RPW Thoughts After Recent Visit to Japan

vanBeethovenLudwig · 2016-08-20T14:16:05+00:00

I'm East Asian, I was raised with our cultural values but America flipped me over the other way, because if I didn't I couldn't survive.

In Japan and neighboring countries, it's perfectly acceptable to act submissive, polite, uncertain, shy in your interactions, even encouraged. In America, as a woman and especially in the work force, if I didn't interrupt people, raise my voice or say things bluntly, I literally couldn't do anything. I can't tell you the number of times I would wait until the other person finished speaking so I could have my turn, but turns out if I was "polite" by waiting they would just keep on talking, talking, talking. It's not even the feminist agenda but the environment forces you to be masculine!

In terms of fashion, one of my favorite Japanese brands is Earth, Music and Ecology, if anybody is interested in checking out their styles!

skoobled · 2016-08-20T16:13:56+00:00

I'm glad you had a good time in Japan. I spent many years living in Tokyo, see here's my input:

Tokyo is also very conservative. If you want an "alternative" big city, then Kyoto is the obvious one. Also, Osaka is a "let your hair down" kind of place.
read up on Honne and Tatamae: outward appearances (tatamae) are extremely important in Japan, but the private self (Honne) is understood to be something entirely different. The way this confuses visitors from the west is they see the idlyic exterior, but aren't around long enough to experience the interior workings, which are quite often a little unsettling...
Japanese women are indeed very feminine and cute, but the flipside is dating them can feel like parenting at times...

Anyway, I also think it's a fascinating and unique place, but wanted to put a more experienced spin on what you experienced ;)

TheRedStoic · 2016-08-20T14:10:33+00:00

This is largely explained by their culture. (Been to Japan a few times)

Your duty is to your country, your business/lot in life, your family head, your family, then your friends, then yourself.

Largely the exact opposite of American culture.

sharontravels · 2016-08-20T13:46:31+00:00

Japan is definitely on my list of places to go. I love the observations you made, you can find RPW anywhere! What brought you to Japan?

loneliness-inc · 2016-08-22T00:49:58+00:00

What you describe is the positive side of the Japanese culture. However, you also describe a culture that lacks testosterone. If everyone, men and women, are always so calm and polite, there's something missing. That blood boiling masculinity is missing. That drive, that initiative, that passion etc just doesn't exist within calmness.

Indeed, many have predicted the demise of the Japanese because many young Japanese aren't interested in sex altogether. Spend some time on the DB sub and you'll hear horror stories of sexless marriages to Japanese people.

I'm not trying to hate on the Japanese. I'm just presenting the other side of the same coin.

QueenBee126 · 2016-08-20T12:11:49+00:00

This is a very interesting observation- I sometimes wonder what our advertising (feminist, overtly sexual "yo go girl" mentality does to our society).

What sorts of advertisements did you see in Japan for women's products? Did it reflect an idea of femininity?

picklepansy · 2016-08-20T15:27:29+00:00

I also really admire Japanese culture, seems very RPW. Makes me wonder why marriage and child birth rates are declining, despite the government actively trying to encourage marriage and children.

VigilantRedRooster · 2016-08-20T20:46:05+00:00

Women age very well in Japan.

I understand diet has a lot to do with it. High in omega-3 oils, very unlike the American diet full of hydrogenated and omega-6 oils and oxidized fry oil, plus over 50# of sugar annually per capita.

hy1991 · 2016-08-20T19:25:39+00:00

I an't a women, but since this thread is about Japan, I will give mine 2 cents.

permanent positions within Japanese organizations are disappearing, And permanent positions are paid a lot more than temp workers could be up to twice as much for the same job. And companies looking to cut cost would employ as much temp workers as possible without the possibility of promotion within the organization.

So the once affluent average salari man saw their purchasing power plummet, while social expectations for them such as paying the bills, did not change.

Working hours are extreme too, there usually 2 rush hr in major cities, 6-7pm and 9-10/11pm.

That could explain the low birthrate, lower pay, long hours.