me a perspective I suspected but could never verbalize as clearly as you do. This is amazing. Thank you
This does shed some light on why Brazil is the second largest Japanese population. Its warm almost all the time, almost no natural disasters, and even people more willing to help. I wish there was more videos of how Japanese are doing there.
@@koksu5692 you know all of those places you mentioned have middle and upper class areas right. Just like every country that has a major city from the beginning of time. Sure there is crime and there are also places you find none or very little just like everywhere else. Usually it's social norms and poverty that get people to treat each other ruthlessly. The states, UK, isreal ect all no better.
I think it's because Brazil(parliament) is offering the Japanese people to attain a privileged life in their nation in exchange of the Japanese individuals productivity, expertise, and status.
One time I worked at a Japanese owned company in downtown LA. Everyday I saw homeless people on the streets so I started giving to the LA Mission. One day, talking to one of my superiors (Japanese), I mentioned about donating to the mission. He criticized me that it's just self satisfaction. Not saying that all Japanese are non-givers because that's not the case, but it just shows how one can get criticized (in Japan) if you donate.
14:43 "It takes a lot of courage to help a Japanese person, but if it is a person from abroad, I could help them without thinking twice." Something about that statement was utterly heartbreaking.
Whenever I leave my apartment in Japan, I’m aware that I may have to intervene in a situation where someone is injured or being assaulted and nobody else is doing anything. It has happened 3 times during my 3 years in Japan. But honestly, I am grateful for the experience because now, when the situation inevitably arises in my home country, I will be ready. Also I HAVE witnessed Japanese people intervene in situations where someone needs help-it just doesn’t happen every time. It’s something we all need to improve at and be ready for.
My experience from traveling in Japanese, is the Japanese are in general introverted, so most people mind their own business. However, if you would ask for help, there are many warm hearted people willing to help you.
Both of you are full of it because foreign people are treated very differently in Japan it's even hard to find a place to live there based on the simple fact that they have alot of places that won't rent to anyone other than Japanese so best way to get place is if you work for company there and they find you place to live and people usually don't mess with foreigners not all but most unless they are someone that is the type to love western culture its very hard to make real friends there
That's also a trait which is connected to people like me from north germany. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I can connect with Japan on this level :D
As far as this World Giving Index I think it focuses too much on the donating to charity aspect. It is known that charities might not give the money they receive to the cause they claim to be collecting for, but may instead use it to make themselves richer. I would be more concerned about the willingness to help someone right in front of you who clearly needs help more.
This reminds me of a very strong point made at the end of the WW2 in Europe at the Nuremburg trials. The Nazi's justified their horrific experimentations on people by saying that the individual lives didn't matter if the collective benefited from the suffering of the individual. The allies made the point that the collective is made up of individuals therefore on that basis they concluded that individuals are actually more important than the group. In other words look after the individual and by default you are looking after the group.
But isn't looking after the individual by himself result in a destruction of the group since each person is given more importance without having to be inside the group?
Societies only like individualism as long as they number 1 in the world. Once you are number 2 or last individualism doesn't work. Individualism relies on highly skilled people pushing society forward for everyone else as their value trickles down to the poor.
This was a perspective I have never considered, and was disappointing to me because I have studied cultures and have a basic understanding of individualism vs collectivism. But I never considered that collectivism, in the context of preserving a society, would result in people ignoring those who struggle. As a westerner and a veteran of the US military, I came to believe that the single most beneficial act to society is to help those with the greatest need. Solving or even just helping the greatest problems in one community should improve the average quality of life for that community. Not everyone shares this view here, but many westerners actively seek out those in need and make decisions based on the greatest need when they want to be charitable. I think it's a philosophy of raising the average by focusing on the lowest index; improving society by providing the most urgent needs first.
People here are confusing isolated, perfunctory and distant corporatism with collectivism. You'll find the same isolation and distance on a New York street (where people learn to walk past a Naked Cowboy) or subway car.
Both sides can be bad. The thing is humans are more complex then ants. Collectivism made sense for survival purposes back in the day when people have to watch their back form apex or larger predators but now with technology not much use for it. I think there needs to be a healthier balance. Japan’s way is no longer serving them anymore and they can’t handle that change. However I think, in time, if the theory of Japan slowly sinking happens, many will leave and conform to other cultures that contradict their original thinking and thus that might be one of the only ways they can escape their extreme collectivism. Otherwise I think they should learn to differentiate priories not everything needs to be treated like a typhoon on the loose.
Shogo, congratulations on 1 million! I remember when you were far under 100k and wondering how much energy to devote to channel. I am glad you have found success and I appreciate your content always. Regarding the topic: Look at Coronavirus in the US. People who are more vulnerable such as the immunocompromised are on their own in terms of not getting sick. The society to greater or lesser degree has decided it does not want to bear the burden of making the environment safer for them. So on an individual level someone might give you the shirt off their back, but when it comes to social policy there is a vastly different calculus. There are strengths and weaknesses in any society. Someone I talked to who lived in Japan for nearly a decade (he married a Japanese woman and had a child) told me that it was highly dependant on family. Your family would take care of you but on an individual level you were not helped much.
I couldnt relate to any of it persoanlly - if you think Japanese are unhelpful coldhearted people i suggest you dont travel at all you may be in for a shock
A few years ago I was visiting Himeji: we were climbing the internal stairs which were very wide (3m), had a railing in the middle but were One Way with clear green lighted signs, as another other stair, on the opposite side of each floor, was used to get people down. Visitors were all crowded on the left of the stair with several old people being cripplingly slow. I just went on the other side of the railing and went my own way up. I saw a couple of younger people looking at me and the doubt in their eyes looking at elder people, searching for any disapproval and then, one by one, followed me but keeping their eyes down as if ashamed of a not existent "transgression"... It told me a lot about the Japanese mindset: never stand out, especially in the eyes of older people, always blend in with others, even when it makes no sense.
A Japanese lady in Kyoto helped me when she saw I was obviously lost and walking around in circles 😂 I hope she’s doing well. Another girl in Tokyo gave me an umbrella out of nowhere when she saw me walking under the rain. Idk, I was treated pretty well during my visit to Japan.
Tatemae victim: Those people helped you because tatemae demanded them to do so, not because of genuine interest. Due to tatemae, you can't truly know if a japanese person is being nice to you genuinely.
I just found this video and I have to say I respect your objectivity so much. It would be easy to make excuses for the shortcomings or even the differences of any persons country, but the fact you acknowledge both the positives AND negatives shows how open-minded and understanding you are. Love your videos!
I want to thank you for your videos Shogo. Alot of Western people have a very idealized thinking of Japan, Japanese culture, and Japanese people. We have to remember that Japanese people are still people, with real flaws and their own issues to deal with.
i have been living in Japan for years and i can confidently say that everything he says is true. And there is a big difference between just visiting Japan for a week and living there as a part of society... Also being polite and being kind are two different things; surely Japanese people are super polite but i wouldnt say the latter for Japanese...
If you ask someone for help and they help you how would they know your a tourist or a foreigner permanently living there? What makes you say Japanese are unkind yet polite?
@@JH-jo9wt isnt it obvius? You should notice it in the way they express or talk, unless you are an authist you should notice when someone is kind and when someone doesnt want to help you but is helping you because he was trained or educated to do it...
@@robertorpg2132 Whats an "authist" ? How is someone kind and doesnt want to help? If they were unkind wouldnt they not help? To me that makes no sense. Where to they receive this training and from who to help you whilst they are being unkind and impolite? Sorry no this isnt obvious
@@JH-jo9wt read and understand Padma's comment again. he said y'all are "polite" but NOT always "kind" that's exactly what this video means. the study didn't rank japan dead last in "helping" for no reason. smh
@@shoyupacket5572 You reference "being kind is actually helping someone" - I agree If you read the comments posted here to Roberto RPG who i was initially refering to you'll see he makes mention of going out of their way to "help" people which to me is an act of "kindness" He then goes onto say that even though they are "helping" which you also refer to as being "kind" they are not in fact being "kind" but are doing so as they have been "trained" to do so. Your saying people who dont help but are being polite are also doing so due to "training" So what it is? Maybe you should take it up with Roberto
"When in Rome...." Collectivism only works for Japan because it is an Island culture along with their history of compliance for a thousand + years. This is well explained in this video. Collectivism does not work in countries like America where the constitution literally was written so that the individual has more power than the state promoting individual freedom and responsibility over collectivism. This also allows for greater wealth/corruption potential as well as being one of the most charitable countries willing to help out others. Which system is better? Depends on here you live and the history of how they got there.
The corruption in Japan is ridiculous. Imagine if Google and Apple had their own banks. South Korea business environment is modelled after Japan and the corruption is ridiculous especially with their family owned conglomerates
Shame culture is vividly real in Japan. I love Japan and loved living in Japan, but it was also a country that broke my depression. You are constantly questioning yourself, your words, your attitude, your clothes....it was exhausting. You are always trying your best not to be a "MEIWAKU" to others by never asking for help, or receiving help.
I’m Japanese and 100% agree with you.Not to be "MEIWAKU" is the most important thing for us.Of course,we also think that helping others is important.But I think "never asking people for help" and "be kind to other people" are essentially incompatible,because if we think asking people for help is a shame,that means we think whoever asking us for help is a shame.
Interesting, the thing is most of the country on top of the ranking could be considered collectivists, even where I come from the community is more important than the individual and it’s actually what drives them to help other out of pure selflessness. I went to Morocco which is arguably a collectivist country for the most part and I was shocked that total strangers would randomly invite you to have lunch with them and its a common thing there, they are not expecting anything in return. I think Japan takes most of its coldness from history and how the land was ruled like Shogo said rather than out of collectivism because collectivism would on the contrary push people to help each other.
Just a note: Morocco placed 109th out of 114 countries, putting it in the bottom 10, as you can see at 3:00. It did score OK with "helping others," but did abysmally with the other two metrics. Inviting strangers to eat in your home has historically been a way of sharing information and promoting trade. Even today with the internet and global supply chains, it is fun to share perspectives and stories. I don't know much specifically about Moroccan culture, but I expect most people would be at least disappointed if you sat there sullenly and didn't even try to communicate.
@@skepticalextraterrestrial2971 We must not forget that Morocco is a very poor country, which could explain why people for example don't donate to charity. I wouldn't either if I had very little money. The Middle East is generally a very hospitable area, it's a big aspect of the culture there.
@@SpacepilotPirx Look, I have nothing against Morocco, but the top four countries according to the report are: Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Myanmar. By per capita GDP, these are also very poor countries. In fact, Myanmar has less than half the per capita GDP of Morocco but places above every industrialized "Western" nation (Australia came in 5th).
@@skepticalextraterrestrial2971 I don’t know what metrics the list uses but in my experience Moroccans were very nice and welcoming, I was also invited into a Moroccan home. I guess it’s due to the sense of security in Morocco that it’s not high on the list, if a Moroccan doesn’t know you then they are unsure about you, but as soon as you greet them or interact that suspicion dies out very fast and the can become very friendly.
First, I want to say that I really love your interesting channel. When I was in Tokyo , I was very confused with the metro system. It was late at night and I had to catch the last train. I wasn't sure if I was on the right platform so I asked a young couple I saw. They told me my train was on a different platform, but instead of trying to direct me to the right place they insisted on accompanying me to the platform I needed. It wasn't nearby. I was so thankful to them as I managed to catch the last train, otherwise I would have been completely lost and stranded. They did this at the risk that they would miss their own last train on another platform. I often remember this. That young couple were so kind and polite. I also have other accounts where I found Japanese people both kind and friendly and willing to help, so, I do not have the idea that they are cold, for me, with my experiences, I found the opposite. Unfortunately, I had to leave Japan, but I wish I were still there. Hopefully, one day, I will return. Take care.
I like and respect your dedication to the truth. Usually people want to brush over the negatives to paint a certain picture about how it's so great and wonderful.
It takes courage for a Japanese person to help another Japanese person. This is so fascinating I want to hear more.. if anyone wants to share their experiences please share 🙏 🙂 them here. I'm from NYC and very interested!!♡
Explains why main protagonist of every movies or animes in Japan is typically a loud stand-off ish person, while the rest of the supporting casts are an agreeable bunch who are typical "Normal" Japanese. Because as in any culture, people tend to look up and portray to characteristics that they don't/can't have How often do you see the main protagonist forcing his idea to the rest of the supporting casts (usually by yelling, I don't know why do they have to yell?!?) And after 4 minutes of monologue, every supporting cast who were initially shocked by the protagonist's idea came into agreement with the idea. This is like a broken radio of every JP movies and every shounen animes I watched. I love Japanese culture, but watching Japanese movies are extremely painfully boring, you can always predict the plot of the movie.
