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I spent four years growing up in Japan (my parents were ESL teachers) and I attended Japanese public schools for 2nd/3rd grade and sophomore year of college. Wh
by mgbelisle 11y ago
I spent four years growing up in Japan (my parents were ESL teachers) and I attended Japanese public schools for 2nd/3rd grade and sophomore year of college. What the article says is very true; I feel like strangers can be trusted in Japan but not here in NYC. There is strong pressure in Japan to do what's good for others: be clean, be quiet, be honest, be economical. There is also strong pressure to follow the social norm and to not take risks, which affects startup culture in Japan like https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8573992 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8573992 describes well. Both these traits have one thing in common: they point to Japan's exceptionally homogenous culture. I really wish we could have the ubiquitous "care for others" mentality alongside the "be yourself" mentality, but so far I've not seen anywhere that is very much the case. If anyone has seen it I'm really interested to know.
- rybosome 11y ago> I really wish we could have the ubiquitous "care for others" mentality alongside the "be yourself" mentality Agreed. I'm not even sure if it's possible for those to coexist, but it's wonderful to imagine - discover yourself and your place in the world while respecting others and recognizing that your actions can negatively affect them. The US has too little of the "care for others" mentality, as evidenced by the large number of individuals who do not believe in climate change and see environmentalism in general as useless government meddling.
- digi_owl 11y agoThey can, but it's a balancing act. One that is constantly under threat by advertisement and similar that push the self above all else. I sometimes wonder if one need to experience real hardship for the idea to set in. To really experience the need for cooperation to get something done.
- kuschku 11y agoHm, especially the risk-aversion seems very similar to Germany. And the effects on the startup culture are interestingly the same. It’s interesting how unicorns are only possible in countries where no one cares about consequences of their actions.
- allengeorge 11y agoThat's...not accurate - you realize that, right? I mean - if we think tech startups in the last two decades only, then yes. But, both Japan and Germany have both fostered huge companies, both conglomerates and not, that belie your statement.
- kuschku 11y agoYes, but that weren’t startups. You know the company ALDI? They never took a single loan. Many German companies operate similarly, never taking large risks. But US startups are taking billions in VC money, and often instantly fail again.
- slavik81 11y agoWhen I last visited, I found it interesting that the silent mode on phones was named 'manners mode'.
- yawaramin 11y agoI think I've let the 'manners mode' etiquette influence me a lot. I now keep my phone on silent from the moment I get on my train for the morning commute to work right up until I get off it again after the trip home.
- masklinn 11y agoI'm not sure that has anything with "manners mode" etiquette. I have never been to japan and my phone is almost always in silent mode. When my phone is either in my pocket, in my hand, or on my desk half a foot from me, I don't see why it would ever ring.
- yawaramin 11y agoHa. If only some of my co-workers felt as you do! The other day at a conference, in the middle of a talk, we heard someone's phone ringing. Obtuse.