We, my wife and I, finally managed to visit Japan in May 2017 - one of two 'before I kick the bucket' items on my wife's list, and also a long held desire within me. This desire had been stoked in 1974, when I was in my early twenties and was posted in Kalaikunda for my fighter training, on the Hunter aircraft. During a party on one night, one of our squadron officer's wife told us that her parents had just returned to Hyderabad, after visiting Japan, during which they had stayed with their 'pen friends' (those were the days, my friend; now we have whatsapp friends) from that country. She told us that her parents had many good things to say about the Japanese people, and the way they do things. I remember asking her to tell us more since I am fascinated by the fact that despite similar design features, we humans are so different, mostly dependent on our history and geography. I have thus always been fascinated to travel around and meet people of different cultures and countries.
1974: She told us that her parents were staying with their hosts in a multi-storeyed setup with a vacant plot in the immediate neighbourhood. This plot had tomatoes planted, which were tended to by a farmer who lived in the village. My friend's parents had observed that it was the farmer's routine to come to the plot early in the morning riding on his bicycle, park the cycle there, tend to the plants, and then go to his job by the subway, located close by. This farmer would come back in the evening, tend to the plants, pickup his bicycle and go back home. The plants had tomatoes that were ripe for plucking too. One day it so happened that the household ran out of tomatoes. My friend's mother suggested to the host that they could pluck a few from the plot next door and pay the farmer when he came back in the evening. The host did not agree to this suggestion. Next the lady suggested that they can leave the money and a note on the bicycle stating that they had plucked a few tomatoes, as they had run out of the same in the house. This was countered by the host stating that this could not be done, and that they would have to wait for the farmer to come back in the evening and then go and buy it from him. This story aroused my fascination for the Japanese culture.
Later in 1974: I had gone to Hyderabad for my ejection seat demonstration a few months later and met up with my friend's parents on the Parsi new year celebrations, when I was invited to their home. I asked them about their Japanese experience, and they were all very happy to narrate how you could synchronise your watches with the arrival of the train; the trains never ran late, or early.
As a matter of fact, in November 2017, I was amused to read that a railway company apologised to the travelling public that their train had left the platform 20 seconds earlier than scheduled. Relevant excerpts of the BBC news dated 16 November 2017 are reproduced below.
2017: We had taken a one week bullet train (Shinkansen) pass while in Japan, and travelled extensively on these trains at speeds reaching up to 320 kmph. Having traveled, I can understand the above apology in the right Japanese context; 20 seconds, and that too early, is no big deal any where else in the world, but Japanese are different. During my travels I noticed that people were very conscientious, respectful, and orderly. They would form lines to get in to the train; wait for passengers to get off; and then only board. Occupy their seat, recline it to the desired angle, and more importantly leave it straight up before leaving. I noticed an old man do it and thought that it may be the old man's habit. I then started to consciously notice this. Most non Japanese passengers would leave their seats as is, that is in the reclined state itself, whereas all Japanese passengers would consciously leave their seats in the upright position, like they had got it when they came in. Even school kids followed this routine.
Flashback to 1974: Her parents also told us about the cleanliness, and various other things including their experience at the petrol pump when they had gone to top up their car; not only was their car topped up but the wind screens were cleaned and the car inside's were cleaned too, during the time that the car was being topped up.
1980s: I had got interested in the stock market and had started reading the business magazine, Business India, the only one at that time. I read one particular article that fascinated me and that was about how Japanese car makers like Toyota and Honda graduated from making relatively sub standard cars, which could not compete with the US and German cars like the Fords, GM, Chrysler, Mercedes, Volkswagen, etc. I remember reading that one day, bus loads of Honda employees were brought to the Golf course in Tokyo. This golf course was frequented by western diplomats who owned US, and German cars. The employees got off the buses and all they were asked to do was to feel the contours of the German and US cars. The article concluded with what I remember was, "the Japanese car industry never looked back thereafter, and posed a serious threat to US cars on their home turf, the US.
