It's universal. Bad manners are not reserved for wealthy, fat, North Americans. To my shock, I am coming across Japanese who simply put, should be smacked once or twice, sent to their room with a copy of "What Do You Say Dear?" which they are expected to memorize before they can come join society again.
Case in point. I mentioned several months ago how Japanese taxi drivers personified the best in people here. I said they were polite, their cars impeccably clean, and knew how to toe the line between when to be chatty and when to to stay quiet. Allow me to back pedal. On my first day here several weeks ago, I lugged my four giant, heavy, suitcases into and out of a taxi, by myself as the driver stood next to the open trunk and watched. I didn't fare well. Up until this point, I had assistance with my bags. I barely had to lift any of them. This driver offered no assistance. Nothing. Nada. So shocked by this, I even forgot to ask for help. In the US, drivers would help put anything into the trunk regardless of whether the passenger was male or female. Do they do this because of tips? Perhaps. It's also expected. I will gladly tip to not throw my back out.
Then there's the men-first-always mentality. Standing in front of an elevator, five men come up behind me. They chat away as we all wait for the car to reach our floor. I'm the first in line, if there was actually a "line" per se. The doors open and from behind me the five men rush the door. I kid you not. No "ladies first" here. It's as if they were afraid the elevator had a mind of its own and if they didn't get in right away they were going to some how be left behind. They really rushed that door. I actually stood outside of the elevator, let the men go past me, looked at them with what I hoped was a "did you just do what I think you did?" look and then got in. I'm quite capable of being passive-aggressive. Yes. Did they get my point? Who knows.
This sense of "rushing" is also seen when getting onto trains. The doors open, the passengers get out, and in the past the queue waited to get on until everyone was off. Now there's barely a semblance of a queue and there's no real expectation that we are all to wait for the passengers' exit and then get on.
What's going on here? Seriously. What has happened to Japan? All this talk (accurate, mind you) about how orderly people were both during and after the earthquake on March 11th is hard to believe at times. Allow me to back pedal again. Yesterday's typhoon hit Tokyo right at rush hour. From around 5:00pm until midnight, millions of Tokyoites cram trains, subways, buses, and taxis for their commute home. Last night, the trains stopped running. Stations were crammed with people waiting. There was no rioting. No serious complaining. I was one of several hundred who stood in line for several hours waiting for a taxi. So, see. People here are capable of being patient. Of letting others go first. Sometimes. What used to be "always" is not just "sometimes." Where has this change come from?
To prove that good manners are a thing of the past here in Japan, I offer these photos.
They are all over train stations in Tokyo.
That these posters
need to be put up in the first place, this is a shocker. Then again, it's not. I've seen such behavior over and over. I'm saddened. This bothers me. I'm accustomed to Americans behaving badly. From the man who asked why I don't mention him in my blog to the screaming matches at political rallies to those who feel the need to cut others off in traffic to the utterances of "Do you know who I am?", America is, unfortunately, filled with people who believe their time is more important than yours. That those who share this sentiment now also are on the rise here in Japan, this is truly sad.
There are some things not worth importing, people.
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