@@JH-jo9wt don't assume that someone is basing the idea of the entire civilization based on cartoons, it was a critique albeit a harsh one on Japanese movies in general. I repeat, in general, thank you very much.
For awhile I really liked my mental concept of Japan as a perfect place with amazing food for so long, but the more and more I learn about it, I’m glad I don’t live there :/ Seems like a really difficult place to grow up in and I would’ve struggled a lot compared to where I was born Edit: sorry if that came off as rude. Respect and equality to anyone who lives there. I just personally like the place I grew up in for its individual freedoms and all that. Respect to both
I think it is especially worse with a foreign view on it. Surely there are problems even Japanese can't look over, but most of it will not be seen as a bad or challenging thing as they grew up to adapt to it
Just view it as if you'd been born there you'd just adapt to it and live around them You even have foreigners who end up getting Japanese citizenship and live for years so it is doable
Many may not understand that in Japan if one gives help, the given must return the favor. So giving unasked help puts the given in an awkward position. If someone ask for help they will helped more than most could imagine. This is my view after living there for 30 years.
This is a very meaningful video. In short, Japaneses seem to evaluate team works better than solo works, if someone who behaves differently he'll get excluded from society. However, Japanese also admire some certain individualists, for an example like Miyamoto Musashi.
That’s pretty much every society. Musashi was an individualist, but he is only admired because he did great feats. Individualists are only appreciated when they do something amazing. If not, they are shunned and ostracized.
@@secretagent4610 Sakamodo Ryoma also is an individualist, what I'm trying to say is that individualists tend to be more creative than collectivists. Collectivists easily tend to be political correctness.
Dead ones, sure 🤣. Becuase a dead individualist is a known quantity, you can be sure the narrative won't suddenly shift. As for living individualists, they are quickly followed by a crowd, often with very strong attachement and loyalty. To the point that it becomes a sub-collective, with its norms, signals etc. An individualist w/o a following though? That's a *loser. (No matter if in Japan or through the whole world.) *Not saying he is, merely stating society says so.
Took my daughter to visit Japan in 2019 and we almost missed our bullet train for a 3 day visit to Kyoto from Tokyo since I had forgotten to bring both the hotel and train tickets from the Airbnb we were staying at and had to go back and get them. When returning we only had 5 minutes to find the train to Kyoto and were running like crazy to locate it. A Japanese businessman in his 50’s stopped us and asked if he could help. We showed him our tickets and he pointed us to where we needed to go and we made it onto the train with just 2 minutes to spare before the doors closed and it left the station. During our entire time in Japan that time and in a previous trip when I took my son there later that same year we experienced nothing but incredible hospitality and kindness from all the Japanese people. Living, working and going to school in several states in the southern U.S. for 12 years from 1975 - 1987 and experiencing true southern hospitality was the closest thing to what we experienced in Japan. Absolutely love Japan and would like to spend about 5 months a year, every year, living there.
He describes that in the video as well. That Japanese people may be more willing to help foreigners, because they can tell they're foreign and don't adhere to the same social rules. I've actually experienced the same thing in other countries apart from Japan. In general people are more willing to help a stranger if they're tourists.
From what I read, tourists are treated better because Japanese people only see you as a temporary citizen, thus, they need to make sure that you see Japan as a really beautiful country in the world before you leave. Problems happen when you want to permanently live there.
This reminds me of the English word "procrustean". It refers to enforcing uniformity or conformity without regard to natural variation or individuality. Japanese society seems to be very procrustean.
@@SeldimSeen1 Procrustes was a legendary ancient Greek robber. He invited unwary travelers to sleep on a bed. If the traveler was short, Procrustes put them on a rack and stretched them until they fit. If they were too tall, he would lop off their feet and/or heads so they fit. He was killed in his own bed by the Greek hero Theseus.
My experience in Japan was the exact opposite. On 2 occasions I had a complete stranger take time out of their busy schedule to help me when I was lost. 1 even walking with me a long distance to the correct train station and waited for me to get checked in.
When I went to Japan, most people were helpful. Then again, I was living in a small city outside of Tokyo. Maybe it depends where you live. I saw a little girl (Private Elementary School student based on her uniform and Randoseru backpack) who was crying because the train was delayed because of an earthquake, and she couldn't get to school on time and a couple people stepped in to help her out. They were able to calm her down and ended up calling her mom to drive her to school. I have also had Japanese people help me as well (I speak some Japanese). But, I did witness an older man fall down a flight of stairs at the train station and people just walked around him. I ended up helping him stand up and asking if he was ok.
I feel like states in the US are starting to become like this, especially in areas that struggle economically and are overtaxed. No one has anything to give, and the minute you suggest changing something for the better you are kicked out of the group because "it's been that way for 60 years!!!" and they don't want to change it. People can be really cold hearted when there is no money to go around, when gas prices and inflation are insane, etc.
I'd say it's been this way for awhile with temporary relief depending on luck and/or socioeconomic position but definitely worse now with the pandemic :/
Yeah it’s interesting bc it’s super true here too tho I still try to help people giving the homeless change or so when I have it. That’s a personal decision tho
Def not in my experience. Not in the states or anywhere else I've been. Poverty being a catalyst for people being rude is something I've never seen and that's coming from somebody who grew up in the 3rd world. The idea back is that money comes and goes but the way you treat people will stick around
Even in the US there can be great differences in society. I spent the first 12 years of my life in small towns (10-20K people) in Texas. Then we moved to a large city and the difference was shocking. I had a hard time adjusting to the different city culture. People in small towns are much friendlier than in cities.
Maybe. I've also lived in both and while I have a preference for living in cities for various reasons, I don't disagree entirely. One thing I found particularly true in very large and dense cities like New York and Philadelphia is that you become far more selective about who you help. You become a bit numb to the circumstances of the people around you. It doesn't mean you are less giving necessarily but you are far more careful to not be taken advantage of and know that you simply can't help everybody in need. More suburban oriented cities I've lived in, like Dallas, Indianapolis and Charlotte, are a bit different and in those cities it is easier to live more isolated lives with fewer interactions outside of your immediate social circle, sometimes barely even knowing your neighbors around you. My parents live in a town of fewer than 1K people in North Carolina and they seem to know everybody. Their social circle is the town. When somebody is struggling, news spreads quickly and there is always somebody willing to help.
I think people on small towns are much friendlier and likely to help people they know or see personally. If someone in their town has a personal disaster, people will go out of their way to help. But they can be distrustful or discriminatory towards people they don’t see or know personally, outsiders, people who are an abstract thought to their daily experience. While city people support endeavors and policies that can help everyone including people they don’t know personally, but may be less likely to go out of their way to help people they personally see in real life.
@@ChimpFlipperJr My experience is that village/small town people even if discriminatiory/prejudice against you still help while city people praise themselves being tolerant and world open while being equally indifferent to everyone
I was stationed overseas at Okinawa Japan in 1978. I was horse back riding and lost my walet. A poor farm worker found it and walked 5 miles to the front gate of the air base to return it. Never left a name or a way to reward them. Their culture is different, but I found the Japanese people to be friendly, hard working and generous to me.
It's funny that you mentioned that "unique collectivism" have it's story from Japan high of natural disaster, but Indonesia which is opposed by Japan have ranked #1 of most generous people on earth have similar nature situation with Japan. Full of islands, crazy volcanoes, earthquake, etc. Both our country are between ring of fire! I think the natural disaster hypothesist not that much of variable.
However Indonesia is spread out with many unique islands and cultures. It is amazing how you all came together as one country. Comparing Indonesia to Japan is like comparing apples to oranges.
@@SeldimSeen1 Both nations incomparable about ethnics diversity, yes, but if the disaster region hypothesist is the issue both country still can be compared as both have similar natural disasters. My point is natural disaster have little if none influence of generousity.
Well, if I have to say, Indonesia's natural disaster are more wide spread than Japan's. But I get your point, the difference is that it's Indonesia's centuries old culture to be generous. That's the main factor that shape our current society.
Ken Watanabe is the most charitable he helped a lot after the Tsunami & opened a restaurant. I recently found out from the video Abroad in Japan put out. I am grateful for these videos Shogo-San.
Watanabe's had a lot of experience in foreign countries with foreign people, so he doesn't really have the collectivist and reserved mindset of the usual Japanese person. He is an outstandingly kind and admirable person though.
I think "saving face" is a better term than "protecting faces". "Saving face" is a long-used English term, and means something a lot like the Japanese concept of "face", though we don't value that as strongly here. Here, the worst you'd suffer is embarassment. "Protecting faces" sounds like wearing some special kind of helmet.
I had a discussion with a Thai University Student who claimed that these 'face saving' in Asian cultures is nothing else but avoiding embarrassment. At the end he convinced me at the end. But I think they put more emphasis on it in Asia.
"Saving Face" is more like avoiding reputation hit. It is avoiding the hit to the relationships like "Teacher-student" or " relation between your superiors and their superiors" or "your parents reputation to general society". The idea with saving face with East Asians and South East Asians is your embarrassment should not make people around you suffer or backlashes from society. If you do things that society generally not allowed or crime, the people around you, relate you or friend with you are getting the blame from society.
They think and say that it's your fault for not keeping yourself healthy. It is your duty to do so. You should have been more careful, you should have healthier habits, you should do everything to prevent yourself getting sick and making other people take care of your duties just because you were careless = just because of your mistake. You're getting people in trouble because it's hard to cover up someone's absence. And if you're at school, you should try to keep up your studies no matter how sick you are. And if you have to repeat a year because of absences, you're of course standing out, which makes you lose friends and you'll stand out even more.
That's Japan for you😆😆 don't try living there.. just be a foreigner who travels in Japan.. they respect you more and go easy with you..because they need your dollar money.
Two anecdotes will always come to my mind: Japanese parents when asked what they want their children to be when they grow up, answering that anything, so long as they don't become a burden on society. And the Japanese parents whose son was taken hostage and murdered by terrorists, coming out to apologize for their son causing trouble for the government. The Japanese are very sensitive about causing "meiwaku" (bother, burden, trouble, nuisance) for other people.
My experience was different. I went to Japan for a side gig and one of those days there I got 60k yen in an envelope. I put it in my back pocket, but it fell out in the hotel lobby. This elderly Japanese man ran after me and handed me back my envelope. I was very grateful. :)
My experience has been that if you're a foreigner, then yes, Japanese people will go out of their way to be nice to you - especially if you need help. If it's one of their own that needs help though, it's a different story.
Thank you for explaining this. I saw the title of your video and was shocked because my experience was the opposite, I came back from my trip to Japan praising the Japanese people. They were always willing to help, even when I hadn't asked for help. When we first arrived in Tokyo, obviously I looked a bit lost as I was reading the map on the wall and this man asked if I needed help, he even phoned the hotel I was going to and got directions! I spent 3 weeks driving across Japan, and experienced lots of acts of kindness and willingness to help. The Japanese people would always be very polite and have a smile when talking to me. I loved it because of the people. I felt very safe all the time, even when walking down dark alleys at night.
I once read that this is a case of different cultures coming up with different solutions to similiar problems. Confucius taught to not dig a hole for other people to fall into (but everyone is responsible for not falling into a hole themselves), whereas Christ taught to help people who fell down a hole (and everyone is responsible for getting these people out of said holes). Both tackle the problem of people getting harmed by other people in a logical way. This is just a recollection on my part and no real quote.
Exactly but the thing is holes will be there even if no person on this Earth ever dug one and everyone can amd almost certainly fall into more than one in their lifetime... so Christ's way as you described it is the only one that makes sense. Confucius's is unrealistically legalistic and beaurocratic.
interesting perspective. I've learnt that sometimes cracks becomes holes themselves and falling in is inevitable...because that's just being human. The other mindset caused me a lot of anxiety due to trying to be perfectionists all the time.
As an Indonesian who has been stayed in Japan some time and worked to a Japanese based startup company in Indonesia for a while. There's a clear culture gap among them where Indonesia is the top index while Japan is the lowest. I agree how superior with rigid top down approach is absolute, collectivism, and dividing into class system works for Japanese which is sadly lead to make the company is difficult to scale up or even doomed to be fail in startup environment in Indonesia. Perhaps that's why some 2nd & 3rd tier Japanese companies here are just stagnant meanwhile 1st tier Japanese company hold certain advantage in order to stay afloat i.e. car manufacturers
I personally liked to help people out of my own generosity but my experience has taught me to be much much more selective to helping others. I've helped many people but there have been many times where I was betrayed and or found extreme troubles. I personally know of someone who tried to help save a life but was in returned prosecuted which he was found innocent.
Once I was sitting on a train in Japan. An older lady fell while boarding the train. I got up to help her up, no one else did. Once she was up and daijobu, I turned around and someone had taken my seat.
