SWY16 - Norwegian Comment on the Japanese

With almost half of the participants on Ship for World Youth Program coming from Japan , it is inevitable that we have some reflections regarding them. Most of these are positive.

Foreigners staying in Japan are likely to be treated in a friendly way, with a lot of respect. Japan is currently known as a peaceful country. It is also known for being well organized. Maybe too organized, in the point of view of some foreigners.

It rarely happens that Japanese people get involved in fights, or outspoken quarrels. This is certainly making the togetherness of the ship a lot easier ( having fights every now and then on a six weeks long program would indeed be very tiresome….).Part of this can be explained from the theory that Japan is a so-called “high context culture” That is, the interaction between humans is given a strong value.

In such a setting you can harm your relationship to another person permanently if you confront him, thus most Japanese people avoid doing so.

Network and connections of people is also given more attention and importance than in other Western countries such as Norway . Due to this inter-human dependency, it is fair to say that you can see a lot of concern for other people. This should be evaluated as a positive virtue, one of which other Western societies could have had more. As a fundament of the Japanese society lies a certain collectivism.

It is not easy to state whether we get to understand the real Japanese behaviour. With this statement I am addressing the topic of English comprehension. Some of the Japanese participants are struggling with the oral communication, and in some situations it makes them appear excessively superficial. The Japanese language has a completely different structure than European languages, concerning grammar as well as ways of expression. The result of this can for example be the Japanese peoples need for saying the phrase “let's enjoy...” all the time.

Other differences relate to a strict hierarchy and tight organization, which may not appeal immediately to Norwegians that are accustomed to an egalitarian society. The Japanese language comprises a polite mode ( keigo) that is used to express respect and social position.

And then there is the thing with gender differences. The pink colour in female public bathrooms often provokes laughter among foreign women. More serious is the uneven distribution of important jobs and power in the society. Some foreign participants in the SWY are also surprised by the intense focus on beauty that Japanese girls reveal.

All in all, the foreign participants in general appreciate the company of their fellow Japanese participants in the program. There is a cultural richness to learn, through meeting this friendly people.

Sverre