Awkward working culture in Japan

I often hear Westerners saying that they don't understand why Japanese businessmen often brag about their long working hours. They say that in the West, such workers are perceived to be inefficient. Because of this, if Westerners are forced to work long hours, they will likely complain and will never brag about it. What is most surprising to Westerners seems to be that immediately before a client presentation, some Japanese businessmen tend to mention that they had only a few hours of sleep the previous night. Their intention is to impress their clients by the great efforts they had put in right up to the last minute. However, contrary to their expectations, this will make Westerners wonder if they will be able to deliver presentations properly since Westerners assume that a lack of sleep would impair their judgement and ability to concentrate.

I think that mentioning a lack of sleep or things like this to clients is ridiculous even to Japanese people these days, although it didn't give negative impressions to clients in the past. Several years ago, I heard a story. An older manager and a few workers from a company went to Tokyo from Osaka to deliver a presentation to their client. Before the presentation, in order to break the ice, the manager told the client that the workers had been re-checking the presentation even on the way to Tokyo by bullet train (it takes two and half hours between the two cities). The client's reaction astonished and disappointed the manager. The client criticized him, saying that he was so incompetent at managing his workers that they were forced to check the presentation even on a bullet train. I totally agree with the client.

Culturally, people who are willing to work late still tend to be appreciated in Japanese companies. In the past, some workers would stay until very late at work even when they didn't need to and overtime wasn't paid. As the times have changed, working efficiently has become of greater value. However, I've found that even efficient workers are often required to work long hours. In Japan, at work, you are often required to work cooperatively with your colleagues. Actually, teamwork is considered a Japanese advantage. However, the idea requires you to cover what your colleagues haven't yet done in your team. If you can work much more efficiently than your team members, you will end up being forced to help them and might find this unreasonable. I think that this is largely because you often feel that you aren't evaluated properly and don't get a salary worthy of your performance.

Does the Japanese society try to inspire us to remember the 1980s?

I sometimes feel like Japanese society tries to inspire us to remember the 1980s when a lot of Japanese people were charmed by the so-called bubble economy. I feel like popular songs and things in the 1980s appear more frequently than before.

During the bubble economy, a lot of project plans were made without being examined carefully (After the bubble burst, I was forced to struggle with projects that my colleagues made during that period. I didn't understand why they made such impractical plans and realized that the bubble economy made people delusional and greedy). Real estate values in cities were dramatically escalating. The huge surge encouraged and enabled people and companies to invest by borrowing money from banks since they mostly lent you money based on the value of your real estate, which caused a speculative boom. On the other hand, some innocent, ordinary people owning properties in Tokyo were inevitably put in a difficult situation. They had a hard time paying taxes on their own houses in Tokyo. Anyway, the fabricated economic boom helped people fulfill their material desires. Many people in their 20s and early 30s at the time were willing to enjoy their youth got and accustomed to spending money on whatever they wanted. 

Now, the people who reaped benefits from the bubble economy are in their 40s and 50s. They are still expected to play an important role in boosting consumer spending. Because the prolonged recession has discouraged young people from purchasing extra things since they were born, it's natural that shops try to appeal to middle-aged people who can't help but buy impressive things.  Having said that, however, they've realized that they have to pinch pennies, so I guess that shops and other businesses try to create an atmosphere to encourage them to purchase by playing 1980's hit songs and so on.

The era that you came from seems to determine how you act, a lot more than I expected.

What are Chinese people like?

In the past few years, China has been catching global attention as an important player. In Japan, no country is more frequently reported in the news than China. The word "China" always makes the covers of major magazines. Chinese tourists, students, and workers are everywhere throughout Japan. Under these circumstances, I'm often asked what China and Chinese people are like since I lived in Guangzhou, China from 2006 to 2008. Actually, this is the most difficult question to answer for me.

As you know, China is a huge country with a huge population and a very long history. Every local area has its own culture and language. It's well-known that the Cantonese language is so different from Mandarin that it usually takes many years for Beijing people to master Cantonese. Chinese people love and are proud of their hometowns. When they first meet somebody, they always ask him/her where he/she comes from. They care about where somebody originally comes from to the point where it sometimes causes conflicts. For example, when a person from a province next to Shanghai became a manager at the shanghai branch of a Japanese company, some shanghaian employees complained, saying that they didn't want to work under the manger because they felt uncomfortable with non-shanghaian managers. I guess that this was because the promotion touched shanghaian pride. Some Chinese people strongly advise you that you should care about where your coworkers come from when you manage them.

It will take me some time to describe China and Chinese people. If I tell you a common characteristic of Chinese people, it will be that they always live aggressively and act in their best interests. If they didn't do so, I guess that they wouldn't be able to survive. Many of them keep challenging themselves to make a better life for themselves in any given situation. It sometimes impresses me. On the other hand, since they pay too much attention to their best interests, contracts and regulations are meaningless. It means that they consider contracts and regulations to be always changeable based on situations. It often bothers me. 

