UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA
ASASI TESL PROGRAMME
TSL025 – ACADEMIC WRITING
Assignment 1
TITLE: The Japanese: in the City vs in the Countryside
Name
:
NAYLI BATRISYIA AN-NASIHA
BINTI NOR’AZLAN (2020463758)
Group
:
T03
Lecturer
:
FATIMAH AZZAHRA BT MD RAUS
Submission Date
:
5th MARCH 2021
Theme:
:
CULTURE
Japan, a country where modernism and traditionalism coexist harmoniously. This is where we
could see advanced technologies even in rural areas, traditional and cultural events held in the
middle of big cities, and most importantly the uniformity of its citizen. Despite the Japanese
taking up to 98% of the population which means little to no people from other races, Japan
has many differences and diversity that make it unique in its way. From the biggest history of
their involvement in World War II followed by the outrageous incident of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki’s bombing to their revival with the world’s first Shinkansen and the invention of the
most used kitchen appliances, rice cooker. It is enough to say the Japanese are amazing and
astounding. Therefore, what make up the similarities and differences among its citizen
whether the one residing in the countryside or living in the city? There are one conspicuous
similarity and two distinct differences which are the Japanese traits, economic and academic
inequalities, and youth and elders quota.
First and foremost, the apparent similarity one could see in the Japanese is their traits. From
the oldest to the youngest, they are by and large polite and practice precision in their
etiquette. It's the overall inclinations of the Japanese. For them, it’s common sense to be
good and respectful to everyone. The Japanese appreciation towards everything, the biggest
and even the smallest detail, is something that has to be adored. Moreover, they have solid
self-awareness and high self-discipline. The Japanese, as we all know, is very patriotic. As
proof, they are devoted to a deep-rooted act of culture called Omotenashi which means,
‘serve wholeheartedly’. This tradition of theirs is precious and so meaningful. Omotenashi is
top-quality hospitality for any kind of service, mostly seen and experience in a tea-serving
ceremony and restaurants. They are hardworking and continually willing to offer everything
to create the best outcome. They will give their purest treatment to every customer without
expecting something in return. Besides, the tradition of tipping is considered rude in Japan. It
is simply not in their culture. For them, service is for the sake of giving and not receiving.
Part of the reason why is they are already properly compensated in their wages though really,
it’s because they are taught that way since the beginning of time. This is, of course, the same
case for both Japanese in the city and the countryside. One can get lovely polite assistance
even at a shop in the deepest village. This shows that the biggest similarity of the Japanese is
them, themselves.
Following is the first evident difference between the Japanese living in the city and the
countryside, economic and academic inequalities. It is two completely contrast aspects but
affiliated in a way. Starting with their education, most of the Japanese, regardless of where
they come from, whether in the city or the countryside, everybody gets the fundamental
academic teaching. This means each age can compose a large number of Chinese characters
easily, even from helpless foundations. They can also calculate basic arithmetic quickly in
mind. However, the degree for advanced education and their advantages are restricted in the
countryside. Since the government started to close the small schools in rural areas and
combined them into others nearby (Fifield, 2015). More and more universities and high
schools are built in the city. People there receive far more quality teaching which then creates
academic inequalities. Eventually, it produces a significant impact on their economy. The
number of generously compensated positions is higher in the city. Whereas, in the
countryside, there are only 2 most profitable jobs, local government staffs and public school
teachers. Besides, there is an imbalance average amount of salary. The good thing is their
housing environment. Houses in the rural are much more spacious and have lower rents.
Meanwhile, Tokyo was recorded as the world's most costly spot to live with a regular
two-room condo leasing for $4,325 per month (Urban and Rural Life in Japan, 2013).
Furthermore, the security level is higher in the countryside. It is much safer there. This is
because cities like Tokyo are full of scammers and pernicious crooks. The number of
foreigners may also be one of the reasons.
Lastly, what differs the Japanese in the city and the countryside is the youth and elders quota.
There are more elderly in rural rather than in metropolitan cities. In fact, Japan has the
highest percentage of elderly which makes up 28.2% of the population and most of them are
residing in the countryside. The younger generations are staying in the city as they have more
job opportunities and convenience. In return, there are many nuclear families in the city.
Nuclear families consist of only a couple and a child, regarded as a basic family structure.
This is to imply that the younger generations do not live with their grandparents anymore. As
a result, the newlywed couples must work to afford to live in the city hence why they have to
leave their children in a nursery. Be that as it may, Japan is lacking nursery schools. It is one
of their main concerns. It’s rare to see one and usually, it’s very expensive. Concerning that,
Japan has already noticed this and created a free childcare program. This is specially made
for those on the waiting list for applying to another childcare center (Wataru, 2019).
Unfortunately, this does not resolve the problem at all. In the long run, many women quit
their jobs right after marriage because it’s hard to work and take care of their kids at the same
time. Many couples and marriages are also broken for the same reason. Not only that, many
are still unmarried even if they have already reached their thirties to avoid this inevitable
consequence. To top it all off, this is why Japan does not grow. Elderlies keep increasing each
day and youngsters are decreasing. Adult diapers are conquering the market in Japan (Naidu
& Ando, 2019). This indicates that Japan is yet to overcome this major difference between
their citizen who lives in the countryside and the city.
To put it succinctly, Japan is generally a great country to live in but there are a few setbacks
one has to be aware of. This is to say that every culture or race, have their strengths and
weaknesses. Sometimes, a disadvantage could be used as a pillar of one’s forte. It all comes
down to how one can turn the negativity upside down. Though to be fair, the exceptional and
exclusive part of these is the diversity the Japanese could have in the same race of such a big
community. Thereby, their common social codes, their gaps in certain aspects of life, and
their disparity among kids and ‘obaasan’ and ‘ojiisan’, the terms used for anyone in their 60s
in Japan, are all considered a rarity and treasured factor in that Land of the Rising Sun.
[1144 words]
REFERENCES
Fifield, A. (2015, May 11). Japan’s rural schools run out of students. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/11/japan-rural-schools-dwindling-stud
ents
Urban and Rural Life in Japan. (2013, January). Facts and Details.
http://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat19/sub122/item646.html
Wataru, S. (2019, June 11). Japan’s Free Childcare Program No Panacea for Daycare
Waitlists. Nippon.com.
https://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/d00489/japan%E2%80%99s-free-childcare-prog
ram-no-panacea-for-daycare-waitlists.html
Naidu, R., & Ando, R. (2019, October 24). Diaper rush: Conquering a $9 billion incontinence
market no one wants to talk about. The Japan Times.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/10/24/business/adult-diapers-9-billion-mark
et/
Link to the google form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14mb5nf5vhQuIgtyxbaTm-iKZKKYyJPozTBkYAWMrtEk/
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