In the previous article, I mentioned that many people viewed me as brave, because I left my home country at 17. I also said that I’ve never felt I was actually brave. Well, if there is a time to test my bravery, now is the time.
I realized not so long ago, that I have unconsciously spent a great portion of my emotional life protecting the image of my hometown to others, as well as to myself. This old pattern of behavior is about to be broken. I am about to reveal an honest, negative view of my own hometown in Japan, in front of an international audience. In this audience there are people of Japan, and it makes speaking out a little more difficult. I'll tell you why. In my pre-school years, I was firmly “ordered” by my mother never to talk about our family business with anyone. I took it as an absolute rule and from then on I faithfully obeyed the rule until, well… now. So I hope you see, that a great deal of courage needs to be conjured up in me to do this, as it feels like I am betraying my own family. To make matters worse, the apparent betrayal extends against my home country, and its well respected principles.
In this article, I will bring up some points on dysfunctional elements I observed in Japanese society. While my views expressed here may not be original, they are views that slowly developed and took shape in my mind over a few decades. This process was aided by semi-conscious digestion of my experiences in 17 years of living there. The 17 years that profoundly affected my life. The purpose of publishing this article is not to disgrace my birthplace. It is in hopes of helping myself heal, and the possibility that it may help young people who are suffering now.
Japan has been a proud country, humble with its mannerism but confident of its will and ability to do what it takes to reach a goal as a nation. It’s a nation that has a history of challenging the US to a war and losing. The loss, of course, forced the nation to face the pain and humiliation of being beaten, and its ideals to be crushed. At the same time the loss enabled the nation to realize it’s massive power to rise from the rubble, and become one of the strongest economies in the world in a very short period of time. This piece of history has been, and still is, a strong testimony to the resilience and intelligence Japanese people possess.
Personally, I cherish Japan for its unique quality and beauty in landscape, lifestyle with less emphasis on religion and more adaptation of Zen philosophy, serene sense of Wabi/Sabi, high standard in work ethic, and the food culture that I believe to be one of the best if not the best in the world. Yet behind the scenes of the capable and beautiful Japan, I see clusters of small communities that are suffering.
These small communities, or micro-societies, mostly exist within the boundaries of certain sets of unspoken rules. These sets of rules are known to derive from two distinctive origins. One of the two origins is “Bushi-do”: The Way of Samurai Warriors. It's a code of conduct for samurai warriors who served their shogun masters, developed in the 1600s. Principles of this code of conduct were loyalty, courtesy, bravery, faithfulness, and modesty. Its original intentions were noble and it is still regarded highly today. At one point the most emphasized principle was unyielding loyalty. You would think it sounds very respectable. However the unyielding loyalty meant back in those days of shoguns, that the samurai warriors followed their shogun master’s command precisely, which sometimes included, not only lying and cheating, but also committing suicide to protect the master’s position. I see something wrong here.
The problem is that these principles were eventually adopted as moral guidelines for the nation in the 1800s. It penetrated different sectors of the country through the efforts put forth by Nationalists of the time, such as Tetsujirou Inoue.
I always felt as I looked at the history of Japan, as with the history of many other nations, that there seemed to be an element of romantic fantasy, a false heroism attached to an extreme self-sacrifice in the name of serving a person or a group. It’s almost as if severe suffering in the name of serving a common master or a group deserves the highest honor in the society, even if following this code meant forcing the individual to give up his core values if not his life. Imagine how grave your life would be if you had to give up the core values you hold so dear to your heart… the rules that you strive to live by… the very core that defines who you are.
I am not suggesting one shouldn't sacrifice in defending his country against a force that are out to destroy it. I am addressing the unethical and immoral expectations certain groups harbor when the groups lack the breath of fresh air that brings “change” for the better.
To my dismay, there are people of older generation in Japan who cry out the need to bring back the samurai warriors’ way of living. It’s as if they believe this code has been lost. They seem to believe that revitalizing the code of conduct created 400 years ago, for warriors under a completely different set of circumstances, will “fix” today’s Japan, the country that's begun to show the severe symptoms of dysfunction. Two examples of the symptoms are, the increased numbers in people in their thirties who suffer from debilitating depression in recent years, and people in a state of “Hikikomori”: it’s a Japanese word that describes a portion of younger generation who appears to be emotionally paralyzed to the point, where they can’t function outside of their parents’ home, that they confine themselves in their own rooms well beyond their adolescent years into their adulthood.
