"Why Tango in Paris, when you can Foxtrot in Kowloon?"
  • Walter's Blog.
  • Home
  • Introduction
  • About Walter
    • 1980 Joining Up - Grafton Street >
      • Arrival and First Impressions
      • First Week
      • Training
      • Passing Out
    • Yaumati Cowboy >
      • Getting on the Streets
      • Tempo of the City
      • Jumpers, pill poppers and the indoor BBQ
      • Into a Minefield.
    • Why Tango in Paris, when you can Foxtrot in Kowloon? >
      • Baptism By Fire
      • Kai Tak with Mrs Thatcher.
      • Home; The Boy Returns
  • 1984 - 1986
    • PTU Instructor & Getting Hitched
    • Having a go: SDU
    • Starting a Chernobyl family
    • EOD - Don't touch anything
    • Semen Stains and the rules
  • 1987 to 1992 - Should I Stay or Go?
    • Blue Lights, Sirens & Grenades
    • Drugs, Broken Kids & A Plane Crash
    • 600 Happy Meals Please!
    • Hong Kong's Best Insurance
    • Riding the Iron Horse
  • Crime in Hong Kong
    • Falling Crime Rates - Why?
    • Triads
  • History of Hong Kong Policing
    • History 1841 to 1941
    • History 1945 to 1967
    • Anatomy of the 50 cent Riot - 1966
    • The Fall of a Commissioner.
    • History 1967 to 1980
    • Three Wise Men from the West
    • The Blue Berets.
    • The African Korps and other tribes.
    • Getting About - Transport.
    • A Pub in every station
    • Bullshit Bingo & Meetings
    • Godber - The one who nearly got away.
    • Uncle Ho
  • Top 20 Films
    • 2001 - A Space Odyssey.
    • The Godfather.
    • Blade Runner
    • Kes
    • Star Wars
    • Aliens
    • Ferris Bueller's Day Off
    • The Life of Brian
    • Dr Strangelove.
    • Infernal Affairs
    • Bridge on the River Kwai.
    • This Is Spinal Tap.
    • Chung King Express
    • An Officer and a Gentleman
    • PTU
    • Contact
    • Saving Private Ryan
    • Family Guy Star Wars
    • Zulu
    • Hard Day's Night
  • The Long Read
    • New World Order - Something is going on!
    • How The Walls Come Down
    • War in Ukraine - the narrative and other stuff.
    • The Hidden Leader
    • The Big Game
  • Walter's Blog.
  • Home
  • Introduction
  • About Walter
    • 1980 Joining Up - Grafton Street >
      • Arrival and First Impressions
      • First Week
      • Training
      • Passing Out
    • Yaumati Cowboy >
      • Getting on the Streets
      • Tempo of the City
      • Jumpers, pill poppers and the indoor BBQ
      • Into a Minefield.
    • Why Tango in Paris, when you can Foxtrot in Kowloon? >
      • Baptism By Fire
      • Kai Tak with Mrs Thatcher.
      • Home; The Boy Returns
  • 1984 - 1986
    • PTU Instructor & Getting Hitched
    • Having a go: SDU
    • Starting a Chernobyl family
    • EOD - Don't touch anything
    • Semen Stains and the rules
  • 1987 to 1992 - Should I Stay or Go?
    • Blue Lights, Sirens & Grenades
    • Drugs, Broken Kids & A Plane Crash
    • 600 Happy Meals Please!
    • Hong Kong's Best Insurance
    • Riding the Iron Horse
  • Crime in Hong Kong
    • Falling Crime Rates - Why?
    • Triads
  • History of Hong Kong Policing
    • History 1841 to 1941
    • History 1945 to 1967
    • Anatomy of the 50 cent Riot - 1966
    • The Fall of a Commissioner.
    • History 1967 to 1980
    • Three Wise Men from the West
    • The Blue Berets.
    • The African Korps and other tribes.
    • Getting About - Transport.
    • A Pub in every station
    • Bullshit Bingo & Meetings
    • Godber - The one who nearly got away.
    • Uncle Ho
  • Top 20 Films
    • 2001 - A Space Odyssey.
    • The Godfather.
    • Blade Runner
    • Kes
    • Star Wars
    • Aliens
    • Ferris Bueller's Day Off
    • The Life of Brian
    • Dr Strangelove.
    • Infernal Affairs
    • Bridge on the River Kwai.
    • This Is Spinal Tap.
    • Chung King Express
    • An Officer and a Gentleman
    • PTU
    • Contact
    • Saving Private Ryan
    • Family Guy Star Wars
    • Zulu
    • Hard Day's Night
  • The Long Read
    • New World Order - Something is going on!
    • How The Walls Come Down
    • War in Ukraine - the narrative and other stuff.
    • The Hidden Leader
    • The Big Game
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Walter's Blog

"But how can you live and have no story to tell?" Fyodor Dostoevsky
Picture
Reflections on recent events, plus the occasional fact free rant unfiltered by rational argument. 