Anyway, I've realized that the Chinese society and Chinese people are generous enough to accept different things, which is what the Japanese society doesn't have. Actually, the generosity attracts some Japanese people to China.

Are Japanese women seeking for an opportunity to rely on men and to express their passion??

The annual world tango championship called "Mundial de Tango" was introduced by a Japanese TV program yesterday. It's held every August in Buenos Aires, Argentina where tango is very popular. The program tried to understand what tango was by means of examining three Argentinian couples who attended the 8th annual world tango championship held last August (408 couples from 16 counties attended it). According to the program, tango is a dance which requires dancers to present a love story and express their passion; so tango deeply reflects how a pair of dancers are feeling while they are dancing.

The first pair covered by the program used to be a couple in private life. Both of them are in their early 20s. Since they realized that their private relationship always influenced their dancing, they intentionally broke up to make their dancing better. As for the second pair, the male dancer is 37 years old. He did very well with his previous partner, who was also his girlfriend, every time he attended the world championship. But right before this world championship, she walked away from him. It broke his heart. However, he was determined to attend this championship with a new young partner not only to win it but also to overcome the difficulty. The third pair is a couple in private life. They are in their early 20s.

I enjoyed the three different love stories presented by the three pairs in the championship, although I didn't see many technical differences among them. I found it interesting. Only the third pair couldn't get into the final. The results made us think about whether or not tango dance partners should be a couple in private life. Since tango seems to be sensual, I was wondering how many people didn't care about their boyfriends/girlfriends dancing tango with their dance partner.

Anyway, the TV program mentioned that this time, a pair consisting of a 42-year-old Japanese woman and a 21-year-old Argentine man won the world championship in the category of “Stage Tango”. Last time, a Japanese pair won it in the category of "Salon Tango" (There seems to be these two categories). The remarkable accomplishments really surprised me because I don't think that Japanese people are good at expressing their passion, which is an essential element of tango.  I wondered if tango performed by Japanese women seemed attractive to foreigners since they usually express themselves in different ways: indirectly.

According to the program, in Japan, tango had been very popular especially among women, which also surprised me. However, the main reason reported was convincing: Many women who are fascinated by tango feel that they can rely on their male partner while they are dancing tango. This feeling attracts them. It seems that tango requires male dancers to lead their partners more aggressively than other kinds of dancing do.

These days, in Japan, many young men don't express themselves to their girlfriends. Women are often forced to put themselves in a situation where they have to be forward and take initiative in a relationship. Under these circumstances, Japanese women seem to be seeking for an opportunity both to rely on men and to be allowed to express their passion while responding to men's passion. Dancing the tango may be that opportunity.

http://www.tangobuenosaires.gov.ar/festivalymundial10/web/en/index.html

Ordinary things aren't ordinary

At the moment, I'm stuck in my house since the gas hot water unit is being replaced. It will take a few hours for me to be free. 

Last night, I had no choice but to wash dishes in very cold water due to the breakdown of the unit. I couldn't help but admire my grandparents since they must have always washed things in cold watter in winter. People never realize that ordinary things aren't ordinary and how much these things help them lead a comfortable life until they've lost them.

When I lived in Hong Kong more than a decade ago, sea water was supplied for toilet flushing. The water supply system would sometimes have problems. One day, the water for toilet flushing in my house didn't stop and overflowed. Although I managed to prevent it from going into other rooms, my bathroom was still flooded with water. When the water receded from the bathroom, I was really surprised to find that the bathroom was covered with sand. It was then that I realized sea water was being used for the toilets. 

When I lived in Guangzhou, China a few years ago, the electric supply in my area would occasionally be suspended for more than 8 hours in the summer. When my house had no problems with the electric supply, the supply to other districts would be suspended. At the time, this was because Guangzhou was suffering from chronic shortages of electricity. The suspensions would cause traffic turmoil. Although many people there were unwilling to obey traffic rules even under ordinary circumstances, turning off traffic lights worsened the situation. Frozen foods and foods put in the open fridge cases (it means fridge cases without doors) at shops were usually left there as they were during the suspensions, and were sold after the blackouts were over. I was wondering if the food was OK since it was humid and hot in Guangzhou during summer.

These things always made me realize that ordinary things aren't ordinary.

Today, many Japanese people might eat fried meat cutlets !?--頑張れ受験生！

My house is within seven minutes' walk of a train station. On the way, there are two well-known cram schools. One is for elementary school children. Every time I notice how many children attend the school in the evening, I wonder whether or not it is necessary for children to study such a long time. (All of the students that go there carry the same distinctive backpack provided by the school, so it's easy to pick them out). The other one is for high school graduates who failed their university entrance examinations during their last year of high school. They usually attend this kind of school, called 予備校/ yobiko, to pass the next examination for their first choice university.

Today, I heard a cheer in front of the school for high school graduates. The cheer reminded me that it had been reported that the annual National Center Test for University Admissions would be held this weekend (on the 15th and 16th). When I took the test many years ago, only public universities required you to take it. Now, though, many private universities require you to take it, as well. As for public universities, you decide which university you will apply to based on the result.

