Education
Mitsugo no tamashi, hyaku made, or "The soul of the first three years lasts until 100 years"... This saying is in the consciousness of all Japanese people. They think that the game is over between birth and the third year. During this period, and in fact almost until elementary school, children are not subjected to any prohibitions or strict rules. They are cared for rather than educated. They must enjoy life. We try to make sure, as the Japanese say, that there is no "hole" in the child's heart, that the emotional and physical bonding as well as the distancing (emancipation) follow a well-filled process. At home, children are mainly taught how to behave in society in order to please others or not to bother them, and the school takes over, which results in a peaceful and pleasant society, in appearance of course, because in reality it is less and less so according to Japanese criteria.
Family
It would be wrong to use the term family to understand the Japanese way of life. In fact, although Japanese people take care of their family, they also have very diverse relationships in society. It really takes a parent being obnoxious and aggressive for the daughter or son to decide not to make the effort to maintain the relationship. Even though the emotional part exists between parents and children, one likes to take care of one's parents, grandparents, and of course the reverse is true. Caring goes hand in hand with natural affection for one's parents or vice versa. Body contact is important. Young spouses sleep with their children on the same futon.
School
The orientation of MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) responds to the national concern of globalization. In the era of globalization, there is a concern that the co-harmonizing nature of the Japanese temperament will not allow them to communicate well on the international stage. In elementary school, classes stop at 2 or 3 pm. The national education system provides a basic education with little textbooks. In order to help their children pass exams, most Japanese are attracted to juku (small supplementary schools) which keep the children busy in the afternoon or evening. State universities are almost free or very cheap, while a private university costs at least a million yen a year.
Military service
During the Meiji era, in 1873, military service became mandatory, before being removed from the constitution after World War II. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces(jieitai) constitute the Japanese defense. It has been a professional army since 1954. Article 9 of the Constitution states that "Japan renounces war forever as a sovereign right of the nation. So there are no nuclear weapons in Japan, even if the country officially allows itself an army capable of ensuring its defence.
Work
A cliché is to be broken here, even if, as for all megacities, the inhabitants of big Japanese cities spend a lot of time at work. However, they don't spend all their time there. On average, the Japanese have only two to three weeks of paid vacation per year. But there are also one or two weeks of Golden and Silver Weeks, at the beginning of the year and in the spring. One would also tend to use the term "work" to talk about Japanese life, but "activity" is more appropriate. For the Japanese, work is an activity that gives animation. A healthy animation in work, sport, study or whatever is synonymous with happiness. So, it is a bit wrong to say that Japanese people like to work. They like to be animated in work, as in the rest of their activities. A job that lacks animation or a "hideout" is not interesting to them in general.
Retirement
The Japanese pension system is based on the simple principle that the population of contributors is greater than the population of beneficiaries. The government has already raised the retirement age from 60 to 65. Japan is one of the industrialized countries with the highest rate of population aging. Moreover, the country has one of the lowest birth rates in the world and is no longer able to ensure its generational renewal. It goes without saying that the principle described cannot work in the long term.
Homosexuality
As with all major capitals in developed countries, Tōkyō has its gay district, Ni-chōme in Shinjuku, where homosexuality has no problem expressing itself. Generally speaking, gays and lesbians can walk the streets of the capital without encountering any problems. The other major cities in Japan have the same characteristics, which are less common in the more rural areas. In ancient times and in feudal times, people who had homosexual relationships did not necessarily hide. Today, despite the public affirmation of homosexuality by some celebrities, it has not yet entered the mainstream. Therefore, the community remains discreet. However, many small and fragmented associations exist to defend their rights.
Contradiction
A brief visit to Japan allows us to understand, in a non-in-depth way, that the country is a land of contradictions. But the situation is much more complex than the simple opposition between black and white. There is what is said(tatemae) and what is thought inwardly(honne). In Kyōto, the Golden Pavilion expresses magnificence itself, while the Silver Pavilion evokes the stripping down that leads to the heart of things. The great shrine of Ise is dedicated to the imperial court of the Yamato, but the same court built a shrine for those it had defeated, that of Izumo. Haji means shame and confusion, but the fact of having this attitude makes it possible not to be ashamed anymore. The unit that expresses space(ma) also expresses time. These are only examples among many others, and this is why Japan is often called a country of contradictions. This is true, but isn't it possible to say rather that Japan makes contradictions coexist, and that this leads to the result... that there are no more contradictions?
Superfluous
In his behavior, as a general rule (times change of course), the Japanese seeks to remove the superfluous, to see the bottom of things. Many Japanese architects are known as minimalists. What is beautiful about traditional Japanese Nihonbuyō dance is the absence of movement. The basis of ancient martial arts? It's to avoid putting force, but rather to go around it to create movement. The Japanese often prefer to let someone speak who has a strong conviction and wants to be right. They prefer to evade rather than argue or be right. From early childhood, the Japanese have learned that they have work to do to erase imperfections. He acts a lot in this sense and avoids to put forward his qualities. In short, society teaches him what is called modesty.
