Good impression of tourists – Cleanness
One of the first impressions of foreign tourist conceive when they arrive in Japan is, I believe, cleanness of the airports. Through the arrival gate, immigration desk, the walkway along shops, exit to the taxi or bus or railway, many people may be impressed to see almost everything being kept clean and neat even in the toilet.
Actually the Skytrax, the international air transport organization in UK, released “the World’s Cleanest Airports 2024”( https://www.worldairportawards.com/worlds-cleanest-airports-2024/) ranking the Haneda Airport the top, Chubu-kokusai the fifth, Narita the sixth, and Kansai the seventh, so four Japanese airports rank in the top ten.
It is just tiny the reason that the companies handling airport management hire the cleaning staffs, but it is mainly because of the Japanese character traditionally ingrained of Buddhism and Confucianism.
Across the town
While you may not notice during you stay in luxury hotel in big city, you can recognize in case you stay in Airbnb house or similar that there are few dusts or garbage on the road in the residential area where ordinary people live. Also, you may find residents living near there clean the garbage collection area on a voluntary basis just after collection of garbage by the local government. Further, in the early morning, you may happen to see some strollers with plastic bag picking up a piece of trash on the road, but they are not employed or do not have a contract of cleaning work, and it is normal for them to clean the town they live, is not special action.
Bring the rubbishes back to home
It is usual behavior that Japanese put the tiny rubbishes, such as wrapping bag of snacks or tissues in the pocket when they are out and bring until they find the rubbish box. If they cannot find it, they routinely bring it back to their homes. Disposing of rubbish in the street is a matter of shamefulness for not only Japanese but also other nationals, however many of Japanese demonstrate it as the daily actions.
In schools
It is not special that parents train their children to clean the table after the meal, to put toys away and not litter in the room. How about in schools? In Japan from at kindergarten including nurseries, elementary schools to high schools, children are and students are taught to keep the classroom neat and clean as a rule with or without the official document. After all courses of the day have finished, all pupils and students start cleaning the class room cooperatively as a duty for granted. Of course, it is always seen in the young people’s society that some kids may play around with cleaning tools or slack off, but most of students, parents and teachers have no opposing opinion to this daily practice, but rather some of schools are willing to attend the clean-up activities in the district the schools belonging.
In offices and manufacturing site
On starting of working hours office staffs, not cleaning workers, clean the top of desks in their offices cooperatively or in rotation and at the end of hours also staff do clean and neat around the desks with collecting rubbishes. Such scene is not special and can be seen in many offices while some big and global corporations make a contract with professionals, but I believe that company’s staff do not forget to say “Thank you very much for cleaning” to those workers.
Furthermore, in case of in manufacturing site, “Cleaning” is adhered much more rigidly. The word “5S”, one of the methodologies of quality management with efficiency and safety, is very famous in the world. Each “S” of 5S stands for the initial letter of Japanese words, “Seiri整理;sorting , “Seiton整頓;Setting-in-order ”, “Seiso清掃;Shining”, “Seiketsu清潔;standardizing” and “Shitsuke躾;Sustaining the discipline”, and this slogan is posted on the wall of the manufacturing sites all over the world to let all concerning staff and workers to keep the concept of quality management. Let me talk some day in the future about Japanese quality management especially in the ordinary small factories in towns.
Influence of Buddhism and Confucianism
As far as I’m concerned, these Japanese behavior regarding “Cleaning” have deep relation with the thought and behaviors influenced by Buddhism and Confucianism. Buddhism, said to be introduced in 538 from China through Korea, had been prevailed among Japanese thought, behavior and life-style within about 1500 years. Buddhism teaches that cleaning is one of Buddhist training methods of polishing heart as a proverb of Tendai Sect of Buddhism saying “The first is Sakumu作務(ordinary every physical work), the second is Gongyo勤行(devotional exercises) and the third isGakumon学問(study, learn, research) * https://www.tendai.or.jp/houwashuu/kiji.php?nid=1
The first “Sakumu” includes cleaning, put-in-order, weeding, collecting fuelwood and other daily chores, so cleaning is treated as the most critical matter of Buddhist ascetic practices.
And another important factor having influenced to Japanese thoughts and behaviors is Confucianism which is said to have arrived in 513. It had affected to Japanese behaviors. It expresses the teaching by five words, “仁Jin”, 義Gi”, “礼Rei”, “知Chi” and “信shin”, and influenced to Japanese attitude to keep the good and stable relationship between Load – Liege, Parents – Children, Husband – Wife, Elders – Youngers, among friends, among Resident and so on. This is considered to be practical in the feudal society, especially workable in Tokugawa EDO era (17th century to the first half of 19th century) in Japan.
仁 Jin : heart of caring others
義 Gi : heart of Justice
礼 Rei : heart of treating others with utmost courtesy
知 Chi : heart of seeking wisdom and intelligence
信 Shin : heart of trust and believing
Originally “cleaning” was treated as the key factors of actions of Buddhist ascetic trainings, and Buddhism believers of Japanese has been devoting to do it because by doing “Cleaning” they believed they were able to re-born in the Pure Land as well as to be happy in the current world. Such actions and behaviors have been inherited generations to generations, from parents to children, from elders to youngers, in aristocratic society to samurai families and to common people over a long period of the Japanese history, and it has been reinforced by the concept of Confucianism, “Jin-仁, Gi-義, Rei-礼,Chi-知 and Shin-信”, and RON-GO論語, conversations between Kongzi孔子, founded Confucianism, and his disciples which shows morals and ethics of societal actions.
Consequently, “Cleaning” has become the nothing special attitude in Japanese daily life.
Nothing special for Japanes
As I explained above, it is nothing special for Japanese to do the work of cleaning-up around. After the match of the Succor World-cup, it is witnessed and is admired on the Net that Japanese supporters clean the spectator’s stands with big blue plastic bag of which color is same as uniform of Japan’s national team and the locker-room been swept cleanly was seen after the team left. Such scenes made a good and positive impression to many people in the world and let them consider that Japanese is good to keep things neat and clean. It is true but it is also fact that not all, regrettably. But on the whole, we Japanese like to see its surrounding to be clean. It is not just superficially, but it is traditionally built and we feel nothing special from our heart and soul.
I am very proud of our character and hope to see everyone of other countries to do the same.
Issue ; Pile of trashes in the sightseeing spots
However, regrettably rubbishes in the sightseeing spots where many tourist travel to has become a social problem recently. Regardless of nationality, Japanese or foreign visitors, some do not care about “cleanness” and dispose their rubbishes on the street. Then, sadly we find the pile of rubbishes at the corner of the street, as a result the beaty and cleanness has been destroyed in the picturesque places.
I’d like everyone visiting there including Japanese to act with thinking about how we can keep our country clean and beautiful.
Summary
According to the news reports, Japan is deserved about the cleanness of towns , streets , airports, shops and others by foreign tourists. It is not only places where tourists walk around but, I believe, almost everywhere we live everyday including schools, offices, factories and homes. It is true some exception, but I assume that you can be comfortable to see our living area. It has been built in our long history.
Welcome your recommendation of the theme for next!
I may overlook some ordinary action which impress you or let you feel different, so if you want to know about any Japanese behavior or actions which make you interesting, please let me know. I try to analize and post the story in this site.
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