Teaching Our Children to Become Sociable and Service-Minded
NISHIKAWA Megumi / Journalist
July 24, 2012
The Japanese are associated with two distinct images.
In one image, the Japanese are a caring, persevering, humble, considerate and orderly people, as demonstrated in the 3.11 earthquake. These are virtues not limited to areas affected by the disaster, but uniformly pointed out by foreigners who visit Japan as virtues characteristic of our society.
A friend of mine recently worked with a reporting team from the Ukraine, and told me the Ukrainians were impressed by the kindness of a Japanese who not only helped them find their way but accompanied them to their destination. Many of us have come across such a foreigner's view of Japanese society.
Then there is the other image. This was typically illustrated by an incident that occurred at the Shibuya railway station in Tokyo this May. A man got angry at another man who bumped into him on a crowded rush hour elevator, went after him and assaulted him with a survival knife he was carrying. The two men did not know each other, and the attacker told the police he did it out of "irritation."
There seems to be no end to such rash incidents caused by individuals who had simply "lost it." There is a growing tension in Japanese society. Commentators have blamed anxiety about the future amid the economic slump, lack of endurance among the younger generation, etc. to explain this phenomenon.
However, in his 1970s book "The Age of Displeasure (Fukigen no Jidai)," Yamazaki Masakazu had already painted a lively picture of the irritated, short-tempered society Japan had become. At the time, it was explained as the "frustration felt by corporate warriors slugging it out in an era of rapid economic growth." In other words, while the economic background may have changed, there is little change in the basic inclination of the Japanese as people who boil over easily in a sudden flash of anger.
The caring, considerate Japanese and the short-tempered Japanese. How do we bridge these two traits? Recently, I read a magazine article by playwright Hirata Oriza, titled: "From an Accommodating Mentality to a Sociable Mentality (Kyochosei kara Shakosei e)." The gist of his view is as follows:
In a society that runs on tacit communication, being accommodative is a valued skill. This was true of Japan in the past, where economic growth took center stage. It was possible to attain happiness by simply moving with the masses. However, now that society has matured, individual values have become diverse and divided. Getting along with others in this divided society requires a sociable mentality, rather than an accommodating mentality.
In Japanese society, the idea of socializing is dogged by negative connotations of seeking only a "cosmetic" or "superficial" relationship. Yet, in a world where achieving mutual understanding is no easy task, we must seek common ground and expand on it. And a sociable mentality is the means for doing so, says Hirata.
My choice of words to explain Hirata's view would be a "service mentality." I have always felt that the Japanese - and Japanese men in particular - lack this spirit. When you are on a train and your shoulder happens to brush against another passenger's shoulder, you should simply say "excuse me," and the other person is more likely to respond with "it's quite alright." It is when an offender remains silent that irritation gradually builds up against such an "insensitive person."
Sociable mentality or service mentality – it doesn't matter what we call it, but let's start teaching this to our children in the hope of loosening up a society that has become quite stressed.
The writer is Expert Senior Writer on the Foreign News Desk at Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.
In one image, the Japanese are a caring, persevering, humble, considerate and orderly people, as demonstrated in the 3.11 earthquake. These are virtues not limited to areas affected by the disaster, but uniformly pointed out by foreigners who visit Japan as virtues characteristic of our society.
A friend of mine recently worked with a reporting team from the Ukraine, and told me the Ukrainians were impressed by the kindness of a Japanese who not only helped them find their way but accompanied them to their destination. Many of us have come across such a foreigner's view of Japanese society.
Then there is the other image. This was typically illustrated by an incident that occurred at the Shibuya railway station in Tokyo this May. A man got angry at another man who bumped into him on a crowded rush hour elevator, went after him and assaulted him with a survival knife he was carrying. The two men did not know each other, and the attacker told the police he did it out of "irritation."
There seems to be no end to such rash incidents caused by individuals who had simply "lost it." There is a growing tension in Japanese society. Commentators have blamed anxiety about the future amid the economic slump, lack of endurance among the younger generation, etc. to explain this phenomenon.
