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What Are the Japanese?
The World of Up-Side Down?
• Marco Polo (1252-1324) introduced Japan to the western world for the first time after he spent 17 years serving Kublai Khan in China.
The Venetian merchant wrote about Japan as the rich country of the rising sun with gold-gilded roof houses. This exaggerated concept of Japan has instigated many adventurers such as Christopher Columbus to explore the new world.
• In the 16th century, Portuguese missionaries including Francisco Xavier come in an effort to spread the Roman Catholic Teachings.
Because of their efforts, quite a large number of Samurai masters of the manor were christened.
One of the missionaries Luis S.J. Frois wrote an interesting book about the Japanese: A comparative study between Japan and Europe. He discovered that the Japanese do in the opposite and reverse the direction of the Europeans in many activities. This report of him has made Europeans think the Japanese too exotic people.
• The Frois’ book is too exaggerated but interesting. Below are some points from his book.
About People:
1) Europeans are big and well built while Japanese are small and slimly built.
2) Europeans take big round eyes as charming while Japanese small narrow eyes are beautiful.
3) Europeans have many freckles on the face while Japanese are not freckled.
About Dresses and Daily Life:
4) European wear the same clothing all year round while Japanese change the clothes three times in 4 seasons: Summer, Winter, and Spring/Autumn clothes.
5) Europeans clothes are tight and constraint while Japanese Kimonos are loose and free.
6) Europeans wear better clothes over and worse ones for underwear while Japanese wear the best clothes for underwear.
7) Europeans wear black clothes for funerals while Japanese wear white ones.
About Women:
8) European women take chastity as most important while virginity is not so important to Japanese women.
9) European women’s hair grows gray fast while Japanese keep black hair.
10) In Europe, husbands walk in front of his wife while Japanese gentlemen follow behind their wives.
11) In Europe, husband divorces his wife, while wife often divorces her husband in Japan.
12) European wife cannot go out without her husband’s permission while Japanese wife can go anywhere without permission from her husband.
13) European women are not trained in writing while literacy is considered a requirement for noble women in Japan.
14) European women welcome guests by standing while Japanese by sitting.
About Drinking and Eating:
15) Europeans eat by hand while Japanese by chopsticks.
16) Europeans eat and drink on a chair while Japanese sitting on “TATAMI” or mat.
17) Europeans can eat the meal without soup while soup is indispensable for Japanese.
18) Europeans eat cooked (grilled or boiled) fish while Japanese eat raw fish.
19) Europeans like sweet things while Japanese like salty ones.
About Writing System:
20) Europeans use only 25 letters (Alphabet) while Japanese use 48 letters (Katanaka & Hirakana) plus innumerable Chinese characters.
21) Europeans write from left to right while Japanese do vertically from right to left.
22) Japanese books begin where European books end.
23) European year system begins from the birth of Christ keeping the year in succession while Japanese calendar year changes more often.
About Houses and Gardens:
24) European houses are high-storied while Japanese are most one-storied.
25) European rooms are separated by a solid wall while Japanese by sliding doors or screens.
26) Europeans use permanent beds while Japanese put bedding on “ Tatami” or mat to sleep at night and store them in separate placer at daytime.
About Habits and customs:
27) In Europe, we do not give money as a present or gift while Japanese give cash.
28) In Europe, we visit people without a gift while the Japanese carry a gift when visiting.
29) Europeans push a cart while Japanese pull a cart.
30) Europeans saw a tree by pushing while Japanese by Pulling.