Anyway, after I passed through the school, I stopped by a bakery where I regularly go.I found that there were many fried meat sandwiches displayed (please see the attached picture). Usually, fried meat sandwiches don't sell very well. These sandwiches are called カツサンド/ katsu-sando in Japanese. Katsu means fried meat cutlets and サンド means sandwiches. Anyway, these sandwiches at the bakery also reminded me that the aforementioned test would be held tomorrow. Can you guess what the sandwiches have to do with the test? In the Japanese language, katsu/ 勝つ means "to win" in English. 勝つ（win) and カツ( fried meat cutlets) have the same pronunciation : Katsu. Because of this, some people are willing to eat カツ/ fried meat cutlets right before they, their family members,or friends take on something challenging, such as a test or important sports match.

According to the weather forecast, tomorrow will be the coldest day thus far this winter, and it will be snowing in many places. I hope that the test will be carried out without hindrance.

I feel like I'm outdated when 昭和/shouwa is used as a certain meaning.

There are traditional Japanese era names in Japan. We use both Western/Christian year and the traditional Japanese year. For example, this year is 2011 and 平成23年/heisei 23 nen (年 means year). 平成/ heisei is the current era name. Every time a new emperor (天皇/ tennou in Japanese) ascends the throne, a new era begins and a new era name starts being used. So, 平成23年 indicates that it's been 23 years since the current emperor ascended the throne. Actually, I don't know exactly how the era names are decided.

I still remember the time when 平成/heisei was announced as a new era name 23 years ago (please see the YouTube video). According to the announcement, 平成/heisei comes both from 内平外成 written in 史記, a well-known old Chinese book written by 司馬遷 in the Early Han /前漢時代, and from 地平天成 written in 書経, a very old Chinese book. If I make it short, 平成/heisei was named in hopes for an era of peace. Specifically, it was hoped that Japan would be well and peacefully governed while keeping good relationships with other countries. I don't think that people know that, but they assume that 平indicates 平和(heiwa, peace in English), and 成 indicates 成る(naru/ accomplish etc.in English).

I often hear people, especially young ones, saying that 昭和な感じがする. The literal translation of the Japanese phrase is that I feel that it is 昭和/shouwa , but the meaning is that I feel that it is old or outdated. 昭和/showa is the previous era name before 平成/heisei. Since 昭和/showa was used from 1926 to 1989, 昭和/showa seems to sound like former times to young people. Because of this, 昭和/showa is often used to indicate "old" and "outdated". Every time I notice that 昭和/showa is used as the meaning of them, I feel like I'm outdated since I'm familiar with 昭和/showa.

Freddie Mercury is singing with Japanese lyrics!! How impressive!

Have you heard of Cup-o'Noodles produced by Nissin/日清食品, a Japanese food company which was the first in the world to invent instant noodles? Have you ever eaten them ? Cup-o'Noodles are convenient instant noodles. All you have to do to eat them is just add hot water and wait for three minutes. This product has been very popular among Japanese people since it went on sale in 1971. Although there are various kinds of convenient instant noodles displayed in supermarkets, Cup-o'Noodles still seems to do well. In Japan, some people like eating a Cup-o'Noodle for lunch, and some store them as a sort of emergency provisions. As a matter of fact, they are helpful at disaster sites. When they went on sale in 1971, Cup-o'Noodles were welcomed especially by construction workers standing outside during the cold winter nights. Personally, I usually don't eat them. When I'm working late and on special occasions like this, I eat them.

Anyway, I think that Cup-o'Noodles TV commercials are always fascinating. When this year began, Freddie Mercury started appearing in a new TV commercial. He is singing "I was born to love you" with Japanese lyrics there. Needless to say, the lyrics are made to promote Cup-o'Noodles. I'm very impressed by it. I wonder how the commercial was made, although I'm sure that high technology is used.

According to Nissin, this year, it has been 20 years since Freddie Mercury passed away and it has been 40 years since Queen was formed. This TV commercial is a part of their worldwide advertising campaign, as well.

Many Japanese words equivalent to the English word "wife" have different nuances.

In my previous post, I wrote about Japanese words equivalent to the English word "husband". The words deeply reflect Japanese culture and are controversial. If you are interested in this topic, please click here. Today, I'll talk about Japanese words equivalent to the English word "wife".

In the Japanese language, 妻(tsuma), 嫁(yome)/嫁さん(yome-san), 奥さん(oku-san)/奥様(okusama), 家内(Kanai) and 女房（nyoubo) are used as the meaning of a wife although these terms have different nuances. They aren't interchangeable in some situations. When you are talking about your wife in daily conversation, you can refer to her as 妻, 嫁/嫁さん, 奥さん, 家内 and 女房. Only 奥様 is a little unsuitable although some men intentionally use 奥様 to convey some nuances. I think that 家内 and 女房 have become less popular, and are used mainly by older men. When you address someone's wife, 奥さん/oku-san is usually used. 奥様 is sometimes used as well, but it sounds very polite since, for example, Smith 様 sounds more polite than Smith さん(As you can see, 様and さん mean Mr., Mrs., Miss etc.).