For those interested in the rise of the Japanese car industry the following excerpts of a more researched article by Peter Cheney in the Globe and Mail dated 25 March 2017 would help further in understanding the Japanese way:
All the incidents above, had left a burning desire in me to visit this country that produces such humans, who are so like us and yet so different in the way they work and do things. God granted me this opportunity in May 2017 when my wife and I visited three cities of Japan - Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo, over a period of 08 days. It was fascinating to watch them in the Bullet trains, in the local subways, in the restaurants, on the elevators, in the shops/ malls and every where. Most people in Japan speak only Japanese; only a few can speak limited English. Getting around was a big problem, as we would get lost looking for vegetarian, and Indian food. On three different occasions, we asked for directions from the locals. In one case, the man did not know the location of the restaurant. He took out his cellphone, got the Google map and told us exactly how to get there. On another occasion, the girl took out her cellphone, fed the destination and volunteered to walk us to the destination through a busy mall. On the third occasion, we had to catch a train and did not know which way to go. We asked a girl, who stopped, listened to us, but could not help us. We said thank you, but she felt so guilty that she nearly had tears in her eyes, feeling extremely bad that she could be of no help to us, and apologised profusely in Japanese.
1974: She told us that her parents were staying with their hosts in a multi-storeyed setup with a vacant plot in the immediate neighbourhood. This plot had tomatoes planted, which were tended to by a farmer who lived in the village. My friend's parents had observed that it was the farmer's routine to come to the plot early in the morning riding on his bicycle, park the cycle there, tend to the plants, and then go to his job by the subway, located close by. This farmer would come back in the evening, tend to the plants, pickup his bicycle and go back home. The plants had tomatoes that were ripe for plucking too. One day it so happened that the household ran out of tomatoes. My friend's mother suggested to the host that they could pluck a few from the plot next door and pay the farmer when he came back in the evening. The host did not agree to this suggestion. Next the lady suggested that they can leave the money and a note on the bicycle stating that they had plucked a few tomatoes, as they had run out of the same in the house. This was countered by the host stating that this could not be done, and that they would have to wait for the farmer to come back in the evening and then go and buy it from him. This story aroused my fascination for the Japanese culture.
Later in 1974: I had gone to Hyderabad for my ejection seat demonstration a few months later and met up with my friend's parents on the Parsi new year celebrations, when I was invited to their home. I asked them about their Japanese experience, and they were all very happy to narrate how you could synchronise your watches with the arrival of the train; the trains never ran late, or early.
As a matter of fact, in November 2017, I was amused to read that a railway company apologised to the travelling public that their train had left the platform 20 seconds earlier than scheduled. Relevant excerpts of the BBC news dated 16 November 2017 are reproduced below.
- "A rail company in Japan has apologised after one of its trains departed 20 seconds early. Management on the Tsukuba Express line between Tokyo and the city of Tsukuba say they "sincerely apologise for the inconvenience" caused. In a statement, the company said the train had been scheduled to leave at 9:44:40 local time but left at 9:44:20. Many social media users reacted to the company's apology with surprise. The mistake happened because staff had not checked the timetable, the company statement said."
A Selfie with the Bullet train (Shinkansen) driver
2017: We had taken a one week bullet train (Shinkansen) pass while in Japan, and travelled extensively on these trains at speeds reaching up to 320 kmph. Having traveled, I can understand the above apology in the right Japanese context; 20 seconds, and that too early, is no big deal any where else in the world, but Japanese are different. During my travels I noticed that people were very conscientious, respectful, and orderly. They would form lines to get in to the train; wait for passengers to get off; and then only board. Occupy their seat, recline it to the desired angle, and more importantly leave it straight up before leaving. I noticed an old man do it and thought that it may be the old man's habit. I then started to consciously notice this. Most non Japanese passengers would leave their seats as is, that is in the reclined state itself, whereas all Japanese passengers would consciously leave their seats in the upright position, like they had got it when they came in. Even school kids followed this routine.
