Comparing Japan and China

As an American who has lived in Beijing, China, comparisons to Japan - where I lived for two decades - are impossible to avoid.

In all fairness to the Chinese, if ever there were a case of holding an apple to an orange – or, better yet– sushi to an egg roll, this would be it .

For starters, Mainland China is still developing (alright, its a third world country) and is likely to remain so for the next half a century or more. Super highways, glitzy buildings and more glamorous cars than competent drivers, do very little to mask the fact that the Chinese, save for the educated minority and upper elite, are as backwards today as they were a decades before.

By contrast, Japan may be the most technologically advanced country on Earth. Admittedly, though, many of their cultural practices (and that of the Chinese) remain a mystery to us Westerners; understandable, perhaps, given their historical isolation, homogenous roots and a history that dates back more than a thousand years.

The Chinese are a hypersensitive breed; particularly when it comes to any and all things related to Japan. This no doubt is due to the on going propaganda campaign their government wages against Japanese atrocities committed during the 2nd World War. In Japan, the war, in all its horrors, is pretty much an afterthought, even though American nuclear bombs decimated Hiroshima, Nagasaki and left Tokyo in ruins.

The Chinese mind is sharp, calculating and driven especially in matters of commerce and gain; yet the Japanese quietly regard them as little more than “heathens”; without honor or virtue; as many Chinese business practices do very little to combat this collective view.

Conversely, in spite of Japans manufacturing supremacy and high profile scientific accolades, the average Japanese mind is null and void of imagination, creativity or drive; key factors in the steady decline of Japan’s woeful economy over the past ten years. Furthermore, these striking differences between the two cultures are also mirrored in the classroom where Chinese students clearly outperform their Japanese counterparts in every measurable way.

Foreigners in Beijing, we observe, are assumed to speak some tangible degree of Chinese, and any misstep in this regard might get you yelled at or verbally abused by the likes of taxi drivers, cashiers and any number of other customer service personnel.

Paradoxically, in Japan, a foreigners hard won eloquence in Japanese is often viewed with trepidation and doubt - if not outright denial. This stubborn yet subconscious resistance toward “gaijin” assimilation most notably rings true for older Japanese males or those who maintain a certain sentiment of nationalistic or ethnic pride. Look at it from their perspective: “You kick our ass during the war; you have your way with our woman; I’ll be damn if you’ll take our language too!”

And speaking of language, students of Mandarine are sure to find the pronunciation of Chinese words rather repugnant, while the Japanese languages is far more suitable to the Western tongue and ear. Further, Japanese is littered with hundreds of English “loan words” that permeate daily life, making moving about the country a relative breeze for tourist and foreign residence alike. Words such as taxi, hotel, eat, drink, work, lady, you, driver, music, shopping and countless others, are words that are used openly and freely throughout modern Japan.

In China, English loan words are virtually non-existent. Moreover, relative to Japanese, at least, some Chinese words and expressions appear conspicuously absent from the daily lexicon altogether. These includes such phrases as, “Excuse me”;  “Thank you”; and, not surprisingly, “Please”.

Visitors to Japan will discover a fanatically clean and overly polite society where everywhere you go you’ll be greeted with genuine smiles, cheerfulness and world class service that rivals none. Life in China, though, can make the Wild Wild West look tame; and except for major touristy areas, most Chinese service personnel greet their customers with a frown or other gestures that signal pure indifference.

Additionally, Beijingers are notoriously sensitive about the glaring shortcomings of their emerging society. From smelly toilets, hawking and spitting on the sidewalk, to vigilante mob behavior, are all staunchly defended or naively brushed aside by the local natives. "China is a developing country", they say; a tactical argument for which no one could rightfully deny.

By contrast, Japanese humbly accept the notion that there’s an abundance of shortcomings in their way of life and listen attentively – often in tacit agreement – to the evaluation, commentary and criticisms offered by an array of unqualified though well meaning critiques (read, English teachers).

In the mood for a little romance? In Beijing, one finds that public displays of affection between lovers is pervasive and widespread much like it is on the streets of Paris, France; yet in Japan, men are feminine, shy and ultimately too intimidated by women to aggressively pursue or engage in (non-commercial) sex. As a result, not only is Japans aging population in rapid decline, but a nation full of attractive, wholesome and sex-starved woman are left shamelessly stranded to fend for themselves.

China has some of most delicious food in the world, and like all food in the country, including fresh fruits and vegetables, prices are ridiculously cheap. In addition, the Chinese love to gorge and pig out, and are not at all concerned about the volume of salt, sugar and grease that they devour along with several full size meals and snacks throughout the day.

For the Japanese, the dining experience is more of a social ritual; placing far more emphases on the meals appearancethan volume alone. The lack of ample portions, however, combined with infamously high prices are known to be a thorny issue with Westerners or those in search of a hardy meal at prices they can somehow afford.

Although the Japanese and Chinese somewhat grudgingly acknowledge each other as distant cousins, sharing a common writing system, a number of words, as well as certain behavioral characteristics that are commons to all Asians, there is not a lot of love between the two great nations.

Given the frequent animosity and occasional friction between their respective governments, it remains unlikely that these two cousins will be playing the kissing game any time soon.