However, in his 1970s book "The Age of Displeasure (Fukigen no Jidai)," Yamazaki Masakazu had already painted a lively picture of the irritated, short-tempered society Japan had become. At the time, it was explained as the "frustration felt by corporate warriors slugging it out in an era of rapid economic growth." In other words, while the economic background may have changed, there is little change in the basic inclination of the Japanese as people who boil over easily in a sudden flash of anger.
The caring, considerate Japanese and the short-tempered Japanese. How do we bridge these two traits? Recently, I read a magazine article by playwright Hirata Oriza, titled: "From an Accommodating Mentality to a Sociable Mentality (Kyochosei kara Shakosei e)." The gist of his view is as follows:
In a society that runs on tacit communication, being accommodative is a valued skill. This was true of Japan in the past, where economic growth took center stage. It was possible to attain happiness by simply moving with the masses. However, now that society has matured, individual values have become diverse and divided. Getting along with others in this divided society requires a sociable mentality, rather than an accommodating mentality.
In Japanese society, the idea of socializing is dogged by negative connotations of seeking only a "cosmetic" or "superficial" relationship. Yet, in a world where achieving mutual understanding is no easy task, we must seek common ground and expand on it. And a sociable mentality is the means for doing so, says Hirata.
My choice of words to explain Hirata's view would be a "service mentality." I have always felt that the Japanese - and Japanese men in particular - lack this spirit. When you are on a train and your shoulder happens to brush against another passenger's shoulder, you should simply say "excuse me," and the other person is more likely to respond with "it's quite alright." It is when an offender remains silent that irritation gradually builds up against such an "insensitive person."
Sociable mentality or service mentality – it doesn't matter what we call it, but let's start teaching this to our children in the hope of loosening up a society that has become quite stressed.
The writer is Expert Senior Writer on the Foreign News Desk at Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
社交性とサービス精神の教育を
西川 恵 / ジャーナリスト
2012年 7月 24日
日本人について二つのイメージがある。