Among these terms, 妻/tsuma is the most neutral, not having any nuance. When you describe the fact objectively in newspapers, etc., 妻 is used. As for 嫁/嫁さん, in my opinion, if you refer to your wife as 嫁/嫁さん, it will be usually fine with many wives (not all the wives). However, if you refer to your daughter-in-law as 嫁(yome), it often sounds offensive. In the past, when a woman married a man, it meant that she married into his family.(XX家（ke)に嫁(totsu)ぐin Japanese). In other words, she was required to take his surname and take care of him and his parents. She was required to devote her life to doing her best for his family as 嫁/yome. It was assumed that these were 嫁's roles. Because of these backgrounds, if you refer to your daughter-in-law as 嫁, she will feel like she is expected to play the traditional roles.

I don't think that 奥さんand 奥様 have negative nuances although these terms reflect Japanese culture. A long time ago, a man in a high position always lived in a large house with his family and a lot of servants. His wife was referred to as 奥様(okusama) or 奥方(okugata) since her room was located at the area far from the house entrance (At the time, the husband stayed at his room. When he wanted to meet his wife and sleep with her, he went to her room). In the Japanese language, back areas or areas far from the entrance are called 奥(oku), so the wife of a man in a high position was referred to as 奥方（方 means a person) or 奥様.

家内/kanai also reminds many women of a traditional idea. Until three decades ago (maybe), it was assumed that husbands should work and wives should stay at home and take care of their families. 家内 comes from this idea. 家 means a house/houses and 内 means inside, so 家内 means inside a house, which indicates a wife based on the traditional idea.

When you are talking with your friends, etc., if you refer to your wife as 妻 and refer to somebody's wife as 奥さん, it will be no problem. I think that Japanese words equivalent to the word "wife" are not as complicated and controversial as Japanese words equivalent to the word "husband".

Need a new Japanese word equivalent to the English word " husband"

In Japan, there is the traditional idea of 家長/kacho, although a lot of women, regardless of age, dislike it. 家 indicates a family and 長 means a leader of a group or a person who controls a group. So, 家長/kacho means a person who controls his family. In other words, the person makes a final decision of what to do and has to take responsibility for it in a family living together. The person is usually the oldest man in a family. When your husband is 家長/kacho, you are required to follow his decisions and respect him as 家長/kacho.

By the way, in the Japanese language, 夫(otto), 主人(shujin)/ご主人, 旦那(danna)/旦那さん and 亭主(teishu) are often used as the meaning of a husband. All the words mean husband in English, but they have different nuances. On top of that, these words aren't interchangeable in some situations. We chose the best word as the situation demands. 

In my opinion, 夫/otto is the most neutral word among them. 夫/otto hardly has any nuance. You can often find the word "夫/otto" in newspapers and essays, etc. I think that 夫/otto is often used when you want to describe the person/relationship objectively. However, 夫/orro isn't a very common word in daily conversation and emails between friends. I don't know why.

主人/ご主人(the usage: 私の主人/my husband, 彼女 or あなたのご主人/her or your husband) is the most frequently used in daily life. Actually, the word 主人/shujin reflects the aforementioned traditional idea of 家長/kacho. 主人/shujin means a person who controls a group. In the family, 主人/shujin means husband, since a husband is supposed to control his family based on that idea. These days, many women, including myself, don't want to use the word 主人/shujin largely because the word makes us think of gender inequality based on traditional roles.

Under these circumstances, 旦那 danna/旦那さん(the usage: 私の旦那/my husband, 彼女 or あなたの旦那さん/her or your husband）has become very common since the word does not make women think of gender inequality and the traditional idea. However, this word seems to give some older women a negative impression. This is because in the past, a concubine's husband (is not legally husband) was often referred to as 旦那danna/旦那さん. For example, at the time, if a man had a wife and a concubine, he was referred to as 主人/shujin when he was with his wife, and he was referred to as 旦那/danna when he was with his concubine.

Personally, I often use 旦那/旦那さん, but when I talk with unfamiliar people, especially when I address their husbands, I use 主人/ご主人. As for 亭主/teishu, it has become less common and is also controversial. How bothersome! I want a new Japanese equivalent to the English word "husband". I'm wondering whether or not the word "husband" has any nuances.

Languages are cultural. Some Japanese words and expressions deeply reflect Japanese culture, which sometimes bothers me.

Are the New Year Holidays the time to go shopping in Japan??