😂😂😭
"Thanks for helping her. I will now reward myself for what you did." 🤣🤣🤣
Hope you grabbed a strap and stood proud.
That was unexpected plot twis 😄
i like japan , not its people
When my dad recently went to Japan he saw an old man have a heart attack and no one did anything just walked around him and my dad can’t speak Japanese but began to help how he could and got people to notice. It was the strangest thing to hear cause I’d assumed the opposite for awhile.
yeah, must be 100% legit, since you say so.
@@norihiro01 Watch the video Nobita from Japan just did on this same topic. He tells about almost that exact situation happening to him, when he was a small kid with his grandmother at a train station. She collapsed and nobody stopped to help her even though he was standing there crying.
Omg that's horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@norihiro01 so what exactly do you believe out here on the internet??
@@Filcayra72 he believes propagandists
I have to say, sometimes the “Land of Harmony” just sounds more like the “Land of Conformity”. There are some things about that country I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand.
It's right there in the name. In order to attain this level of Harmony you have to suppress and crush a LOT of things that can create any type of friction.
So in other words it can be thought as this: "in this land: when there is conformity, there is harmony" tho I do not profess accuracy in the sentence, it is but a rough idea of it.
Here in the States, we have the exact opposite problem. Plenty of people meddling in other peoples businesses because they think their values are the "best" from idealogues to "compasionate" people who don't understand the very simple concept of long term consequences. It also doesn't help that there's almost no basic culture to fallback to anymore so nobody can chill or relate to each other which leads to so much conflict
Japan is cold but you can always thaw things out. All you have with an exciting fire is burns and ashes
@@lucticide never heard of it clearly
I remember about joker at train accident,
Its Just one man with just a knife, killing oldman, and people already runing saving them self, no one care about saving the oldman,
I realized this mentality when a well known Japanese entrepreneur donated to help a child with an illness get treatment overseas. There was a lot of criticism from Japanese commenters along the lines of it being favoritism or unfair to other patients on the waiting list, and that he should donate more fairly. Geeez
Funny enough, we see a lot of the same criticisms made in the West, but they're usually made in bad faith, to slander the helping person or to move the "goalposts" of the argument. "Well if you care so much, what about this other problem??"
I agree with this tbh helping one patient doesn't really change anything he should aim for some kind of permanent thing which can help more people
the land of the hypocrisy
@@SingJay-c5ryou suck
Nobita literally made a video about this two days ago. It really revealed a part of Japanese culture I always thought about for a long time but never knew if it was just my experience or part of the culture.
I was thinking the same thing, I watched that video too
it cleary had to send the video to someone to edit it if i edit video it out the same day i made it
When they said cold hearted I actually thought they would be talking about "Historical stuff"...
@@ChocoParfaitFra Same.
Shogo made this video in response to Nobita
When the rest of the world went into lockdown, Japan stated that no foreigners would be allowed to enter the country (makes sense), even if they were residents (makes slightly less sense, but they are just trying to protect their citizens), but Japanese citizens could return to the country. Essentially, a Japanese citizen was allowed to go on holiday abroad (to a country that was allowing foreign visitors) as many times as they wanted as long as they isolated, but a foreign Japanese resident wouldn't have been allowed to return to be with their children, return from a funeral or anything else. It took months for the government to allow foreign Japanese residents to enter the country, but even then you couldn't leave, or get on a returning flight with the guarantee that you would be allowed back in. Foreign residents, people with jobs, homes, lives and sometimes, families, were treated like tourists.
That being said, my experience with Japanese citizens was exactly what you mentioned, they were lovely and incredibly helpful during the pandemic.
It is true that people just walk by. As told by my Japanese friend. You could be dead on the sidewalk of a major cross street in Tokyo and people will just walk by. Unconcerned.
I think it’s different if you ask for help.
@@TheRonnierate This actuall happens all around the world, especially major cities.
@@emchou3 nah
@@nattokami9598 yeah
@@sugarcanecanela you need to visit more countries sir
I worked in Japan for six months and my boss was one of the coldest people I’ve ever met. She fired me and I had little money to get out of Japan. It was the middle of winter and I had to be out of my apartment at a specific time on the button. I was left to fend for myself with all my belongings. Fortunately, a foreigner helped me out.
that's brutal man. From what I've read/seen/heard, Japan is worth living in only if you have income from abroad. Working there seems like a nightmare
@@FSVR54 traveling to japan is fun..
But working in japan is really hard..
there's a reason why Japan is so low in the world happiness index
I don't know how any foreigner can be interested in living there. So many aspects of Japanese collectivist society are extremely unappealing.
@@a.s.1737 some weebs
When I was visiting Japan, we were in Osaka and my friend and I were taking a train to Hiroshima. My friend's mother and aunt walked us to the train station and after we got on the train the two elderly women were walking back. A man rushing to catch a train, knocked mama-san down in the intersection and broke her hip. He turned around and looked at her lying on the ground, then turned around to continue running for his train.
That incident forever changed my view of the Japanese people as a humble and deferential people.
that was one poson not all if japen is like that mnay poole said jpaen poople have hlepd them and you cnat jour all race on actocn if few poople
@@ssjgotenks2009 should i call an ambulance?
@@Danse_Macabre_125 The scary thing is that it's still intelligible
@@voiceoreason9884 like it's bad but the message is somehow very clearly. I think were just able to make the sentence understandable
@@comradekenobi6908 My friend's mother (mama-san) IS A NATIVE. Born and raised and lives in Japan.
I don't care if I may look like an "outsider" just for helping someone, one small act of kindness is still enough to change or save someone's life. ❤
tbh it depends
also yeah but you don't know if it was for better or worse
only that person you helped will know
well ya
@@zereav4455 yes' you are right too.
@@zereav4455 You can know deep down inside your heart that what you're doing is right.
@@leeccdoo Japan is complicated? Have you been there also?
Fascinating how a culture obsessed about being perceived as polite and respectful is also rife with such cold-heartedness. Ofcourse I dont mean this as an insult to the Japanese people. It's more of an observation on the wider culture and how contradictory it can seem to an outsider.
you have a shallow understanding of those things if you believe them to be contradictory
Polite and Respect don't have anything to do with being kind unfortunately. A rude and vulgar person can be the most kind-hearted person you meet.
Look at that first sentence you wrote again - "perceived as" is the important takeaway.
@@JS-xh4yf almost like I wrote it that way intentionally
Being un-confrontational or "cold hearted" doesn't contradict being polite or respectful
The more I learn about Japan, the more I feel like "Awesome to visit, awful to live in" defines it.
i completely agree. it sounds fun to visit, but absolutely dreadful to live in. there's a reason it has one of the highest suicide rates :(
I wouldn’t want to live there as a woman because of how victims of sexual violence are treated or lack there of and don’t even get me started on sexual harassment
same way I feel about the US.
Japan will be around after most the west have fallen intro tribalism.
It’s a great place to live but not to work
My story the same as everyone else’s. Friend and I (Americans) spent a weekend in Tokyo. We saw an old man stumble and fall backwards in the middle of a busy street. He was well dressed, clean, so its not like he was untouchably homeless. We waited a moment since we are not experts in Japanese emergency response or anything. Two beats passed and we realized nobody was going to go to him. He was out cold in the street. We rushed to him and aggressively accosted passersby to call their 911 equivalent. Left the encounter with a serious sense of the amoral nature of Japanese society.
Precisely. The core of their cultural identity is bizarrely cold.
“Aggressively accosted”
Antagonizing the local public isn't going to move them to conform to your superior morals, oh self-admiring saint.
@@StefanVeenstra Hearing about the old man falling down and no one helping doesn't make you upset, but hearing about some outsiders helping him and accosting the locals who didnt help does?
You need to seriously review your own priorities.
@@StefanVeenstra Wah wah. I'll take helping some knocked out elder over your aversion to superior morals anyday.
@@Cloud-dq1mr i think it sarcasm
EDIT: Just to be clear, I don't want to generalize japanese people. I just told a story that depicts a social problem in Japan which we encountered in different ways during our stay. But every society has its problems, not just Japan. I really enjoyed living in Japan and found many things I liked about the people's mindsets.
I lived a year in Japan with my girlfriend. One day she visited a mall and saw a man physically attacking a woman (who was his girlfriend supposedly), dragging her through the mall while she was screaming. The other people just passed them without helping that woman; my girlfriend confronted the attacker and called the police and informed the mall manager. Something like that would be unimaginable where I come from.
Apart from that I always found japanese people extremely helpful if I asked for help or directions.
What city did this happen in?
It seems like a part of the Japanese mindset of not causing trouble and maintaining the status quo. A consequence of that is you don't do anything whatsoever and stand out until something is expected of you specifically. This seems to be why Japanese people are very friendly when they are involved in something and very cold when not.
@@btat16 the group thinking is what we were warned about in first aid training. Never ask who can help, because nobody will come forward thinking somebody more appropriate will help. Instead, point to a person and give a specific task. ie call 911 or get a defibrillator. people cant avoid the expectation.
@@theoc007 In Sōja
@@loviebeest But I think that is the same everywhere. I remember that warning from first aid training as well. It's just how humans work, especially in a stressful situation
What a funny coincidence. I just read a thread on Twitter about the Japanese unwillingness to help and its connection to the Japanese shaming culture aka being shamed for acting different and then kicked out of the group. So the same here, but I guess the thread used a bit more rude words than this video
Such a shame. That the Japanese people jump right in to help foreigners shows they're not cold people at all. It's their own collective culture that's stopping them from helping each other
yeah, must be 100% legit, since you saw it on twitter.
@@norihiro01 You're gonna do it bro! By making a snarky response to every person sharing their ideas, you're gonna be able to cope with reality.
I believe in you!
@@AdamOwenBrowning Do you think it'll help if we all clap hard enough for them?
Shogo said Japanese help foreigners because foreigners expect not because they are genuinely nice. Also to save face.
@@norihiro01 oh yeah? And I shat my pants. How's that?
Having been raised in a society that stresses individualism, it is very hard to try and view the world through this lens of collectivism. I can comprehend it (thanks to your help) at an intellectual level, but actually "feeling it" seems so very foreign to me. I am so grateful for your videos; this one definitely causes me to pause and seriously think. As always, thank you for your time and work. This is very illuminating.
this, exactly
It sounds so depressing. It would feel like I'm a robot. Japan is beautiful and so cool but I would want to move
@@stanfatou2002 Great to visit perhaps, but that's it.
@@stanfatou2002 It's just your prejudiced opinion. I can say the same about western countries.
It's not just a lens. Individualist Collectivists(1) dichotomy has genetic aspects : schmoogle *Culture-gene coevolution of individualism-collectivism and the serotonin transporter gene*
*1. (def from same paper): A fundamental way in which culture shapes human behaviour is through self-construal style, or in how people define themselves and their relation to others in their environment (Markus & Kitayama 1991;Triandis1995;Nisbett et al. 2001). In particular, cultural psychologists have identified two primary styles of self-construal across cultures: individualism and collectivism (Markus & Kitayama 1991;Triandis 1995;Nisbett et al. 2001)(figure 1a). Individualistic cultures encourage thinking of people as independent of each other. By contrast, collectivistic cultures endorse thinking of people as highly interconnected to one another. Individualistic cultures emphasize self-expression and pursuit of individuality over group goals, whereas collectivistic cultures favour maintenance of social harmony over assertion of individuality*
in 2022 Most Charitable Countries index there are no N East Asian countries in the top 40, who curiously just so happen to be the highest in collectivism as per serotonin transporter gene correlations..
Curiously aren't any NEast asian countries in the top 20 of the happiness index and only a couple in the top 50 . I wonder if being happy and and freely helping people are connected versus serving some impersonal hierarchical obligation. It must be individually depressing not feeling free to do things of your own volition all the time, versus individualist societies where freedom is a paramount virtue and making people happy and like you as a person is much more an individual choice as per freedom of association and other individual rights.
Very interesting. On one of my trips to Japan, I was supposed to fly back to Tokyo from a small regional airport. I got there early and the airport wasn’t open yet. I sat down on the edge of the road, waiting. A couple in a car drove up, saw that the airport was closed, then the woman got out, bought a can of coffee from a vending machine, gave it to me, then they drove away. I still have the can. A happy memory.
@You tube Censorship it's not, really. But I'm not sure if it has something to do with being a foreigner in Japan (and looking obviously like one) that makes them be extra attentive. Because honestly I too felt very welcomed and was helped in many different occasions by japanese people without really asking them to 🤔
This maybe unheard-of for Westerners, but Asian-Asian people tend to treat Western-looking foreigners in a much more welcoming way compares to other Asians, Arabs, Hispanics or ethnic Africans. The more west-European-esque features you have the warmer the treatments.
