First off, I do not know if what this guy says is accurate. But it’s worth listening to.
The Japanese are known to be a collective society that sacrifices for the greater good. It’s largely a result of geography; natural disasters have historically forced people to cooperate for survival.
Yet when it comes to charitable giving, Japan ranks among the the lowest, sometimes the lowest. This is because outlandish philanthropy makes other think you are calling attention to yourself, which is taboo.
Taiwanese people are known to be individualistic, even quarrellous. Yet when the government says, “stay home during Covid” or “buy Lithuanian chocolate,” or “support Ukraine,” they usually comply pretty fast.
He’s right. Japanese society is surprisingly cold-hearted towards others. I attribute it to the fact that there’s no tradition like Christianity which teaches people to love and care for others, particularly outsiders. Japanese men in particular have surprised me with their cold-heartedness. I’ve done acts of kindness for them over the years and none of them have ever reciprocated. Japanese women, on the other hand, have consistently done acts of kindness for me. Even so, you can live for decades in Japan and never make any true friends here who welcome you into their lives. I don’t particularly mind because I’m a cold-hearted person of Scandinavian heritage myself but it would be nice if it weren’t so pronounced here. When other foreigners complain about Japanese culture I tell them I don’t come to Japan to socialize. I come here to get away from people for a while until I’m ready to head back to Taiwan and rejoin the fray.
Living in Japan makes me often think of the Vonnegut quote: “Love may fail, but courtesy will prevail.” For me, that’s enough, at least for a while.
According to the video, you probably get treated better than Japanese people, because they don’t have to fear you judging them for showboating if they help you.