The other origin of unspoken rules in small communities is Mura-Ishiki: what I would like to call Villagers Conscious. It is a sort of awareness that enables communities to maintain the order and security, by accepting the members as long as they behave within the village’s boundaries of consciousness, and punish those who stray by ostracizing. It usually leads to lifelong shame carried by the individual ostracized, and the shame is often carried over to next generation. Besides the ripple effect this causes, another one of the problems with this kind of control, is that it is not uncommon for the entire village to become what US calls the “good old boy’s club”. Good old boy's club is another system of keeping order within a closed door, where secrecy, discrimination, and blatant acts of injustice are it's common practices.
The small town I was born in was such a place where this government by Villagers Conscious that bordered “the good old boy’s club mentality” seemed extremely prominent. The town operated in a deeply co-dependent way. I witnessed puzzling behaviors and unethical manipulations by adults there. If you and your family were rooted in the town, you can get away with a lot. But if you’re from outside of town, like my mother was, you are a target of “Ijime”, childish and cruel group abuse by the people of the neighborhood. This dark personal impression of my hometown probably will be in stark contrast to the impression you are likely to have when you visit there as a tourist. For tourists, my town probably seems homey, kind, gentle, slow-paced and innocent.
The situation is slightly reminiscent of the movie village called Sandford in Britain that appeared in a 2007 British comedy action film “Hot Fuzz”. In the movie, Sandford kept the appearance of a problem free, welcoming country village. There were extreme circumstances in the movie that lead to the humor, but the feeling I was left with reminded me of the feeling I had about my hometown. (Technically my hometown is a city of more than 50 thousand people, so it’s hardly a village.) I won’t divulge the details of the story in consideration to those who are planning to see the movie. If you've ever experienced the type of village life I described above, I recommend you see it, since it will help you de-stress with its hilarity and sense of justice. I, for one, can’t help loving this silly and ridiculously off-the-main-stream story and the characters, because there are so many elements in it that are close to home.
I know that the co-dependent control of the Villagers Conscious is not unique to my little hometown or country of origin, and there are people around the world that suffer from the control by similar social conscious that I once lived under. And it is not to be lightly regarded or dismissed. I feel it needs to be examined and discussed, for its effect has devastating consequences in individuals who live under it, as the quote below beautifully depicts.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. " -Jiddu Krishnamurti
When the sun is out, everything casts a shadow, even a nation. Even virtues such as loyalty and honesty, do. I never knew that until somewhere in my thirties. The shadow that the prime conservative and liberal/democratic virtues cast, generate each other. Loyalty causes honesty to fail; honesty causes loyalty to fail and cast shadow. Not always though, but soon after they both are cast as newborns into anybody's life or partnerships, townships, whatever -ships, and nations. Suppose I told you something bad about you that you did not know already, that would be honest but disloyal. Suppose I would NOT tell you, then that would be loyal but dishonest. Extreme loyalty of Bushi or Village Conscious seems to be caught in this contradiction in virtues
ReplyDeleteYou can never REALLY do good, be good, feel good if others can always find the opposite of whatever positive is said. Worse, you could always be blackmailed when the culture desired so: if you did good on one side, people could hold ignoring the other side against you. Under such circumstances, “Hikikomori” is not unthinkable. However, precisely the intensity to which one-sided loyalty, neglecting honesty, has evolved, can mean relief for all those in similar circumstances, not having experienced quite the severity yet. For the insolvability of the problem also gave rise, synthetically (not analytically) to Wabi and Sabi, which I suppose to be the best possible ‘deal’ a culture can make to postpone what seems inevitable in good manners. René Girard teaches that that is the measure for cultures’ greatness: how much they can procrastinate aggression and violence. In Western culture, that would be finding and offering a scapegoat.
