Quote: (10-20-2013 01:10 PM)Quintus Curtius Wrote:
There is definitely some sort of listlessness, some sort of malaise, that has overtaken Japanese society in the past 30 years. I think it is a product of several factors:
1. The stifling control and restrictions placed on people as a result of societal rules and etiquette.
2. A deeply pervasive corruption in public and government life where the big companies are in cahoots with the government, and you can't get ahead unless you play ball. The small business owner faces real hurdles.
3. A loss of fighting spirit and martial virtue made possible by decades of pathetic dependence on American military power to protect Japan. Too much peace rots away the soul of a people.
4. The increasingly difficult financial costs to raise a family and get along in Japanese society.
5. A sense of comfort and ease promoted by a social structure that seeks to coddle everyone from the cradle to the grave.
6. Too much affluence, too much stability, and too much material wealth.
There are other factors here, and they have been very well described by one of the most articulate observers of modern Japan, Alex Kerr. His two books "Dogs and Demons" and "Lost Japan" are very perceptive and should be required reading for anyone trying to diagnose Japan's malaise. I recommend them.
All this is very sad for those of us who love Japan, appreciate the role it has played in our lives, and care about its people. But I do feel cautiously optimistic about the future. No one should ever count the Japanese out. They have a resilience to them, and have shown a willingness to bite the bullet and do what's necessary to fix their problems. But they really, really need to wean themselves away from the US. That's the crux of the problem.
Good observations.
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3. A loss of fighting spirit and martial virtue made possible by decades of pathetic dependence on American military power to protect Japan. Too much peace rots away the soul of a people.
This makes a lot of sense when I think back to Japan in 1999 (first time I went there) and how people treated me. Especially the women, but a lot of the men were also more likely to be interested in hanging out.
When I spent a lot of time there between 2004-2011 there was a significant change in the way I was treated. Women payed less attention, and not because of how we would normally think the reason to be. The mentality had changed, and not just toward foreigners.
The last time I was there (two weeks after the Fukushima earthquake in 2011) there was a much more positive reaction. People were openly thanking me for being there. Japan, in a sense, had got their war. They had something of purpose and a way to rally and protect themselves. They are a very generous culture and I will never forget the first images of the devastation and the sacrifice that so many made at that time.
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But I do feel cautiously optimistic about the future. No one should ever count the Japanese out. They have a resilience to them, and have shown a willingness to bite the bullet and do what's necessary to fix their problems. But they really, really need to wean themselves away from the US. That's the crux of the problem.
I feel the same way. In fact being there and observing from outside is like night and day. Sure the real estate has been flat for 15 or so years, but the economy, really has not been that bad. It could have been much worse, and if I believe all they hype from the west it might get worse still. But the friends and family I have there are all doing very well, have many options career wise and sexually, and are not negative on the place at all. In fact the friends who work at Riken are downright stoked and are purely optimistic on the research going on there.
There is no easy answer. The situation is strange and the effects of it on the people have created some very interesting results. The 80/20 rule is very applicable here, but unlike in America, many of the 80% drop out instead of try to climb out. My only experience is a cousin of a relative who completely buckled while in university and is now what is called a Hikikomori. She is about 35, and would be very good looking if not for her total lack of desire to be part of the social world. She looks defeated, and will be a housemaid to her parents until they pass on. Strange, but this is common in Japan.