Japanese culture

Found a pretty useful website which answers a lot of questions about Japan: http://japanexplained.wordpress.com/

Notable points moving forward:

• Facial hair is uncommon and quite frowned upon in Japan, bushy beard is usually a sign of radical politics, if not actually communist party membership
• Blonde gaijin women are seen as exotic and exciting, most Japanese women are naturally brunette
• Japanese adverts are very risk averse, often just with a face ofg a celebrity endorsement and not the product itself.
• No pressure on people to do educational stuff on weekends, Japanese acknowledge hard work during the week and rest on the weekend, lying around watching movies isn't seen as 'lazy' and unproductive.
• Paper bag reusing is apparently common
• Being bright and cheerful is one of the most important personality traits in Japanese culture

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Why is facial hair so rare in Japan?

Some Japanese guys have problems growing a full beard, but it is more a case of image. For example, bushy beards are still usually a sign of radical politics if not actual communist party membership

Why do strangers keep pointing out (some almost angrily) that my bag is open?

Because that is exactly the kind of slackness that pisses that late middle aged guy off about young people and/or foreigners

Why do blonde gaijin women get so much more attention?

If you are going to go for Western women, you are going to be looking for something really different from the Japanese.

Why do so many advertising campaigns have just a celebrity face and not even picture the product?
 Because of the generalist management of Japanese companies the person choosing an advertising campaign-and even the person from Dentsu suggesting it to him- could well know nothing about marketing. The campaigns chosen are therefore those that bring prestige to those people, which is guaranteed by famous faces even if the product flops. This also ties in with being risk averse.

Why do some Japanese advertisements just consist of a picture of a famous person? 

“the majority of my co-workers are here because of some connection they have, or because they are the son or daughter of someone important”
A Senior Account Executive from a “large Japanese advertising company” explains why Japanese advertising is so shit in “Being a Broad in Japan” pg 307. Having a celebrity is considered a low risk and high status advertising campaign, especially if the top staff get to meet the celebrity. Still don’t know how to explain the occassional flashes of brilliance like the Coca Cola Zero ones though…

Why do some people handing out leaflets or tissues in the street avoid giving gaijin any?

With a dedication to a crap job rarely seen outside Japan, they are giving them only to the specific people the advertising is aimed at.

Why is Japanese deodorant to ineffective for Westerners?

The classic explanation is that the Japanese do not sweat or smell as much, and the second might be true in some cases. More importantly, the Japanese equivalents of P&G (Kaoo etc.) obviously have some kind of monopolistic hold on the drugstore market because this is one of the few sectors where Japanese companies produce such rubbish products that not even people in most other Asian countries will buy them.

Why are the Japanese quite happy to say “I slept” or “I cleaned my room” as an answer to “How was your weekend?”

For one thing, unlike the UK for example there is no social pressure to do anything useful and educational in your free time. If you want to read kids’ manga or watch 5 hours of variety shows, nobody much minds. Actually, though, they might have done something more interesting but are hiding it in order to avoid speaking in English or not to attract unwelcome attention or envy. One more factor is that saying these things emphasizes the fact that they have been working hard all week- not something that the Japanese try to hide.

Why do Japanese films so often have quiet scenes interspersed with action (e.g. Beat Takeshi movies)?

As Japanese conversations often take place sitting on tatami, there is naturally a lack of moving around, waving arms etc. The Japanese also accept more silence in a normal conversation than most Europeans (excluding Finns)

Why do the Japanese, especially girls, stare at foreigners?

As a foreigner, you are outside the system and so people feel free in a way they wouldn’t usually (and being out of the loop, you are free too). Also, staring at guys is not seen as a come on as someone who is interested would act coy and avoid eye contact. In Japan, you can tell when a guy in the office fancies you when they never address you directly during work drinks. Staring at foreign girls could be due to a general obsession with appearance and fashion- although less often, you will see Japanese women staring at other Japanese women who stand out in some way (tall, glamorous, odd etc.).

Why do some Japanese girls do the “dinosaur walk” with shopping bags on the inside of their elbows rather than in their hands?

The bags would touch the ground otherwise??

Why are the Japanese so into ”kawaii” (cute)?
As long as it is socially acceptable, there is no reason why having a picture of a kitten should not make you feel warm inside. Being around cute stuff makes you feel good. And anything that makes you feel good can be addictive. It should also be noted that “kawaii” is also used by some people with such a wide range of meanings it could even be translated just as ‘good’ rather than ‘cute’.

Fish and chips, pie and chips, haggis and chips, chips and chips

Most of the non-chain pubs do half-decent British food. I’ve heard very good things about the Sunday roast at the Tavern in Yokohama (great pub, but be careful where you sit when the Marines are in). My personal favourites, though, are the haggis pizza and Raj Chicken at the Warrior Celt in Ueno, a pub with real character and real characters. Also very good happy hour, with Spitfire on tap (but have a feeling they don’t get through the barrels as quickly as they should as the beer is variable- stick to Guinness or one of the many bottled beers if you need to achieve anything the next day).

Why do department stores have art exhibitions?

Part of Westernizing, which department stores were at the forefront of?

Why do the Japanese reuse their brand goods paper carrier bags?

It’s an Asian thing, but not sure why.

Why do some middle aged guys still wear white fluffy socks and slip on shoes long after the 80′s are over?

The slip on shoes do have a practical purpose, seeing as you have to take them off several times a day at home, in Japanese style bars etc, but the main reason could be that the Japanese, Chinese and Indian factories that were making these products for the European market in the 80′s are now flooding the Japanese market with very cheap ones now that it has died a death in the UK etc. (they are also east to spot in India and Korea).

Why do most Japanese women dye their hair? 
Although it might have started off as wanting to be different, nowadays if an OL doesn’t dye her hair her female colleagues will ask her why not. If they reply that their boyfriend prefers it that way most people could quickly guess that he is foreign.Dyed hair is considered akarui- bright, cheerful- also one of the most important personality traits in Japan.