(this doesn't mean they're not welcoming to other races, just not as friendly)
If you retell the stories being someone from said regions, then you truly met a progressive Asian
I'm still confused by a "can of coffee!"
@@jungefrau they have vending machines all over the place where you can buy coffee, in cans, as well as many many different types of food. It’s really cool!
🥰🙏🏽
Reminds me of the project we did for Japanese history class last semester, talking about the consequences of some crisises in Japan, one being the current problem. I remember reading an article about the homeless people in Japan and how they basically got overlooked by the rest of society. As I recall, they were encouraged to stay indoors, but all indoor public spaces were shut down, so the homeless people had nowhere to go at all, and I believe it also mentioned the fact that because Japanese people were more unwilling to help, it was harder for them to get by.
I believe the reason homeless people get overlooked is that they have all the means to fix their lives, but they don't try.
Japan has a shortage of workers and you can pretty find a job if you look anywhere. Not to count all the assistance and support you can easily get from the government and people's tax money. Basically, it's very difficult to unwillingly become homeless unless you are really old or very sick.
@@SuperAvocadoo or mental illness
@@selainx mental illness doesn't exist in Japanese society
its no different in Western cities, people walk by the homeless all the time and the government puts up things to prevent homeless from camping there. Biggest problem is that lack of facilities for the mentally ill
@@ggez5890 you're being sarcastic, right?
A middle ground needs to be found. Japan is known for certain shitty things like a toxic work culture, shitty justice system or extreme collectivism. Seniority instead of merit isn't ideal. This reminds me how anime tends to portray the opposite of what you talked about in this video. It's been said by others before, but I believe that manga, light novels and anime are sometimes the cries of help by the authors. They wish their country was better but they don't have the power to change it, so they portray an ideal Japan in fiction.
What "toxis world culture" do you speak of that they are renowned for?
@@JH-jo9wt he might mean "work" instead of "world" since that's the most famous toxic trait of Japan.
@@JH-jo9wt Sorry, typo. I meant work.
@@glennduke5853 Yes, Japanese porn is very alarming, or at least it was 15 - 25 years ago. Virtually every situation ends up looking like a rape scene, the woman wincing in extreme pain and crying out. Often very degrading things are done to the woman, and I don't remember ever seeing a situation where the woman was either enthusiastic or showing enjoyment. Usually very passive or at best dutiful at the start.
@@johnloosemore9949 caught
As an Indonesian living in Indonesia, I can confirm during this pandemic years more people are willing to donate and help each other to the point that they are willing to send daily groceries to the families in isolation if that family get positive test of Covid. And lastly, imo natural disasters doesn't have correlation with willingness to help, because Indonesia also home to many natural disasters (Flood, Earthquake, Volcanoes, etc).
I think natural disasters still have a big role for the 'coldness' culture in Japan. What make it different to Indonesia is how they approach that kind of situation. Since Indonesia is diverse in both ethnicity and religion if you compared to Japan, people will more likely to accept the difference between others and more likely to be more generous too. I mean if there is some place with two or more ethnicity got struck into some sort of natural disaster, being cold to each other doesn't help you either, right?
Edit : sorry if my English little bit messy since it's not my native language
@@ivanzero8854 Fair point mate, and nah your English is fine, maybe I'm the one who speak broken English (because I'm not native speaker either).
@@ivanzero8854 SEA people are probably laughing because my country philippines expierienced more than stroms but typhoons that cause bigger destruction and losing not only resources and homes but families.
Edit: I am not rude here but my country do has a lot of storms except (march, april and may, as we considered this as summer times but 2x hotter) but in my country collectivism is more of a group of people with same goals and helps each other so in my country when pandemic came, people started to build free food stand here and give it for free and may people including most populous cities came running around here and standing it for early and even earlier than what time is it supposed to be opened, this just my expierience and i am not bashing other cultures, i find them interesting.
@@cyrilmarasigan7108 Yeah, I find it interesting too. I also an Indonesian, and I know that the our people is collective, but has different approach to that of Japanese collectivism. And I always wonder why. If it's about geography and natural disaster factors, then our countries, Philippines and Indonesia, are also island countries with many disasters. I though of about SEA people being religious society, Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia, Buddhism in Thailand, Christianity in Philippines, so they have a drive to do kindness because of the religions' teaching. Maybe.
If I'm not mistaken, Indonesia's collectivism is the society model that Marx used as his base for communism (or maybe just an anecdote). I don't know if the collectivism is because of European expansion, religious teaching, or the original social model in the first place. I wish I can find studies about these topics because it seems interesting.
2:54
Me as indonesian:
*NOICE*
Your explanation was excellent. My cousin, James Heisig who is a permanent research fellow at Nanzan University gave me a very similar explanation of the collectiveism and habits of the Japanese people.
You are doing much to educate foreigners about Japan and Japanese people. I for one, appreciate the education.
Wait as in Thee James Heisig who wrote remembering the kanji?
@@oscaraiken5484 yes, that guy is faculty at Nanzan
they doesn't help old people but they force themselves to help lost foreigners (or who drop out objects) who doesn't speak japanese? they allow themseves to criticize us or others, but they do mind when we do it ? WHAT is this? WHY?
"Land of Harmony" means "Land of Conflict Avoidance", so much to the point that people will do anything to not recognize a situation, often even when it's life or death.
About a year ago a sumo wrestler died from injuries simply because no one could bring themselves to act in an urgent manner. People were just standing around talking about what to do because no one wanted to be the one to stand out and "be trouble".
The same happens at schools for bullying, worklpaces with sexual harassement and verbal/physical abuse, gyms with psychological outgrouping, you name it.
People are taught to not have their own independant sense of values, everything is based on a group-orientd gut feeling of conflict avoidance and belief in the status quo. "Everything is fine and don't act like it isn't or you are the problem".
People will pretend to care for you, but will drop you like a hot potatoe without a sign if they sense you are in any way associated with "trouble".
Maybe one in 10,000 are not like this. Generally those people are not from the primary culture, like Okinawan's or a non-traditional religious group, or those who have lived for an extended period in another culture which has a deep-rooted element of compassion away from other Japanese.
they have a hyper active cringe instinct ,everything embarrasses them..
Empathy is not distributed evenly amongst the groups aswel , which should be common knowledge with internet showing what mainstream hides for over 2decades..
They should change the name: Land of Cowards
@@DR-hy6is why
And here I've heard that people in Japan are often so nice to many who visit... interesting 🤔
Depends on the place in Japan I guess
Just shows their true nature. They are not the angel race people think they are. If you try be different you will be shamed.
Shogo this really needs to be addressed in a professional and fair manner, you did this perfectly, you and your team are geniuses at addressing culture.
Not only in a professional and fair manner. It has to be supported by the majority (if not all) as well.
I thiought most of it was total nonsence and naive to how Japan is to the rest of the world.
Definteily not fair. Shogo is spreading some misinformation and obviously has his own views which may and mostly not the same as other people's views or experiences/knowledge. THis video is very misleading and all the poor people on these comments have no real clue of how the Japanese people and culture is. Before you go believing all this nonsense, do some more research or go and actually visit Japan and live there like I have.
I feel like this is changing over time though. I live in Japan and younger Japanese people tend to be more into volunteering and helping out others and are generally more open to thinks outside the norm.
This is relieving to know.
This is because of globalization, mainly in the form of the internet, which provides outlets and exposure to things outside of Japan thus, widening perspectives and interest. This is true of all other cultures with regular internet exposure as well.
Sorry to shed somewhat disappointing light on this topic, but the direct reason is that corporate recruiting questionnaire nowadays asks "Have you done any volunteering work?". This started a chain reaction in the pecking order, and nowadays you see groups picking up trash in Shibuya so university students can confidently answer "Yes" to that question. Yeah, Social change in Japan is triggered mostly from "Above", not from the grassroots as westerners would intuitively think.
I feel the same as you.And I think Japanese just thought that they should take care for themselves because they dont want to bother the others.
@@spearsruby8562 I would say no matter the intention, at least they're still helping. So it's a win-win ig.
Thank you for putting this out; not only does this offer insight into Japan in particular, but it is an excellent introduction to the paradox of collectivism and individualism.
It's interesting how extreme collectivism can result in many of the same issues as extreme individualism although the reasoning behind it may differ, i.e. "Don't stand out" vs. "I don't care, not my problem." We see this with the bystander effect but in other areas as well. I think the moral of the story is that balance is preferable.
Amen!
Very similar to how extreme unfettered communism, and extreme unfettered capitalism also often lead to the same results - scarcity in resources, ultimate lack of variety or innovation, and small and corrupt authoritarian governments or dictators. A balance of the two with regulation and proper maintenance of the democratic process is best.
So just to give some perspective. Yes, as an individual maybe they help less. However, as a collective society, the Japanese government has one the largest aid programs that give to the world at large!!!! They are generous as a collective/organization/nation.
@@Joyness333 extremism in anything is never great.
The Jewish Bolsheviks thru collectivism starved 10 million of its own citizens including famers and children thru Communist Marxism in Russia. Why do you think Hitler went East? To save the German minorites in Ukraine and Poland.
In 2000 my whole family and I were stranded in Japan because we were Using my father’s chance passenger benefits from His Job from United Airlines but we didn’t get enough seats for my family on the transfer plane to The Philippines. So we got stuck in Narita. The Airport didn’t allow people to sleep over in The Airport over night and we didn’t know what to do. Japanese Man who worked at the Airport who was walking by and looked like he was just getting off work saw us looking lost and guided us step by step through customs,filling out cards and guided us through the Airport and how to get a hotel and bus. There was a language barrier but he was very patient. He helped us big time and he left a big impression on me. Sometimes when I see tourist here in San Francisco I do the same now.
I think he was just doing his job. The Japanese values quality greatly, that's why services and products in Japan are top-notch.
But for generic citizens, I have to say even most Asians are quite "cold-hearted" (no time to help, busy, more pessimistic)
Tatemae, look it up
Thank you for trying to be kind to others..
@@OhSo_Bear Looked it up! Thank you.
Yeah man, pass it on! Once a complete stranger helped me big time, and since then I always do the same whenever I can.
“Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum” - Kakashi Hatake
Thats Obito Actually. He was the Wise man.
But sometimes the rules need to be broken tho
“The scumbag persona is just for shock value” Tekashi69
As much as I like Kakashi that quote never resonated with me. Like you are a Ninja. That's a pretty childish way of looking at things. Some ninja missions may require you to abandon your friends and not because you are cold hearted but because lives are at stake.
@@SuperMurray2009 I personally think it means that - IF, you have a situation in a mission where you are going to lose your partner - try your level best to save the mission AND your partner. But IF it’s understood that only one is going to happen; considering the partner itself is a ninja - they themselves would ask you to leave them and save the mission.
All I am saying is, when you as a ninja go with ur brothers for a mission, atleast try and talk with that person instead of just ghosting on them the moment things go south.
My first time in Japan several years ago, I ever lost my way to a train station where my team was waiting, so I asked a young man in a book store (because he seems can speak English). After he knew I am finding that train station (actually I needed him to point me the direction then I can asked someone else further), but he called me to follow him to the shop front, and then he walked, walked, turned left, turned right, walked, walked up overpass, and walked, walked until reached that train station.
There you go. Would that happen in the Western world?
Wait what? What does your comment mean?
@@princejames287 He's saying that the man went far out of his way to help. To the point of literally leaving his job area to walk a stranger to the destination rather than just give directions.
@@Malc664 yep. Has happened to me.
@@Malc664 I've helped people out with directions but not to that extent.
I really love how Shogo puts down sentences. "This is my understanding" instead of "this is the truth".
The soft spoken and polite talk is so refreshing. Keep up the great videos!
I'm from Malaysia, we too have idea of collectivism but it is different than Japan collectivism
At least from here, collectivism more focus on helping others for earning positive point. Doing charity and helping your neighbour in hard time (gotong-royong is the term we used here) been done to take care for our community. Yes, we also have some people saying doing charity for certain people seem just for self indulgence but for us, help is still help regardless of their reasons.
Nonetheless, I can see the main difference of Malaysian collectivism and Japanese collectivism is Malaysian collectivism doing something to help someone in need for ensure stability and order of the group while Japanese collectivism avoid doing something that will rock the boat for sake of community
my 2 cents
I think its one of the reasons why Malaysians are often considered very friendly in general, in particular by foreigners imo.
What you describe of the Malaysia collectivism is similar to what I know and practice within a Christian community.
This is how collectivism should work.
2 cents well spent.
Malaysia is a muslim country, and a formidable harsh one even to middle eastern standards. There is no way people can become like the japonese without became a kufr by avoid one of the pillars of Islam, the zakat (charity).
I love how Shogo sometimes tackles serious topics that need to be addressed, which also makes his channel unique among Japanese channels and popular.
