Ancient Japanese wisdom in modern times — supposedly
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What accounts for Japan's smoothly functioning society and exquisite esthetics? Is there a word for it?
Bunkum Alert: The Ancient Wisdom of Japan", by Howard Chua-Eoan, Opinion Today, Bloomberg; appears to be an earlier version of "The land of the rising sun isn’t a life-hack wonderland despite the busy market in its ancient wisdom", by Howard Chua-Eoan, Opinion Today, Bloomberg (12/13/24)
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I just spent two weeks in Japan. But if you think I’ve brought back exotic pearls of wisdom, you’ll be disappointed. That’s because I’ve been talking to my Tokyo-based colleague Gearoid Reidy — a great admirer of Japan but a cold critic of Western fetishization of almost everything out of the country. As he describes it in a recent column: “Talking to first-time tourists or perusing online forums, I often find astonishment: Why does everything work so well? How else could public safety and famed attention to detail be sustained, if not from some secret knowledge the West has lost?” The search for alleged life hacks out of Japan has resulted in a plethora of books on “the Japanese secret to everything: Eat less, save money, be more productive. Ikigai, wabi-sabi or shinrin yoku will fix what’s wrong with your life.”
The formula is to find a Japanese word to attach to a mundane philosophy. Ganbatte, for example, is supposedly a way of using your limited resources effectively; the word simply means “do your best.” Hara hachibu counsels adherents to eat till they’re 80% full — or as Gearoid summarizes, don’t stuff your face. Kakeibo is all about writing your expenses down in a notebook or “something my decidedly Irish father has done for decades.” Wabi-sabi is allegedly about the perfection of the imperfect but it’s been so overused, even by Elon Musk, that it’s just another condiment in social media word salads, a rhetorical wasabi. Meanwhile, promoters of shinrin yoku (which translates to “forest bathing”) will have you immersed in nature by wandering through wilderness areas and among trees. If that sounds like a walk in the woods, well, you’re right!
As for “ikigai” and how it imparts a reason for living, it is supposedly based on the lifestyle of Okinawans, who have a reputation for longevity. Gearoid notes Okinawa is also known for high rates of alcohol consumption. He asks, is ikigai “really the reason people in Japan get up in the morning?… For me, the reason is I want to keep my job.”
Japan’s successes and efficiencies, he says, emanate from good government policies and regulations. But those things aren’t exotic enough to be trendy.
Ah, but whence cometh the good government policies and regulations? Can it be reduced to a word?
Selected readings
- "Japanese proverbial wisdom of the ages" (2/1/23)
- Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life, by Beth Kempton (Amazon)
[Thanks to Don Keyser]
Phillip Helbig said,
December 15, 2024 @ 4:08 pm
I’m reminded of this gem:
“My knowledge of Japanese culture is extensive, but comes exclusively
from watching porn videos.
—pseudonymous internet pundit
Phillip Helbig said,
December 15, 2024 @ 4:14 pm
I was in Japan in 1997 for a scientific conference. (It was opened by Akihito himself, who was a scientist himself.). My impression then was that almost everything worked well, though not everything was to my liking. Since then, I’ve heard of strange things, such as people not leaving their homes for years, young people not having sex, and so on.
jin defang said,
December 15, 2024 @ 4:52 pm
he forgot koji, that wonderful all-purpose fungus aka aspergillus oryzae
Lucas Christopoulos said,
December 15, 2024 @ 5:58 pm
what a facade! There is no wisdom here, only outside society, in the mountains, or long ago. Is it rewarding to be without individuality and identity aside from nationality? Due to American culinary traditions, the Okinawans have become the most obese in Japan, so they are not fans of kigai 生き甲斐 anymore.
Mike Ryan said,
December 16, 2024 @ 2:42 am
I often think of this. Blindfolded, I threw a dart at a map of any Japanese city and then at an American one. Then, I had to select which city I would want my daughter to placed in in the middle of the night to try to find her way to safety. There is no way in hell I would opt for an American city. To what can we atrribute this, and other favorable aspects of Japan? I have thought about this lately as I look back over my thirty plus years in Japan. One is the homogenous nature of the society. Same language, same quasi-religious beliefs, same expectations. Another is a reluctance to be a burden or a nuisance to others around you, which leads people to get themselves squared away, e.g. doing your job, not overspending. I don't know this Riedy guy but his jaded-man-of-the-Orient schtick misses a lot. This is not a bad place to hang your hat and there is a lot here us Americanos can learn.
