One day my wife and I planned to go to the Shugaku-in Imperial Villa (Shugaku-in Rikyu) or Shugaku-in Detached Palace, one of Japan’s most important historic cultural heritages and one of the great masterpieces of Japanese traditional gardening whose design involves Japanese aesthetics and philosophical notions, highpoint the beauty of natural scenery, and circumvent artificial ornamentation. No wonder this place, a set of natural gardens and outbuildings covering 53-hectare grounds, became one of Japan’s most important tourist destinations.
Located in the hills of the eastern suburbs of Kyoto, this iconic place, initially built by Kotohito (known as Go-Mizunoo, the 108th Emperor of Japan) in 1655, is coincidentally near our apartment, which, according to Google Maps estimation, takes only 20 minutes on foot. So, we decided to walk to this site. But it is not as easy as we assumed. On the way, we are somewhat confused about the right direction to this location. Suddenly, an old man in his 80s approached and offered us aid to go to this place. Initially, we refused, but he insisted on doing so. He seemed to request his wife (aged 80) to wait until he finished accompanying us by walking up the hills toward the site.
Reserved People and Harmony
I have rarely had such an experience before in my life. Yet, it seems that the habit of sincere help offerings is a common cultural practice in Japan. This phenomenon is interesting partly because the Japanese tend to be reserved people who are quiet, restrained, and uncommunicative, keeping their thoughts, feelings, and actions concealed or hidden, particularly in public.
On one hand, this habit, worsened by the coronavirus pandemic-linked lengthy seclusion that has been blamed for the increase in suicides in recent years, might lead to loneliness which has become a major issue in Japan today, prompting the Japanese government (Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga) to create a Ministry of Loneliness to alleviate social isolation in 2021.
On the other hand, however, for the Japanese in general, being reserved means maintaining a harmonious atmosphere without bothering, upsetting, or annoying others. Harmony (wa) is one of Japanese society’s core values, besides empathy (omoiyari), duty (giri), and respect (sonkei), among others. Maintaining harmony and tranquility (e.g., by avoiding speaking loudly and expressing strong and blatant opinions in public) is essential to keeping a balanced social and natural order, making Japan typified as a conflict-avoidant society.
Nevertheless, interestingly, Japanese people try to communicate and offer help, especially to someone who is in need. When I first came to Kyoto University, a staff assisted and accompanied me in taking care of my primary needs: creating a bank account, getting a bus/train card at stations, having a faculty ID card, having a health insurance card, obtaining a resident card at the local government office, helping pay apartment and electricity bills, and many more. The assistance and accompaniment are significant and helpful, especially in the beginning, because many things are written in kanji (Japanese alphabet/characters), and many Japanese people cannot speak English fluently.
Japan’s Shared Cultural Practices
Offering genuine help to strangers and acquaintances is just one example of Japanese personality traits, mindsets, habits, and cultures. There is indeed no such so-called “Japanese personality” or “Japanese etiquette” because each person is unique and distinctive, and there are always exceptions in many societies across the world.
Yet, some aspects and features that are commonly seen in public indicate Japanese society’s shared cultural practices and typical characteristics. These include essential elements such as a promise to the collectivistic mindset (as opposed to the individualistic mindset) and the preservation of Japanese society’s key values and norms, such as harmony, calmness, modesty, and esteem.
Other everyday habits and cultural practices of Japanese people worth noting include being polite or well-mannered (in public), being hardworking (making a lot of effort and energy to finish tasks, care into their work, and achieve success), and being punctual (the ability to come on time and complete a task timely). Many Japanese people are also committed to cleanliness. Accordingly, no wonder that we find roads, rivers, beaches, offices, markets, and other public areas are always clean and well-maintained. Those who take care of environmental hygiene, it is imperative to note, are not only “official” paid janitors but also individuals and volunteers.
Religious and Philosophical Foundations
We might wonder what the roots of Japanese society’s cultural practices and habits. Roger J. Davies, author of Japanese Culture: The Religious and Philosophical Foundations and the lead editor of the bestselling book The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture, said that Japanese cultural practices and habits are strongly and deeply rooted in the society’s philosophical and religious ideas, concepts, and underpinnings.
Davies argues that key philosophical notions (e.g., ideas of harmony, responsibility, and sympathy) and core religious teachings and traditions of mainly Shintoism and Buddhism but also Confucianism, Taoism, and Zen (a school of Mahayana Buddhism) have all shaped and influenced the life and cultures of modern Japanese society.
Davies’ books debunk popular opinions that Japanese societies are secular or irreligious. In fact, the official data show that the majority of Japanese people have practiced either Shintoism (one of Japan’s oldest faiths, besides folk religions), Buddhism (which was imported from China in the 6th century), or a mixture of both.
The question remains: if Shintoism and Buddhism can influence positively Japanese society’s cultures and habits (like Confucianism in Singapore), why Islam in Afghanistan and other countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (including to some extent Indonesia), Hinduism in India, or Buddhism in Myanmar were not able to transform their adherents to be peaceful, nonviolent, tolerant, and harmonious people? What went wrong with these religions and their devout followers in these countries? Besides bitter experiences in the past between Indonesia and Japan, Indonesians today might need to learn from contemporary Japanese society.
