Turning Japanese

Japan, a country of mystery. Medieval castles, Zen Buddhist temples, the elusive Iron Chef Italian. That crosswalk where people interweave like cogwheel teeth epitomising Japanese psyche. Hard to imagine another place where two million people could pass obliquely without collision.

Perhaps there is an equally mysterious force swirling amongst the black and white tarmac - social responsibility. Plucked from the dictionary of bleeding hearts, it explains the nature of people in an inherently chaotic and crowded country. As Little Boy violated Hiroshima in 1945, an incredible sense of collective responsibility spread over Japan more emphatically than the radiation that initiated it.

A need to look after your fellow man not for him or you, but for everyone. Hiroshima's light rail network was up and running the next day. Contrast this with the familiar council worker solar array statically reflecting light onto the sole worker doing anything.

Venture beyond Ginza into Japan's suburban neighbourhoods and even the outsider can experience this. A unique sense of calm and patience instilled amongst its people as if sedatives had been aerolised into the atmosphere. A reserved but insatiable urge to do the right thing coupled with an individual's sense of pride.

Pride, revered in progressive society with the same passion as it is condemned in others. The covert tall poppy syndrome rears it's ugly head to pulverise individuals who dare achieve excellence and positive contrast. An infected society suffers as its brightest members are pushed towards warmer lands that nurture pride and social responsibility for the benefit of all.

Instead of embracing an exceptional outlier, the bell curve throws them back onto the homogenous bed of familarity with an appropriate sound effect. Welcome home Mr Tryhard.

Thankfully, the Japanese resist this. From the bus driver on your morning commute to the barman salting your grilled chicken at day's end. A passionate desire to have ones garden lush and healthy regardless of size. Leadership by example encourages all to aspire towards the sharp end through an unspoken feeling of societal cohesiveness.

Like a supportive running group. Cramps which ordinarly reduce one to walk fade with the surrounding rhythmic drive for excellence. To look beyond the individual's desires and do the right thing by those around you.

The reward is an inherent sense of calm. The head dives into the pillow knowing a positive contribution was made to the kitty. Instant satisfaction may be lacking but it is replaced by a deeper sense of self worth with the longevity to resist unfortunate nay-sayers who try to dilute it.