How Japan inspired me

I've just come back from a little trip to Tokyo to watch the World Athletics Championships, which was great fun.

My last visit was over 20 years ago and it was very different. I was visiting a friend who lived and worked there, who was fluent in Japanese. Back then no signs were in English, not even the train station names! There was no Google Maps and no Google Translate (two things that have completely transformed the travel experience). So I missed out on a lot of interesting information revealing the Japanese culture.

Sign posted in a subway carriage in Tokyo.

Of course I was also different 20 years ago, and so saw it through a different lens. This time I was inspired in a number of ways.

1. Being considerate is a cultural value

There are 14 million people in Tokyo, and more than 37 million in the greater Tokyo area. This population density is a ripe condition for stress and the 'me first' mentality.

Yet, baked in to the culture is a value of consideration and care like the sign above. Another subway sign below, asks people to be considerate of others' headspace - a topic dear to my heart.

No thieving others' headspace on the train!

2. PAR is baked in!

It seems the Japanese can join People Against Rushing (PAR) as job lot! Here's another sign in a subway station, and indeed we rarely saw people rushing!

One result of this was that it took quite a while for them to make coffees and meals. But I'd watch the kitchen staff going about their roles calmly, mindfully, and with care, and I liked it! I immediately accepted it, and that helped me maintain my own PAR membership amid the crowded city!

In Kyoto, 'our cafe' was a hole in the wall with just two seats on the pavement outside. We got used to sitting patiently, taking in the setting, and people-watching, as the single barista made one coffee, delivered it, then made the other one, and delivered it five minutes later. An Australian barista would have made six or seven coffees in this time - more efficient for sure - but not very PAR!

Matt sitting outside 'our cafe' in Kyoto

3. Evidence of care

   Amid the dense population and large scale activity in these concrete jungle cities, people have created pockets of care - a beautifully curated garden just one street back from a crazy boulevard, a carefully constructed zen display as you step off the busy street into a building.

A doorway to an oasis amid the chaos.

What struck me is the care that has gone in to creating these little oases. It's easy to think of your environment as all one thing - like a big ugly concrete city. But these demonstrations of care, these creations of little islands of calm were like offerings from fellow humans - of grounded-ness and peace amid the noise. They had a visceral effect on me.

The people who created these weren't swept up into the faceless, busy-ness of a big city. They created their own spaces of peace amid the chaos. The care that went into them shone through the concrete masses. They felt like pockets of kindness.

I feel a similar way when I walk through the 'old towns' of many European cities. These beautiful built environments are offerings to the community from people in the past (and those in the present who maintain them).

Most holidays seem to end when I get home. I get back into the swing of daily life and rarely think about the experience I just had. But Japan is lingering with me.

I'm finding myself taking more care with little things - like the Japanese baristas. I'm making my morning cup of tea mindfully rather than habitually, respecting and enjoying the process as a ritual rather than a job to be dispatched.

Matt and I have also decided to 'Zenify' our house - go through the stuff we've accumulated, one room at a time, and deliberately decide whether to keep things. Where we do, we'll be deliberate about where to put them so that they aren't visual clutter.

The Japan experience has also felt affirming to some of the ways I approach my world. For example one of our neighbours has placed lights in their front yard which light up their funky trees at night. It's a pleasure to drive past and see this. I'm going to leave a note in their post box thanking them. (We do the same in our front yard, and my motivation is indeed to contribute to the beauty and expression of care in our neighbourhood.)

Seeing so many signs encouraging respect and care for others in crowded places also felt affirming (e.g. not rushing or using mobile phones in close quarters, looking where you're walking rather than at your phone). Because my society doesn't have this attitude, I sometimes feel like a freak, so it was very affirming to see a whole society take this attitude, and experience the peacefulness and feelings of safety that came from it.

It also reminded me of the fact that personal growth is not just a personal benefit, it's a contribution to society. Like those pockets of beauty that invoke peace, groundedness and calm, when we grow as people, we too offer such an oasis in a busy world. We too can be a positive interruption to relentless habitual activity for those around us.

And of course, a whole country subscribing to PAR! What can I say? I didn't realise we have over 124 million members!!