JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Japaneseness: A Guide to Values and Virtues’

By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata-ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. A former head of the JETAA Philadelphia Sub-Chapter, Rashaad is a graduate of Leeds Beckett University with a master’s degree in responsible tourism management. For more on his life abroad and enthusiasm for taiko drumming, visit his blog at www.gettingpounded.wordpress.com.During my time in Yamagata Prefecture, I remember learning about filial piety, a virtue that the Japanese have historically cherished. I had heard about countless other values, principles and virtues that have been important in the daily lives of Japanese people. But I had totally forgotten them until…Picking up a copy of Japaneseness: A Guide to Values and Virtues. Written by Yoji Yamakuse, Japaneseness serves as the perfect introduction (or reintroduction) to many aspects of Japanese society you might find refreshing, fascinating or befuddling. Or at the very least, quintessentially Japanese.Yamakuse appropriately starts off the book by introducing readers to the value Japanese tend to treasure the most: harmony. Certainly, those familiar with the country recognize the importance of harmony in ensuring that a Japanese environment operates smoothly, and Yamakuse spends the first chapter explaining how related concepts (such as hospitality, thoughtfulness and modesty) contribute to maintaining harmony. That chapter—as well as the following eight (some of which are devoted to values like trust, virtue and reverence for the gods)—are further divided into sections that address other values and beliefs that are important in Japan.Although Japaneseness features a fair amount of information about Japanese history (necessary to educate readers about the values and virtues they’re reading about), the book is decidedly an easy read. Yamakuse doesn’t drown readers in cumbersome historical anecdotes and devotes at most a page and a half to each concept addressed in the book. Japaneseness also comes across as very educational for those who haven’t spent a lot of time in Japan: the Japanese meanings of all the virtues are provided and other Japanese words and phrases related to certain virtues appear in the text. In addition, the book has other interesting points for language learners, such as the meaning of the kanji in the word kisetsu.While it’s clear early on that Japaneseness will teach you a lot, I felt as if something was missing from the book: mainly more concrete examples of the virtues and values throughout Japanese history. Three virtues appearing in the book are discipline, skill and craft, and Yamakuse says when people are disciplined enough to teach others, they are considered to have mastered a skill. He adds that craftsmen are believed to have developed a craft after mastering a certain skill. However, no real-life example of a Japanese figure that had the discipline to seemingly devote his/her life to mastering a skill or a craft was provided. Certainly, Yamakuse could have found an example of someone who had the drive to spend countless hours mastering a discipline. However, Japaneseness does feature relatively modern examples of virtues being put into practice, such as unki, which relates to fortune telling. (Fortune telling segments frequently appear on Japanese TV and many people go to street stalls to have their palms read.)Japaneseness is most enjoyable when you read about virtues relevant to contemporary Japan. On the other hand, the book becomes a bit dry when it addresses values associated with the gods and religion. While virtues detailed such as purification (before rocks, trees and other objects of nature) and Buddhism are still very much important aspects of Japanese life, several other values mentioned relating to religion seem to have little or no significance to modern Japanese life.But for those who have lived in Japan, a sentence or two will appear in the book that will make you say to yourself, “That was my life in Japan.” For me, it was when Yamakuse mentioned that “Westerners with Japanese bosses are often puzzled by a lack of feedback, praise or guidance” and that foreigners often feel unsure about what Japanese people are thinking (perhaps due to restraint usually  employed by Japanese). Those moments make Japaneseness a very worthwhile, informative and enjoyable read.Like every other country, Japan has its own unique characteristics that you may not know the true story behind, and Japaneseness offers an informative tour of the virtues that Japanese people hold dear.Japaneseness is available May 10. For more information, click here.For more JQ magazine book reviews, click here.