Back when I was in secondary school, I had the opportunity to go to Japan for exchange. When I went there, I was overwhelmed by how cultured the Japanese were. Throughout my trip, I made several observations and thought about how Singapore could learn from the Japanese.
When I say that the Japanese are very cultured, I mean that they value their traditions and regard very highly of their practices. They are extremely polite and treat one another with utmost respect, despite that person's occupation or age. I've noticed people bowing repeatedly to show their respect to the person they're addressing, even in public places and offices. I've seen people in suits coming out of their office buildings to sweep the area outside their offices.
In Japan, customer service is near perfect (or at least that's what I have experienced). Be it a hardware shop, a boutique, or even a grocery store, the employees give you their undivided attention and address your every needs with a smile. We notice in Singapore, this might be an area of concern. Our customer service has alot of room to improve. At times, customers walk into an unwelcoming/unaccommodating shop.
Earlier I mentioned that the Japanese really uphold traditions and practices. One of the first experiences I had was a little peculiar, nevertheless intriguing. It was the public baths. When the people use their public baths, they do not use the towel to cover themselves as it is rude to do so. Yet they respect each others' space and make it comfortable to use.
When I was studying in their schools, one of their CCAs was the Japanese Tea Club. In this CCA, they teach girls the practice of serving tea as how women in Japan did centuries ago. In the restaurants, there are many practices to be observed; like sitting in a particular manner, eating in a particular manner (they really slurp their noodles very loudly!).
Overall, it was a culturally rich experience, even though we Singaporeans do not have a fixed set of cultural behaviors like bowing to one another, we definitely can draw back lessons to learn from the Japanese from respect to individual responsibility and ones need to preserve their traditional values.
Me with the class I was assigned to. :)
Hi Suren!
ReplyDeleteI was in Japan for a couple of weeks for free & easy trip and I felt what you have written over here.
The importance of knowing culture becomes prominent even when I did not communicate with them. From the simple act of sitting in the train or walking on the streets, I become aware of the fact that I will not be able to connect with them fully unless I understand their culture. As we have been told, body language makes up most part of communication and behaving in a certain manner may signal unintended meanings to them.
We have to admit that Singaporeans are not as 'cultured' as the Japanese. Being a young country, we are still in the process of creating the culture which cannot be compared to what the Japanese have built over thousands of years. However, as long as we know the importance of respecting and tuning into the cultures of others, we will be able to form a bridge for both parties to benefit!
William Lim