{"id":33923,"date":"2014-02-27T15:12:08","date_gmt":"2014-02-27T19:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jetwit.com\/wordpress\/?p=33923"},"modified":"2014-02-27T15:12:08","modified_gmt":"2014-02-27T19:12:08","slug":"%e3%80%90rocketnews24%e3%80%91five-japanese-customs-even-some-japanese-people-think-are-a-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jetwit.com\/wordpress\/2014\/02\/27\/%e3%80%90rocketnews24%e3%80%91five-japanese-customs-even-some-japanese-people-think-are-a-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"\u3010RocketNews24\u3011Five Japanese customs even some Japanese people think are a pain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted by\u00a0Michelle Lynn Dinh<\/a>\u00a0(Shimane<\/a>-ken,\u00a0Chibu-mura,\u00a0<\/strong>2010\u201313),<\/strong>\u00a0editor and writer for\u00a0RocketNews24<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>The following article was written by\u00a0Casey Baseel<\/a>, a writer and translator for\u00a0RocketNews24<\/a>,\u00a0a Japan-based site dedicated to bringing fun and quirky news from Asia to English speaking audiences.<\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

One of the trickier aspects of adapting to life in Japan is getting the hang of the numerous\u00a0seasonal customs<\/strong>. While your acquaintances aren\u2019t likely to get that bent out of shape if you miss a day or two, completely adhering to proper etiquette involves managing a year-round schedule of\u00a0sending gifts and written salutations<\/strong>\u00a0to friends, family, and business associates.<\/p>\n

The sentiment is definitely admirable,\u00a0but don\u2019t Japanese people don\u2019t find this all to be a huge hassle<\/strong>? Actually, it turns out some of them do, as shown in a poll of the top five seasonal traditions people in Japan would like to do away with.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Much as the wives in many American families shoulder the bulk of Christmas card writing responsibilities, the task of fulfilling these seasonal obligations often falls to Japanese women. Internet portal\u00a0My Navi Woman recently asked 441 female users which traditions are no longer necessary in Japanese society<\/strong>\u00a0(multiple selections were allowed).<\/p>\n

5. Grandchildren\u2019s Day \u2013 24.5 percent<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

24.5 percent of respondents said they\u2019d like to nip a problem in the bud by doing away with\u00a0Grandchildren\u2019s Day<\/strong>, which is celebrated on the third Sunday in October. Grandchildren\u2019s Day is a recent invention, first being observed in 1999.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a sign of growing resentment towards children or a weakening of the familial bonds between generations, though. It\u2019s just that\u00a0Japan already has multiple special days for kids<\/strong>. There\u2019s\u00a0Hinamatsuri\/Girl\u2019s Day<\/strong>\u00a0on March 3, when families display lavish sets of dolls, and the\u00a0Shichi-Go-San<\/strong>\u00a0festivities in on November 15th for children who have turned seven, five, or three during the year. And of course there\u2019s also the holiday explicitly known as\u00a0Children\u2019s Day<\/strong>\u00a0on May 5, which is marked with families and towns flying colorful carp streamers for their little ones.<\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

Some people think yet another day for tikes is overkill, and in fact Grandchildren\u2019s Day hasn\u2019t caught on like the above holidays. \u201cMy kids\u2019 grandparents haven\u2019t ever really done anything special for them on Grandchildren\u2019s Day,\u201d remarked one 25-year-old survey respondent.<\/p>\n

4. Summer Greeting Cards \u2013 25.4 percent<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

Japan\u2019s summers get blistering hot and mercilessly muggy. Dehydration and heat exhaustion pose serious threats, so much so that\u00a0Japan has a tradition known as<\/strong>shochumimai<\/em>, literally \u201cinquiring about the sick during the heat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u25bc Such an inelegant translation calls for an elegant card<\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

There really isn\u2019t that much involved in the practice, as even the message written on the card typically follows a concise, pre-set Japanese phrase along the lines of, \u201cI am writing to inquire as to how you are holding up during the summer heat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, with our modern lifestyles meaning less time working the fields under a blazing sun and more time indoors with the air conditioner blowing and a cold drink from the fridge, an increasing number of people don\u2019t see the point in sending these cards. \u201cI\u2019ve never sent one, since I really don\u2019t see what the purpose is,\u201d wrote one confused 25-year-old respondent.<\/p>\n

