The hardest part about returning to the U.S.after touring Japan is putting up with uncaring
and disgruntled workers. The strong
Japanese work ethic means people strive to do everything in their power to
satisfy the customer. There’s no tipping in the Land of the Rising Sun, and every employee, from
back-country general store clerk to fancy hotelier, greets customers
with the boisterous Japanese welcome Irashaimasen! Not once during a month-long tour did we
receive anything but excellent service. For example, aboard Japanese trains all staffers, from conductor to snack seller. unfailingly bow and greet passengers when entering and leaving each railcar (posing the Zen question, if
no one is riding in a particular car do employees still bow?). Some mistake the Japanese politesse as
subservience, but it’s really a matter of respect and pride. No one skulks about the job and we
didn’t see heel-dragging slackers -- even convenience store lackeys (a term that does not appear to have a Japanese equivalent) could be
super-enthusiastic. In hundreds
of transactions there were nary any problems getting answers to questions, and correct change was tendered
in a jiffy, even when using a ¥100 bill on a ¥1 purchase in a small town.
So the real culture shock came not abroad, but in returning
home to dirty old NYC, where in the first hour I was rudely delayed at the
grocery store when the clerk had to call the boss to check my $50 bill; treated
gruffly at the supermarket because the cashier had no idea how to ring up a
sale item; and rebuffed by the alternately apathetic/officious U.S. Postal Service, which had listed incorrect hours of
operation. Anxious for my mail, I
returned an hour later to receive the curt explanation that my parcel had
gone missing because “putting a hold on mail has nothing to do with express mail.” Jaded N’Yawkas in line behind me got a real kick out of that rationale, one of them
muttering “always a party here.”
Here’s a firsthand look at the elegant functioning of a true
service economy.
noodle soup just as you like it
lavender or baby blue - not uncommon colors for fish farmers
not sure what these "flared balloon knickerbockers" are actually called but they're popular with workers
true teamwork
pointing the way
puttin' on the Ritz
World's fastest trains sure, but the subways also run like clockwork
pride and focus
sea-urchin merchants giving their all at 3 a.m.
Wonderful attitudes notwithstanding, there's always work to be done in crowded cities like Osaka (population 2,625,989). Someone please call an electrician!
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