YWR: Why is Japan so cool?

I watched 47 Ronin this week and can’t get it out of my head. In the movie 47 samurai lose their master Asano Naganori and spend the rest of the movie trying to avenge his wrongful death. Finally, with the help of Keanu Reaves they win a big battle against the evil daimyo Kira Yoshinaka and save the princess. In return for this the Shogun of Japan permits them to kill themselves honourably by seppuku.

The Shogun understands that Asano had been tricked by a witch and that it is totally understandable the 47 Ronin needed to save princess Shibasaki from having to marry the evil Daimyo Kira, but in the end the Shogun had explicitly forbid the 47 Ronin from seeking revenge, and they had disobeyed his orders. The rules are the rules. So the 47 Ronin have to kill themselves, but are allowed to die honourably. It’s a terrible, sad ending, but actually great.

I’ve always been interested in Japan. After graduating high school my Dad thought it would be a good idea if I took a gap year before college and do a homestay in Japan, which he had set up. My first night in Tokyo I didn’t speak any Japanese, missed my train at Ueno Station and spent the night outside the train station with the homeless people, but I still loved it and went on to have a great stay. In college I minored in Japanese and spent my Junior year living with a Japanese family near Osaka.

The Renander’s climb Mt. Fuji

I love Japan, but many other people find it fascinating too. It’s the 11th most visited country in the world. Considering how isolated it is, and how nobody speaks English, it’s actually quite impressive. Ask someone who has done a trip there what they think and they will say it was one of their favorite places. They love it. It has been our best family vacation of them all.

But what is it about Japan and Japanese culture? It’s an island of just 125 million people, but in terms of culture it punches way above its weight. From karate, to sushi to pottery, to anime to Jiu Jitsu, onsens, origami, Land Cruisers, Kawasaki Ninjas, sumo wrestling, Zen Bhuddism, bullet trains, Kill Bill and samurai swords Japanese culture is cool and on the rise. My daughter who is into anime often meets other girls her age and it is a ritual of coolness to discuss which anime you are into. But why Japanese anime? Why not Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, or another any other country? What is the attraction of Japan and Japanese culture? How is ancient Japanese culture cool and the modern stuff is too? What’s underneath it all?

This is a tough topic for a YWR, but I’ll give it a shot. Here are the six reasons Japan is cool.

1. Your work is your art: People go to Japan and they say they love everything. They love the little triangular rice snacks, they love the bullet trains, they love the temples, they love the food, they love, the culture, etc. To me what they like, without realising it, is the Japanese culture of focusing on doing a high quality job in the thing you do. If you make rice cakes, make a great rice cake. If you drive the bullet train make sure it arrives and departs within 15 seconds of the scheduled time. In the West we all want to be great. We don’t like the little things. We want to move on and focus on bigger things. In Japanese culture they flip this on its head. Focus on the small things. Do a good job on the small things and the great things will happen. If you tell me a Japanese kid is into designer denim I’m sure he will be eventually be the best there is in designer denim. Same with motorbikes, techno music, karate, or whatever he or she puts their mind too. They will focus on it with a dedication hard to find elsewhere. That’s cool.

2. Presence: This is somewhat related to point 1. Zen Bhuddism, the kata in Karate, the steps of a tea ceremony or Japanese calligraphy. They are all very meditative. You do a simple, routine with great presence of mind. It clears out the chatter in your head and changes your whole day. It also opens you up to inspiration, creativity and the synchronicity of life. We are finding these ancient techniques for calming our mind are more valuable than ever. Presence of mind in what you do never goes out of style.

   

3. Self-discipline: The contemporary Japanese hero is always the one who puts his/her head down and outworks the competition. The story isn’t about being a natural athlete, being smarter than everyone else, or finding a short cut. There might be some value to being clever, but usually the hero has won through persistence. The Japanese have a saying ‘success is 99% perspiration 1% inspiration’. The other big saying you hear all the time in Japan is ‘Gambare!’, which means to persist or carry on. This culture of ‘work hard and things will come your way’ is old school, but attractive. The Japanese are not out trying to cheat you or outsmart you. They are playing the long game and it’s rare these days. Make a quality product, act with integrity and eventually you will be appreciated.

4. The group over the self: Whether for your company, your sports team or your nation, Japanese value the success of the group over the individual. Showboating is definitely out. You can see it in the movies. If there is a group of Marvel characters in a battle against the forces of evil and one of the members of the Marvel team is Japanese you know the stereotypes and how the story will unfold. The Japanese character will be quiet and withdrawn, but when the fighting starts she will be wicked with her sword and not hesitate to heroically sacrifice herself to help the rest of the team escape from danger. I think in modern society we have taken the idolisation of self-interest to an extreme, and it’s appealing to emphasise a little more the good of the group. To fully experience this attend a Hanshin tigers game. I’m not sure anyone realises a baseball game is going on.

   

5. The Path not the Result: Another word for this might be Bushido, the way of the warrior. For example, the 47 Ronin are glad they can die honourably, even though we are shocked they have to die at all. Japanese culture emphasises more the way you live your life rather than what you achieve. How did you walk your path? Did you live honourably, respect your elders, and contribute to the group? Not did you make the 40 under 40 list.

   I’m definitely guilty of being ego driven and wanting to be successful, but it’s exhausting and ultimately out of your control. What’s attractive about focusing on the Path is that while you don’t have much control over the outcomes in life you do have control over your actions. To me this shift is a bit calming. It’s hard but maybe it’s a better way. Maybe we are supposed to be more like the samurai.

6. Appreciation of Nature: I’m really not doing this justice by calling it ‘appreciation of nature’, but the Japanese are very attentive to nature. In the earliest Japanese religion, Shinto, they believed nature was alive and full of spirits, even the rocks. Stylistically, in a movie they will pause the action to focus on a cherry blossom or snow falling, or a stream. You will see it in poetry and literature too. Maybe it comes back to presence of mind. Maybe we are supposed to stop what we are doing every now and then to just observe a flower or something. Maybe the message is the flower will grow and look beautiful naturally. It didn’t need to wake up and create a to do list to become beautiful. It just is. Then the seasons turn and a new flower takes its place. The Japanese take time to notice this and maybe we should too. The other aspect to this is the imperfections of nature. Japanese like to notice this too. You will see it in pottery. They don’t mind if the pottery isn’t perfect and symmetrical. A careful drip of glaze down one side can be beautiful. Or, a samurai sword that is not perfectly straight, but has a slight curve at the end. Or a Tori gate in the water. Nature is cool.

Birthday Dinner

We are celebrating my daughter’s birthday tonight and she wants to go out for dinner. And where does she want to go for her birthday dinner? You guessed it…sushi!!

Have a great weekend!

Erik