Omotenashi and Omoiyari: Japan, Long on Hospitality but Short on Compassion
NISHIKAWA Megumi / Journalist
March 21, 2017
One of the major attractions of Japan, which has been enjoying a steady rise in the number of foreign visitors, is said to be its culture of omotenashi—roughly translated as hospitality. The “customer first” attitude that Japanese society has worked to perfect has no doubt captured the imagination of many foreigners. But the more widely the virtue of Japanese hospitality is publicized, the greater my discomfort grows.
This “culture of omotenashi” refers to the attitude and practice of receiving and entertaining guests with heartfelt hospitality, always putting customers first. As an ethic that the Japanese have nurtured over the course of their long history and tradition, and a vehicle through which the Japanese form relationships with others, omotenashi is a skill that has been handed down through the ages. The Japanese brand of hospitality, which places the customer above all else, has been emulated by a number of Asian countries, where aspects of it are incorporated in the education of new recruits and sales staff as a model of good service: how to bow, how to speak, how to treat customers. But their exemplary code of behavior notwithstanding, it is doubtful whether the Japanese set true examples of hospitality and service-mindedness.
I recently happened across a certain post via Facebook about a Taiwanese mother who had come to Japan as a tourist with her young children. In it, she shared the difficulties she encountered getting around Tokyo with a stroller. People in the streets treated them like a nuisance, no one offered her their seat on the subway, and not a single passerby stopped to help her carry the stroller up the stairs at the station—until a station attendant eventually noticed and hauled it up the stairs for her. The conclusion that she drew from this experience is that the Japanese are helpful when duty requires them, as with the station attendant, but are otherwise cold and indifferent to strangers.
I do not think that the Japanese as a people are particularly cold-hearted or indifferent to others compared to those of other countries. At the same time, though, I understand where the woman is coming from. In a word, it is a question of omoiyari, or compassion; it is about small gestures of kindness and thoughtfulness, such as lending a hand to a person with disabilities, giving up one’s train seat to a mother holding an infant in her arms, or approaching someone who looks lost in front of the ticket vending machines at a train station. Why are the Japanese lacking in this regard? It may be that they are shy or are embarrassed to help, or perhaps they assume that surely someone will step up. In short, they have no intention of being unkind but find themselves passing up opportunities to help.
Kotaro Tamura, a former legislator who moved to Singapore and is now an adjunct professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, writes about life in Singapore in his book Ajia shifuto no susume (Shifting to Asia). One day around lunchtime afternoon, Tamura and his family were waiting impatiently for a taxi ride to get to an appointed place. After some time, one taxi finally arrived. A middle-aged man had been waiting before them, but instead of climbing into the cab, he not only let them go first but even took up the stroller and put it in the trunk for them. When Tamura thanked him, the man replied, “It’s only natural to take good care of little ones, as the number of children in Singapore is declining.”
According to Tamura, this kind of episode is not unusual. “Singaporeans may not have omotenashi [hospitality], but they have omoiyari [compassion],” he writes. “The people of this country surprise me at times with their kindness, particularly toward children, the elderly, and the disabled.”
Japan has hospitality as a matter of form but falls short on compassion. What can be done about it? I believe it all boils down to education. At home and in school, children should be taught from a young age, as early as preschool or elementary school: Offer your seat to the elderly. If you see someone in need, give them a hand. Be kind to girls.
Only when imbued with a spirit of compassion will Japan’s “culture of hospitality” come alive as something more than mere formality.
Megumi Nishikawa is Contributing editor for the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.
This “culture of omotenashi” refers to the attitude and practice of receiving and entertaining guests with heartfelt hospitality, always putting customers first. As an ethic that the Japanese have nurtured over the course of their long history and tradition, and a vehicle through which the Japanese form relationships with others, omotenashi is a skill that has been handed down through the ages. The Japanese brand of hospitality, which places the customer above all else, has been emulated by a number of Asian countries, where aspects of it are incorporated in the education of new recruits and sales staff as a model of good service: how to bow, how to speak, how to treat customers. But their exemplary code of behavior notwithstanding, it is doubtful whether the Japanese set true examples of hospitality and service-mindedness.
I recently happened across a certain post via Facebook about a Taiwanese mother who had come to Japan as a tourist with her young children. In it, she shared the difficulties she encountered getting around Tokyo with a stroller. People in the streets treated them like a nuisance, no one offered her their seat on the subway, and not a single passerby stopped to help her carry the stroller up the stairs at the station—until a station attendant eventually noticed and hauled it up the stairs for her. The conclusion that she drew from this experience is that the Japanese are helpful when duty requires them, as with the station attendant, but are otherwise cold and indifferent to strangers.