People can learn some things by watching these, regardless of their country or color.
Agreed. He’s fair and states the way things are. Many other channels you see one extreme to the other very pro Japan where everything is perfect or anti-Japan whereas Shogo is very fair and levelheaded about these things
A person who agrees in this comment is probably a person who choses to be fair or both.
This video was EXTREMELY insightful and thought provoking. When someone is completely unfamiliar with another's culture it's very easy to misinterpret things and assume the worst. My wife lived in Japan for a year and absolutely loved it there. We especially appreciated what you shared about your own difficulty with helping people and why. Great video, thank you! 💪🏼💪🏼
There's isn't a single channel on TH-cam about Japan talking about these kind of issues and I'm glad I found this one. My friend currently lives in Sapporo and works as a English Teacher there, and he was surprised at how cold some people can be in Japan; it was a huge wake up call for him. I'd like to think anime kind of colors our view of Japan, and I'm glad there are channels like this to discuss the realities of Japanese society.
Exactly
well it's very silly to shape your view of a country based on anime/ cartoons/ movies/ etc
@@elyeliza8287 yeah but if you brought up watching Anime that's the way you will be thinking... I do..
@@elyeliza8287 Hmmm, people allow media to shape their views of other countries though. I think it's so much better for a kid to allow anime to color his eventual view of a country as an adult than an adult allowing media propaganda to color their view of other countries.
@@N0noy1989 I've lived in south east asia (thailand and cambodia mainly) for over 25 years and found MOST japanese people to have mental health issues...they complain the most out of all asians and have the most problems with others behaviour
Isn't it selfish to try to hide in the crowd when someone else needs help? If the point of collectivism is group survival when there's a disaster, people not being willing to help each other seems counterproductive.
I live in Tornado Alley, so I would know.
Yep, which is one of the points the video has made.
@@ZestyWiggle Well, you didn't cross the finish line. You make it sound like choosing not to help someone would be risk-free, and that simply isn't true. If you let someone die, the collective is deprived not just of their potential to drain resources, but also of their potential to contribute. That means that if you choose not to help someone who would have contributed more than the value of resources they would have consumed if they have lived, then your decision is a net negative for the collective.
So, to determine whether the collective is better served by an ethic of helping people in need vs leaving everyone to their fate, the deciding factor is whether people of that society on average are more likely to be productive or unproductive. If they are more likely to be productive than not, then the ethic of helping those in need provides the net benefit and the ethic of hiding in the crowd results in a net loss. If a society is functional, then it it stands to reason that the majority of people are productive, or the load of unproductive people on the economy would be much too heavy to bear. Therefore, the assertion stands that hiding in the crowd is counterproductive to collective survival.
(Though I apparently missed it coming up in the video somehow.)
No, the reason they hide in the crowd is because the society makes it dangerous for an individual to be seen, not because letting people die is beneficial.
@@ZestyWiggle your argument has a huge flaw no matter how you elaborate around it and that flaw is the "kys counter-argument".
@@ZestyWiggle That’s just conjecture, though. People wouldn’t automatically know the value of the person that just so happens to need help at that point in time. And this is with setting all moral dilemmas aside.
The most kind hearted act is to let everything happen without helping.
As a foreigner, I have had the very kind and generous hospitality mentioned in the video. It's a shame to hear that's not the case within the culture. Cold hearted is not a term I would use to describe it though. More like social or cultural awkwardness, unwilling to initiate a generous exchange. I love Japanese culture but I still prefer the brash enthusiasm of some in the USA. I also noticed a degree of longing for that enthusiasm from young Japanese men and women I know.
Come here to SEA. It has social culture that not too much different with USA, but elevated much more with enough collectivism.
And we won't make you an alien too by just speaking the local language well
@@bocahdongo7769 As a SEA person, most people will mention which country they're from, or being very happy when their country is mentioned.
@@ScubaShark--8964 Let's be honest, SEA people mostly share same culture. Unless some specific one but again, it's far away from East Asia's culture
@@bocahdongo7769 Hmm, probably. But not sure.
@@domidium A perk of USA individualism is diversity in culture. In a crowd, some will look away but some will jump to help. The "woke" is a feature and not a bug.
I have visited Japan a couple of times, and found that the japanese were generally very polite and helpful. In the subway, my wife and I were confused and looking at a map. A 30ish japanese man offered help and even walked us about a quarter mile to the correct exit! So in all cases, and in all countries, it depends upon the individual.
as mentioned, they don't mind helping foreigners
I think you didn't watch untill the end of the video
Cool 😎
Very well said
fun fact that jaoanese man waas christian
I'm from the Philippines and it was a shock to see how a lot of Japanese people don't give a care to people who need help especially on trains when someone is being molested growing up when I saw a person who needs help I will always see someone helping them so it really shocked me when I first saw no one helping thank goodness my family was there to help when a lot of people don't
I am asking a genuine question.... Why are philipinos so toxic?
@@amrahs6999 not all pinoy are toxic .. just look at the situation on the philippines and you will know why ..
Punctuation... 😣
Pinoy people seem to be some of the most caring and helpful people I've ever met .
Also they appear to have a sense of humor I've only ever seen in UK . Love the Philippines : )
@@amrahs6999 do you mean the teenagers in phillipines?
Shogo's explanation actually makes sense. I used to live in several cities in Japan for several years in Sendai, Yokohama, Niigata, Tokyo, Kobe, and Fukuoka, What I can conclude is, that Japanese people weren't unwilling to help, but they lacked the courage to act differently than people around them. IMO, maybe "Stagnate" is a proper word to describe what Japanese society today
Have you seen the videos with the children though? Like just standing there while children drown in the shallow end of a pool… Get run over multiple times for hours while people walk around or step over the body of a child..
That goes beyond “I don’t want to stand out” and into the sociopathic monster territory.
It’s also not just Japan but nearly every East Asian/South East Asian country. These are people with very different histories and cultures, so all the history and cultural reasons given in this video don’t really explain and certainly don’t excuse it.
@@SaltNBattery I don't know which part of SEA you're seeing that kind of behaviour, but I can confirm that's not how the Malaysian/Indonesian/Singapore people act. East asia maybe, but certainly not SEA
@@vixz6441 Cambodia? Laos, Vietnam.. I'd add Singapore to that list as well. Weren't they ranked the least emotional country in the world at one time.
The countries you listed seem to be the exception, including possibly Thailand.
Even still I wouldn't exactly call these cultures empathetic. To be clear, I'm not talking about how they treat other people, foreigners on vacation. I'm talking about how they treat their own people.
Of course, I'm also not saying that all the people in Asia are this way but it is a problem that you don't typically see elsewhere. At least the very specific situations we're talking about, there are a lot of places that are way worse for different reasons.
I mean, look how "we" treat our homeless/veterans/elderly in places like America. That would horrify people from all over the world, at the same time it doesn't negate the empathy issues in East/South East Asia.
If you're driving in Japan and trying to merge into a stream of traffic, you will find that Japanese drivers NEVER give way, even when it wouldn't inconvenience them (e.g. when there is a queue of traffic). Of course they won't cause a crash if you force the issue, but also they won't do anything to help such as slowing down. I think this is because Japan is such a rules-based society. If there is no rule telling them to do something, they won't do it!
This is so true. It's almost as if, and this might sound harsh, they have no concept of how to make a decision for themselves if there's no rule about it. Kinda scary.
Because that'd mean they're sticking out and taking the oh-so-dreaded initiative.
When I first started driving in Osaka, I got stuck at the end of the merging lane. While wondering what I was going to do, everyone else behind me, including the big truck, merged successfully. After some more experience driving there, I finally discovered that they were in fact letting you in. You just had to be very aware of the few centimeters they would open up for you by slightly dropping their speed. After moving to Tokyo, I was shocked at how polite the drivers were. Merging was generally pretty normal, and I lost all my Osaka driving skills.
Wow. I never thought about how much I hated island life until now.
@Alicia Brady Which they should have continued.
Well said👏I have lived out of Japan for about 12 years and have been homesick lately, ESPECIALLY since I started living in the U.S. The cleanness, fantastic public transport, food, not unnecessary loud/crazy people on the street, and so on I miss so much, but I recall how uncomfortable I was to live in Japan. When I helped the elderly or whoever needed help in public, I acted without thinking, but others completely ignored those people and looked at me like 🤨Always. Being myself is not a thing over there, at least to me. Of course, I love the country where I was born and raised, but still conflict... I want to go back there, but I do not.
Nope stay in the usa I'm here in japan. People still act like that here, I had to help two people out because nobody would help them. Selfishness seems to be common here.
@@alaskanwhiskey I am sorry that you experienced that, too😞It is heartbreaking to me that my people act like that. We humans all have the potential to live with kindness, compassion, and love. I used to focus on why we couldn't do that. But these days, I have focused on becoming the light itself. I will visit Japan next month and be kind to others no matter what happens.🙂❤🩹Have a lovely day.❣
That explains a lot - thank you. I was in Japan many years ago, in Shinjuku station. A young lady was struggling with a piece of luggage up one of the stairways. Since I'm much taller than Japanese people, I saw her struggles from almost 100m away (she was on the stairs I was headed towards). Between me and her were a sea of people. I fully expected SOMEONE to help her long before I got there. It took some 3 minutes or so to cover the distance and there were hundreds to men who just walked past her. I ended up grabbing the luggage (in those 3 minutes she only got about 5 or 6 steps up) and carried it up the stairs for her baffled why my behavior was clearly abnormal in Japan.
- Thank you, whomever you are.
It sounds like bizarro world.
Why would she carry such heavy thing by herself to begin with
@robertoh3633 Because it was her luggage? Perhaps it rolled easily across most floors but had to be carried up stairs? Also, she's from a society where no one helps anyone else. How else is she going to get something from Point A to Point B? Come on. Just a little creativity and you could come up with an answer to your own question.
@@SchlichteToven and yes, the luggage had wheels - normal airport carry on bag with extendable handle.
Oh yeah. Some years ago in Tokyo, my bicycle slipped and fell down sideways in the rain, with my infant son in the front and young daughter in the back. Three of us on the ground in the rain. I then saw a young couple watching us, as they walked past without comment or help. Truly surprising moment in my life.
Oh my, I hope none of you were injured, especially your baby boy! That would have actually depressed me.
oh wow
@@byoshizaki1025 whataboutism
omg,hope your kids where ok:(
@@byoshizaki1025 zero relevancy to my reply
Im married to my Japanese wife we met in London. She gave birth to our first child in London but now live in Japan. Since moving here we had another child. My wife was shocked at how cold and seemingly uncaring all the hospital staff were while looking after her in hospital in japan compared to London. Also... London birth was no cost to us on the NHS. In japan it was very expensive!
Don’t you pay taxes for the NHS?
I think I’d want to move back to England
Did you guys stay or moved back?
Oh, I see. You got medical care for 'free' because you made so little you lived off of the taxation of everyone else that worked their butts off
@@dittohead7044 The birth was of no extra cost to us at the time but yes it was paid for indirectly through taxes
@@hello-gx6oi Hello hello. Still in Japan!
I had japanese neighbors I used to help look after a few years ago. One time I had a friend come by to check on their refrigerators and repair them. Incidentally we found out that a local bike shop tried to rip them off of a few hundred dollars just to inflate the tires so we also put some air into them. When we refused any payment they offered they seemed a bit confused and even told us we were "too nice." I'd just assumed living in California for a while my countrymen (especially from this state) made their usual impression on them and they became cynical towards charity/help for its own sake. Suppose though this explains a lot and I was a bit hasty in assuming
I think for a country like this to move more toward individualism (where charity seems to be more likely), you have to start with baby steps. And because a whole nation of people takes a lot longer for them to move toward change than say an individual, that will take, much, much longer, especially if you are looking for these kinds of results through natural means.
Nobody in our live times will see Japan change, but maybe in the next two generations if this level of kindness if maintained, it might help to bring more balance (but that takes a long time).
It seems what this video pointed out, is the people in Japan who show a willingness to help foreigners, are the ones who may be craving for this sort of change the most. That's why it will take time.
The countryside is much different than the city side
They have a pure meaning to hospitality and are willing to help
the video said though that during covid in japan; "people living in the countryside put up signs all over town telling people not to come home from the cities"
You always gotta wonder, were those rare individuals rare like the nationalists here? Funded by towns? Its hard to pinpoint; but at the same time, what stage of covid, and how many could it have helped by staying where you were?