The New Year holidays, which are traditionally considered to be the time for family gatherings, have ended. Everything has gone back to normal. I n the past decade, there have been less things that make me feel celebratory about New Year.

http://ochaya.seesaa.net/article/29661590.html

When I was a child, no shops opened from the 1st to 3rd of January. The special decorations called 門松/kadomatsu (the first picture) were put in front of a lot of houses. When my parents took me to my grandparents' house, we all often wore Japanese traditional clothes called 着物/kimono because of the New Year celebration (the second picture: It's not my family, but my family was like this at the time). In town, I could easily see people dressing up in kimono or much better clothing than usual. These things made me realize the New Year Holidays.

http://www.y-kimono.com/ 

Many years ago, when I first started working, on the first day back (usually 4th January), many female workers wore kimono to their offices. The scene was often reported in the news. In my company, there weren't many female workers who would wear kimonos. Still, they dressed up. On the 4th, we were usually allowed not to work. They went to their offices just to say Happy New Year to their colleges while having snacks and drinking.

In contrast, people don't usually dress up during the New Year holidays these days. We can barely find the special decorations in large cities - except in front of shopping malls. A lot of shops open during the New Year holidays.In Tokyo, even on the 1st of January, there are long queues in front of major shopping malls because some people are willing to buy limited lucky bags called 福袋/fukubukuro (the third picture) which they have their eyes on. In Japan, traditionally, lucky bags go on sale on the first business day of the year to celebrate the new year. A Lucky bag is not a bag; rather it is a set of various goods which are put into a paper bag. For example, if you buy a 100USD lucky bag, you'll get goods worth 500USD at least. Needless to say, you don't always get what you want or need. Until two decades ago, you could find what was put in a lucky bag only after you bought it. These days, many shops announce in advance what will be put in a lucky bag to attract more customers. According to the news, major department stores enjoyed good sales of lucky bags this year. On top of that, winter bargain sales starts on the 2nd of January in department stores and shopping malls, although it used to start around the 10th of January until a decade ago. Because of this, I feel that the New Year holidays the time to go shopping.

As for the first working day of the year, it literally means the day to start working. No female workers dress up.

You may find something serious or get something expensive during the New Year holidays.

Yesterday, passenger planes and the Shinkansen (bullet trains) were overcrowded with people going back to their hometowns during the New Year holidays. International airports were filled with travelers who were encouraged to go abroad because of the strong Yen. As you can see, the New Year holidays are traditionally for family gatherings, although more and more younger people are willing to take advantage of the longer holidays to go on a trip. Because of that, in December, there are fights between parents and their children over how to spend the New Year holidays since older parents, especially those who live far from their children, really want them to come home.

Anyway, I've noticed that a special TV commercial has been frequently broadcast since a week ago. It says that you should please try to watch your old parents carefully and see whether or not there is something unusual with them while you visit them during the holidays. It also shows the significant symptoms of dementia and numbers to contact if you find something unusual. Actually, the number of people suffering from dementia has been sharply increasing in Japan, so both society and individuals pay attention to how to prevent themselves from getting it. It's been said that noticing dementia symptoms in an early stage is key since there are effective ways of slowing the progression of it, although dementia isn't treatable. I'm aware of these things, however, I didn't expect TV commercials like this to be broadcast.

On the other hand, there is a special promotion to encourage senior citizens to spend more money for their children and grandchildren during the New Year holidays. Actually, younger married couples tend to rely on their parents when they have to buy something expensive for their children. This is because people over 65 usually have a lot of savings since they could receive a lot of money when they reached the mandatory retirement age; in contrast, their married children are struggling to make a living since they have been suffering from the recession.

Under these circumstances, some major shopping malls, most of which are open during the New Year holidays, have already displayed the traditional dolls called ひな人形/hina-ningyo (the first picture) and back-to-school merchandise for incoming pupils so that senior citizens, their children, and their grandchildren can take advantage of the New Year family gathering to go there together to buy them. That way, they can buy something that their children and grandchildren will really like. 

The first item is a set of traditional dolls which are displayed at home to pray for young girl's happiness around the Doll Festival/ひな祭り on the 3rd of March. Many grandparents are willing to buy them before their baby girls have their first Doll Festival. Many kinds of the dolls are very expensive. The second item mainly refers to student desks/学習机（the second picture) used at home and Japanese school bags called ランドセル/randoseru (the third picture. The new school term begins in April in Japan). Until two years ago, these things started being displayed in February. I've heard that the promotion succeeded this year.

I wish you all the best in 2011!

Now is when I have the strongest feeling that I'm Japanese.

In Japan, the last few days of the year are the most hectic in the year. People often say that they don't leave things to be done until the next year, so they try to have everything done within the year. Although some traditions are fading out from Japan, the New Year celebration still makes many people feel like they have to do something based on tradition.

People will clean their entire house during the last few days of the year to greet and enjoy the New Year. They first distinguish necessary things from unnecessary ones, and then they try to throw away as many things as possible. After that, they wipe every nook and cranny of their houses as if they were trying not to carry over any dust to the coming year. Since the idea called 断捨離/dan-sha-ri (please see Note 1 below) has become very popular this year, I think that people try to throw away many more things than usual .