Our train pulling out of train station - from 0 to 280 kmph - 2 minute clip
Flashback to 1974: Her parents also told us about the cleanliness, and various other things including their experience at the petrol pump when they had gone to top up their car; not only was their car topped up but the wind screens were cleaned and the car inside's were cleaned too, during the time that the car was being topped up.
1980s: I had got interested in the stock market and had started reading the business magazine, Business India, the only one at that time. I read one particular article that fascinated me and that was about how Japanese car makers like Toyota and Honda graduated from making relatively sub standard cars, which could not compete with the US and German cars like the Fords, GM, Chrysler, Mercedes, Volkswagen, etc. I remember reading that one day, bus loads of Honda employees were brought to the Golf course in Tokyo. This golf course was frequented by western diplomats who owned US, and German cars. The employees got off the buses and all they were asked to do was to feel the contours of the German and US cars. The article concluded with what I remember was, "the Japanese car industry never looked back thereafter, and posed a serious threat to US cars on their home turf, the US.
For those interested in the rise of the Japanese car industry the following excerpts of a more researched article by Peter Cheney in the Globe and Mail dated 25 March 2017 would help further in understanding the Japanese way:
- "In the late 1950s and early 1960s, it was hard to see how Japan could rise to the top of the automotive world. After the Second World War, the Japanese car industry was crippled by the destruction of the nation's infrastructure and weak demand. Toyota almost went bankrupt in 1949. In 1950, its production was limited to 300 vehicles. Back then, Japanese car makers were known mainly for their habit of ripping off designs from other manufacturers. Toyota's first passenger car, the 1936 Model AA, was a blatant copy of Dodge and Chevrolet designs, and some parts could actually be interchanged with the originals.
- In 1957, Toyota set up a California headquarters that would turn out to be its North American beach head. A year later, the first Toyota was registered in California. By 1975, Toyota was top import brand in the United States, surpassing Volkswagen.
- Japan's rise to automotive pre-eminence was based on several key strengths, including focus, consistency and detail-oriented engineering. Japanese auto makers were known for producing reliable cars with well-executed details. What they weren't famous for was design flair, innovative marketing and driving passion. Britain was renowned for stylistic masterpieces such as the Jaguar E-Type and the Lotus 49. Germany was the spiritual home of automotive performance, thanks to Porsche and BMW. The United States invented aspirational marketing.
- But Japan systematically borrowed the best ideas from each of these countries, while simultaneously addressing their weaknesses: Japan replaced Britain's flaky electrical systems with solid, well-engineered products from suppliers such as Nippondenso.
- Japan studied Germany's superb mechanical designs and installed them in cars that the average consumer could afford. And Japan borrowed the best parts of Detroit marketing – such as a tiered model system that encouraged buyers to spend more for essentially the same car – but lowered production costs by limiting the range of choices.
- In the mid-1960s, a Detroit order sheet could run to a dozens pages or more, creating a logistical nightmare for factories that had to build cars that could be ordered with a nearly infinite mix of colours and options. Japanese manufacturers fixed the problem by offering two or three preset option packages and restricting colour choices.
- By the late 1970s, Japan was making serious inroads in North America, even though the domestic car industry was protected by tariff walls. The conversion of knowledgeable car buffs such as my father was the beginning of a wholesale shift that made Japanese cars the preferred choice.
- I have analyzed the design and engineering of the early Honda Accord that made my father a convert. Compared with German and American cars of the same era, it felt light and faintly fragile. In fact, it was perfectly engineered, with the same attention to mass reduction that had made the Second World War Zero fighter plane superior to the Allied aircraft of the time.
- The Accord had a small, high-revving engine, which went against the grain of North American design – Detroit emphasized large, under-stressed motors. As with the Zero, which outperformed its rivals because of its low weight, every component in the Accord was built to a precise weight and matched to every other part of the machine.