Osaka is FAR FAR different then Tokyo. I often suggest to folks first visiting to go there instead. I believe it has something to do with there "trading tradition" as a port city for generations. And that they needed to be extra nice and hospitable to others for that very reason. Which has carried over into today's modern day society.
probably the difference we see everywhere, in large cities, people are busy and "colder"
In other words, the countryside is not afraid of the reciprocal obligation of 🔛
I've had a Japanese friend explain to me that one of the reasons that people won't easily help someone who slipped or tripped is because it's embarrassing for the person who fell to be helped. By "needing help" you're burdening the people around you. By taking care of a problem by yourself you're not a burden and you don't stand out. So helping someone would actually make them feel worse. Obviously not a universal thing (people don't randomly die on the street while people walk over their corpse) but for small things...maybe. Has that been other's (besides my Japanese friend's) experience?
This is the exact same reason I was given by one of my Japanese friends. The same applies when you offer an older person or a pregnant woman to give them your seat while on the public bus.
To them, is as if you are looking at them as a burden that they need to be taken care of. That's why you don't see them accepting your seat, and besides, there's also the stigma of not sitting on the side of a foreigner.
Sounds like a rationalization to me.
PRIDE IS THE PROBLEM ACTUALLY. AND THEY ARE COVERING THAT REALITY
I experienced totally opposite several times last year when people tripped and fell and half a dozen of people run to help…another fell of a bike because she had too many thing in the basket and everybody run around and helped to collect the content that was scattered while the lights turned green to red for pedestrians…
I'm not Japanese but I agree with it that you are a burden for others that help you but I still ask for help sometimes cause I'm not perfect I can't do everything by myself so I ask for help or just do it my ways of doing something if I can't do that thing.
This is actually surprised me. Once, I was walking around Shibuya with a lot of shopping bags. All at once, the bag ripped and all my items fell from the bag. I had several Japanese strangers, who didn’t know each other, immediately came help me grab my things. It was only a one time thing, but even so I was so grateful because I’m not even sure if the people where I’m from would do the same, and I’m from Indonesia. Though this happened 10 years ago, so things definitely have changed.
That's ironic, as Indonesia came top of the chart for 'helping others' shown in this video (see 2:54).
I understand why he feels that way.
If you dig deeper into the report, Indonesia actually only ranked 26 in the category "helping strangers", while being the no. 1 in the other 3 categories.
@@leinadatidumarp Survey is always subjective. Im Indonesian never do volunteering work like the survey asking but i did and will always help strangers..
I use japan shopping proxy a lot and they are very helpful when theres problem. But many stories in here that expatriate usually from Japan and Korea can very strict and unforgiving
@@gueomduduto Not subjective. It is objective but it's statistical. When we or what/who we observed aren't reflected by the results, it's normal. Surely you might be one of those who do that (helping strangers), which is nice.
@@leinadatidumarp nah its subjective, its made by only one organization.
I actually clicked this video because my experience in Japan was the complete opposite. Everyone was so kind, warm and helpful to me! But then you explained that it's easier for Japanese people to be that way towards foreigners, I had no idea that my baby blues were working in my favour that much! All jokes aside though, it's a shame they apparently don't treat each other that way more often as well. I was actually really impressed and it seemed to me like a positive example of what collectivism is capable of. All in all though, I reckon a balanced marriage between collectivism and individualism would be the ultimate way for any society to go.
I think the same attitude may be true in the U.S., as far as helping strangers...It's a short-term obligation.
With the explosion of homeless people in the U.S., you see tents on sidewalks and in parks. There's not overwhelming support to rent out spare rooms or garages to these folks, but the panhandlers (who will claim they are homeless, but aren't necessarily) get cash from people easily.
I've noted in my town it is easy the get food, but you can't easily get housing. One is quick, the other takes time.
@Daenack Dranils A key point of formulating a *solid* point is to be articulate.
But even though I know what you're saying, it still makes no sense. Why do you talk as opposed to speaking?
Individualism > Collectivism
I’ve been all over the west, and no one came close to being as nice as at least a dozen Japanese people were during my trip earlier this month. I’m not bad-looking, but I don’t think it was because I dazzled them in any way.
I also had the opposite experience. I was thinking, Japanese people are the kindness most polite compassionate people in the world.
hello shogo! im your viewer from indonesia. i personally feel that indonesia is also a collectivist society. that's because indonesia has various races and we live in maritime country where most of our country's area is water. which makes people are more diverse than the others. so, we also have no choice except working together with eachother to maintain our unity. but the difference is, here we are told that people who behaves greatly and kind to the others are the one who needs to be praised and looked up to. i've been told since i was a kid that i need to help the others because, in the future i might be on that person's position and i need people's help. also since i was a child, i saw my community treating people who are unwilling to help the others very badly. uhm, note that all of these are 100% my opinion and things from my point of view.
it's so interesting to learn about japanese society that i can tell very different from us. i'm planning to visit japan one day actually! your video helps me to learn more about japanese culture so i can avoid culture shocks! great video as always✨
Indonesian here too, I absolutely agree with your statement. Considering how many natural disasters occur in the country it's common knowledge to help them in a way to help them in the slightest
Ironically we are generous because we are colonized country before. So we were indeed need to help each other and praise Foreigner too high. Which is the opposite of Japan
most indonesians are generous only to foreigners
@@ipiinsih3655 Polite or kind maybe, generous no.
@@ipiinsih3655 I got helped a lot on society tho
When I was in Japan, there was a group of runners and their coach in the park I was walking in. One of the kids got trampled during the stampede, and was on the floor crying & holding his knees. Not only did the other runners keep running, but the coach stood at a distance staring as I tried to help the Kid.
I wonder how Psychologically damaging that is - you know like the Psychology studies about not picking up newborn babies?
yikes, that's nasty. few cultures would leave children alone fending for themselves. sounded so primitive to me
that's how sociopaths are made
@@Katatonya FUNNY YOU CALLING OUT sociopaths...
@@MrAgmoore Now you know why the insanely high amount of suicides in Japan.
I really appreciate how you approach these cultural topics. There's not much sensationalism, you're to the point about reality and history, and you're honest about the nuances, and on top, you include that no culture is above any other.
I'm Taiwanese, and I grew up in America. The growth of consumption of Japanese media/culture in America, as well as the plain culture difference between collectivist and individualist societies, has led to some odd and simplistic perceptions of "asians" in the USA. So I really appreciate what you do to explain some complexity of how/why people act.
Your videos are fun to watch too! Wish for u a warm winter
Some cultures are above others in some ways. To believe otherwise is blind moral relativism.
People passing by those suffering heart attacks without helping, seeing a woman get beat up in public by her spouse without helping, and many other examples of the inferiority of Japanese culture are everywhere in this comment section alone.
@@youuuuuuuuuuu here in my hometown people used to kill or beat other people because of being individual
@@amarbinay6654 Wow! That’s insane.
@@benjackson7872 yup if u don't wanna risk life just be in shade/group and if u dare fight back for anything even tho have to risk /sacrifice then just be individualist and men up
@@amarbinay6654 It’s a shame there’s no in-between.
It’s no wonder that people in Japan might use anime as a form of escapism. All the messages of being “the chosen one”, the leader, the one with powers just like everyone else but something about them makes them special, unique, and sought out.
I think Japanese culture may be understood as what psychology would call "co-dependent", a form of social neurosis in which there is a hyper-attention given to the social-emotional reactivity of others, not being able to have or act upon one's own feelings, needs, and thoughts. A balance between collectivism and individualism would probably be best.
Or just cruel or self centred
@@melkorstormcrown6939 Cruel isn't an accurate description for a people with one of the lowest crime rate in the world.
@@nginroom8108 yet one of the highest if not the highest suicide rate of the world. Cruel enough in my book.
And strive for that balance is what we should all do, though that is still a constant battle.
@@melkorstormcrown6939 Japan isn't unique in its suicide rate, alot of advanced countries have high suicide rates.
Quite interesting point of view! Collectivism, instead of meaning "no one is left behind", is "no one unvaluable will leave _us_ behind" in Japan. As a japanese descendent, I have always imagined that this posture was a characteristic of us, immigrants, struggling to survive in a new country. But really things gone as pointed: if someone can contribute to the community, that person is helped; if not it's left on his/her own. Thanks for sharing your interpretation!
Very clearly & objectively presented. I’ve lived in Japan (Tokyo) for 25 years & this is the first time I’ve seen a Japanese person describe their culture in such an impartial manner. Very thoughtful analysis & assessment of why things in Japan are the way they are - thanks!
Who'd of thunk a dragon would be harsh and cold hearted?
Shogo spent most of his early youth in the USA so that's probably given him a unique perspective on Japanese society (look up his video on bullying) that would be difficult for the average Japanese person to perceive that's never spent significant time outside of the country...
Wow. I lived in japan for 10+ years. And your explanations on various topics help give me a perspective I suspected but could never verbalize as clearly as you do. This is amazing. Thank you
This does shed some light on why Brazil is the second largest Japanese population. Its warm almost all the time, almost no natural disasters, and even people more willing to help. I wish there was more videos of how Japanese are doing there.
One big reason why they came is because the government were offering incentives, like plots of land for farming.
i've always heard that brazil is such a sketchy place second to detroit, chicago
@@koksu5692 you know all of those places you mentioned have middle and upper class areas right. Just like every country that has a major city from the beginning of time. Sure there is crime and there are also places you find none or very little just like everywhere else. Usually it's social norms and poverty that get people to treat each other ruthlessly. The states, UK, isreal ect all no better.
I think it's because Brazil(parliament) is offering the Japanese people to attain a privileged life in their nation in exchange of the Japanese individuals productivity, expertise, and status.
Brazilians are some of the most generous people I have ever met. I hope the Japanese population there are picking up Brazilian traits
One time I worked at a Japanese owned company in downtown LA. Everyday I saw homeless people on the streets so I started giving to the LA Mission. One day, talking to one of my superiors (Japanese), I mentioned about donating to the mission. He criticized me that it's just self satisfaction. Not saying that all Japanese are non-givers because that's not the case, but it just shows how one can get criticized (in Japan) if you donate.
"publicly donate"
The problem is that managers aren't people.
I mean the only reason you even brought it up is to brag about it so what he said makes sense
@@djdeep4 We are talking about donation right? Not about giving random homeless people money, ofc it's bad if the your money makes no value.
14:43 "It takes a lot of courage to help a Japanese person, but if it is a person from abroad, I could help them without thinking twice."
Something about that statement was utterly heartbreaking.
Yeah it showed his own biases
Yeah I was honestly shocked when I heard that.
It's pretty much the same in Iran
Leftists dream 😆
@@petervarga7913 they are anything but that
Whenever I leave my apartment in Japan, I’m aware that I may have to intervene in a situation where someone is injured or being assaulted and nobody else is doing anything. It has happened 3 times during my 3 years in Japan. But honestly, I am grateful for the experience because now, when the situation inevitably arises in my home country, I will be ready. Also I HAVE witnessed Japanese people intervene in situations where someone needs help-it just doesn’t happen every time. It’s something we all need to improve at and be ready for.
Hmm that's odd, here in my country if someone is assaulting a innocent that person is gonna be given the beating of a lifetime
What sort of assaults have you witnessed? What did others do?
My experience from traveling in Japanese, is the Japanese are in general introverted, so most people mind their own business. However, if you would ask for help, there are many warm hearted people willing to help you.
I think their introversion is due to exactly what this video speaks about.
Both of you are full of it because foreign people are treated very differently in Japan it's even hard to find a place to live there based on the simple fact that they have alot of places that won't rent to anyone other than Japanese so best way to get place is if you work for company there and they find you place to live and people usually don't mess with foreigners not all but most unless they are someone that is the type to love western culture its very hard to make real friends there
That's also a trait which is connected to people like me from north germany.
Maybe that's one of the reasons why I can connect with Japan on this level :D
As far as this World Giving Index I think it focuses too much on the donating to charity aspect. It is known that charities might not give the money they receive to the cause they claim to be collecting for, but may instead use it to make themselves richer. I would be more concerned about the willingness to help someone right in front of you who clearly needs help more.
This reminds me of a very strong point made at the end of the WW2 in Europe at the Nuremburg trials. The Nazi's justified their horrific experimentations on people by saying that the individual lives didn't matter if the collective benefited from the suffering of the individual. The allies made the point that the collective is made up of individuals therefore on that basis they concluded that individuals are actually more important than the group. In other words look after the individual and by default you are looking after the group.
Soviets were anything but individualist and even worked with the nazis for a while.
so that argument can be applied to the dominant group of population vs the minority of a population ?
But isn't looking after the individual by himself result in a destruction of the group since each person is given more importance without having to be inside the group?
Societies only like individualism as long as they number 1 in the world. Once you are number 2 or last individualism doesn't work. Individualism relies on highly skilled people pushing society forward for everyone else as their value trickles down to the poor.
