Meeting highlights from Amazing Japanese!, “Moshi moshi, Japan?”, Geneva, 29 January, 2016

We had great food for thoughts watching a video of amazing Japanese.

Please take a minute to look at the video from the link below. You’d enjoy the reading this article even more. –>

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm16589544

What did you think?

The video is taken in the first morning of the Tokyo Comic Market in 2012.

Here you are, major point of our discussion.

Why do this voluntarily? 

B thought it happens only in Japan, not possible in Europe. P and S said what to see here is that the people in the video are not military solders. They are doing it voluntarily. This makes the Japanese unique and sometimes amaze the Europeans.

P said that whats behind this behavior may be a strong social punishment to those people who don’t keep rules.

Creativity vs Social rules

Y asked why people keep rules, though they are enthusiastic comic lovers, who’d have creative spirits. Why people didn’t show creativity or originality in queing?

S thought it because of fear to take risks. The people in the que thought it better to be submissive, even though they are creators in one way or another. He saw the same attitude of risk avoidance in doing business with the Japanese. S went on to say that harmony had a great value in Japan and that the Japanese harmony meant an agreement by everyone. This value may underly even in the mindset of creators.

Risk of being original and unique

You won’t be accepted by CEO if you reach him/her by skipping hierarchy in a Japanese organisation. In contrat, you’d be accepted in Switzerland.

“KO” between the West and Japan

Y explained a fundamental difference of “KO” between the Westners and Japanese. “個 (self)” and “孤 (being alone)” are pronounced “KO” in Japanese. The Japanese are afraid of, or don’t want to be alone, or “孤”, while the Westners stick to “個”, not being afraid of being alone.

Rules govern

We reached a kind of conclusion that the Japanese nee rules all the time. Without rules, people don’t know how to behave. That’s why even the young people with artist in mind seem to have no problem to follow guidance provided by the organiser of the show, as we observed in the video.

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Naturally, neat & tidy. Ningyo-cho, Tokyo
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“No question about it”

 

 

 

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