- I have owned a long series of Japanese cars, including a 1988 Honda Civic that lasted nearly 15 years and never needed a major repair. Like my dad's Accord, the Civic had a motor that seemed far too small for the job, but proved as durable as a tractor motor.
- When the automotive world was dominated by V-8 Chevrolets and three-ton Cadillacs, it was hard to believe that you could make a car that was both light and tough. It was also hard to believe that you could sell one that didn't have a 500-item option list. Today, this is standard practice. Everyone's engines are smaller and everyone focuses on cutting weight where they can. When you consider Japan's place in the automotive firmament, remember that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
1990s: I remember reading about the construction of the Osaka international airport and wondered how they could do it, in the way that they did it. It all started with the top management visiting the area, no executive buildings but plain sand. Work started with top executives visting when required, and buildings came up for their use after the needs of the labour/ workers had been met. The same article stated that in India, work would have first focused to build airconditioned offices for the management. Workers/ labours needs would be the last to be catered for.
1993: I moved in to my own flat in NOIDA, and had to travel to Vayu Bhawan for work every day. I saw first hand as to how the Japanese went about constructing the Indo-Japanese friendship bridge linking Noida and Delhi. The bridge was built by L&T, with funding and project management done by Japan. I remember the first thing to come up on the Delhi side was a board that stated the date of commencement, and the date of completion, which if I remember right was exactly 2 years from start date. Next a drinking water tank came up on stilts to meet the drinking water requirements of the workers. For the first time in India, I saw workers were given steel helmets to protect them from falling debris. The work on the bridge commenced at a frantic pace. Every day I went to work I would think as to how would they be able to complete the work in 2 years, but the board stood testimony to their intentions. My thought was based on my experience of the bridge being built over the same river, next to the ITO by Gammon India. The bridge never seemed to be progressing in years. Anyways, the bridge and its supporting 'need based infrastructure' came up in due course; the bridge was completed nearly 3 weeks before the planned date; plantation commenced nearly 5 weeks before the completion date. The bridge was inaugurated on due date, with greens on both sides.
Novemeber 2008: I had blogged about the Toyota way in my other blog Relevant portions of the blog are reproduced about the Toyota way, which essentially is the Japanese way, even in their production facilities in North America.
Novemeber 2008: I had blogged about the Toyota way in my other blog Relevant portions of the blog are reproduced about the Toyota way, which essentially is the Japanese way, even in their production facilities in North America.
- Do you know how many hourly jobs GM has laid off from 2006 to July 2008? Take a guess. How about 34,000? And now, they're talking about another 5,500 layoffs. And now they're asking you and your government for a bailout to end their troubled, outdated, low quality, wasteful production system. But, let's not focus on fixing GM's problems with an infusion of cash. There's something even deeper going on here that's really wrong.
- OK, here's a better question. How many hourly jobs has Toyota 's American production system laid off in the same time frame? Zero. That's right. ZERO. How? Isn't Toyota experiencing the same slow down in auto sales as GM is? Yes, it is. And yes, Toyota has halted production at its Texas and Indiana plants for the past 3 months. But the 4,500 people who work at those plants have not been laid off. What!?!?! How? Why?
The answer: Toyota has a special culture, deep-rooted values, and respect for their workforce. Toyota 's tradition is to NOT lay off employees during hard times. This tradition hasn't really been put to the test until now. And Toyota has stuck to its guns and its values.
2017: I received a forward through whatsapp about the Japanese way of teaching young kids at school the necessary life skills of cleaning up after themselves and of taking responsibility for their actions, and for their surroundings. The video showed young kids spending time every day cleaning up their class rooms and lunch rooms, after finishing lunch. I have no doubts in my mind that a similar exercise in India would invite the wrath of most of the kids parents.
