Since I came to Japan, I was wondering what makes these people different from the rest of the world. What was the secret behind there exponential economic success. I was really considering the existence of this magic potion that they drink to be able to balance between conservatism and innovation. I lived in Japan for three months now and I feel that I started to notice what makes those people different from the others or at least different for us, Moroccans.
The first week I came to Japan, I went to the bank to get change and this was the first time I face the Japanese perfection. First of all, the lady took the Euros I carried and straitened them as they were messy according to her standards. Then she started copying the number of each single 20 one and then she checked many times and then finally told me that we can change your money. The second thing I had noticed in the same bank was that the way they stamp the papers is so faultless. This might seem weird but seriously I was impressed by how those people stamp their papers, the bank officer was doing it slowly and perfectly. This made me think of the Moroccan banks and administrations where the only sounds you hear there is the one of agents stamping papers. They stamp so hard as if stamping hard and making a lot of noise proves that hard work.
The second time I faced Japanese perfection was when I went to buy Ice-cream in Osaka. I told the vendor that I want to take it away and she asked me in how long exactly I will eat it. I wondered why she asked me such a question but basically she did so to know who much ice she should put on it to keep it from melting. I was really impressed. However she said she was going to put ice, isn’t this ice going to melt and everything will be messy by the time I get to my destination? Of course no, we are in Japan and the ice doesn’t melt but evaporate instead. My knowledge in chemistry is quite modest to understand the process, all I did is smiled and left.
The third scene where I was impressed by the perfection was when I saw my host sister’s Obento which was amazing. It really looked like a work of art. The colors, the way food was presented it this little box. It looks so nice that you hesitate before eating it.
These things might be very futile but it seriously made me think for days.
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| A perfectly made Obento |
Wednesdays night I used to go watch the tea ceremony club. I am really impressed by how complex the protocol of this ceremony is. I strongly believe that this ceremony shows how the Japanese care about perfection. If you move the spoon from right to left it is not good, If you move it little fast it is not good. Every single detail counts, the posture, the smile, the way you present tea, the way you serve it. This in really unbelievable!
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| Japaneese Tea Ceremony |
It is really impressive how getting things done well can change many details in one’s life. I strongly believe that this care about the details the Japanese people have, participated in a way or another in making from them on of the most developed countries in the world.
Pictures 'Sources:
1.Obento:http://www.google.co.jp/imglanding?imgurl=2.TeaCeremony: http://www.google.co.jp/imglanding?=tea+ceremony
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