"If you want to read a blog to get a sense of what is going on in Hong Kong these days or a blog that would tell you what life was like living in colonial Hong Kong, this blog, WALTER'S BLOG, fits the bill."  Hong Kong Blog Review

6/5/2017 0 Comments

Japan - even the toilet stands up for you!

Picture
It’s necessary every couple of months to escape the rough and tumble of Hong Kong. The frantic pace of this place takes a toll. A beach in Thailand or Bali is always an inviting option. And yet, Japan can offer respite, even in large metropolitan centers. Is this surprising? Culture, a slower pace of life and the sheer convenience of the place all combine to achieve this.

Let's take convenience first. Like Hong Kong, Japan offers easy access to services. Whether it's a quick meal or trains. Plus, Japan excels in delivering quality, which is nothing short of exemplary. Travelling by train is a delight. Modern, clean and always on time, even the small local lines impress. Contrast that to the poor state of the UK's rail system. The difference is stark.

Travelling in London or any European city, you keep a watch for pickpockets or other rogues. Wandering around Osaka, Fukuoka or even Tokyo, no such concerns enter your head. Whilst Hong Kong is safe, petty crime remains an under-reported issue. Thus, it's wise to be alert. In Japan, those fears evaporate. Without doubt, crime exists in Japan. Even so, the atmosphere is conducive to believing you are safe.

Helping drive this impression and create a relaxing mood is the ever-present politeness. Japanese people are always mindful of behaving in the correct way. Give way, don't jostle others, be considerate. Uniformed officials, no matter the agency, greet you with a polite nod or gentle bow. I smiled at two police officers, who each smiled back, then bowed their heads in turn. 

This is all part of  ‘omotenashi’, which translates as “Japanese hospitality”. In practice, it combines politeness with a desire to maintain harmony and avoid conflict. Deeply influenced by Zen based precepts and the Samurai ‘Bushido’ culture of controlling ones emotions, society has adopted these principles. 

There is a serenity that is induced by the politeness, an antidote to usual stresses of city life. Further, it’s done in such a way that no sense of inferiority is conferred. In fact, I found myself bowing in response. Such is the power of cultural norms. 

Taken to an art-form that manifests itself in even the way food is presented. Setting aside any foibles about eating raw fish, the delivery is exquisite. Each accompanying piece of pottery, plate, dish and even the table cloth is chosen to complement the food.

I suppose it's possible for us Europeans to interpret the conduct of ordinary Japanese as obsequious. All the genuflection seen as belittling.  Such a view would undermine a fundamental truth. The Japanese have recognised the importance of good manners in making life more tolerable. This collective community consensus extends itself to their behaviour at times of crisis. Earthquakes and tsunamis are not made worst by looting or random violence. The police don't need to guard abandoned buildings or waste time dealing with the hooligans. Instead, the people come together, helping each other through the troubles. 

After the 2011 tsunami took down the Fukushima nuclear reactors, a struggle ensued to control radiation leaks. In a selfless act, a group of retired engineers volunteered to undertake the work. They asserted they'd reached an age that the radiations impact of their bodies is unlikely to take hold before their natural deaths. This is a fine and humbling example of the Japanese group culture (shogun-shugi)… the needs of the many are greater than the needs of the few. The rationality of this is self-evident, unsentimental and overpowering. 
Meanwhile, the loutish behaviour that exhibits itself in European cultures is pleasingly absent in Japan. Still, the Japanese can be loud when having fun, in particular when alcohol is add to the mix. Although, I never recall it ever getting out of hand or proving threatening to others. The same can’t be said about a Saturday night in London. 

Yet, I’m not blind to the downsides. The repressed nature of Japanese culture has produced issues that are a concern. Trains with female-only carriages suggests indecent assaults are a significant challenge. Whilst the inability to vent frustrations or be different must take a mental toll on some.

What can we learn from the Japanese? Well, their politeness is infectious. That's certain. The power of culture to over-ride the individual is evident. That's both a good and bad thing. I'd like to think that if we adopted the politeness of the Japanese, whilst recognising people are different, then the world may be a happier place. 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Walter De Havilland was one of the last of the colonial coppers. He served 35 years in the Royal Hong Kong Police and Hong Kong Police Force. He's long retired. 

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

Home

Introduction

Contact Walter

Copyright © 2015