On the 31st of December, wives are usually stuck in kitchens cooking special dishes called おせち料理/osechi ryori ( please see the pictures) for the New Year Holidays, although more and more people are buying them. These dishes were developed when refrigerators didn't exist. They were basically nonperishable foods at the time. In other words, they were cooked to last for a few days so that wives did not have to cook during the New Year holidays. Because of this, the special dishes will be strong and too sweet if you cook them based on the general recipes. Speaking of nonperishable foods at the time, some kinds of sushi/寿司 were developed to last longer, as well.

Anyway, people are willing to buy expensive foods because of the New Year celebration, whether or not these foods are what they are supposed to eat during the New Year holidays. Some want to use new sheets starting from the 1st day of the year. I'll stop listing these things. All in all, shops can enjoy good sales during the last week of the year.

I'm often told that I'm different from ordinary Japanese. This might be because I lived in foreign countries for seven years in total. On top of that, I'm flexible about tradition. However, I do feel like doing something before the New Year holidays. Yesterday, I spent a much longer time than usual to clean up my house. Today, I'll go shopping. Tomorrow, I'll cook some special dishes.

I wish you all the best in 2011!

Note1 :断捨離 /dan sha ri
I'm not sure where this idea and phrase come from, although I've heard that they came from Yoga. This means thinking about your life by means of thinking about what things around you really need and throwing away things other than those you really need. Books and magazines relating to 断捨離 are enjoying good sales.

Do calendars play a certain role on business? Calenders are things to be given in Japan.

There are only a few days left this year. Companies other than service ones got closed for the New Year holidays yesterday. The last business day of the year is called 仕事納め/shigoto-osame in Japan. On the day, small parties called 納会/noukai are usually held. In my experience, snacks and drinks including alcohols are served at the office. Companies will be usually be closed for business until the 3rd of January.

As I mentioned before, people traditionally give gifts to their bosses and friends etc in order to show their gratitude in December although this tradition has become less popular. Other than this tradition, right before the holidays start, workers visit their main clients to express their gratitude and give them original calendars or diaries which their companies made as promotional goods, although I've found that there is a growing tendency by companies to stop making and giving them to cut costs.

I don't know why calendars and diaries have become that popular as small gifts given in December. I guess this is because they are necessary and coveted things. On top of that, calendars are put on desks or hung on walls for a year, and diaries are used for a year, as well. In other words, they can remind people daily of companies which gave them, so they are effective promotion tools. However, the calendars and diaries will be meaningless if they aren't used. In order to capture hearts and minds, some are highly designed, and some are functional. Needless to say, company's names and telephone numbers are printed on the calendars and diaries in a way to not spoil the design of them. As for calendars, in my experience, I can find ones I like among calendars given at work. If there are some left at the office after Christmas, workers are often allowed to bring them back home if they want. Until a decade ago, banks etc would give them not only to main clients but also to individual clients such as housewives. All in all, calendars are things to be given, not to buy, for many people in Japan, although more people buy them since the number of attractive free calendars has sharply decreased due to the current recession.

I wish you all the best in 2011!

This is Christmas in Japan !!

When I was little, Christmas was the day when Santa Claus came to my house to give me a gift. When I woke upon the day, I found that the gift was beside my bed. In Japan, Christmas gifts from Santa are usually put beside Children's beds. This might be partly because people don't know what Christmas gifts mean and partly because tiny Christmas trees are very common due to small houses. When I realized that Santa Claus doesn't exist, Christmas disappeared from my family. Every time I asked my mother to give me a Christmas gift, she said to me, "We aren't Christians, so we don't need to celebrate Christmas". Still, she'd buy a whole cake decorated for Christmas and roast chickens. As you can see, Christmas makes many people think of cakes and roast chickens. On Christmas Eve and day, well-known cake shops temporary appear in major train stations to sell Christmas cakes to businessmen/women on the way home (There are no national holidays for Christmas in Japan). KFC tries to achieve as large sales as possible. As for gifts, currently, many children seem to receive them from their parents and grandparents even after they realize the truth about Santa.

About a week ago, on a train, I heard a few young business women having a small talk about Christmas. They said: "I've heard that XX is going to XX with her boyfriend on Christmas. I wish I had such a plan. We all don't have boyfriends. Do you have a plan on Christmas Eve and day? This year, Christmas Eve is on Friday. It sucks, doesn't it? While I stay alone at home after work on Friday night, I sometimes feel lonely. I don't want to spend Christmas Eve alone on Friday night. Why won't we go out for dinner together after work? ". This conversation reminded me of when I was in my late teens and 20s. Christmas makes young people feel like they want to have a romantic date with their boy/girlfriends. If they can't do that, then they try to fill the time with a party with their friends.

Actually, around Christmas, workers, including myself, are busy at both work and home because it's several days before the New Year holidays. I think that many of them are forced to work late on Christmas Eve and day.

I have a few Japanese Christian friends. They usually go to church on Christmas Eve.

