More Japanese

Making a hole-in-one in golf is one of the rarest and most exciting plays in sports. In tournament play, a pro would win a big prize (most likely a brand-new car) for her effort. In casual play, the achiever earns a round of applause from his mates and possibly a free drink afterwards. This is true in most countries except for quirky Japan. If you made a hole-in-one there, you will have to pay your playing friends gifts and drinks. Really? Yes, you will have to pay your Japanese friends and not the other way around. Tournament pros are exempt, because that's what they do for a living.

What’s the reason behind this?

Japan is a land of uniformity. Making a hole-in-one is considered to be more luck than skill. Consequently, you will have to pay your playing friends for having suffered from your extreme luck. Since the cost could be substantial, many Japanese insurance companies offer coverage for hole-in-one. This is confirmed by our friend Takagi, who was a sales manager for a major insurance company in Japan. So next time you tee up in Japan, make sure there's enough cash in your wallet. You never know when bad luck strikes.

Japan has one of the largest elderly populations in the world. It is estimated that up to one third of the country’s population is older than 60 years of age. While Japan is an affluent country, not every senior citizen is able to retire properly. Most Japanese retirees can’t afford the expensive travels or the luxury of opulent community living. They have to resort to creative ways to pass time. One of the more popular recreational activities for Japanese seniors is to visit the hospital, and it has nothing to do with medical care.

They visit the hospital daily to socialize. Day after day, the same people show up at the hospital to see their doctors. After their daily check-up, these seniors gather to talk and gossip. The health care workers at hospitals and medical clinics know the true reason behind these daily visits, but tend to play along. One of the main gossip topics is with regards to those who missed their daily visit. People often speculate on why their social friends did not show up at the hospital on that day. Did they fall down the stairs? Did they pass away? The gossiping is a little mean, but it is a popular way to pass time.

Working hard is usually a good thing, but it isn't so for the Japanese. Japan is the most overworked country in the world. Some Japanese workers work as much as 80 hours a week. Yep, you are not hearing it wrong. If the math is right, that's 16 hours per work day. They have merely eight hours a day to sleep and to try to live their lives. Although there are overtime laws in Japan, many employees "volunteer" to stay in the office past their work hours. (Statistics don't account for this unfortunately). If you didn't, you may be tagged as an unproductive or lazy worker and that is not a good thing for your career. Moreover, very few people take time off, vacation or holiday. Hard work and sacrifice are the mottos.

Consequently, Japanese deaths at work have been increasing at an alarming rate. Some people commit suicide due to stress; others die on their work desks due to extreme fatigue or heart issues. I have a friend in Japan who recently passed away because of overwork. He left behind a wife and a young infant. Unfortunately, this is all too typical in the Land of the Rising Sun. Since other Asian countries have been looking at Japan as a model for social and economic developments, we could see this problem spreading to all of Asia and that would be a terrible thing.

In America, otakus are enthusiasts of all things Japanese. They read manga, watch Japanese animation and collect figurines of their favorite characters. They often show up at conventions wearing co-play costumes. Most Americans are not against this group. In Japan, where the term originated, otakus are social outcasts. A typical otaku is one who rarely ventures outside of his room, spending most of his time on his hobby (e.g. video game, anime, manga, idol stalking). Otakus are easy to spot on the streets, since they usually don't make an attempt to hide their personality or obsession. Due to high-profile incidents associated with otakus, many Japanese have a bias against this group.

Although Japanese otakus do not go outside often, they do meet in groups. Most otaku groups are predominantly male. They typically only admit one girl into their group and call her “Queen”. Being the only female in a group of male otakus is certainly risky and there have been unfortunate “incidents”. In recent years, the stigma of being an otaku has worn off somewhat but it is still a pejorative term.

Japan is notorious for having a complex postal system. Most streets in the country do not have a name. As a result, it is impossible to travel in Japan without some local knowledge or a guide. Postal addresses in Japan consist of blocks and house numbers. However, they are in random order. For example, house #1 could be next to house #21 and so on. To make it easier for people to find the right address, each home would display a sign with the surname of the household, “Suzuki’s Home” for instance.

The problem is compounded by the fact the Japanese have a limited number of surnames. As a result, there are hundreds of homes with the same sign in any given area.