3. New Year\u2019s Cards \u2013 28.6 percent<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

Compared to the West, the atmospheres of Christmas and New Year\u2019s get switched in Japan, with the former for parties with friends and fancy dates for couples, and the latter reserved for a quiet time at home with family. This even extends to sendingcards called\u00a0nengajo<\/em><\/a>, which\u00a0post offices deliver<\/a>\u00a0on January 1<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Nengajo<\/em>\u00a0are pretty similar to Christmas cards, except that instead of being enclosed in an envelope, the message and picture are printed directly onto a postcard. The imagery is different too, of course, with the Chinese zodiac animal for the upcoming year often taking the place of Santa or the Virgin Mary.<\/p>\n

\"6\"<\/p>\n

In years past, handwriting\u00a0nengajo<\/em>\u00a0was an arduous process, but in recent years software packages make selecting a border, pasting in a photograph of the family, and automatically inserting mailing addresses a snap.<\/p>\n

Many young people have taken that technological advancement one step further, though, and now forego physical paper cards entirely by emailing digital\u00a0nengajo<\/em>instead. Others are irritated by the obligation to send New Year\u2019s cards to their coworkers, especially given how short Japanese vacation periods are. \u201cI\u2019ll be back at work and see everybody just three or four days after the new year starts,\u201d grumbled one respondent, \u201cso it\u2019s a waste of money sending cards to them all.\u201d Fair point.<\/p>\n

2. End of the Year Gifts \u2013 30.2 percent<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

The pricier compliment to\u00a0nengajo<\/em>\u00a0is\u00a0oseibo<\/em>, an end of the year gift<\/strong>. Japanese culture has long held that not causing trouble for others is a virtue. Inevitably, though, during the course of an entire year, all of us run into situations where someone lends us a hand. In those situations, traditional etiquette holds that a gift should be sent at the end of the year, as a token of the gives gratitude, plus a sort of \u201cthank you in advance\u201d for the year to come.<\/p>\n

Given the small size of Japanese homes, it\u2019s commonly held that the best gifts are things that can be used up. While this belief commonly manifests itself in food\u00a0oseibo<\/em>, in December you\u2019ll also find stores selling things like tastefully packaged gift sets of things like laundry detergent.<\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

Of course, if someone is kind enough to send you an\u00a0oseibo<\/em>, it also means an outlay of time and money on their part, so Japanese manners require that you send an\u00a0oseibo<\/em>of your own in return. Some people find this zero-sum dance tiring and ultimately pointless, such as the respondent who remarked, \u201cSince we\u2019re just giving each other gifts that cancel each other out, I don\u2019t think we need to do this anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

1. Mid-Year Gifts \u2013 32 percent<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

Just like New Year\u2019s Cards and\u00a0oseibo<\/em>, Japan\u2019s Summer Greetings also have an associated gift, the\u00a0ochugen<\/em>. The impetus here is exactly the same as with\u00a0oseibo<\/em>. In the six months since you sent that person a New Year\u2019s gift, they\u2019ve probably once again gone out of their way to help you in some way, whether great or small. As such, it\u2019s only proper that you send them another box of fruit, or something, to express your appreciation.<\/p>\n

As\u00a0ochugen<\/em>\u00a0are essentially just\u00a0oseibo<\/em>\u00a0at a different time, they generated similar complaints. \u201cI think we should just send gifts when we want to, instead of having to do it every year,\u201d proposed one respondent.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s got a point, and besides, summer is already such a busy time in Japan. It\u2019s one of the few times workers can expect a vacation, schools have their longest break of the year, there are fireworks festivals almost every weekend, and for a few glorious weeks there\u2019s that perfect beach-going sweet spot after the rainy season and before jellyfish season. With so many other draws on our time, we\u2019re almost entirely onboard with the idea of doing away with giving mid-year gifts, even if we can still see one potentially huge upside to continuing the practice.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Namely, receiving an\u00a0ochugen<\/em>\u00a0beer package on a hot summer day<\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

Source:\u00a0Niconico News<\/a><\/em>
\nTop image:\u00a0Tepore<\/a><\/em>
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