一つは、３・11でも示された優しさ、忍耐強さ、譲り合い、他人への配慮、秩序正しさ…。これは被災地だけの話ではなく、日本にきた外国人が一様に指摘する日本社会の美質である。最近、ウクライナからきた取材チームを案内したという私の知り合いは、ウクライナ人が「日本人はなんて親切なのだ。道に迷っていると、目的地まで案内してくれた」と感激したという。こうした外国人の日本社会への眼差しは、多くの人が体験している。
そしてもう一つのイメージ。これは５月、渋谷駅の地下で起きた事件が象徴的である。夕方のラッシュで込み合う渋谷駅の地下エレベーターで、ぶつかってきた男性に頭にきたアルバイトの容疑者が、追いかけ、カバンの中にもっていたサバイバルナイフで切りつけた。２人に面識はなく、捕まった容疑者は「頭にきてやった」と供述したという。
こうした短絡的で、「カッとなってやった」という事件は後を絶たない。社会にゆとりがなくなっている、経済低迷による将来への不安、若者の我慢強さの欠如…等々、解説されている。しかし70年代に書かれた山崎正和の『不機嫌の時代』には、イライラして、怒りっぽくなった日本社会が活写されている。当時は「高度経済成長下の企業戦士のフラストレーション」と言われた。つまり経済状況の影響はそれぞれあるにせよ、「カッとなりやすい」「突然怒りだす」という日本人の性向は基本的には変わっていない。
親切で、他人への配慮を欠かさない日本人と、カッとなりやすい日本人。この二つの間をどう架橋したらいいのだろう。最近、演劇作家の平田オリザ氏が「協調性から社交性へ」という一文をある雑誌に書いていた。要約すると次のようなことだ。
以心伝心の社会では協調性が重視される。これまでの経済成長中心の日本がそうで、大勢に従っていればそこそこに幸せになれた。しかし成熟型の社会に入った今、個々人の価値観は多様で、バラバラになった。このバラバラな人間同士が上手くやっていく上で求められるのは協調性ではなく社交性、という。社交性という概念は、日本社会では「上辺だけのつき合い」「表面上の交際」といったマイナスのイメージがつきまとう。しかしこの世界、分かり合えない人間同士、共有できる部分を見つけて、それを広げていくことが必要で、その手段が社交性と平田氏は言う。
平田氏の主張を私なりの言葉で言うと、サービス精神ということになる。日本人、特に日本の男性はサービス精神に欠けると常々感じている。電車の中で肩が触れ合っても、ひと言、「失礼」「すみません」と言えば、相手も「大丈夫ですよ」という気持になる。それが無言でいられると、「無神経な人間だ」と不愉快な思いが募ってくる。社交性とサービス精神。どちらでもいいが、ギクシャクした社会を少しでも緩和すべく、この教育を子供たちに授けていこうではないか。
（筆者は毎日新聞 外信部 専門編集委員。）
一つは、３・11でも示された優しさ、忍耐強さ、譲り合い、他人への配慮、秩序正しさ…。これは被災地だけの話ではなく、日本にきた外国人が一様に指摘する日本社会の美質である。最近、ウクライナからきた取材チームを案内したという私の知り合いは、ウクライナ人が「日本人はなんて親切なのだ。道に迷っていると、目的地まで案内してくれた」と感激したという。こうした外国人の日本社会への眼差しは、多くの人が体験している。
そしてもう一つのイメージ。これは５月、渋谷駅の地下で起きた事件が象徴的である。夕方のラッシュで込み合う渋谷駅の地下エレベーターで、ぶつかってきた男性に頭にきたアルバイトの容疑者が、追いかけ、カバンの中にもっていたサバイバルナイフで切りつけた。２人に面識はなく、捕まった容疑者は「頭にきてやった」と供述したという。
こうした短絡的で、「カッとなってやった」という事件は後を絶たない。社会にゆとりがなくなっている、経済低迷による将来への不安、若者の我慢強さの欠如…等々、解説されている。しかし70年代に書かれた山崎正和の『不機嫌の時代』には、イライラして、怒りっぽくなった日本社会が活写されている。当時は「高度経済成長下の企業戦士のフラストレーション」と言われた。つまり経済状況の影響はそれぞれあるにせよ、「カッとなりやすい」「突然怒りだす」という日本人の性向は基本的には変わっていない。
親切で、他人への配慮を欠かさない日本人と、カッとなりやすい日本人。この二つの間をどう架橋したらいいのだろう。最近、演劇作家の平田オリザ氏が「協調性から社交性へ」という一文をある雑誌に書いていた。要約すると次のようなことだ。
以心伝心の社会では協調性が重視される。これまでの経済成長中心の日本がそうで、大勢に従っていればそこそこに幸せになれた。しかし成熟型の社会に入った今、個々人の価値観は多様で、バラバラになった。このバラバラな人間同士が上手くやっていく上で求められるのは協調性ではなく社交性、という。社交性という概念は、日本社会では「上辺だけのつき合い」「表面上の交際」といったマイナスのイメージがつきまとう。しかしこの世界、分かり合えない人間同士、共有できる部分を見つけて、それを広げていくことが必要で、その手段が社交性と平田氏は言う。
平田氏の主張を私なりの言葉で言うと、サービス精神ということになる。日本人、特に日本の男性はサービス精神に欠けると常々感じている。電車の中で肩が触れ合っても、ひと言、「失礼」「すみません」と言えば、相手も「大丈夫ですよ」という気持になる。それが無言でいられると、「無神経な人間だ」と不愉快な思いが募ってくる。社交性とサービス精神。どちらでもいいが、ギクシャクした社会を少しでも緩和すべく、この教育を子供たちに授けていこうではないか。
（筆者は毎日新聞 外信部 専門編集委員。）
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