The Japanese Joy

My first trip outside of the United States was to Europe in 1995. Our young party of four had a blast and observed distinct cultural differences between the U.S. and France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. Japan, however, made an impression that is hard to describe. I am trying with these posts about the World-Class elements of Tokyo, the Ways of Work, Gender and now, finally, the daily joy I found in Japan.

As a society, Japan strives to ensure people enjoy a frictionless, calm existence. Maybe I am projecting, but it all seems very Buddhist, a real "Be Here Now" vibe. It was easier to be joyful there because they elevate the mundane to the level of ritual, beauty, pleasure.

Drinking and Eating. In Japan, the home of the ancient tea ceremony, it is extremely poor manners to walk and eat, walk and drink, even walk and smoke. In open air markets, the vendors post signs directing tourist to please follow local norms. Customers are guided, sometimes physically, to stand or sit in designated areas and enjoy.

People are expected to savor. I suspect it also reflects poorly on the vendor if customers are walking and eating a purchased item. It is simply rude and wrong. Why risk bumping into a stranger, disrupting their calm on the sidewalk? Mindlessly eating a bag of snacks or gulping an ice coffee while walking is not a thing in Japan.

Japanese mugs have no handles. Please sit down and wait until the mug cools enough to hold and sip. In restaurants, every bowl, dish and utensil has a certain place and clear purpose. Meals are sequenced and paced to maximize enjoyment with all five senses. Perhaps their mindful consumption is connected to the low obesity rates.

Bathroom Basics. In Japan, the home of many healing hot springs, cleanliness is truly godliness. Almost every public toilet and certainly the private ones, have heated seats. Even in the rest stops on the highways, the bathrooms are thoughtful and users are encouraged to wipe it clean for the next user. There are wall clips for canes. To protect your privacy, the stall doors are full length and music plays. Bidets are common, front and back, warm or cool water, high pressure or gentle. All with the touch of a button on the dashboard designed to control the Toto toilet.

One very worthwhile excursion was a night in Hakone. There, the hotel piped in natural hot spring water to bath house pools. It was important to find the right gendered lockers, because not even bathing suits are permitted. First, scrub head to toe in a shower cubicle. Then, walk, um, - very freely- into the shallow, bubbling pool of hot mineral water. In five to ten minutes, feel the deepest relaxation of a lifetime.

After Hakone, I realized most Japanese bathrooms are designed to replicate the experience there. After many hours of walking around pristine Kyoto, the ritual of scrubbing down with a hand-held shower and then soaking in a tub was so welcome. Separate showers and tubs are the norm. After that, sleep was easy, so deep.

Japan treasures simple daily things, and thoughtfully perfects living. There is the same energy on a systems level. The more frequently people experience something, the more imperative that it is modern, clean, well-maintained, respected, perfected.

In Japan, the highways, roads, bridges, public transportation, crosswalks, street lights, sidewalks, highway rest stops, public parks, public restrooms, restaurants, malls, storefronts, were ALL super clean, modern, maintained, respected.

Most Tokyo and Kyoto blocks looked power-washed the night before.

On trash day in Kyoto, I noticed every household trash bag was lined with newspaper! Perhaps this protects privacy or spares the passerby an unsightly image? Trash receptacles are generally rare. Their society does not have a "throw-away" habit. People carry any trash in a small bag inside the purse or backpack until they return home.

Greenery abounds in the form of large public parks, if not forests. Sidewalks spill with shrubs and bushes pumping oxygen into the air and beautifying block after block.

Tokyo's local train system is an extension of their public space. The policymakers and the public work together to maintain a very user-friendly, clean, safe, modern, quiet, efficient, and punctual. It was not a problem for non-Japanese speakers because every transit line was color-coded and every stop on each line numbered. While riding, an accurate, modern screen provided system-wide updates in real time.

I experienced what is actually possible when national, state and local leaders all decide to align and invest adequately. Yes, we too can have safe, clean, modern transit, with less road fatalities, cleaner air, calmer commutes. Instead, our local SEPTA system is treated like a foster child nobody wants and regular working people suffer the consequences.

It takes more than policy, however. Riding buses and trains in Japan is akin to visiting the library here. Everyone respects the space, the asset and is therefore, very considerate. Silence or very quiet is the norm for riders.

I am told Tokyo residents are unable to purchase a car without proof of a parking plan. That explains why the boulevards and streets in Tokyo are not clogged with traffic jams. A thoughtful design combined with a culture of consideration? AMAZING.

In 14 days, I heard two horns honk and only one instance of emergency sirens.

The gleam of the public realm was not fully apparent to me until I landed home in gritty Philadelphia. Gritty can be a good thing and scrappy has it's place in the world. But, oh my goodness, it is impossible to fully express the noticeable difference. The grime, rust, graffiti, faded paint on the roads, dirt, litter, neglected infrastructure and old urban equipment looks decrepit, broken, sad. I see for the first time those small black, circular spots of retired gum that are freckling American sidewalks.

More than one Japanese person candidly described their impression of America as "dangerous". I was kinda offended when I was there, hearing them. But upon return, I get it.

The first day home, I waited at a red light on Washington Avenue as the driver next to me rolled down the window to drop a large bundle of fast food garbage into the middle of the road. As I sadly processed this, mumbling to myself, "That's not a thing in Japan"...the car behind me honked obnoxiously because I was two seconds too slow going on green.

I repeated "That's not a thing in Japan" so many times since then. For a few weeks, I felt like Dorothy missing her Toto toilets - disoriented, sad, overwhelmed by the work needed to make home feel magical again.

Look, I know Americans are not Japanese and never will be. But, we can and should live in safer, cleaner, and greener towns and cities. Campaign slogans are not enough to get it done and laws are not enough either but BETTER is very possible.

Now, after some adjustment, I do feel inspired to create more zen and beauty in my daily habits, my home, "the stoop", and city block: "What can I do to create environments and design systems with more beauty, calm, and peace?"