10 Curious and Fascinating Facts About Japanese Society That May Surprise You

### **10 Curious and Fascinating Facts About Japanese Society That May Surprise You**

Japan is a nation that exists in the future and the past at the same time, where advanced technology coexists with centuries-old traditions. This harmonious marriage, coupled with a deeply collectivistic and context-dependent culture, has spawned social conventions and daily habits that may appear completely bewildering, endearing, or confusing to people outside the country. To understand Japan is to embrace its paradoxes. These are ten facts that reveal the bizarre and fascinating spirit of everyday life in the Land of the Rising Sun.

**1. The Religion of Silence: Public Transportation Etiquiette**

On the buses and trains of much of the planet, there is a din of noise: booming conversation, blaring music, and screaming phone calls. In Japan, on public transportation, it is a sanctuary of silence. The unspoken regulation is simple: you don't break the group silence. Passengers refrain from making phone calls, and individuals whisper in subdued tones, if they talk at all.

The peculiarity is that everyone strictly follows this rule. The main reason is the idea of *meiwaku*, or being a nuisance to others. Subjecting others to your noise while on the public commute is a grave social offense. This produces a surreal, somewhat library-like environment during rush hour, even if trains are filled to capacity with people standing shoulder to shoulder. It's a prime example of Japanese concern with maintaining public harmony (*wa*) over personal expression, and it's one of the first and most powerful culture shocks for Westerners.

**2. The Vending Machine World: *Jidōhanbaiki* Culture**

While vending machines are ubiquitous worldwide, in Japan they are a cultural phenomenon. The numbers and diversity are so immense that they make them anomalous. You are never more than a few steps from a *jidōhanbaiki* in urban centers. But these are not only for sodas and potato chips. You can buy everything from hot canned coffee, soup, and noodles to fresh bananas, umbrellas, ties, toys, and even obscure "used schoolgirl panties" (a small but infamous urban legend).

The ubiquity of these machines testifies to a convenience-based, efficient, and surprisingly trusting society. They are so rare are theft and vandalism as to enable such a large-scale unmanned retail system. They service the demands of a frenetic, often isolated lifestyle with a quick, anonymous, and reliable service 24 hours a day. They are the discrete flickering arterioles of Japan's urban circulatory system.

**3. The Strategic Nap Art of *Inemuri***

In most Western offices, sleeping in is grounds for dismissal. In Japan, napping at one's desk or even during a meeting—a behavior referred to as *inemuri* (actually "being present while asleep")—is tolerated, and occasionally even encouraged. The peculiarity is the interpretation: not laziness, but evidence of burnout from working so hard for the firm.

The secret of *inemuri* is in the name: you must be "present." You can't be sprawled out on the floor; you are sitting up, and your position must suggest that at a moment's notice you can sit up and be back in the midst of it. It is a public display of private exhaustion, a semaphore that broadcasts you've been burning the midnight oil for the public good. This action reflects the incredible pressure of the Japanese work ethic and social sanction to express the following fatigue.

**4. The Multifaceted World of Apologies: Beyond "I'm Sorry"**

Japanese, as a language, provides a host of "I'm sorry"-s, each correctly moderated by the degree of politeness, formality, and delicacy. There are the words you say in certain situations: *sumimasen*, *gomennasai*, *shitsurei shimasu*, and *mōshiwake arimasen*. But true peculiarity goes deeper. *Sumimasen*, the most common of words, is used not only to apologize, but also as a thank you, as a sign that someone has gone out of their way for you, and thus earned a debt of gratitude.

This is a culture very sensitive to social obligation (*giri*) and potential for causing inconvenience (*meiwaku*). Apologizing is a preemptive social oil, a way of acknowledging your place in the web of interrelational relationships. You can use *sumimasen* to gain the attention of a waiter (apologizing for taking up his time) and once more when he brings you food (saying thanks and acknowledgment of his effort). It's a low-level, ubiquitous ritual of social humility.

**5. The "Love Hotel" Business: Privacy in a Crowded Country**

In a country where large quantities of young adults live at home with their parents until their twenties or even thirties, and where small, thin-walled apartments are the norm, privacy for a private meeting can be hard to come by. The solution is the very successful and creative "Love Hotel" business. These hotels, often placed in specially designated districts, cater to complete anonymity and discretion.