I do not think that the Japanese as a people are particularly cold-hearted or indifferent to others compared to those of other countries. At the same time, though, I understand where the woman is coming from. In a word, it is a question of omoiyari, or compassion; it is about small gestures of kindness and thoughtfulness, such as lending a hand to a person with disabilities, giving up one’s train seat to a mother holding an infant in her arms, or approaching someone who looks lost in front of the ticket vending machines at a train station. Why are the Japanese lacking in this regard? It may be that they are shy or are embarrassed to help, or perhaps they assume that surely someone will step up. In short, they have no intention of being unkind but find themselves passing up opportunities to help.
Kotaro Tamura, a former legislator who moved to Singapore and is now an adjunct professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, writes about life in Singapore in his book Ajia shifuto no susume (Shifting to Asia). One day around lunchtime afternoon, Tamura and his family were waiting impatiently for a taxi ride to get to an appointed place. After some time, one taxi finally arrived. A middle-aged man had been waiting before them, but instead of climbing into the cab, he not only let them go first but even took up the stroller and put it in the trunk for them. When Tamura thanked him, the man replied, “It’s only natural to take good care of little ones, as the number of children in Singapore is declining.”
According to Tamura, this kind of episode is not unusual. “Singaporeans may not have omotenashi [hospitality], but they have omoiyari [compassion],” he writes. “The people of this country surprise me at times with their kindness, particularly toward children, the elderly, and the disabled.”
Japan has hospitality as a matter of form but falls short on compassion. What can be done about it? I believe it all boils down to education. At home and in school, children should be taught from a young age, as early as preschool or elementary school: Offer your seat to the elderly. If you see someone in need, give them a hand. Be kind to girls.
Only when imbued with a spirit of compassion will Japan’s “culture of hospitality” come alive as something more than mere formality.
Megumi Nishikawa is Contributing editor for the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
おもてなしはあれど、思いやりに欠ける日本
西川 恵 / ジャーナリスト
2017年 3月 21日
訪日する外国人観光客が順調に伸びているが、日本の大きな魅力に「おもてなし文化」があると言われている。日本が磨いてきた「お客さま第一」の対応が、外国人を魅了していることは確かにあるだろう。しかし日本の「おもてなし文化」の素晴らしさが喧伝されればされるほど、私の内に違和感がこみあげてくる。
