To think japan and uk have so much in common?

[Valeriane]

I have never been to Japan so 100% open to posters correcting me/adding things! But the other day I was thinking it's funny, the two seem to actually have a lot in common

Driving on the left
Love of tea and codified ceremonies/rituals around tea
Island nations
Big former empires
Hardcore monarchies
A strange contrast between a tightly buttoned aspect on one hand, and then eccentricity and subcultures on the other
Big importance placed on social niceties and possibly repression
Love of whiskey and whiskey making culture
Feeling separate to the rest of their continent (is this true for Japan?)
Very densely populated
Important in developing trains (steam, bullet)
Love of fancy dress/costume

Love of tea and codified ceremonies/rituals around tea

Huh?

Have you got an essay to write?
(Just off for my tea rituals)

Jared Diamond talked about this once. Two similarly sized islands at opposite ends of the Eurasian landmass at similar latitudes has led to some common characteristics. Yet the 22 miles from Britain to Continental Europe is much closer than the distance from Japan to Asia and this has had a profound influence on its development

I must say having been to Japan I definitely felt at the time it was massively different- so clean, safe, punctual, polite.

I wouldn’t say that Japan had a big empire, and if so, it wasn’t for very long

Japan and the UK's attitudes to individuality are polar opposites. As are their appetites for living in a diverse multi-racial society. Attitudes to women are very different too. Japanese and British people see authority very differently and that affects a number of areas of life.

Having worked across (and managed teams in) both countries, the cultures are entirely different!! It's quite alien as a Brit over there.

I think you should visit to dispel your theory.

😂 I know we don't have tea rituals in the UK, maybe that was an awkward way of phrasing it. I guess I meant more the traditional olde worlde "tea time" in a tearoom thing feels almost ritualistic in a way. It's hard to describe!

On paper half those things are true. When you’re actually in Japan, you feel the culture is massively different and that list becomes a bit useless.

Especially the ‘social niceties’ bit. It’s a very different way of behaving in public, something that’s really not comparable to the UK and you can’t really appreciate until you’ve spent some time there.

Japan scores very low for women's rights. Japan and UK are v. different.

Massive stereotypes coming up, but Britain has typically used its island status to look outwards - trade, empire, etc etc.

By contrast Japan has used it as an ability to separate - it was effectively closed off for hundreds of years till the 1860s, and this is still echoed in their immigration policy.

Beyond geography and tea, they are very different in culture, history and society.

Forgot to add another one: cat worship! There's a sort of fetishisation of cats in UK popular culture and it seems that way in Japan too (?). A lot of Japanese writers seem to throw a cat or two into their stories. Dogs never seem to make an appearance though.

@Zarene
That's an interesting observation.

If only we had the Japanese bullet trains here, i'd be able to visit my family in 2 hours instead of 6. Everyone gets trains and walks everywhere in Japan. UK more like America, land of the car.

There is a lot of social differences in Society and it's apparently surprising how little English they speak there. Can you tell I'd love to go to Japan😁

Japan and the UK's attitudes to individuality are polar opposites. As are their appetites for living in a diverse multi-racial society. Attitudes to women are very different too. Japanese and British people see authority very differently and that affects a number of areas of life.

This.

Nope..having lived there ..they are so completely different in soooo many cultural ways. They are on the opposite end of spectrum on many aspects of life..

I've been to Japan. It's nothing like the UK.

Nope nothing alike, I have lived in Japan and visited many times. UK and Japan for many reasons are totally different, which if you visit you would see for yourself.

YABVU.

I think that whilst there is enough similarity on some of the line items to articulate a comparison of sorts, I found Japan to be the most different from life in the UK of any country I have visited. It has in many ways evolved in isolation so almost everything is different - even down to things like door handles or the shape of a paperclip - every tiny problem has been solved differently and it adds up to the be the most amazing and engaging immersion in a culture so detailed and completely different to our own. The one time I had the opportunity to spend a few weeks there is probably my most treasured life experience.

Have you watched the James May on Japan series? You might find it interesting.

@Valeriane In Scotland and Japan it’s Whisky not Whiskey.

They’ve got some similarities but you could say that about pretty much any country in the world.

@TinySaltLick

I love how you describe this. My dad has always said (nagged!) I need to get myself to Japan, like you he was just blown away by how different everything is. Was considering going next year but I dont want it to be distorted by covid, so maybe waiting until 2023 is a safer bet.

@TinySaltLick

I think that whilst there is enough similarity on some of the line items to articulate a comparison of sorts, I found Japan to be the most different from life in the UK of any country I have visited. It has in many ways evolved in isolation so almost everything is different - even down to things like door handles or the shape of a paperclip - every tiny problem has been solved differently and it adds up to the be the most amazing and engaging immersion in a culture so detailed and completely different to our own. The one time I had the opportunity to spend a few weeks there is probably my most treasured life experience.

This makes me want to go even more than before - and it's been top of my travel wish list for years!