Accolades for Japan

Accolades for Japan

Cleanliness, order, and respect: that's what I would say Japan's mottos are. No stains on the seats of trains or subways like I've experienced almost everywhere else I've traveled. No need to recoil at your feet sticking to who knows what on the floor. The Japanese would also never dream of dropping litter anywhere, inside as well as outside. This despite the fact that the only garbage cans to be found are next to vending machines. The idea is that your waste is your responsibility.

In my opinion, the maximum height of Japanese cleanliness and inventiveness is the toilet. In almost all the bathrooms private or public, the toilets have a built in bidet and seat warmer as well as a sound distorter if you're worried about someone hearing you during number twos. Simply fantastic! They also found ways to save space by building a sink into the top of the toilet in some places. (Obviously, using clean water.)

The Japanese pride themselves on efficiency, which can be seen in many aspects of their lives. For instance, clearly delineated lines being directed in highly touristic areas and high speed trains that pull into tracks with people waiting for specific cars that have a change over of about a minute. There are (rarely) no rushes and people are almost always deferential, allowing other people in front of them in line, particularly if they are elderly.

Even the elderly are polite and helpful. I remember we were in a park taking pictures by some cherry blossoms when I noticed a group searching for something. I asked the woman who seemed to be leading the team what they were looking for, and she explained she had lost a green earring which was almost impossible to see in the grass. Just the fact that so many people were looking in earnest was impressive, but even more so because in the group there was an elderly man on his knees who later got up with the aid of a cane. Despite his difficulty he had put all of his effort in the project. 

All Japanese people–from interactions in stores to ticket controllers leaving a car to move onto the next one–bow to show respect and say thank you. Our guide at the Imperial Palace in Kyoto also said thank you at the end of every explanation before moving on to the next part of the tour.

Western society could learn a lot from the Japanese about respect for oneself, the environment, as well as for society. I also appreciate their sense of beauty: quiet, elegant, and rarely ostentatious. A simple beauty which beckons you but doesn’t need excess to be noticed.

Text and photo: Kristen Mastromarchi