「おもてなし文化」とはお客さまを第一に考え、心のこもった接遇をする姿勢や習わしを指す。長い歴史と伝統の中で日本人がはぐくんできた振る舞いであり、日本人が他人と関係を取り結ぶ時の一つの形であり、ノウハウとして受け継がれてきた。徹底的に「お客さま第一」を貫くこの日本のおもてなしは、今日、サービス精神のよきモデルとしてアジアの幾つかの国で新人や店員の教育に取り入れられている。お辞儀の仕方、口の利き方、顧客対応…。しかし形をもって、日本人が本当の意味でおもてなしやサービス精神の模範を示しているかといえば、そうとは言えない。
最近、あるフェースブックの投稿に目が行った。日本に観光に来た台湾の子連れの母親の投稿で、東京での体験がいかに大変だったか書いている。子供がまだ幼いためベビーカーを携えての観光だったが、街中では邪魔者扱いされ、電車では誰も席を譲ってくれず、駅の階段の上り下りでも、誰ひとり手を貸そうとしない。見かねた駅員がベビーカーを持って階段を運んでくれたが、この体験からこの女性は「日本人は駅員のように義務としてやらねばならない時はやるが、そうでないと他人に無関心で、冷たい」（要約）という結論を引き出す。
私は外国人と比べて日本人が特段冷淡な性格だとも、他人に無関心な民族だとも思わない。しかし女性の言い分も分かる。ひとことで思いやりだ。障害者にちょっと手を貸して上げる、電車で幼児を抱いている母親に席を譲ってあげる、駅の自動券売機の前で戸惑っている人がいたら声をかけて上げる、といった小さな思いやり、気遣いだ。なぜないのか。照れや恥ずかしさ、自分がやらなくても誰かがやるだろうとの思い…。つまり悪気はないが、つい無視するというところだろう。
元国会議員で、シンガポールに居を移した国立シンガポール大学リークアンユー公共政策大学院兼任教授の田村耕太郎氏が、シンガポール暮らしの体験をその著書（「アジア・シフトのすすめ」）で書いている。ある昼時、約束の場所に行くため家族でジリジリとタクシーを待っていたが、なかなか来ない。ようやく一台来て、先に待っていたおじさんが乗るはずだった。ところがこのおじさんは順番を譲ってくれ、しかも自分たちが持っていたベビーカーを取り上げて、タクシーのトランクに入れてまでしてくれた。
お礼を言う田村氏に、おじさんは「シンガポールでは子供が減っているから、大事にするのは当たり前だ」と言った。これは例外的な体験ではないと田村氏は言う。「シンガポールにはおもてなしはないが、思いやりがある。とくに子供や老人や障害者に対する国民の優しさにはびっくりすることがある」と言う。
形としてのおもてなしはあるが、思いやりに欠ける日本。どうしたらいいのか。私は一に教育、二に教育だと思う。幼稚園児、小学生の時から「お年寄りには席を譲るのだよ」「困っている人がいたら手を貸してあげよう」「女の子には親切に」と、学校で、家庭で、教えることだ。思いやりが備わってこそ、形としての「おもてなし文化」に魂が入る。
筆者は毎日新聞客員編集委員
「おもてなし文化」とはお客さまを第一に考え、心のこもった接遇をする姿勢や習わしを指す。長い歴史と伝統の中で日本人がはぐくんできた振る舞いであり、日本人が他人と関係を取り結ぶ時の一つの形であり、ノウハウとして受け継がれてきた。徹底的に「お客さま第一」を貫くこの日本のおもてなしは、今日、サービス精神のよきモデルとしてアジアの幾つかの国で新人や店員の教育に取り入れられている。お辞儀の仕方、口の利き方、顧客対応…。しかし形をもって、日本人が本当の意味でおもてなしやサービス精神の模範を示しているかといえば、そうとは言えない。
最近、あるフェースブックの投稿に目が行った。日本に観光に来た台湾の子連れの母親の投稿で、東京での体験がいかに大変だったか書いている。子供がまだ幼いためベビーカーを携えての観光だったが、街中では邪魔者扱いされ、電車では誰も席を譲ってくれず、駅の階段の上り下りでも、誰ひとり手を貸そうとしない。見かねた駅員がベビーカーを持って階段を運んでくれたが、この体験からこの女性は「日本人は駅員のように義務としてやらねばならない時はやるが、そうでないと他人に無関心で、冷たい」（要約）という結論を引き出す。
私は外国人と比べて日本人が特段冷淡な性格だとも、他人に無関心な民族だとも思わない。しかし女性の言い分も分かる。ひとことで思いやりだ。障害者にちょっと手を貸して上げる、電車で幼児を抱いている母親に席を譲ってあげる、駅の自動券売機の前で戸惑っている人がいたら声をかけて上げる、といった小さな思いやり、気遣いだ。なぜないのか。照れや恥ずかしさ、自分がやらなくても誰かがやるだろうとの思い…。つまり悪気はないが、つい無視するというところだろう。
元国会議員で、シンガポールに居を移した国立シンガポール大学リークアンユー公共政策大学院兼任教授の田村耕太郎氏が、シンガポール暮らしの体験をその著書（「アジア・シフトのすすめ」）で書いている。ある昼時、約束の場所に行くため家族でジリジリとタクシーを待っていたが、なかなか来ない。ようやく一台来て、先に待っていたおじさんが乗るはずだった。ところがこのおじさんは順番を譲ってくれ、しかも自分たちが持っていたベビーカーを取り上げて、タクシーのトランクに入れてまでしてくれた。
お礼を言う田村氏に、おじさんは「シンガポールでは子供が減っているから、大事にするのは当たり前だ」と言った。これは例外的な体験ではないと田村氏は言う。「シンガポールにはおもてなしはないが、思いやりがある。とくに子供や老人や障害者に対する国民の優しさにはびっくりすることがある」と言う。
形としてのおもてなしはあるが、思いやりに欠ける日本。どうしたらいいのか。私は一に教育、二に教育だと思う。幼稚園児、小学生の時から「お年寄りには席を譲るのだよ」「困っている人がいたら手を貸してあげよう」「女の子には親切に」と、学校で、家庭で、教えることだ。思いやりが備わってこそ、形としての「おもてなし文化」に魂が入る。
筆者は毎日新聞客員編集委員
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