Living in Japanese Culture?

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Living in Japan after this Blog?

 A one to two week vacation to Japan would be very manageable for me, especially after researching Japanese culture throughout this semester. Tourism in Japan is very high, with the Japan National Tourism Organization and the Japan Tourism Agency reporting that over 36.9 million foreigners had visited Japan in 2024. A short term trip would allow me to visit tourist attractions, experience the cuisine, and get a surface level look into the culture of Japan without requiring cultural integration. However, living in Japan for more than a year would present me with challenges requiring that I integrate further into the culture and have a strong grasp on techniques necessary for assimilation. The most immediate challenge I would have to overcome would be the communication differences, specifically the language and nonverbal communication norms. While I might be able to learn Japanese enough for essential communication, I would also have to engage with the nonverbal and indirect communication norms of Japan to successfully integrate into Japanese culture. As previously stated, the nonverbal and indirect communication norms of Japan are much different than American culture, with an emphasis on preserving social harmony over individual beliefs. Things like eye contact, personal space, direct answers, and attire are all things that I would have to adapt to if I lived in Japan. To manage culture shock and make cultural adaptation more accessible for me, the first thing I should do is to delve deeper into my research for Japan. I would need to start learning the language as well, while employing techniques to avoid ethnocentrism.


Ethics in Culture

The components of intercultural ethics are categorized into two thoughts; universalism and relativism. Universalism asserts that ethics are universal, with actual truth value in ethical statements regardless of cultural contexts. Relativism rejects this idea, and proposes that ethics are the result of cultural communication and should be understood within the cultural context, not judged by external standards. I think that it is important to start at a relativistic approach to ethics when engaging in intercultural communication, to start at a place where judgement is suspended, and active listening is prioritized. Even if you believe that ethics are universal, it is not fair to judge cultures based on their ethics. For example, in Japan things like honesty, clarity, and directness are not considered to be highly valued ethical virtues like they are in American culture. Things that would value the community over the group have more ethical value in Japan; silence or vagueness. 

Ways to engage with Japanese Culture from the United States

One of the obstacles to effective intercultural communication is our tendency to seek out others with whom we share similar outlooks, habits, and traits. While it may not be possible for you to visit the country you have been studying this semester, what strategies can you employ to engage with your selected culture while remaining right here in the United States? While seeking out similar people can be harmful to integrating into a culture, it can also be beneficial as a way to replenish energy and keep morale up while learning the norms of a different culture. Strategies that I can employ to engage with Japanese culture while physically in the United States consist of utilizing online platforms to talk to people in Japan, exploring areas in the United States with a higher Japanese population, visiting Japanese restaurants, and following Japanese media. Fortunately, the internet and increased globalism of today can be extremely beneficial to immersing oneself in a different culture while not physically moving.


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