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When the first westerners showed up in Japan in the 1540s, the Japanese found it very difficult to be in close proximity to them, especially in enclosed areas, because the Westerners did not bathe or change their clothes regularly, and they gave off a strong stench.
The Japanese have long been notorious for their racial, ethnic and social discrimination. They have traditionally been incapable of accepting other races and ethnic groups into their inner circle and treating them the way they treat other Japanese; even the Japanese who look or act a little different are not accepted.
Most Westerners prize practical knowledge and hands-on experience above all other kinds of learning. They are also condition to approach work and other challenge is directly, aiming for the “the shortest distance between two points”.
The concept of byodo, or “equality“, among people is a western invention that apparently evolved from the Christian theological beliefs that all human beings are created equal in god’s eyes.
When Westerners first encounter the Japanese writing system, which is an application of the much more ancient and complex Chinese system, they look at it from several different perspectives. Still many others look upon Japanese with a degree of arrogant superiority for the Japanese to have adopted such a difficult way of writing, certainly in these peoples own mind they think the Japanese writing system is a clearly a handicap that is impossible to overcome.
One can say that to the Westerner eyes that Japan is the land of contradictions, everything good or positive about Japan always seems to have a flipside that is negative or unfavourable. Indeed you could say this about all societies, but here this contrast may appear to be much more pronounced.
There are two very important words in Japanese with deep meaning but no equivalent sentiment in the English concept of language. Itadakimasu and gochiso sama are very important parts of the dining etiquette in Japan. Itadakimasu is said just before eating, it literally means “to receive” or “accept ” but in this context more like a DNA infused Japanese Way in a ritualistic connotation, you could almost say it’s like a prayer.
With only a few exceptions, virtually every interaction with the Japanese of any kind begins with, and is based on, a personal obligation as opposed to what some would regards as higher principles. The Japanese have traditionally been known for their generous hospitality that they typically bestow upon visitors and on people with whom they want to develop a professional or business relations.
Fundamentally, the Japanese are weary of people who are good talkers, equating this habit and demonstrations of such ability with unprincipled, untrustworthy behaviour. While we can say there is also a similar attitude towards overly talkative people in the West as well, here in Japan, the negative response to people who talk way too much has a much more deeply rooted culture connotation, and far more important in the overall scheme of things even up until this very day.
Japan has traditionally been noted for the extraordinary exclusivity of its culture and this has been recognized as one of the more serious handicaps when the Japanese deal with the outside world. To make things even more complicated Japan's exclusivity complex is based upon group membership.
In Japanese as in other Asian cultures, the stomach has traditionally been considered the centre of one's being or life, and in that sense this area of the body is fundamentally the equivalent of the mind or heart in a western context.
If you are interested in Japan and the Way of Japanese and would like to really get some excellent insight into the minds of the Japanese, look no further that the incredible work of Master Boye Lafayette De Mente and Emeritus professor R. Taggart Murphy.
Japan is now at a critically important juncture in its long and rich history. In this rapidly changing world, the Japanese will always continue to honour their ageless traditions, all the while continuing to modernize Japan, and more so play a primary role in the harmonious cooperation with its neighbours to build a better future for our children and the coming generations.
