Is Japan polite?

Recently Reader's Digest published a list of 35 cities and ranked them by politesness. I have included the list here.

New York	USA			80%
Zurich	Switzerland			77
Toronto	Canada			70
Berlin	Germany			68
São Paulo	Brazil			68
Zagreb	Croatia			68
Auckland	New Zealand			67
Warsaw	Poland			67
Mexico City	Mexico			65
Stockholm	Sweden			63
Budapest	Hungary			60
Madrid	Spain			60
Prague	Czech Republic			60
Vienna	Austria			60
Buenos Aires	Argentina			57
Johannesburg	South Africa			57
Lisbon	Portugal			57
London	United Kingdom			57
Paris	France			57
Amsterdam	Netherlands			52
Helsinki	Finland			48
Manila	Philippines			48
Milan	Italy			47
Sydney	Australia			47
Bangkok	Thailand			45
Hong Kong				45
Ljubljana	Slovenia			45
Jakarta	Indonesia			43
Taipei	Taiwan			43
Moscow	Russia			42

It is too bad that cities in Japan aren't included, but I can't help but wonder how say, Tokyo or Osaka might end up. It is a bit surprising NY ranked number one, but I understand some things have changed since 9/11.

In each city reporters did a series of tests on the people of the city. The tests were purely random, and non-scientific. They simply observed how many people would hold open a door, help pick up some spilled papers, etc. The number on the far right represents the percentage of people in that city who act in a courteous way. (More detail are available at their website.)

Where would Japanese cities rank on this list? Is there a significant difference between cities across Japan itself?

There is no shortage of books, websites and articles on Japanese customs and manners (including parts of this blog, japan communications), and I don't get a sense of an equal volume for other countries or cultures. Especially during the bubble-economy of the 1980s, many writers cashed in on the popularity of doing business with Japan, publishing books on "do"s and "don't"s when communicating or socializing with Japanese people. With the high volume of material available, books vied for consumers by advertising as "the official must read when working with the Japanese", "your only reliable source of essential cultural information", and "without this information, you may embarrass yourself". Even now, post bubble burst, it's easy to find phrases like "save yourself from embarrassment by following these manners and customs" in books and on the web.

Although these guides can be helpful, it's not often that I see them include the "why" behind the traditional behavior. A guide might simply say "Take off your shoes when you enter a Japanese house." For an uninitiated American reader this might sound a bit bizarre. "That's a funny tradition. Why in the world do we need to do that?" he might wonder. The simple and sensible answer is that many homes don't have a lot of tables and chairs. People mostly sit on cushions on the floor. Tatami rooms (with straw mat floors) can be harder to keep clean, so there is an effort to keep the dirt and dust out. I notice that even in homes with sofas and chairs, Japanese folks tend to migrate to the floor, and it often can be more comfortable. I bet if Americans used kotatsu (pictured) and sat on the floor more, we'd naturally start taking off our shoes when we come inside.

Another custom that raises questions by the inexperienced, but is rarely explained in Japanese custom guides, is "never pour your own drink, you should pour for other people, and they will pour for you." (I think it should be stated that if you never pour your own drink, after a couple hours into the party you may be walking around with an empty glass.) This is one of those traditions that is looked upon strictly at the opening "Kanpai!", but the rules get looser, as do the neckties, after a few large bottles of beer. It isn't necessarily "rude" to pour your own drink, but it makes your Japanese associates look unattentive, as if they haven't kept an eye on your glass. This custom is another example of reading the kuuki... Basically the "game" is to keep an eye on other people's glasses. Awareness of a less than full glass shows your consideration for other people and dedication to group coherence. If someone in the group is dissatisfied, then everyone will be.

Generally Japanese people are less touchy-feely than people in other parts of the world. Bowing instead of shaking hands (or hugging and kissing) is the rule. Pouring a drink for someone is a form of connection. It is also an excuse to have a chance to talk to someone. At business events or social situations where drinks are served, inviting oneself to fill a cup is an all-in-one ice breaker, conversation starter and polite gesture which tells the glass holder "this person is sensitive to his surroundings." At these sorts of events you will sometimes see inebriated men shuffling around looking for glasses to fill, often hoping the receiver will reciprocate with drink and conversation.

We will talk more in-depth about specific customs in the near future, but with all these customs and manners, don't fear "embarrassing yourself,” as there is little chance a foreigner will truly offend a Japanese person. The Japanese realize that not everyone knows how to use chopsticks, participate in a tea ceremony or pass business cards with two hands. That's OK. Keeping an open mind and a positive attitude will take you far in Japan, and an "embarrassing" guffaw usually opens the door to an interesting conversation on Japanese customs.

In an effort to try and answer the question at the top of this post, it's hard to simply say if Japan is polite or not. Personally, I always grumble when going to a restaurant in the US after returning from a trip to Japan. The service seems so much slower stateside. "I have to tip these waiters that are dragging their feet and looking at their watches?" I think to myself. In Japan the wait staff rushes to serve me, with a hearty welcome from the moment I darken their door. But just because this is tradition, does it make it polite? Japan is known worldwide for the quality of service, and it is a tradition with centuries of history behind it. It is polite to give good service, but giving good service doesn't necessarily make a country polite, does it?

I remember seeing a documentary from the 1980s profiling Kentucky Fried Chicken's opening in Japan. In one part new employees are trained in customer service. The drill sergeant from Hamburger Hill seemed like a teddy bear compared to the Japanese KFC trainer. Any "wrong" action, including poor eye movements or stumbling on the proper vocal responses, was pointed out and criticized. One scene showed a potential employee being yelled at because his arms were not at the correct angle when he presented the customer her bag of food. So when we are greeted at the fast food restaurant with a hearty "Irrashaimase!" and tip-top service, is the young person on the other side of the counter giving us this level of service because she is polite, or is it because she is afraid of being yelled at by her manager? We will look at this topic more in future posts, and we would love to hear your comments.