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AMER. & JAPANESE CULTURE.
Term Paper ID:24657
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Essay Subject:
Compares subcultures, reasoning processes, volunteerism, gender & family relations, economics & employment, education.... More...
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9 Pages / 2025 Words
8 sources, 15 Citations,
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Paper Abstract:
Compares subcultures, reasoning processes, volunteerism, gender & family relations, economics & employment, education.
Paper Introduction:
A comparison of Japanese and American culture reveals a wide range of societal differences. Japan is a fairly homogeneous, middle class society. In contrast, the United States is characterized by increasing ethnic diversity and income inequality. Although different, each country has its share of successes and failures.
One of the distinguishing features of American culture is its numerous subcultures which exist within the macroculture. In the United States, the different subcultures are as follows: age, gender/sex, ethnic or national origin, religion, class, geographic region, urban/suburban/rural location, and exceptionality (disabled, special abilities, etc.). Each subculture has certain aspects in common with the macroculture. All American citizens are members of multiple subcultures.
Text of the Paper:
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A comparison of Japanese and American culture reveals a wide range ofsocietal differences. The fast-growing entertainment industry is contributing togangsterism. and Bowman, K. The gaijin tarento are American celebrities who have learned to speakJapanese fluently. These social and cultural changes, however, are occuringslowly in Japanese society. 1 3-128.----------------------- 9 2 4 ). Miller (1995) notes, however, that only the American-borngaijin tarento have become celebrities. Women in Japan are becomingmore assertive, with some demanding equal status with their malecolleagues. In contrast, the United States is characterized by increasing ethnicdiversity and income inequality. Part ofthis shift can be attributed to the complexity of the Japanese language.The Japanese language is relatively easy to learn at first because it ismostly syllabic. References Baris-Sanders, M. From age six, this subject matter is compulsory for childrenthroughout their schooling, with the goal being to foster a spirit ofcooperation and group identity. 72. By the late secondary and high school levels, however, the Japaneseperspective on education switches dramatically. News & World Report, p. An employee often refers to himself as a Sony man or a Mitsubishiman. Japanese companies still cling to the national policy of lifelongemployment, even in the face of Japan's worst recession since World War II. Phi Delta Kappan. Family and household are important social pillars in Japan. America and Japan exhibit divergent cultural thinking styles.Americans tend to use inductive reasoning. 6 ). Even the habits of the Japanese consumer reflect the importance ofgroup concerns. Rohlen, T. Issues of sex roles, art, selfperception, and education form important distinctions. Education is another area of contrast between Japanese and Americanculture. (April 1997). One of these is karaoke, theequipment for which was first released in Japan during the 193 s and hasnow spread worldwide. The rich artistic heritage of Japan's pastcontinues to be reflected in modern machine-made ceramics, textiles, andthe continuation of such ancient practices as the tea ceremony and Japaneseflower-arranging arts. 189-2 2. Japan is a fairly homogeneous, middle class society. 126).In contrast, the Japanese place more value on the household system andextended family, which shifts their focus away from group membership andvolunteerism. Japan's focus on human resources extends to recruitment and selectionof employees as well. Nevertheless, certain American residents, the "gaijintarento," are changing the attitudes of the Japanese. Gender separation in employment continues to be the norm in Japanesesociety. One of the features of Japan's management philosophy iscommitment to the employee. Washington: AEI. Cooperative learning is an adjunct study to moral education becausestudents learn to take responsibility for their words and actions, showkindness and consideration for others, and respect for social mores. They are recruited as guests on a variety of Japanesetelevision shows. (1994). Collection: 89F3421, AN: 19481713. This pride stems from the traditional Japanese tendency to identifywith group achievement as opposed to seeking individual achievement.Japanese employees greatly fear bringing dishonor or shame to theircompanies. Public opinion in America andJapan. This accounts for the overall lack of interest by theJapanese for associational activity; 64 percent of Japanese do notparticipate in voluntary organizations compared with only 18 percent ofAmericans (Ladd and Bowman, 1996, p. 4). Many employees are hired directly after graduatingfrom college. Young Japanese areincreasingly being influenced by Western ideals such as job satisfactionand the importance of a balanced lifestyle. A significant number of Japanese believe that the importation ofWestern culture is endangering its traditional values. The population of Japan ispredominantly urban, which gives it one of the highest overall populationdensities in the world. [Downloadpages 1-9]. Another cultural gift from Japan is Go, the ancientboard game. (June 1995). With such a significant percentage of Japanese women professing thebelief that woman's place is in the home it is not surprising that Japaneseparents show a marked preference for educating their sons at the expense oftheir daughters. Dentzer, S. Minimal ethnic, religious, or racial variationexists: "Japan is not a nation of immigrants. 