When you go somewhere different, things will be different. In Kyoto I travelled quite a bit by bus. Generally (and conversely from the UK) you get on at the back, then pay or swipe your travelcard when you leave - from the front doors. Sometimes you need to ping the card both on boarding and alighting.
Bus drivers wear smart uniforms and white gloves. Rather than cowering quietly behind (what should probably be) bullet-proof glass a la London, drivers sit in an open seat and talk to customers as part of their duties. As each person exits you will hear him say 'zmaaaaas'. I thought this was a weird recording at first, in fact it is a real man saying 'thank you' (arigatou gozaimasu). He also announces 'ugokimasu' (we're moving) as the bus pulls away. I admit this must be pretty much a snore if you are a bus driver, but it's friendlier for customers.
To me the Japanese bus experience reflects the low-crime and in a way 'un-cynical' side of Japan. Who could be trusted to consistently pay after their journey in London? Or not knife the driver and grab the cash? OK, I could be trusted, but you get my drift! (Actually I think London bendy buses were scrapped partly due to fare-dodging.)
Japan is highly advanced, but (or should I say 'and'?) there seems to be very little inclination to dodge, rebel, rock the boat. To a Westerner - and possibly to Japanese too! - there is an element of repression here; but it does lead to a more harmonious society, and there appears to be a far stronger ethic of considerateness (see Masks, Shibuya entry). I know traditionally Asian cultures focus more on the wellbeing of the group - less the individual - but I have certainly seen plenty of rule-dodging in other parts of East Asia!
So why is Japan so orderly?
Having read, and talked to both Japanese friends and lived-in-Japan-gaijin, it seems Japan has a very broad middle class. There must be an underclass somewhere, but I certainly haven't seen it during my visit in the way I have in Europe, US, and SE Asia. So perhaps this lack of divide plays a part in the non-desire for boat-rocking? In Japan, are people less likely to look at others with envy or genuine disgust at the rift between have and have-nots?
One Japanese friend I spoke to didn't view janitors, bus drivers or shop workers as people with 'lesser jobs'. (And I think we do in Europe and other parts of Asia!) To my friend, a bus driver is a trusted official, others might be more commonly expected to be old people (working in retirement to earn a bit of extra cash and keep in socially with colleagues) younger people working their way up, or perhaps married women jobbing for pocket money. The social stigma element is not there. Of course this is just one person's opinion, but if the view is common, this lack of stigma feels kinda healthy. And if you feel you have respect and an OK life, surely there is less appeal in rebelling?
Plus it could throw a different light on the idea of hierarchy. Are we in the West, perhaps just as hierarchical as infamous Japan, but in another way - with class?
All of the above is my own conjecture based on observations. I am not a socio-economist and my experience of Japan is of course very limited! But there is definitely something very different going on in Japan and I find it interesting!
Meanwhile, please do feel free to comment. And as for your time in reading this: 'zmaaaaas'!
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