Elementary school students cleaning up their classroom
On one occasion my wife and I had returned after a ride on the Ferris wheel in Osaka, and wanted to get to a Dotonbori street, known for night market/ life. We took the subway and got to the nearest station to the street. It was around 9:30 pm. We could not figure out as to which exit to take out of the nearly 20 exits at that place. Most signages are in Japanese. So, we decided to ask a gentleman who was wearing a suit and had a briefcase in hand. He appeared to be returning from work, heading home. He understood English, but spoke only a few words of English. He stopped, listened to us, and escorted us to a map. He tried to explain to us as to which exit to take, and how to get there. After a short while, he started walking in one direction and asked us to follow him.
On my repeated attempts to discourage him, he continued and said, just follow me. I tried to reason with him but to no avail. He took us out of the nearest exit, and continued walking; my suggestions that 'we would find our way if he just told us which way to go', were brushed aside. By now we had walked about half a km. Imagine the scene - the man had just left work; got into the subway to go home; we meet him with a query; time - 9:30 pm; he escorts us out of the subway on to the roads; leads us to the street, and would have to traverse all that distance back to catch the subway home. All this after a full day's work. He finally stopped and told us that this was Dotonbori street, and left. It sure gave us an insight in to the Japanese way.
We planned to watch Mount Fuji through a trip that we signed up for. This included a bullet train ride, followed by a local train ride, a tram car ride, followed by a cable car ride, and a old big boat ride. We had booked our ticket and started the trip. There was a long queue at the cable car section. We finally managed to reach the cable car which we were to board. At that moment message was received that the cable car services had been suspended as a volcano in the vicinity had erupted. We were disappointed, but nothing could be done. We were told to take the local bus instead to the boat station, and thereafter continue as per our itinerary. We took the bus to the boat station and continued as per itinerary thereafter. However, we could not sight Mount Fuji because of the cancellation of the cable car services.
On reaching the starting point, we decided to inquire if we could be refunded the money for the cable car section of the trip. The girl took our query to the concerned manager. He came down, looked at our tickets for the stamps, made a call, and gave instructions, and we were promptly refunded the money for the cable car section. No forms to fill, no hesitation, no receipts to sign, etc - no bureaucratic red tape. The whole matter took less than 5 minutes, if I remember right.
2018: I recently visited Chiang mai in Thailand, and had signed up for a day trip to Chiang Rai and the Golden triangle in a shared van. We were a total of 11 people sharing the van. The Toyota van picked us up at 7:40 am from our hotel. The seating arrangement in the van was as follows:
- Entrance door - 3 seats together, opposite the entrance door.
- Next row - 2 seats on the right and one on the left with passage in between
- Third row - 2 seats on the right and one on the left with passage in between
- Fourth row - 2 seats on the right and one on the left with passage in between
We were the third family to be picked up. When we entered, I saw a 3 member Chinese family sitting on the front row seats. I thus headed for the second row of 2 seats and sat down with my wife. I did notice one gentleman sitting on the last seat in the fourth row; you guessed right - he was Japanese who worked for PwC, as I got to know later. The next couple boarded and sat down on the third row and the final family picked up squeezed in to the fourth and last row. We all took the most convenient seats available in the van, as we got in. Only the Japanese consciously took the seat furthest away, and the seat that involved the maximum botheration for the occupant of the seat, of boarding first and exiting last, every time we halted for any reason.
Japan is the only country that had two cities decimated by the atomic bombs in 1945; it had many high explosive devices dropped on its land mass; it is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, being part of the Pacific ring of fire; has limited natural resources; imports most raw material; and yet is one of the developed economies today. It the people of Japan that hold the key to the success of their country.
It has strengthened my belief that Japanese are very mindful of others and go through a lot just to ensure that others are not inconvenienced or put through difficulty for their sake. They are very helpful and go out of their way to help, when asked.
It has strengthened my belief that Japanese are very mindful of others and go through a lot just to ensure that others are not inconvenienced or put through difficulty for their sake. They are very helpful and go out of their way to help, when asked.
The Japanese way is very unique; it is not seen any where else to my knowledge, and most of us humans have a lot to learn from them. Have you seen such mindful people any where else in the world?
Being Japanese: Mindfulness of Others
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