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- "It's Just Too Difficult...."
- By: Terri Nii
- The UMJ Volume 2.7
- By: Terri Nii
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Well, you guys, we got it again. It had been such a long time since I had personally heard The Line that I had begun to doubt whether people were still using it. After all, this is Tokyo, or Fujisawa - whatever, and we're supposed to have graduated from the "Kokusaika" of the 1980s, aren't we? And if internationalization in Japan means making the Japanese culture and language understood as well as understanding others around the world, shouldn't this kind of roadblock already have been cleared? I don't know about you, but the "Japanese heart" expression, in whatever language, is really hard for me to endure. That as foreigners, non-Japanese, aliens, gaijin, imports (choose one), we cannot understand the quintessent spirit or unique mind, the 'Japanese-ness' of the inhabitants of this nation. The other day I went to City Hall to find out which department provides support to the homeless in Fujisawa and how an individual might be able to help out. Perhaps 10 homeless people live in and around the station, and as it is getting colder, I wondered if such provisions as food or blankets might be provided. Or perhaps referrals to low-cost housing might be given so that at least during the winter months people could access shelter. Finally finding the proper department, I spoke with two gentlemen about the situation. Mr. A was definitely a hard-liner. According to him, Japanese homeless people are different from They want to be free, unconfined, able to go where they want and do as they wish anytime. They don't want to conform to normal life. They are not to be supported for they don't want help. He went on to say that most homeless people are alcoholics, unable to give up the bottle when they are provided with the clean bed supplied by the welfare center. They don't want to turn out the lights at curfew and even if led there by well-meaning officials, by morning almost all of them have quit the facilities. As I haven't yet had a chance to take a look at the proffered lodgings, I can't comment, but that people are dissatisfied suggests that a problem with the facilities is a possibility requiring investigation. It was at this point that the "Japanese heart" bit came into play. Mr. A explained that the Japanese approach was not to help out these people because that just encouraged their homeless behavior. They deliberately try to confound welfare officials, and the Fujisawa Department was not going to fall for any deception. He "knows" because he has been to Yokohama where officials made the mistake of trying to provide assistance and where the problem is worse. He dismissed my inquiries and objections by telling me that it was hard for me to understand that line of reasoning because I am not Japanese. This approach he described is part of the "Japanese heart" -- the only two English words he used. Although his depiction of the "Japanese heart" sounded more like "heartlessness" to me, I resisted an etymological treatise on the suffix "-less" as used in "homeless" and "heartless." This is from a career Fukushi Welfare Department official. It is objectively intriguing to wonder whether during his (estimated) 30+ years in the department he has mellowed or whether he drew more toward his current position. But homelessness, at an individual level, is not objective. Been to San Francisco? Or New York? How about London? Or Tokyo? Or Osaka? Early on, when I got the "What do you think of Japan?" and similar questions, which I thought of as the 'Top Ten', I was eager for the kind instruction and advice about Japanese etiquette, culture, and way of life. But when the declaration, "It's hard for foreigners to understand the Japanese heart," is delivered point blank, whether to someone new to Japan or a long-term resident, the listener faces a dilemma. To argue is surely not Japanese, but it is untrue and unfair to agree. In an instant one is challenged with many temptations from which good sense and a quick recollection of the objective yanks one back to reality. Yes, Japanese people are special, but no more special that peoples of other cultures and geographic locations. It's ironic that it was when my commitment to my town and fellow citizens caused me to try to participate that I got the "Japanese heart" nonsense. While ignoring such a pronouncement is often the most effective response, in some cases serious enlightenment seems necessary. I wonder what other non-Japanese say to such declarations, and what kind of answer or explanation has been successful. Why not take a few minutes to let others know your thoughts on this? The UMJ will feature contributions on this topic in the November newsletter. Also, as I intend to try to find a solution to my friend Suzuki san's lack of winter shelter, I might need some inspiration. Your suggestions would certainly be appreciated. As I was walking away, I heard a different voice in the background, "That was pretty fluent Japanese..."
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