Japan’s Appeal – Something That You Can’t Fully Grasp Until You’ve Lived Here

Article written by Yoshiaki Maekawa

Japan’s Unique Culture

As you begin living in Japan and deepen your interactions with Japanese people, you’ll likely start to feel a sense of discomfort or difference. This stems from the uniqueness of Japanese culture. What exactly makes it so unique?

Unlike the binary way of thinking commonly accepted in the modern world—such as clearly distinguishing right from wrong—Japanese culture exists at the opposite end of the spectrum. It is a culture rooted in ambiguity, consideration, and reading the atmosphere to avoid conflict, promote harmony, and coexist. Contradictions are not problems to be solved, but rather things to be accepted. It’s about coexistence, not confrontation. This Japanese way of life offers a sense of emotional peace.

A Harmonized Society

Today, our world is trending toward uniformity. In any city you visit, you’re likely to find the same chain restaurants, hear the same kinds of music, and encounter similar values. Amid this homogenization, Japan stands out.

Tokyo, for instance, is not neatly laid out like Western cities. Instead, you’ll find modern skyscrapers standing side-by-side with centuries-old temples and shrines that have existed for over a thousand years. There are soba shops, tempura restaurants, and unagi eateries that have been in operation since the Edo period. Even in its seeming disorder, there is harmony.

Japanese culture is multilayered and inclusive—it adopts aspects of foreign cultures while preserving their unique features, integrating them alongside what already exists. Instead of opposing foreign influences, it embraces them and makes them a part of Japanese culture.

A Society of Coexistence Over Inequality

Around the world, globalization is widening the gap between rich and poor. While Japan has not been immune to this, its underlying culture is fundamentally different from that of the West. As a result, the impact has been relatively mild. Even today, Japanese people are unconsciously influenced by Shintoism, Buddhism, and the ethos of Bushido (the way of the warrior). These influences are subtly woven into daily life, forming a shared, though sometimes vague, sense of values among the people. This inherent sense of balance and natural rhythm may be part of why Japan remains one of the safest countries in the world.

If you’re willing to accept the uniquely Japanese elements flowing beneath the surface, Japan will accept you and the foreign culture you bring. It will harmonize with you and evolve into a new form of Japanese culture. This has been the Japanese way for over a thousand years.

Even in a city as bustling as Tokyo, you can live while feeling the changing seasons—cherry blossoms in full bloom, cherry blossoms falling, old and new coexisting in a vast metropolis. You’ll come to appreciate the curiosity with which Japanese people embrace other cultures, and the attentiveness they show to others’ feelings.

Life in Japan will likely offer a comfort and ease that you may never have experienced elsewhere.