4 . Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Magazines andtelevision advertising for tobacco and alcohol are creating socialproblems. As students progress in the study of Japanese, a siftingbased on ability occurs: "As each year passes, differences in theirmastery of the thousands of characters emerge" (Rohlen, 1995, p. Ladd, E. At the secondary grade level, the classroom stays together asan entire unit, taught by teachers who move from class to class. The influx of fastfood restaurants has created nutritional problems. In return, Japanese employeesare offered lifelong employment, once they pass a probationary period.Lifelong employment encourages company loyalty, but it comes at the expenseof temporary workers, most of whom are women. Free at last? Their thinking styleis characterized by meditative introspection and contemplation. It resulted in part from a 1986Japanese law to encourage equal opportunity, and was conceived as a meansto help women compete with men. (1996). There are an abundance of EastIndians, Koreans, and Chinese who speak Japanese fluently, but thesenonwhites have not attained celebrity status in Japan. Thestudents are given freedom to work together on collective projects, and areoften organized into work groups. Japan's management philosophy works so efficiently because ofdistinguishing cultural aspects of Japanese society. Massive layoffs would erode consumer confidence, leading to furthereconomic decline. Downsizing: Will East meet West?U.S. Japanese employees are involved in all phasesof organizational processes and decisionmaking. In Japan, the class is treated as acommunity. In other words, the employee is expected to give the best of himselfin terms of time and effort; family and home life are secondary.Consequently, the Japanese "salaryman" is expected to work long hours atthe office and socialize with business colleagues. Mathews, G. Most of the cultural exchange with Japan involves importing elementsfrom the United States, however, Japan has made important culturalcontributions to American culture as well. Americans arenoted for their willingness to volunteer their time and their money forvarious civic, political, charitable, and religious causes: "Toquevellenoted more than a century and a half ago that the strong American sense ofindividual efficacy, confidence, and responsibility had fostered anunusually vigorous association life in the country" (Ladd and Bowman, 1996,p. Much of a Japanese student's free timeduring school is spent in the classroom, which fosters a sense of ownershipand empowerment: "While American students feel they are treading on thesacred ground of the teacher when they enter a classroom, Japanese studentsare given a room and a community of their own" (Baris-Sanders, 1997, p. This two-track system is discriminatorybecause it is only available to women. In Japan, moral education is an important component of thecurriculum. Kawamura, N. When a worker assumespermanent employment in a Japanese company he enters a "family," to whichhe pledges loyalty and competence. Most Japanese arts owe their greatest development to stimulusfrom China and from the West, albeit an unmistakably Japanese touch isalways added to these imports. The appeal ofthe gaijin tarento to the Japanese appears to be the foreigners's abilityto speak fluent, colloquial Japanese: "Among all these gaijin tarento,there are a very few who have extraordinary talent or special entertainmentvalue apart from their Japanese-speaking ability" (Miller, 1995, p. Another feature of American culture is philanthropy. Thecultural thinking style of Americans ties in with their emphasis onindividual achievement as opposed to group identification, a process thatis encouraged early in childhood: "The American approach is to teachresponsibility by providing greater choice and thus allowing individualdiversity to flourish" (Rohlen, 1995, p. Although Japan has subcultures the number are not as diverse as thosefound in the United States. GeneralReference Center. Japanese employees take pride in their companies, and their own self-esteem is intimately related to the status of the companies for which theywork. (1996). What makes life worth living? 195).Some of these foreigners are popular because they fit certain stereotypesof Americans--studious, serious, or flamboyant. Berkeley:University of California Press. A major difference between Japanese and American culture concernsgender relations. In the United States, such a systemoperates unofficially, and is referred to as the "mommy track." In Japan,it is virtually impossible for women to attain executive positions becausethe rigors of management almost presuppose the existence of a supportive,full-time spouse: "Corporate practice has done nothing to adapt to thewoman who wants to reach the top and also to bring up a family" ("Free,"1997, p. 123). Aconsumer would rather buy a more expensive domestic product of inferiorquality than buy a superior, lower-priced import. Economist, p. Students are not plagued by many of the spelling,pronunciation, and grammar rules that characterize English languageacquisition. Crossing ethnolinguistic boundaries: Apreliminary look at the Gaijin Tarento in Japan. London:Kegan Paul. Although Japan's position in the world economy is strong, certainsocial and cultural changes are evident that might affect its futuregrowth. All American citizens are members of multiple subcultures. Unlike the United States, where the career of a full-time housewife is considered somewhat demeaning, Japanese women experiencefulfillment from this role, some considering it to be the ideal lifestyle:"A 1996 survey, for example, found that 37 percent of Japanese womenstrongly believed that a home and children were what women really wanted; 7percent of American women agreed" ("Free," 1997, p. Corporate Japan's solution to the country's economicdilemma has been the retention of employees, even those whose services areno longer needed: "Dubbed madogiwazoku in Japanese--the "windowsideemployees"--they are workers in a work-obsessed country who areparadoxically being paid to do almost nothing at all" (Dentzer, 1995, p.72). 