Speaking of Europe, there is another striking similarity AND difference at once, with Japan’s situation. After the war, Germany had to go through similar experiences. But instead of capitalizing on loyalty and pride, the revolutionary youth in the 60s seems to have chosen the path of honesty. They began blaming Western culture for all the evils that happen in the world, beginning with (German) fascism. This put them on the good side of the dividing line at once, for they FOUGHT fascism, instead of longer BEING it as in WWII (Mak and Aly, 2008). The forces leading up to war, through Germany and Japan, seem to have been of the same making, almost, in national socialism and social nationalism, which after the war paved way to cultural depths of loyalty on the one side and of honesty on the other side of the watershed.
You make some startling points about Japanese life, which I believe, as you say, many Japanese people harbour today. I think the notion of loyalty etc. is a noble one, but with a country so imbued in its past, as that past is so strong, so wielding and sometimes so overpowering; it's easy to see why people believe that they have to carry this burden.
ReplyDeleteI obviously do not have the first-hand experience that you do of quite how this feels, but I've seen it, and I understand some of it, as much as a foreigner can. It certainly makes Japan what it is today, but adapting that feeling and emotion to something that can be translated into the modern world is definitely going to be difficult..
Yuko-san
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this with us and the world. I don't quite know what to say, except that I deeply emphasize with what you must have been feeling. I wish things had been different, and that your mother had not been treated as she was while you were growing up in your hometown. Now I understand why you say you dread going back there. As you said, some healing and even forgiving need to occur so you can be fully at peace with where you are coming from - or even with yourself. I know that you have established your life in the U.S. and you don't intend to go back to live there, but I also know that you must be carrying the heavy feelings about the whole thing. It is not easy thing to go through, and I would like to acknowledge the fact that you are putthing your thoughts out there so others can read, understand and think about your story. I continue to look forward to following your journey.
OMG Yuko, I love this! I can relate to so much of what you are describing. I am not a Japanese National, nor was I born and raised in Japan, but I am originally from HI and the same "Village Conscious" expectations exist there. The culture has deep roots.
ReplyDeleteAs a child growing up, I could not make sense of anything because my truth seemed wrong from everyone else's including family. I was forever in a state of confusion. It was only after I realized everyone around me were fudging that I began to realize my truth was solid -- and began to see the weakness in the truth of others.
This would not have bothered me so much if I were not being constantly ridiculed and being described as too sensitive -- among other things!!
Thank you, Yuko, for bringing your experience to light. It really touches the soul in all who read it! Much love to you!
Dear Ron,
ReplyDeleteYou beautifully raise many thoughtful points in full view of what the world has seen. I thank you, as always, for your experienced and insightful view, as well as your history and social psychology lessons.
As you have mentioned, the serenity of Wabi and Sabi came to be well accepted and loved due most likely to the surrender to, or understanding of, how one must endure life in Japanese society. I feel proud of it perhaps because I see the depth of emotion the nation must have experienced, from which some of the strength in Japanese culture seem to have derived. It is at least one of the tools that people use to "feel" centered, if actually being centered in such culture is difficult.
"precisely the intensity to which one-sided loyalty, neglecting honesty, has evolved, can mean relief for all those in similar circumstances, not having experienced quite the severity yet." -- I truly hope that's the case.
Hello Ryan,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my blog and thank you for leaving a comment. I believe the burden you speak of is indeed there. It's there probably because it's very difficult for anyone to see ,that the values their ancestors has carried for so long with great sacrifice, may not be functional for many.
It would be a difficult task for this society to change, when they have to challenge what seems noble and selfless, and suggest moving toward what seems selfish.
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ReplyDeleteEtsuko-san,
ReplyDeleteThank you for coming along with me, and accepting my quest. Your support is much appreciated.
Yes I do need to work toward forgiving, for until recently I wasn't even aware that I held so much anger trapped inside a block of ice I kept deep in my heart. In this block of ice there lived a little girl I once was. Now that the block of ice is melting, I can at last tend to this little girl and help her heal.
Oh Reiko...,
ReplyDeleteWhat a coincidence our meeting has been. It is thrilling for me to know that there are real people like yourself out there, who had similar experiences as mine, although what you experienced is not anything to be happy about, as neither is mine. Your comment leaves me very curious about your past, how you ended up in Washington DC writing about politics and drawing satire cartoons of all things!
Welcome to my journey, I hope we can walk together to shed more lights in our personal history.