Are Christmas gifts replacing traditional gifts sent in December in Japan?

During December, in the west, people usually think of Christmas gifts when speaking of gifts. People in Japan, especially the youth and those with small children and grandchildren, think of Christmas gifts as well. However, some think of another kind of gifts called お歳暮/o-seibo. This is a Japanese tradition. In December, we give gifts to our bosses and friends etc in order to show our gratitude for their help during the year, although this tradition has recently become less popular. I'm even wondering if the tradition is fading out, but special zones for the gifts called お歳暮/o-seibo still appear in supermarkets and department stores in November.

When I was a child, this kind of gifts were sent home mainly by my father's co-workers whom he was in charge of and by his clients. I looked forward to the gifts. When I started working many years ago, my company strongly advised that its employees should refrain from sending the gifts to their bosses and co-workers since the employees wondered if the gifts helped their bosses give them a good evaluation. Because of this, I never sent the gifts to my bosses nor received them from my co-workers in my company. However, my division still received them from other companies with which my division had close relationships in business. On top of that, I was personally given the gifts by other companies etc which were involved in my projects. Although I was required to report to my boss who gave me what, I was allowed to accept the gifts since all of them were within the bounds of common sense. As far as I remember, I received a dozen beers, a few pieces of handkerchief and things like that (Please see the Note below).

At the time, in December, some workers in department stores visited companies to give advice and help them send the gifts. As the times have changed, companies are required to be more transparency. Since some of the gifts were likely to be considered a sort of bribe, companies stopped sending and receiving gifts. Although I think that there are some companies which still keep the tradition, the current recession has encouraged more companies to turn from the tradition. On top of that, the tradition is disappearing from many younger people. Instead, Christmas gifts have become more familiar with them.

Note: 

When I started working, I was a only woman in my project, although many people from various companies were involved in the project. They were not used to dealing with female co-workers. In December, some of them wanted to give me a gift as お歳暮/o-seibo. However, I guess they didn't know what kind of gift was best for me since they hadn't given the gifts called お歳暮/o-seibo to female co-workers before. After they thought through it, some gave me a big stuffed Snoopy because I told them at work that I liked Snoopy very much. Some gave me a pair of very high-quality pajamas. These surprised not only me but also my co-workers in my company. We all broke up.

I wish you a merry Christmas !!!

"I love you" versus "愛しているよ"

Christmas is mainly for young couples and children in Japan. Many young couples want to have a romantic time because it is Christmas. I'm sure that younger women expect their boyfriends or husbands to put them in a romantic mood on Christmas.

Anyway, I often hear women from the West complaining that their Japanese boyfriends or husbands say sweet words to them much less frequently than they expect. Some Japanese women are frustrated with the same thing, as well. As you can see, generally, Japanese men are not good at making women happy with words. As for the phrase "I love you", I think that Japanese people, regardless of gender and age, hardly use it to express themselves. I suppose that the Japanese phrase "愛しているよ", which is the literal translation of " I love you", gives many Japanese people different impressions from those which "I love you" conveys. Some insist that they can easily say, "I love you" in English, but it's very hard to say 愛しているよ in Japanese not only to Japanese people but also to non-Japanese who can understand Japanese. I totally agree with them. On top of that, when Westerners say to me "I love you", I can take the phrase at face value. In contrast, when my Japanese boyfriend (or husband) seriously says to me "愛しているよ" in ordinary situations, I'll be surprised, wondering if there is something wrong with him. Needless to say, it depends on situations and people.

In American TV shows, the phrase "I love you" is always used between parents and their children. To be honest, I've never said to my parents "愛しているよ/ I love you" although I love them. If I said that, they would be so surprised that they would start worrying about me. As far as I remember, they've also never said to me ” 愛しているよ” although I've realized that they love me very much.

In Japanese culture, ambiguous expressions are often preferred, so Japanese people subconsciously try to sense what speakers imply even when they don't imply anything. Japanese people still tend to prefer expressing themselves and being expected to sense others' feelings without words. When Japanese people express how much they love their lovers, they use various expressions based on situations. I guess that these backgrounds make 愛しているよ a special phrase. I'm sorry I can't explain it well.

PS: Actually, "大好きだよ/ I like you very much" is much more common among couples. Given that and considering nuances 大好きだよconveys, 大好きだよ might be equivalent to "I love you" among couples.

Christmas is a good excuse for people tired of pinching pennies.

Have you recently been busy preparing for Christmas or are you already on holiday? In Japan, Christmas is mainly for young couples and children. Many young couples want to have a romantic time because it is Christmas. Small children believe that Santa Claus is going to come to their house to give them gifts. Children who have already realized that Santa Clause doesn't exist look forward to Christmas gifts from their parents and grandparents. Since most Japanese people are not Christians, Christmas is highly commercialized. Because of that, some of our unique customs relating to Christmas look weird to Westerners.