116).Written Japanese is derived from Chinese, but is more complex. (1995). In Japan, big companies have created atwo-track career system for women. In Japan, the emphasis ison group consensus rather than decisionmaking by decree of top management. 3). This leaves little timefor family responsibilities, which are deemed the domain of the Japanesewife. In John Lent, Ed. The employees are selected based on their ability to fit inwith the specific management culture of the company at which they arehired; they are expected to be team players. (March 3, 1997). In the UnitedStates, the different subcultures are as follows: age, gender/sex, ethnicor national origin, religion, class, geographic region,urban/suburban/rural location, and exceptionality (disabled, specialabilities, etc.). (December 11, 1995). Sociology and society of Japan. Any culturalborrowing between the two nations has been minimal. Although different, each country has itsshare of successes and failures. Fewstudents can master the language without considerable effort. AsianPopular Culture, pp. Ineducating the citizens of Japan to fulfill their roles as builders of astrong nation, the imperialist government emphasized the central role ofthe household. In contrast, theAmerican consumer shows little hesitation about buying imports thatrepresent better value. Only a small fraction ofits population (less than 1 percent) are not ethnically Japanese" (Rohlen,1995, p. The younger generation of Japanese do not exhibit the same degreeof loyalty to nation and company as do their parents: "Almost 95 percentof Japanese students at some of the outstanding schools in Japan seeAmerica as having a positive future, while only 37.5 percent see this fortheir own country" (Baris-Sanders, 1997, p. One is a non-career track for women whoare not interested in entering future management positions, and the othertrack is for potential managers. Part ofthe importance is attributed to Japan's tradition and history. The loyalty aspect of consumerism is also held byJapanese companies, who show a clear preference for working with domesticfirms even when competing foreign firms offer a superior product. One analyst believes that the popularity of the American-born foreigners reflects an attempt by the Japanese to become moreinternational. 4 ). 12 ). Educational Policy, pp. 128). 73).This subordination of women carries over into the workplace as well. As one Japanese salaryman notes, "Since I was young I've been called'man of work' [shigoto ningen]; I've believed that all my nourishment comesfrom work--my ikigai, my knowledge, the economic base of my life" (Mathews,1996, p. A 1993 survey of Japanese parents found that 7 percentdesired a college education for their sons, while only 35 percent felttheir daughters should be college educated (Ladd and Bowman, 1996, p. Japanese employers hire the "whole"man. Each subculture has certain aspects in common with themacroculture. The popularity of the gaijin tarento appears to contradict theattitude of the Japanese that their language cannot be spoken properly bynon-Japanese. The good citizen must respect and guard the Imperialhousehold, respect his own household, cultivate industry and theenterprising spirit, acquire practical knowledge, and form and maintaincordial social bonds (Kawamura, 1994, p. Japanese nationalism wasconsidered an extension and enlargement of the family-system principle.Consequently, ancestor worship, filial piety, and extended families arecommon in Japan. 166). Miller, L. Differences that make a difference:Explaining Japan's success. Many of them appear on Japanese game shows. For instance, most Japanese are adherents of eitherBuddhism or Shinto, the ancient Japanese and former state religion.Confucianism is also widely influential. The emphasis shifts to thedrudgery of senior high school and college entrance examinations. Both Japan and the United States are affluent, First World nationsbut this is where the similarity ends. They rely on gathering facts,and analyzing these facts in a logical, analytical, and scientific manner.In contrast, Asians tend to use intuitive reasoning. Othersappear occasionally as contest judges or as commentators. The Japanese women who enter the labor force as employees areconsidered expendable, particularly during recessionary periods, when theirjobs are sacrificed to maintain the lifelong employment commitment tocertain classes of male employees. Available: Infotrac Search Bank. Cooperative education: Lessonsfrom Japan. No discussion of the differences in Japanese and American culturewould be complete without an analysis of Japan's economic success, which isbased on a system of management that encourages efficient productionoperations. Mag. One of the distinguishing features of American culture is itsnumerous subcultures which exist within the macroculture. Japanese buying decisions are partly based on nationalinterests because loyalty is a cultural trait that is deeply ingrained.
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