Like Lot in Sodom
This was a perspective I have never considered, and was disappointing to me because I have studied cultures and have a basic understanding of individualism vs collectivism. But I never considered that collectivism, in the context of preserving a society, would result in people ignoring those who struggle.
As a westerner and a veteran of the US military, I came to believe that the single most beneficial act to society is to help those with the greatest need. Solving or even just helping the greatest problems in one community should improve the average quality of life for that community. Not everyone shares this view here, but many westerners actively seek out those in need and make decisions based on the greatest need when they want to be charitable.
I think it's a philosophy of raising the average by focusing on the lowest index; improving society by providing the most urgent needs first.
People here are confusing isolated, perfunctory and distant corporatism with collectivism. You'll find the same isolation and distance on a New York street (where people learn to walk past a Naked Cowboy) or subway car.
collectivism is deprecated.
@@arkan324 individualism is deprecated.
Both sides can be bad. The thing is humans are more complex then ants. Collectivism made sense for survival purposes back in the day when people have to watch their back form apex or larger predators but now with technology not much use for it. I think there needs to be a healthier balance. Japan’s way is no longer serving them anymore and they can’t handle that change. However I think, in time, if the theory of Japan slowly sinking happens, many will leave and conform to other cultures that contradict their original thinking and thus that might be one of the only ways they can escape their extreme collectivism. Otherwise I think they should learn to differentiate priories not everything needs to be treated like a typhoon on the loose.
Shogo, congratulations on 1 million! I remember when you were far under 100k and wondering how much energy to devote to channel. I am glad you have found success and I appreciate your content always.
Regarding the topic: Look at Coronavirus in the US. People who are more vulnerable such as the immunocompromised are on their own in terms of not getting sick. The society to greater or lesser degree has decided it does not want to bear the burden of making the environment safer for them. So on an individual level someone might give you the shirt off their back, but when it comes to social policy there is a vastly different calculus. There are strengths and weaknesses in any society.
Someone I talked to who lived in Japan for nearly a decade (he married a Japanese woman and had a child) told me that it was highly dependant on family. Your family would take care of you but on an individual level you were not helped much.
I lived in Japan for more than 12 years. Your interpretation and explanations are spot on. Thank you.
I couldnt relate to any of it persoanlly - if you think Japanese are unhelpful coldhearted people i suggest you dont travel at all you may be in for a shock
A few years ago I was visiting Himeji: we were climbing the internal stairs which were very wide (3m), had a railing in the middle but were One Way with clear green lighted signs, as another other stair, on the opposite side of each floor, was used to get people down. Visitors were all crowded on the left of the stair with several old people being cripplingly slow. I just went on the other side of the railing and went my own way up. I saw a couple of younger people looking at me and the doubt in their eyes looking at elder people, searching for any disapproval and then, one by one, followed me but keeping their eyes down as if ashamed of a not existent "transgression"...
It told me a lot about the Japanese mindset: never stand out, especially in the eyes of older people, always blend in with others, even when it makes no sense.
A Japanese lady in Kyoto helped me when she saw I was obviously lost and walking around in circles 😂 I hope she’s doing well. Another girl in Tokyo gave me an umbrella out of nowhere when she saw me walking under the rain.
Idk, I was treated pretty well during my visit to Japan.
It helps if you aren't Japanese.
Same here, but like that man said. If you are a foreigner they can help you without repercusions.
The video did mention that Japanese people are more likely to help a foreigner, and even explained why that is.
Tatemae victim: Those people helped you because tatemae demanded them to do so, not because of genuine interest. Due to tatemae, you can't truly know if a japanese person is being nice to you genuinely.
Maybe you had blue eyes or natural blonde hair. No offense but Japanese people are as superficial as it can get.
I just found this video and I have to say I respect your objectivity so much. It would be easy to make excuses for the shortcomings or even the differences of any persons country, but the fact you acknowledge both the positives AND negatives shows how open-minded and understanding you are. Love your videos!
I want to thank you for your videos Shogo. Alot of Western people have a very idealized thinking of Japan, Japanese culture, and Japanese people. We have to remember that Japanese people are still people, with real flaws and their own issues to deal with.
You are a great teacher: very well-organized video, with clear and well-conncted points. Thank you.
i have been living in Japan for years and i can confidently say that everything he says is true. And there is a big difference between just visiting Japan for a week and living there as a part of society... Also being polite and being kind are two different things; surely Japanese people are super polite but i wouldnt say the latter for Japanese...
If you ask someone for help and they help you how would they know your a tourist or a foreigner permanently living there? What makes you say Japanese are unkind yet polite?
@@JH-jo9wt isnt it obvius?
You should notice it in the way they express or talk, unless you are an authist you should notice when someone is kind and when someone doesnt want to help you but is helping you because he was trained or educated to do it...
@@robertorpg2132 Whats an "authist" ?
How is someone kind and doesnt want to help?
If they were unkind wouldnt they not help?
To me that makes no sense.
Where to they receive this training and from who to help you whilst they are being unkind and impolite?
Sorry no this isnt obvious
@@JH-jo9wt read and understand Padma's comment again. he said y'all are "polite" but NOT always "kind"
that's exactly what this video means. the study didn't rank japan dead last in "helping" for no reason. smh
@@shoyupacket5572 You reference "being kind is actually helping someone" - I agree
If you read the comments posted here to Roberto RPG who i was initially refering to you'll see he makes mention of going out of their way to "help" people which to me is an act of "kindness"
He then goes onto say that even though they are "helping" which you also refer to as being "kind" they are not in fact being "kind" but are doing so as they have been "trained" to do so.
Your saying people who dont help but are being polite are also doing so due to "training"
So what it is?
Maybe you should take it up with Roberto
"When in Rome...." Collectivism only works for Japan because it is an Island culture along with their history of compliance for a thousand + years. This is well explained in this video. Collectivism does not work in countries like America where the constitution literally was written so that the individual has more power than the state promoting individual freedom and responsibility over collectivism. This also allows for greater wealth/corruption potential as well as being one of the most charitable countries willing to help out others. Which system is better? Depends on here you live and the history of how they got there.
The corruption in Japan is ridiculous.
Imagine if Google and Apple had their own banks.
South Korea business environment is modelled after Japan and the corruption is ridiculous especially with their family owned conglomerates
Geography and historical work also plays a part.
I want control over my own destiny. Whether I fail or succeed I want it by my own hands.
Shame culture is vividly real in Japan. I love Japan and loved living in Japan, but it was also a country that broke my depression. You are constantly questioning yourself, your words, your attitude, your clothes....it was exhausting. You are always trying your best not to be a "MEIWAKU" to others by never asking for help, or receiving help.
I’m Japanese and 100% agree with you.Not to be "MEIWAKU" is the most important thing for us.Of course,we also think that helping others is important.But I think "never asking people for help" and "be kind to other people" are essentially incompatible,because if we think asking people for help is a shame,that means we think whoever asking us for help is a shame.
Interesting, the thing is most of the country on top of the ranking could be considered collectivists, even where I come from the community is more important than the individual and it’s actually what drives them to help other out of pure selflessness.
I went to Morocco which is arguably a collectivist country for the most part and I was shocked that total strangers would randomly invite you to have lunch with them and its a common thing there, they are not expecting anything in return.
I think Japan takes most of its coldness from history and how the land was ruled like Shogo said rather than out of collectivism because collectivism would on the contrary push people to help each other.
Just a note: Morocco placed 109th out of 114 countries, putting it in the bottom 10, as you can see at 3:00. It did score OK with "helping others," but did abysmally with the other two metrics. Inviting strangers to eat in your home has historically been a way of sharing information and promoting trade. Even today with the internet and global supply chains, it is fun to share perspectives and stories. I don't know much specifically about Moroccan culture, but I expect most people would be at least disappointed if you sat there sullenly and didn't even try to communicate.
@@skepticalextraterrestrial2971 We must not forget that Morocco is a very poor country, which could explain why people for example don't donate to charity. I wouldn't either if I had very little money. The Middle East is generally a very hospitable area, it's a big aspect of the culture there.
@@SpacepilotPirx Look, I have nothing against Morocco, but the top four countries according to the report are: Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Myanmar. By per capita GDP, these are also very poor countries. In fact, Myanmar has less than half the per capita GDP of Morocco but places above every industrialized "Western" nation (Australia came in 5th).
@@skepticalextraterrestrial2971 I don’t know what metrics the list uses but in my experience Moroccans were very nice and welcoming, I was also invited into a Moroccan home. I guess it’s due to the sense of security in Morocco that it’s not high on the list, if a Moroccan doesn’t know you then they are unsure about you, but as soon as you greet them or interact that suspicion dies out very fast and the can become very friendly.
First, I want to say that I really love your interesting channel.
When I was in Tokyo , I was very confused with the metro system. It was late at night and I had to catch the last train. I wasn't sure if I was on the right platform so I asked a young couple I saw. They told me my train was on a different platform, but instead of trying to direct me to the right place they insisted on accompanying me to the platform I needed. It wasn't nearby. I was so thankful to them as I managed to catch the last train, otherwise I would have been completely lost and stranded. They did this at the risk that they would miss their own last train on another platform. I often remember this. That young couple were so kind and polite. I also have other accounts where I found Japanese people both kind and friendly and willing to help, so, I do not have the idea that they are cold, for me, with my experiences, I found the opposite. Unfortunately, I had to leave Japan, but I wish I were still there. Hopefully, one day, I will return. Take care.
I like and respect your dedication to the truth. Usually people want to brush over the negatives to paint a certain picture about how it's so great and wonderful.
It takes courage for a Japanese person to help another Japanese person. This is so fascinating I want to hear more.. if anyone wants to share their experiences please share 🙏 🙂 them here. I'm from NYC and very interested!!♡
Explains why main protagonist of every movies or animes in Japan is typically a loud stand-off ish person, while the rest of the supporting casts are an agreeable bunch who are typical "Normal" Japanese. Because as in any culture, people tend to look up and portray to characteristics that they don't/can't have
How often do you see the main protagonist forcing his idea to the rest of the supporting casts (usually by yelling, I don't know why do they have to yell?!?)
And after 4 minutes of monologue, every supporting cast who were initially shocked by the protagonist's idea came into agreement with the idea. This is like a broken radio of every JP movies and every shounen animes I watched.
I love Japanese culture, but watching Japanese movies are extremely painfully boring, you can always predict the plot of the movie.
Have you seen attack on titan
Dont base your ideas of an entire civilisation on cartoons 🤦♂️
@@JH-jo9wt don't assume that someone is basing the idea of the entire civilization based on cartoons, it was a critique albeit a harsh one on Japanese movies in general. I repeat, in general, thank you very much.
For awhile I really liked my mental concept of Japan as a perfect place with amazing food for so long, but the more and more I learn about it, I’m glad I don’t live there :/ Seems like a really difficult place to grow up in and I would’ve struggled a lot compared to where I was born
Edit: sorry if that came off as rude. Respect and equality to anyone who lives there. I just personally like the place I grew up in for its individual freedoms and all that. Respect to both
I think it is especially worse with a foreign view on it. Surely there are problems even Japanese can't look over, but most of it will not be seen as a bad or challenging thing as they grew up to adapt to it
Just view it as if you'd been born there you'd just adapt to it and live around them
You even have foreigners who end up getting Japanese citizenship and live for years so it is doable
@@xAvitaLT Given the suicide rate, I'd say adapting is not unlikely, but it certainly isn't guaranteed.
@@Genevieve1023 Yeah and the country I was born in (Lithuania) has higher suicide rate than Japan and America
So it's not that bad adapting
@@xAvitaLT yo a Lithuanian
Many may not understand that in Japan if one gives help, the given must return the favor. So giving unasked help puts the given in an awkward position. If someone ask for help they will helped more than most could imagine. This is my view after living there for 30 years.
This is a very meaningful video. In short, Japaneses seem to evaluate team works better than solo works, if someone who behaves differently he'll get excluded from society. However, Japanese also admire some certain individualists, for an example like Miyamoto Musashi.
That’s pretty much every society. Musashi was an individualist, but he is only admired because he did great feats. Individualists are only appreciated when they do something amazing. If not, they are shunned and ostracized.
@@secretagent4610
Sakamodo Ryoma also is an individualist, what I'm trying to say is that individualists tend to be more creative than collectivists. Collectivists easily tend to be political correctness.
Dead ones, sure 🤣.
Becuase a dead individualist is a known quantity, you can be sure the narrative won't suddenly shift.
As for living individualists, they are quickly followed by a crowd, often with very strong attachement and loyalty. To the point that it becomes a sub-collective, with its norms, signals etc.
An individualist w/o a following though? That's a *loser. (No matter if in Japan or through the whole world.)
*Not saying he is, merely stating society says so.
