Aside from the strong cultural values and homogeneity of that culture, I would think socioeconomic factors must have a major impact. I don't know how the statistics stack up in Japan, but looting is generally an activity of the poor and disenfranchised. Anyone have data pertinent to this?
Why no looting in Japan?
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Re: Why no looting in Japan?
#22Same reason nobody vandalizes vending machines, even when they're quite literally in the middle of nowhere along the side of an unfrequented road in the countryside. Same reason it's unthinkable for a Japanese to take fruit or berries hanging outside of someone's yard, even when it's falling off the branch and rotting on the ground, and yet they'd hardly think twice in their downtown drunken stupor to steal a bicycle…
I don't know about other countries, but in Greece the fruit that's in your garden (when a branch of the neighbour's tree extends there) belongs to you, and fruit on the branch in the street is public property.
Just the fruit on that branch, though.
Re: Why no looting in Japan?
#23The Japanese have a lot of respect. When I visited a common thing said was "If you leave your wallet on the street and come back a day later, it's likely it will still be there or in the closest shop."
I can vouch for this based on my own experience, my wallet seemed safer by itself on the train than in my pocket in any other country.
OTOH, every school girl gets felt up on the train.
Re: Why no looting in Japan?
#24I'd personally think that it's because the japanese have a greater sense of 'us' than in countries where looting occurs. Nobody thinks to loot from their family, only from other people.
Re: Why no looting in Japan?
#25This is something that really surprised me about Japanese culture. I went there in 2008 for a study tour and one of the things that really impressed me is how different their attitude towards shared property and public space is.
On numerous occasions I saw things where I thought: wow, in my country (The Netherlands) this would totally get abused, vandalized or stolen. Not that my country is not safe or dirty, just that it is individualized to the extent that people place more value on the well-being of themselves and their stuff than that which they share with others or the public space.
Some examples:
Vending machines are so ubiquitous in Japan that they are an icon in itself. Trash cans, on the other hand, are not. However, you rarely see trash on the streets. Not because there are exorbitant penalties for this, people simply don't do it. People simply drag their trash along until they get to a place with a trash can (maybe their home or office) and dispose of it there.
In crowded areas, there are always plenty of public toilets and they are generally free to use. Not once have I seen one that was dirty or vandalized.
At one point, I found myself in a packed bus that had one of those old-fashioned destination "tickers" made out of a roll of paper with the names of all destinations printed on it. When we still had those buses in my country, they were encased in industry-grade steel enclosures, lest people break the thing or change the destination. In Japan, one could just reach out and do just that, yet nobody did.
In six week of traveling through Japan, visiting dozens of places and most major cities, I saw one wall that had graffiti on it. This was so special that I took a picture of it.
I think it is too easy to "blame" this cultural difference on a "shame" effect, as is often done. I spoke to a lot of Japanese people and my impression is quite different. I would say the major reason why there is so little looting in Japan, is that rather than thinking about their own petty interests first, Japanese consider the quality of the public or shared space to be just as important to their personal well-being. In other words: when western people throw their trash on the floor, they think "Good, I got rid of my trash"; for Japanese people nothing changed, since it is still in "their" space, so they better dispose of it properly.
Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert on all things Japanese. I was just there for six weeks and this is my impression, I might very well be totally wrong :)
Re: Why no looting in Japan?
#26How about because the Japanese have been living on that island for what, 30,000 years? I think they have a sense of longevity in their culture that we could all really learn from.
Hah! You should visit Greece sometime. If it's not bolted down when your shop closes, it won't be there next morning. I've heard of people stealing couches from cafes just because they were drunk out of their minds.
Re: Why no looting in Japan?
#27I went there in the 90s and remember leaving my wallet in a store, then walking down the street a man tapped my shoulder from the back and when I turned I saw the store owner giving it back to me. Man I was touched by that gesture. A couple of stores down the road we entered a jewelry and my gf tried some expensive pearl necklaces just for the fun of it (like Y3M a pop ($30k back then)) and she forgot to return the last one she tried. A couple of blocks down we noticed and looked at each other with that weird sensation and the urge to return it, like if we were guilty of something we really didn't do.
And we did, they guy thanked us like a million times. We felt the most honorable people on earth. Honor is something we can't describe but japanese people carry it in their blood.
Re: Why no looting in Japan?
#28Same reason nobody vandalizes vending machines, even when they're quite literally in the middle of nowhere along the side of an unfrequented road in the countryside. Same reason it's unthinkable for a Japanese to take fruit or berries hanging outside of someone's yard, even when it's falling off the branch and rotting on the ground, and yet they'd hardly think twice in their downtown drunken stupor to steal a bicycle…
Japanese vending machines also have a safety lever (of sorts) that makes all the beverages free, in the event of a catastrophe.
I don't know how it works specifically, but I'm sure there would be better ways than to vandalize the machines in order to obtain the contents.
Re: Why no looting in Japan?
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
That would be really interesting if true. Do you have any sources to back that up?
No. The Yakuza generally do not participate in civilian affairs, nor are they interested in "policing", except where someone becomes a personal nuisance to a higher-up or someone disrupts their business. Their primary interest lies in the financial side of mizu-shobai type establishments, gambling, and money laundering. They also offer thug-work-for-hire, which is helpful when the police aren't, but you've got to be…
nor are they interested in "policing", except where someone becomes a personal nuisance to a higher-up or someone disrupts their business.
You are "disagreeing" with me by saying exactly what I am.
Re: Why no looting in Japan?
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
So have the people of England, what's your point?
No, they have not. Roman Briton was a different society than pre-Roman Briton. The Anglo-Saxons came about 1500 years ago and nearly completely replaced the Britons, genetically and culturally. The Norman invasion was about 950 years ago and greatly changed Anglo-Saxon culture, although not as much as the AS changed post-Roman Briton. There were several other invaders (Danes, etc.) as well. By contrast, the Japanese…
3000 years of writing bad Chinese poetry.
edit: It's a JOKE, people.