Don’t Even Try – Understanding Jealousy in Japan (Part 2)

Some of you may have been scratching your head on my last blog entry. If some people in Japan are so jealous of what others want, and therefore purchase especially expensive brand-name goods, but they don’t want to stand out, how does this make sense? Well, don’t forget my entry a while ago about “Who YOU are.” With the proper “aligning of the stars” certain people in Japan can get away with anything. Take Shintaro Ishihara for example! The man is not just evil, but also incompetent and a world-class blowhard, but millions in Tokyo will vote for him and elect him governor of Tokyo without hesitation. People figure that at his age he has earned the right to do anything and say anything he wants. The same goes for people from various walks of life in Japan. For all of the modest and sincerely hardworking people in Japan, there will always be those poseurs out there who think money, which school they graduated from, and who their parents were, will excuse them from all of the norms that dictate everyday life in Japan.  For the average man and woman in Japan, the worst thing that could happen to them is to be praised. Praise can lead to jealousy and jealousy will make you a target. So, when someone praises them, step one: deny it and then step two: praise the praiser. This is the best way to avoid being hated. As I said a while ago, being the victim is a position of great power in Japan.

Then again, maybe I have no idea what I am talking about and the bottomline is that people just don’t make sense.

Thanks for reading,

GBUJ

Motivation in Japan: One word – Jealousy!(Part one)

This week I will share one of the worst kept secrets about people in Japan, i.e. jealousy, and the ramifications for everyday life.

Now I am not sure how you were raised, but in my upbringing jealousy was a sin. However, in Japan, I am pretty sure it ranks right up there with favorite pastimes such as running to catch a train, slurping noodles, or working unpaid overtime. In fact, one of the most common expressions in Japan is “ii na” – often pronounced “iiiiiii naaaa” for emphasis. This expression is used when someone is envious of what someone else has or is doing. However, depending on the situation, many native speakers of Japanese will do all they can to deflect the envy – while secretly gloating inside. See, being the object of jealousy means being set up for a downfall. Whether it is politics, business, the Japanese world of entertainment, or simply ones neighbors, being envied almost always means being brought down to size – often with a considerable amount of pain and embarrassment. In a way, people and institutions in Japan are their worst enemy! Watching the daily news is more or less a lesson in watching someone being set up as “special” – or the flavor of the day – and then eventually being ripped to shreds. Happens all the time! Which ultimately begs the question, why the fear of foreigners? Who knows? But, no one will ever hurt institutions and people in Japan more than their “hobby” of looking for someone to be jealous of and then destroying them.

So how did I come about this knowledge? Was it personal experience? No. More than 15 years ago I worked for a woman who worked for Ferragamo – the fashion house. Like most enlightening experiences it also consisted of a lot of pain. Ever seen the “Devil Wears Prada?” My boss was exactly the same! But even to this day, lessons I learned from her still “help” me. One of which was the culture of jealousy in Japan and how it works. My boss, for example, thought anyone who wanted to be “famous” on TV in Japan was an idiot. She probably could have been with her style, knowledge, and background in fashion, but  she absolutely refused. Staying ”under the radar,” she said, was so important. And over the years I have seen that it is very true! When I asked what motivated consumers in Japan to spend so much money on brand-name goods in Japan she said it in one word – JEALOUSY. For many people (not everyone obviously) nothing will drive them nuts more than seeing Tiffany, Gucci, or Louis Vuitton on their friend. They will absolutely need to have something equal or better, i.e. more prestigious and expensive - whether they need it or not. But then you would say that doesn’t make sense, and you would be exactly right! Like I have said in previous posts, logic is not a value in Japan and this is a perfect example.

In short, thinking of selling your product in Japan? Simply get people jealous of one another over it and it will sell like hotcakes!

Thanks for reading,

GBUJ