JEEPNEY PRESS Alma Reyes

TRAFFIC by Alma Reyes

Why Japan is Far from Globalization

We hear the common phrase “people don’t change.” Even Einstein said, “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” In that sense, maybe Japan cannot change either. To the casual eye, time may have witnessed some perceptible changes in the Japanese lifestyle and behavioral trends over the last twenty years. More Westernized fashion styles, food preferences, and home living standards, for instance, appear more apparent today. However, what dwells underneath those visible trends may have not altered much. Certainly, Japan has moved upwards from post-war impoverishment to one of the world’s strongest economic powers. Yet, is this enough to view the country as “globalized”?

Concerning the implementation of the English language and assimilation with foreign cultures, Japan still lags far behind many of its Asian neighbors. This comes as bewildering as we approach the middle of the 21st century. I recall my student days back in Kyoto more than twenty years ago when many Japanese then would stare at foreigners walking down the streets. I remember a Japanese stranger walking up to my American friend saying, “You have such long legs.” Inside trains, foreigners reading books in English would get intent scrutinies. Yet, after twenty years those scrutinies haven’t exactly faded. No wonder the foreign resident card is called “alien card”.

Illustration by: Dennis Sun

Teaching English in Japan is itself a somewhat ungratifying task when we all know that English is not omnipresently adopted into the system and the people’s daily lives. Many English schools in the country are textbook-based and train students merely to pass the Eiken or TOEIC tests. Japanese can read well, and many are able to comprehend written language. When asked to speak, they cringe like beavers in a hole. This may be a weakness in the educational system, but may also be a failure of the cultural system to embrace English as the country’s second language so that the people may be able to immerse with global cultures more realistically. One may say that this is not necessarily so if an interpreter is present. However, I believe that language is culture. With Japanese culture, this is particularly evident. Many facets of the culture are not easy to grasp without understanding the language and its profound meanings. Language is the core of Japan’s spirit. They have lived on doctrines of Zen philosophy for centuries, are inspired by their Haiku and Waka poetry, and express themselves more directly by verbal expression rather than by emotion or gestures. Likewise, studying English conversation may be a helpful tool to increase the knowledge of the language, but without being able to use it in everyday life and taking interest in foreign cultures, it remains futile. Many Japanese economists have been using the word “borderless” to pertain to Japan’s future role in the world. Over the years, the culture may have succeeded crossing the borders in the areas of tourism, food, traditional culture, manga and anime. However, many foreigners (not tourists) living in Japan still face inevitable hurdles in adapting to the cultural system. These are office workers who feel discrimination in the workforce, foreign spouses who feel neglected by the family of their Japanese spouses, or mixed-race children who are bullied in schools. Many foreigners struggle in claiming welfare and employment benefits, processing bank transactions, receiving adequate health care, or maintaining their homes because of the lack of English communication in hospitals, municipal wards, banks, and most service facilities. Generally, many foreigners in this country will always feel less privileged than the local people. A simple fact, such as income tax forms that have no English version can be frustrating to foreign residents who pay their taxes dutifully.

Waiting for years for Japan to act bi-laterally and considerably of foreign residents’ welfare, I have selfishly come to believe that Japan will never allow itself to fully swim in the global sea because ironically, that barrier renders them absolute autonomy of their culture and identity that they have always been proud of and need to protect. Not surprisingly, there is also an air of subconscious animosity towards foreigners who speak flawless Japanese, since this notion imbues an “invasion” of their native identity. The symbol of the monarchy and the remnants of the Edo culture, which reign over the nationalistic mentality have carved deep lines in the Japanese mind and spirit. This can be exemplified in the militaristic rigidity practiced in schools and conservative Japanese companies, which to an exaggerated degree, has not changed since the feudal era. History is not easy to forget. Foreigners may never feel ideally united with the Japanese people (and vice versa), but we can only appreciate the depth of their traditional culture and art, intimacy with nature, and humility of their inner spirit, and hopefully learn from them.

Alma Reyes