Manners
For as long as I have been living in Japan JT has been running a campaign about manners. Tonight on my way home I saw a poster that I thought was quite good.
Usually these posters are related to good manners for smokers. But recently JT has started producing posters encouraging people to behave on the train too.
This one I felt especially heart warming.
For anyone who doesn't already know, JT is short for Japan Tobacco. They produce frozen foods (such as importing Gyoza from China) and cigarettes.
9 comments:
I had heard that people in Japan typically did not offer their seat on the train to an elderly or handicapped person. Is that true?
So far it seems to be true. They often pretend to be asleep so they don't have to give up their seat.
Chivalry doesn't exist in this country.
Many times I have seen men sitting down while their highly pregnant wives had to stand and groups of junior high school kids occupying all the seats on trains ignoring several elderly ladies standing in the aisles. Kids are not taught at school or at home to give up their seats for elderly people and Japanese men are notoriously selfish and behave like jerks on trains, sitting with their legs wide open, occupying the space of two people.
However, recently I have noticed several times men and young women giving up their seats for elderly people or women with small children.
There seems to be a change happening so let's hope it catches on.
This is not generally true - yes, there are a number of assholes out here in Tokyo especially but in general people are polite. Having grown up in DC and then LA, I can tell you people are for the most part more polite.
People do pretend to be asleep - the fact is that if eye contact is made, they would be shamed into giving up their seat. When this happens, the person is forced to put up the charade until they get off the train because the surrounding crew would stare them down from their position otherwise.
If I see that happening and don't have a seat to give up, I ask a less deserving person if they might give up their seat. They are usually shocked, but do the right thing out of fear of looking like a git. I can get away with it being a foreigner I reckon...
Still, not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. The trains here are clean and people don't leave their trash around and are quiet. It's usually the foreigners that make all the noise and leave the messes around.
Having kids, I can tell you that most people DO teach their kids manners. Country-side kids express their otherwise suppressed rebellion by jacking a block of seats and being noisy but if approached will quiet down and are downright polite compared to the "f**k off" you'd get stateside.
Put into perspective, it really is much better than anywhere else in the world I've been (and I've been a lot of places). Seems to me people find something to pick at no matter how good things are which is sad.
I encourage you to come and see for yourselves. Life in Japan is very good - 6 year old kids can take the train by themselves to get back and forth to school and not have to worry about getting molested. In the suburbs, some of the roads close during the day after school so they can play. I don't have to worry about getting mugged or confronted and the police are downright helpful and not someone to fear as they are in the states. So all told, it's much better from the train manners on up.
Great sign and a good post!
Vince - I agree with your comments there are rude people everywhere but for the most part the Japanese are very polite. I have seen rudeness on the train but I have also seen kindness. My Japanese isn't good enough to suggest that someone give up their seat but I've been tempted.
I have actually had to 'fight' with people to get them to take the seat that I was offering in the past. I always said 'dozo' and kept standing until they sat down.
@Anonymous
I hate to agree, but I feel it's true. Manners there are many forms of manners that are second nature for me seem alien in Japan. It makes me rather sad and sometimes angry to witness what happens.
@Vince
Also I agree with what you say too. While not perfect, things are better than back home in Oz.
@Shane
Thanks, I appreciate it.
I also know the feeling of "fighting" with Japanese people to get them to accept my seat. Moving away usually has the most success.
I do feel also that people are more polite then in Los Angeles. There are a lot of rude a-holes here in LA. However, I am surprised that in the country that supposedly respects their elders more then anyone, that they often don't give up their seats to an elderly person.
Its nice on the train because the Japanese will rarely sit next to a foreigner, so you can always have some room. Also if you sit next to a Japanese person they usually get up and go and stand somewhere..hehe
From what I understand about Japanese culture offering help to someone without it being requested (or obviously an emergency situation) can actually be offensive.
I hadn't even considered this until stumbling upon a post about helping people up in Judo class - apparently offering a hand after a particularly hard throw is equal to telling the person they are too weak to get up on their own. Maybe the same applies to public transportation - it may come off as you thinking the person is too weak to take care of them self rather than being courteous.
Post a Comment