The strangeness is in their sheer luxury and functionality. They have themed rooms (Roman palaces to Hello Kitty fantasies), automated check-in machines to eliminate human contact, and rates are typically charged by the "rest" (a few hours) or "stay" (overnight). This is not elsewhere considered seedy in the same manner; it's a practical, commercial reaction to a social problem, a sign of pragmatism when it comes to sexuality and the need for private space within an overpopulated society.

**6. The Cuteness Culture: *Kawaii* as a Social Aesthetic**

The Japanese obsession with everything cute, or *kawaii*, extends far beyond what the average non-Japanese person can comprehend. It's not just for kids; it's a full-scale aesthetic embraced by adults, corporations, and the government. Adult women carry purses adorned with cartoon characters, police stations have cute mascots, and official government reports can feature a smiley, chibi-type character.

It may seem strange, even childish, to cultures that value gravitas and seriousness in public life. But in Japan, *kawaii* is a powerful cultural force that counteracts the roughness of everyday life, enables harmony, and provides an emotional escape from the restrictions of formal society. It's an officially condoned way of showing vulnerability, lightness, and a need for comfort.

**7. The Delicate Dance of Gift-Giving: *Omiyage* and *Temiyage***

Japanese gift-giving is a ritualized and complex practice governed by informal rules. Its singularity lies in its obligatory and symbolic nature. *Omiyage* are presents you have to bring back to your colleagues and family on a journey. They are not big, personalized gifts, but more often standard local comestibles, nicely arranged and distributed on an equal basis.

In the same way, *temiyage* is a present that is taken when one visits someone's house. The actual exchange of giving, receiving, and even opening the present is choreographed to the finest detail, much of this including humble refusals and the insistence that the present is "nothing." The culture owes its roots to maintaining social reciprocity (*giri*). Presents are a concrete manifestation of a relationship and a means of continuously cultivating and reciprocating social bonds.

**8. The Paradox of the "Hikikomori" and Radical Social Withdrawal**

In a society famous for its groupism and social harmony, that there are roughly half-a-million to one million *hikikomori*—young men, by and large, who retreat from the world and shut themselves in at home for years or even decades—is a paradoxic scandal of monumental proportions. This is not shyness; this is a serious sociopsychological illness.

The peculiarity is the extent and the social response. It is commonly linked with huge academic and social pressure, fear of failure, and the suffocating weight of conforming to a collectivist society. For others, complete withdrawal is the only perceived option. This also refers to the huge dark underbelly of Japanese social pressures where fear of causing *meiwaku* or disappointing others can be so paralyzing that one completely withdraws.

**9. Mastery of Plastic Food: Sampuru***

Walk down any restaurant block in Japan, and you'll walk by extremely realistic representations of plastic food in the windows. This is an art form, *sampuru*, which is not just a handy menu guide, but a highly developed craft. The models are hand-made, typically from wax or PVC, and are very detailed, to the sheen of "grease" on a tempura shrimp or the head on a beer.

The peculiarity is the perfection and omnipresence of this practice. It is a key role in a culture where there may be a language problem and where "saving face" matters. Pointing to an exact copy avoids the danger of miscommunication and embarrassment at being given something unexpected. It is a reflection of Japanese striving for perfection (*kodawari*) even in the most mundane areas of life and business.

**10. The "Soto" and "Uchi" Dichotomy: Inside vs. Outside**

Another simple concept for understanding Japanese strangeness is the difference between *soto* (the outside world) and *uchi* (the inside world). Your *uchi* is your in-group: your relatives, your close friends, your company. *Soto* is everyone else. Behavior, speech, and even personality can change radically depending on the circumstances.

With your *uchi*, you feel comfortable, informal, and can release your *honne* (real self). Outside the world of *soto*, you must be proper, polite, and show your *tatemae* (public self). That is why a normally subdued, introverted office salaryman in the workplace (*soto*) will get boisterous and raucous at a nomikai (drinking party) with his coworkers (who are temporarily *uchi*). This constant shifting between contexts comes second nature to Japanese but is bewildering to the rest of the world, and so social interaction may appear very scripted and relationships reserved.

In general, Japanese society is a sophisticated, high-context culture in which harmony, duty, and perfection are paramount. These ten facts—from silent trains to the universe of *hikikimori*—are not curiosities. They are the external manifestations of a unique spectrum of values, a response to physical and social constraints, and the secrets to comprehending a nation that continues to amaze and confound the world. To grasp them is to begin to see the profound rationality behind the seemingly bizarre.