Anyway, it has been recently reported that Japanese people's attitudes toward Christmas have clearly shown that they are tired of pinching pennies. Department stores are happily surprised to see that luxury goods are enjoying much better sales than expected. These goods are being bought as Christmas gifts or on the pretext of Christmas. Extravagant rooms at luxury hotels have been fully booked around Christmas. These things didn't happen last December. This year, Christmas seems to be a good excuse for people tired of pinching pennies to spend a little more money to make themselves happy. Unfortunately, it isn't seen as a good sign of economic recovery, although I sometimes hear that the Japanese economy is gradually getting better. I have found this sign, but I haven't deeply realized it yet. I feel that the income gap between the rich and the poor has been growing.

Did a high school girl help Peter Ferdinand Drucker become more popular in Japan?

In Japan, after school, junior and senior high school students can participate in club activities that their schools offer, although there is a growing trend of students having no interest in joining them. Also, more and more students aren't allowed to participate in club activities even if they really want to because they have to work part-time jobs to help their parents suffering from the current recession. Anyway, there are various clubs at school, such as a baseball teams and brass bands. In some sports clubs, there are students who take care of players and support their activities and training. These students are called managers. I don't know why.

To make my explanation more easily understood, I'll use a baseball club as an example. Some students are willing to join the baseball club as the so-called managers because they really like baseball but can't or don't want to play it for some reason. In addition, there are some girls with an ulterior motive. It means that are interested in a guy in the baseball club, so they join it as managers. Also, boys in the baseball club sometimes try to drag popular girls into the club as managers. What I want to say is that Japanese people are very familiar with these so-called managers.

Incidentally, a certain business book has been drawing considerable attention in the past year. Recently, it was announced that this book was No.1 on the 2010 annual best seller list, which has drawn more attention to the book since it's unusual for business books to hit the bestseller list. It has been said that the current recession makes many people think through what to do to survive the recession and pay more attention to business books. Besides that, it has been pointed out that another factor which has boosted the sales of the bestseller book is that it's written from a different, original viewpoint.

The title of the book is "If a female manager in a high school baseball club reads (or read) the book, " Management", written by Peter Ferdinand Drucker/「もし高校野球の女子マネージャーがドラッカーの『マネジメント』を読んだら". In the book, a high school girl joins her high school's baseball club as a manager. She is determined to make the baseball team strong enough to be able to win competitive preliminary matches and participate in the national high school baseball championship. One day, she happens to find the book "Management" written by Peter Drucker and manages to read through it, although she has a hard time understanding it. Then, she realize that his theories can apply to the baseball team, and tries to reform it based on those theories.

It's important yet difficult to break the theories down into understandable and manageable pieces. Although I haven't read the book yet, I'm sure that the book shows how to break it down and to apply it to your life. Actually, the book has attracted people who have little or no interest in business books as well. Thanks to the book, books written by Peter Drucker are enjoying good sales, as well.

This year, hot weather and China have had a major impact on Japanese people--One Kanji describing the Japan of 2010

In Japan, December is traditionally the time to look back on the year. There are some events relating to this tradition. One of them is picking one Kanji (漢字/Chinese characters) describing the Japan of 2010. It was announced a few days ago.

The Kanji of the year is decided in a ballot. It means that anyone is allowed to choose one Kanji that best describes the Japan of the year and enter his/her own choice, and then the Kanji that the largest number of people have chosen is announced as the kanji of the year. When you enter your own choice, you are required to write the reasons for it.

According to the news, there were 285,406 entries this year. 暑/sho has gained 14,537votes (approximately 5%) and won first place. 暑 means being hot, heat etc. In Japan, during summer, it was brutally hot throughout the country. Many people suffered from heat stroke. It was reported every day how many people had died of heat stroke. Agriculture and fishery have been seriously damaged since then. The unusual weather caused a sharp increase in vegetable prices, which made people's lives difficult. The temperature of the sea around Japan was higher than usual. Because of that, in October, some kinds of fish which are usually sold at the market didn't appear near Japan. This is largely because a large number of people chose 暑.

Other than that, two incidents made people think of 暑. One is that in Chile, the 33 trapped miners managed to cope with "heat" and were rescued. The other is the Japanese asteroid probe called Hayabusa. The probe withstood very high temperature("hot") when it entered the atmosphere, and succeeded in returning to the earth from the asteroid Itokawa. About a month ago, it tuned out that particles which the probe brought back were definitely from the asteroid Itokawa. Since this news gave a dream and hope to people struggling with the current recession, it impressed many people.

Actually, what surprised me most is the Kanji in second place, 中/chu or naka. 中 mainly indicates 中国/chugoku (China in English) . Admittedly, the Shanghai Expo, a surge in number of Chinese tourists in Japan, the political conflict over an island, the embargo on the export of rare earth and the Nobel Peace Prize drew considerable attention. On top of that, I've realized that many Japanese people were shocked by Chinese diplomacy and responses by Beijing. However, I didn't expect at all 中 to be in second place. Since I already got used to the Chinese ways while I was in China, I underestimated the impact of these incidents on people.