| Japan
is a very special country with very distinctive culture and traditions.
the most interesting thing in Japan is that you may form an idea or image
about it when you read a book; you also can enrich your image by watching
a documentary or historical movie about the chain of islands in the far
east. When you visit Japan, your image will be soon changed and the
idea will be replaced by a different one. If you have a chance to live
longer in Japan, you will discover that all your previous ideas and images
were illusion!! and the amazing society is absolutely different !! |
| Discussing
the Japanese culture and way of thinking, and comparing it with the Egyptian
one is a very huge subject which needs much efforts and time to be covered,
but I'd like to start by narrating my impression of the idea of "Groupism"
(Group-think) represented by the Japanese society on contrary
to the sense of "Individuality", which might
be seen clearer in the Egyptian society. |
| I
was
just a new comer to Japan when I started Japanese language courses before
joining the graduate school in MIYAZAKI*or
the southern paradise of Japan as they call it. There was a project of
constructing a new facility in the university; one day I saw five or six
workers of the project gathered and began a long discussion on how to move
a rock to another nearby site. I was surprised to watch them talking and
discussing the very easy task. It took from me a few minutes before I could
imagine how the rock could be moved. The workers had taken the same steps
I thought about after a long discussion lasted for about thirty minutes.
when I told the story later to a Japanese friend, he taught me a lesson
about the Japanese mentality and culture; he said that Japanese in general
cannot take the responsibility of taking decisions individually even if
the matter is an easy one!! He mentioned a Japanese proverb says, "Same
like the others, then I am safe". He added that taking the responsibility
is very hard, and individuals cannot afford it , otherwise committing mistakes
results in committing suicide or in vain trying to escape society's punishment.
I guess that there is no need to analyze the Egyptian way concerning this
point but I'd like to mention the Egyptian expression , "FAHLWA",
and I leave the rest to the readers' judgment. |
| In
Japanese educational institutions, starting with kindergarten and ending
with the end of one's life, citizens are taught how to be responsible.
Children in schools are responsible for cleaning their schools; classes,
corridors, walls, stairs, every bit and everywhere in the school. THERE
are no workers for cleaning! The same is in hospitals - doctors, nurses
and hospital's president- clean every bit everywhere in the hospita ; companies,
factories and night clubs too! There is no shame to clean the sidewalks
and the surrounding areas of own place of work; surely the same implies
on the residence areas. No governor, a worker, or an official to be blamed
for any shortage of the cleaning issue; all the blame and the shame fall
on the citizens themselves. |
| The
equalizer sense of being GUILTY in our society
is the sense of being
ASHAMED in Japan. In
Egypt, God is our judge and in Japan society is. The merciful God forgives
and gives more chances to repent, but the society in Japan is merciless
and cruel! |
The sky and the mountains
are the two guardians of the pacific here in the southern paradise of Japan,
Miyazaki.
| When
people know how to be responsible, they can build a civilized and advanced
society. They will stop recalling the memories of kings and presidents,
and accuse them of all what they themselves failed to correct. Society,
whether it is a nursery or a big country, is owned by its people; the leader
is just a representative of people, and when they fail to correct their
leaders' mistakes, they should take the responsibility courageously otherwise
they are irresponsible and worth all conclusions. |
Sunset in Aya town where
sun hugs the trees and the mountains in a unique and fantastic way.
| In
Egypt, we were lucky enough to be the first nation which worshipped one
God, but we betrayed Akhnaton and worshipped the pharaohs, and the process
continued until today! Every time we damn the leader, and what else can
do the irresponsible?!
When
a governor or a minister in Japan is found guilty or irresponsible, there
are only two alternatives to his remaining days in life; one is to commit
suicide, and the other is to go on trial and lose his credibility in society;
a social homicide. In Egypt, he will be transferred to a post in ministry
of tourism before moving on pension!!! |
| The
historical name of Miyazaki means "Land
facing the sun." It is by this name that Miyazaki
is mentioned in the Nihonshoki, one of Japan's
oldest written chronicles of history, as the cradle of Japanese civilization. |
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