Took my daughter to visit Japan in 2019 and we almost missed our bullet train for a 3 day visit to Kyoto from Tokyo since I had forgotten to bring both the hotel and train tickets from the Airbnb we were staying at and had to go back and get them. When returning we only had 5 minutes to find the train to Kyoto and were running like crazy to locate it.
A Japanese businessman in his 50’s stopped us and asked if he could help. We showed him our tickets and he pointed us to where we needed to go and we made it onto the train with just 2 minutes to spare before the doors closed and it left the station. During our entire time in Japan that time and in a previous trip when I took my son there later that same year we experienced nothing but incredible hospitality and kindness from all the Japanese people. Living, working and going to school in several states in the southern U.S. for 12 years from 1975 - 1987 and experiencing true southern hospitality was the closest thing to what we experienced in Japan. Absolutely love Japan and would like to spend about 5 months a year, every year, living there.
Yeah, had the same experience -- need help figuring out crazy Tokyo trains and someone always helped us.
He describes that in the video as well. That Japanese people may be more willing to help foreigners, because they can tell they're foreign and don't adhere to the same social rules. I've actually experienced the same thing in other countries apart from Japan. In general people are more willing to help a stranger if they're tourists.
Japanese Is a very kind and hospital place so long as you are white
You're probably not Japanese looking.
From what I read, tourists are treated better because Japanese people only see you as a temporary citizen, thus, they need to make sure that you see Japan as a really beautiful country in the world before you leave. Problems happen when you want to permanently live there.
This reminds me of the English word "procrustean". It refers to enforcing uniformity or conformity without regard to natural variation or individuality. Japanese society seems to be very procrustean.
Cool, I have learned a new word. My aunt taught me if I use a new word three times in a week that it becomes permanently part of me. It works!
@@SeldimSeen1 Procrustes was a legendary ancient Greek robber. He invited unwary travelers to sleep on a bed. If the traveler was short, Procrustes put them on a rack and stretched them until they fit. If they were too tall, he would lop off their feet and/or heads so they fit. He was killed in his own bed by the Greek hero Theseus.
My experience in Japan was the exact opposite. On 2 occasions I had a complete stranger take time out of their busy schedule to help me when I was lost. 1 even walking with me a long distance to the correct train station and waited for me to get checked in.
When I went to Japan, most people were helpful. Then again, I was living in a small city outside of Tokyo. Maybe it depends where you live.
I saw a little girl (Private Elementary School student based on her uniform and Randoseru backpack) who was crying because the train was delayed because of an earthquake, and she couldn't get to school on time and a couple people stepped in to help her out. They were able to calm her down and ended up calling her mom to drive her to school. I have also had Japanese people help me as well (I speak some Japanese).
But, I did witness an older man fall down a flight of stairs at the train station and people just walked around him. I ended up helping him stand up and asking if he was ok.
That last one yeah 😬
Hmm yeah it's like New York
Maybe it's really about location
Well, it's not like everyone acts exactly the same
@@FDE-fw1hd in Japan it actually is
@@youngmetro3times849 no, not exactly the same. Similar, but not EVERYONE is EXACTLY the same
I feel like states in the US are starting to become like this, especially in areas that struggle economically and are overtaxed. No one has anything to give, and the minute you suggest changing something for the better you are kicked out of the group because "it's been that way for 60 years!!!" and they don't want to change it. People can be really cold hearted when there is no money to go around, when gas prices and inflation are insane, etc.
I'd say it's been this way for awhile with temporary relief depending on luck and/or socioeconomic position but definitely worse now with the pandemic :/
Yeah it’s interesting bc it’s super true here too tho I still try to help people giving the homeless change or so when I have it. That’s a personal decision tho
Def not in my experience. Not in the states or anywhere else I've been. Poverty being a catalyst for people being rude is something I've never seen and that's coming from somebody who grew up in the 3rd world. The idea back is that money comes and goes but the way you treat people will stick around
I think you are referring to the influence of Republicans 😆
@@jeffwisener1378 Fact is Republicans and conservatives donate more than the socialist Democrats.
Even in the US there can be great differences in society.
I spent the first 12 years of my life in small towns (10-20K people) in Texas.
Then we moved to a large city and the difference was shocking.
I had a hard time adjusting to the different city culture.
People in small towns are much friendlier than in cities.
Maybe. I've also lived in both and while I have a preference for living in cities for various reasons, I don't disagree entirely. One thing I found particularly true in very large and dense cities like New York and Philadelphia is that you become far more selective about who you help. You become a bit numb to the circumstances of the people around you. It doesn't mean you are less giving necessarily but you are far more careful to not be taken advantage of and know that you simply can't help everybody in need. More suburban oriented cities I've lived in, like Dallas, Indianapolis and Charlotte, are a bit different and in those cities it is easier to live more isolated lives with fewer interactions outside of your immediate social circle, sometimes barely even knowing your neighbors around you. My parents live in a town of fewer than 1K people in North Carolina and they seem to know everybody. Their social circle is the town. When somebody is struggling, news spreads quickly and there is always somebody willing to help.
I think people on small towns are much friendlier and likely to help people they know or see personally. If someone in their town has a personal disaster, people will go out of their way to help. But they can be distrustful or discriminatory towards people they don’t see or know personally, outsiders, people who are an abstract thought to their daily experience. While city people support endeavors and policies that can help everyone including people they don’t know personally, but may be less likely to go out of their way to help people they personally see in real life.
@@ChimpFlipperJr My experience is that village/small town people even if discriminatiory/prejudice against you still help while city people praise themselves being tolerant and world open while being equally indifferent to everyone
Google what the Seattle Freeze is. That'll tell you something about people and a city.
Google what the Seattle Freeze is. That'll tell you something about people and a city.
I was stationed overseas at Okinawa Japan in 1978. I was horse back riding and lost my walet. A poor farm worker found it and walked 5 miles to the front gate of the air base to return it. Never left a name or a way to reward them. Their culture is different, but I found the Japanese people to be friendly, hard working and generous to me.
It's funny that you mentioned that "unique collectivism" have it's story from Japan high of natural disaster, but Indonesia which is opposed by Japan have ranked #1 of most generous people on earth have similar nature situation with Japan. Full of islands, crazy volcanoes, earthquake, etc. Both our country are between ring of fire! I think the natural disaster hypothesist not that much of variable.
It’s not. A lot of Japanese people think every aspect of their culture is unique and special. That really speaks to their cultural provincialism.
However Indonesia is spread out with many unique islands and cultures. It is amazing how you all came together as one country. Comparing Indonesia to Japan is like comparing apples to oranges.
@@SeldimSeen1 Both nations incomparable about ethnics diversity, yes, but if the disaster region hypothesist is the issue both country still can be compared as both have similar natural disasters. My point is natural disaster have little if none influence of generousity.
Well, if I have to say, Indonesia's natural disaster are more wide spread than Japan's.
But I get your point, the difference is that it's Indonesia's centuries old culture to be generous. That's the main factor that shape our current society.
@@Eza_yuta His hypothesis is extremely flawed. Its actually nonsensical.
Ken Watanabe is the most charitable he helped a lot after the Tsunami & opened a restaurant. I recently found out from the video Abroad in Japan put out. I am grateful for these videos Shogo-San.
Watanabe's had a lot of experience in foreign countries with foreign people, so he doesn't really have the collectivist and reserved mindset of the usual Japanese person. He is an outstandingly kind and admirable person though.
I think "saving face" is a better term than "protecting faces". "Saving face" is a long-used English term, and means something a lot like the Japanese concept of "face", though we don't value that as strongly here. Here, the worst you'd suffer is embarassment.
"Protecting faces" sounds like wearing some special kind of helmet.
I had a discussion with a Thai University Student who claimed that these 'face saving' in Asian cultures is nothing else but avoiding embarrassment. At the end
he convinced me at the end. But I think they put more emphasis on it in Asia.
I would imagine both were important for samurai during the Edo period 😂
"Saving Face" is more like avoiding reputation hit. It is avoiding the hit to the relationships like "Teacher-student" or " relation between your superiors and their superiors" or "your parents reputation to general society". The idea with saving face with East Asians and South East Asians is your embarrassment should not make people around you suffer or backlashes from society.
If you do things that society generally not allowed or crime, the people around you, relate you or friend with you are getting the blame from society.
I like your style. Reinforcement of your thoughts . Take care of your family. Wishing you all the best. Thank you again for what you do.
16:23 I can't believe that people in Japan are shamed for just being sick, they should be helping the sick people, not making them feel bad.
Personally havent spent time in japan but have seen alot of anime. The characters het shamed if their stomach growls in public
They think and say that it's your fault for not keeping yourself healthy. It is your duty to do so.
You should have been more careful, you should have healthier habits, you should do everything to prevent yourself getting sick and making other people take care of your duties just because you were careless = just because of your mistake. You're getting people in trouble because it's hard to cover up someone's absence. And if you're at school, you should try to keep up your studies no matter how sick you are. And if you have to repeat a year because of absences, you're of course standing out, which makes you lose friends and you'll stand out even more.
HOW DARE YOU CATCH AN AIRBORNE VIRUS, YOU SHOULD HAVE CONTROLLED WHAT MICROSCOPIC PARTICULATES GOT INTO YOUR NOSE
That's Japan for you😆😆 don't try living there.. just be a foreigner who travels in Japan.. they respect you more and go easy with you..because they need your dollar money.
When they did a study on Covid infections, Japanese were the most likely to blame infected people for getting infected, as a nationality.
Two anecdotes will always come to my mind: Japanese parents when asked what they want their children to be when they grow up, answering that anything, so long as they don't become a burden on society. And the Japanese parents whose son was taken hostage and murdered by terrorists, coming out to apologize for their son causing trouble for the government. The Japanese are very sensitive about causing "meiwaku" (bother, burden, trouble, nuisance) for other people.
They are definitely far too sensitive about it, it seems. It would be beneficial it this attitude would change a bit.
My experience was different. I went to Japan for a side gig and one of those days there I got 60k yen in an envelope. I put it in my back pocket, but it fell out in the hotel lobby. This elderly Japanese man ran after me and handed me back my envelope. I was very grateful. :)
My experience has been that if you're a foreigner, then yes, Japanese people will go out of their way to be nice to you - especially if you need help. If it's one of their own that needs help though, it's a different story.
Thank you for explaining this. I saw the title of your video and was shocked because my experience was the opposite, I came back from my trip to Japan praising the Japanese people. They were always willing to help, even when I hadn't asked for help. When we first arrived in Tokyo, obviously I looked a bit lost as I was reading the map on the wall and this man asked if I needed help, he even phoned the hotel I was going to and got directions! I spent 3 weeks driving across Japan, and experienced lots of acts of kindness and willingness to help. The Japanese people would always be very polite and have a smile when talking to me. I loved it because of the people. I felt very safe all the time, even when walking down dark alleys at night.
Obviously bc you were a foreigner. Try actually living in Japan long-term.
Guarantee you will come out with a different image of Japan.
I once read that this is a case of different cultures coming up with different solutions to similiar problems. Confucius taught to not dig a hole for other people to fall into (but everyone is responsible for not falling into a hole themselves), whereas Christ taught to help people who fell down a hole (and everyone is responsible for getting these people out of said holes). Both tackle the problem of people getting harmed by other people in a logical way.
This is just a recollection on my part and no real quote.
This is an interesting perspective, thank you!
Why do Christian countries dig holes in other people's countries and push them into these holes?
Exactly but the thing is holes will be there even if no person on this Earth ever dug one and everyone can amd almost certainly fall into more than one in their lifetime... so Christ's way as you described it is the only one that makes sense. Confucius's is unrealistically legalistic and beaurocratic.
interesting perspective.
I've learnt that sometimes cracks becomes holes themselves and falling in is inevitable...because that's just being human. The other mindset caused me a lot of anxiety due to trying to be perfectionists all the time.
As an Indonesian who has been stayed in Japan some time and worked to a Japanese based startup company in Indonesia for a while. There's a clear culture gap among them where Indonesia is the top index while Japan is the lowest. I agree how superior with rigid top down approach is absolute, collectivism, and dividing into class system works for Japanese which is sadly lead to make the company is difficult to scale up or even doomed to be fail in startup environment in Indonesia. Perhaps that's why some 2nd & 3rd tier Japanese companies here are just stagnant meanwhile 1st tier Japanese company hold certain advantage in order to stay afloat i.e. car manufacturers
I personally liked to help people out of my own generosity but my experience has taught me to be much much more selective to helping others. I've helped many people but there have been many times where I was betrayed and or found extreme troubles. I personally know of someone who tried to help save a life but was in returned prosecuted which he was found innocent.
Especially don’t help homeless people.
I only help old people or kids. If they take me to court, I can claim they aren’t in the right state of mind
I really adore the honesty in your video's. They are very educating! Thank you so much