Chris Button said,
December 16, 2024 @ 5:48 am
Does "bunkum alert" at the outset refer to the matters discussed in the piece or to the piece itself?
David Marjanović said,
December 16, 2024 @ 9:12 am
He occasionally published in Nature under the pseudonym "His Majesty the Emperor of Japan". :-)
Fair enough, but complaining about people being a burden strikes me as a noticeably American thing to do. Maybe it's easiest to learn the lessons you're already familiar with?
This particular aspect? The availability of guns explains a lot of it. It's not just Japan after all; where I come from, guns are hard enough to get that most bank robberies are committed with toys or other fakes.
Philip Taylor said,
December 16, 2024 @ 9:56 am
"where I come from, guns are hard enough to get" — is that true of all guns, or only of hand-guns, David ? I ask because it was my impression that possession of a Jahresjagdschein allowed the acquisition of "hunting weapons" (i.e., rifles intended for hunting).
Scott P. said,
December 16, 2024 @ 11:45 am
Another is a reluctance to be a burden or a nuisance to others around you, which leads people to get themselves squared away, e.g. doing your job, not overspending.
I fail to see how that would aid one in getting home in the middle of the night.
Peter Grubtal said,
December 16, 2024 @ 11:49 am
David M. :
For me, that requires some interpretation.
Pursuing this subject could get very controversial, but since it's been raised surely it's permissible to enquire whether:
– not being blessed with an influential left-wing political scene
– being a society which is culturally and ethnically homogeneous
make things a lot easier.
Peter Grubtal said,
December 16, 2024 @ 12:53 pm
@Scott P.
You think there's no correlation between those values and a hesitation to mug your neighbours on their way home, or to assist them if they're in trouble?
Mike Ryan said,
December 16, 2024 @ 8:34 pm
＠Yeah, thanks Mr. Grutal for that follow up. In fairness to Scott P., though, the relationship was not direct or obvious I suppose. (Thanks for responging, Scott.)
Of course, a reluctance to become a burden or nuisance to others can make one pay attention too much about what other might think.
I suppose another reason why things "work" in Japan is that the educational system here (warts and all) does a good job of equiping them with literacy and numercy and just an overall competence on the job, that may tourists encounter. On NHK the other day I saw that in some international survey the Japanese were rated as the best problem solvers.
My Dad was a teacher in the US and it was not considered a prestigious job nor was the pay good. Here, it is a respectable position with security and a decent salary. (They work a lot, though.)
Lucas Christopoulos said,
December 16, 2024 @ 11:57 pm
"the educational system here (warts and all) does a good job of equiping them with literacy and numercy and just an overall competence on the job" …not international orientated, and a terrible stress and social pressure that leads to the highest rates of psychological insecurities and suicide worldwide
David Marjanović said,
December 17, 2024 @ 7:56 am
Quite possibly just handguns. I don't know how easy it is to become a certified hunter, but obviously people do it.
That said, you'd think somebody would walk into a bank with a cello case every once in a while…
Jonathan Smith said,
December 17, 2024 @ 10:14 am
Re: Reidy's views, sure we get the point re: fetishization/mystification but that degree of cynicism becomes corny — there's stuff to be learned via comparison and contrast without going full BBC News on the Nordics.
Re: association between certain cultural norms and "a hesitation to mug your neighbours on their way home, or to assist them if they're in trouble?" this = "a hesitation to assist your neighbors if they're in trouble", correct? In which case yes and again note the general two-edged-ness of value systems. So thanks but no thanks to weeabooism, hard no to Japan as ethnonationalist ideal (yikes), yes to decent schools and KonMari, etc.
Lucas Chrisopoulos said,
December 17, 2024 @ 5:48 pm
出る杭は打たれる (derukuiwautareru). “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down” is for wooden planks, not humans.
Josh R. said,
December 17, 2024 @ 6:54 pm
The "deru kui" aphorism is not describing a societal good, but rather an unfortunate reality. Cf. "tall poppy syndrome."
Lucas Christopoulos said,
December 17, 2024 @ 7:08 pm
It's not about "tall poppy syndrome," because Japanese love and worship successful people who become stars. It is about correcting the difference or non-conformity of local social thoughts, systems, behaviors and customs.