Japanese Listening Podcast #17 ｜ どうして日本人はきれい好きなの？

This podcast is for foreign nationals working in Japanese. Business Japanese, communication, Japanese culture, Japanese society, etc. We are talking about various topics. Now, when you come to Japan or talk with Japanese people Have you ever felt that Japanese people are truly too beautiful? For example, many Japanese people take a bath every day. A hand towel is always served at restaurants. When entering the front door, you always take off your shoes. At school, children do the cleaning. Trains and city streets are relatively clean. One aspect of Japanese culture that surprises many foreigners is such a custom. Then, why are Japanese people so meticulous about cleanliness? Today, I would like to discuss the reasons from the perspectives of history and culture. The first reason is Japan's climate. Japan is a country with high temperature and humidity. High temperature and high humidity refer to a condition where it is hot and the air contains a large amount of moisture. Haven't you also felt that Japanese summers are not just hot, but also kind of sticky and clammy? That damp, muggy feeling is high temperature and humidity. It's not just hot in summer; the humidity is also extremely high. Mold tends to grow easily in humid conditions. Food tends to spoil easily. There is a problem of odor generation. In old Japan, most houses were made of wood. As a result, the house itself began to deteriorate because cleaning and ventilation were neglected. It was an environment where one couldn't comfortably live without keeping it clean. One might say it's a country where people can't stand not keeping things neat and tidy. In fact, this hot and humid climate has also influenced Japan's food culture. From a foreigner Why are Japanese sweets individually wrapped? I am sometimes asked this question. Indeed, Japanese souvenirs and snacks have a very high number of individually packaged items, don't they? It's very convenient when handing it over to someone. It's not just because it's hygienic. In Japan, where the humidity is high, sweets can become damp when exposed to air. Because the quality would deteriorate. For example, cookies, crackers, and seaweed drastically change in texture when they absorb moisture. Therefore, protect them from moisture by wrapping each one individually. It has been carefully designed to preserve its deliciousness for a long time. The Japanese obsession with cleanliness and combined with adaptation to a hot and humid climate It could also be said that this individual packaging culture emerged at this time. The second reason is Shinto, Japan's traditional religion. Have you ever heard the word "Shinto"? Shinto is a religion that has been believed in Japan since ancient times. Nor does it have a specific founder like Christianity. It is not like Islam, which has a single sacred scripture. In Shinto, nature such as mountains, rivers, trees, the sun, and so on We believe that gods reside in our ancestors. In other words, live with gratitude toward nature and everything around you. It is a religion that highly values this way of thinking. In Japan, the term "Yayorozu no Kami" has existed since ancient times. This means there are very many gods. For example, mountain gods, sea gods, rice field gods, and gods who protect the house, and so on. God has long been considered to reside within nature and everyday life. That is why the Japanese have long been I have always cherished the importance of not offending the gods. And within that line of thinking, what is particularly important is It is about refining it to the utmost. To purify means to remove dirt from the body and mind. It is about keeping it in a clean condition. The dirt referred to here is not merely dust or mud. For example, bad feelings, stress, sad events It also includes any unpleasant feelings that linger after a bad event. In Shinto, one purifies both mind and body before proceeding. It is considered important to face God directly. Have you ever been to a Shinto shrine in Japan? There is a place to wash your hands and mouth before entering a shrine, isn't there? That is called a "chonokoya." Why do we wash our hands? It is to purify oneself before meeting God. In Shinto, it has long been considered extremely important to purify. Moreover, Buddhism has actually influenced the Japanese people's sense of cleanliness. Cleaning is highly valued at temples. Cleaning is also one of the monk's practices. There is a well-known saying that cleaning is a way of polishing the mind. The dirtiness of the room is the dirtiness of the heart. They even say that a dirty room reflects a troubled mind. Polishing the bed while also tidying up my heart Such ideas spread throughout Japanese society. Therefore, in Japan, cleaning is not merely a household chore. It may also be considered an act of self-cultivation. Now, a little story about history. Actually, Edo during the Edo period In other words, today's Tokyo is, among the worlds of that time, It is said to have been a remarkably clean city. The Edo period lasted from 1603 to 1868. It was about 260 years ago. It was the era when the Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan. It is said that around one million people lived in Edo at that time. It was one of the largest cities in the world at that time. In cities with large populations, garbage increases. The illness spreads. The problem of water becoming polluted is likely to occur. However, in Edo, a relatively clean living environment was maintained. Why were Edo people able to maintain thorough hygiene management? There are three main reasons. The first point is that Edo had many public bathhouses. A sentō is a public bathhouse where people pay a fee to use it. In old Japan, there were many homes that did not have a bathtub at home. That is why people went to public baths to wash their bodies or soak in hot water. because at the time, ordinary people could relatively easily access and use it The habit of bathing became widely established. The second point is that they reused garbage as a resource. In Edo, they reportedly collected paper, cloth, metal, and even leftover candle remnants for reuse. Surprisingly, farmers were even buying human waste as fertilizer. Therefore, not a disposable culture like in modern times A culture of reusing what is usable gradually developed. As a result, it became less likely for garbage to overflow in the city. The third reason is that they carefully managed water resources. In Edo, as the population grew, securing a reliable water supply became increasingly important. Thus, water purification systems such as Tamagawa Water Purification Plant were developed. A water purification system refers to the mechanism that delivers clean water to cities for people's use. Yokochō Water Channel is a canal constructed to transport water from the Tama River all the way to the streets of Edo. With the development of a system to transport clean water from the river to the town, Many people have now gained access to relatively safe water. It is said to have been a very advanced urban infrastructure for its time. A major reason supporting contemporary Japanese people's sense of cleanliness is education. In Japan, children begin doing their own cleaning when they enter elementary school. Not only the classroom We have to clean the hallway, stairs, and toilet ourselves. People sometimes express surprise overseas at why children are made to do housework. But in Japan, through cleaning We learn the idea of treating shared spaces with care and respect. From things like this, one continues to grow up even as an adult Perhaps there are relatively many people who keep public places fairly clean. There are times when it's also a dirty place, you know. There was an incident involving the Japanese people's love for cleanliness that became a topic of discussion worldwide. That is the soccer World Cup. After the match ended Japanese supporters picking up trash in the spectator stands The act of cleaning up and leaving was reported by the media. And the locker room used by the Japanese national team The importance of neatly cleaning up and leaving things as they were has been discussed many times. It is not something particularly special for the Japanese. It was just an ordinary action—cleaning up the place where I had used it and then leaving. Today, I talked about why Japanese people are so fond of cleanliness. There were five main reasons. Hot and humid climate Shinto purification culture Buddhist cleaning culture Hygienic awareness passed down since the Edo period And then, cleaning education at school. In other words, the Japanese people's love for cleanliness is It can be said that it is a custom developed over a long history and culture. For Japanese people, cleaning and cleanliness are It's more than just removing dirt. Consideration for others It is also a consideration for everyone to feel comfortable and at ease. How was it? Having listened to this story this time Were there any similarities between your country and Japan? Where was it significantly different? Please let me know in the comments. Thank you very much for listening until the end once again. Let's meet again in the next episode. Well done!