From time to time, we receive some great questions. You might find these interesting as you consider Japan.
Question 1. What are some bad habits or addictions that the Japanese people tend to have?
Answer - gambling (horse racing, pachinko [pin ball type of machine], bicycle racing, boat racing); smoking; drinking; overworking; not disciplining their children
Question 2. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being very unreceptive and 10 being very receptive, how receptive are the Japanese people to the gospel?
Answer - 1, very unreceptive - Most are VERY uninterested in RELIGION which causes them to shy away from Christianity. But, with love and concern, there are some who will become interested. Usually this is done through English classes, personal friendships, and Spirit-filled witnessing. One way we overcome this strong disinterest in the subject of religion is to tell them that we do not like religion either. That usually gets them thinking. From there, we show them the difference in religion and salvation. Religion is man’s attempt to get to God. Salvation is God’s gift to man through the cross and the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Many Asian families pressure their family members so that they do not forsake the ancestors by joining another “religion”.
Question 3. Do most people of Japan tend to have a dislike of foreigners?
Answer - No, the Japanese have an appreciation for foreigners, in particular, Americans. This stems from the fact that we gave them back their country after the war. Another factor would be their interest in English. Since they are an island nation and dependent on exports, and since English is considered the international language of the world, they sometimes feel that they need English to help them get good jobs.
Question 4. What type of clothing do most people in Japan wear on a day-to-day basis?
Answer - Most where western style clothes just like we do. There are many companies and schools that require their employees/students to wear uniforms. The kimono is usually used at festive times of the year or for pictures. It is also commonly worn by the elderly. Dresses are still common in Japan on ladies. Men often wear suits and ties.
Question 5. Are people of other religions unkind to Christians?
Answer - No, not usually. The Japanese like to take the good from all religions. There is no religious persecution in Japan by the government. People will allow you to talk about religion until you tell them that Jesus is the only way. Some will even say, “How dare you bring your God to our country and tell us that He is the only way!”
Question 6. How hard is it to learn Japanese on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being very easy and 10 being very hard)?
Answer - In my opinion, ANY language is hard if you do not know it, but with discipline, perseverance, and the Lord’s help, ANYONE can learn a foreign language. The hardness comes AFTER you have finished language training as you then spend years learning how to use what you have learned. I have learned (other than English), Greek, Hebrew, and a little Spanish. They are all hard, so to speak, but, language learning can be fun. It is all in your perspective.
So, studying the language would be a 6.
Learning how to use it would be an 8.
Question 7. What are some challenges you have faced in learning this language?
Answer -
1) sentence structure - the verb comes at the end of the sentence
2) partical markers - sentences are filled with markers that set apart the subject, describe the objects, and tell what the verb is going to do
3) verb tenses - these change with such variations as the level of politeness, and also, to whom you are speaking
4) tones - Asian languages are tonal (almost like singing). There are 2 levels of tones in Japanese compared to 4 or 5 in Chinese.
5) writing - there are 2 alphabets of 46 characters each and then hundreds, if not thousands of kanji. The alphabets are called Hiragana (for Japanese words - Bible in Japanese is seisho [say-ee-sho], therefore, the word seisho would be written in this set of alphabet), and Katakana (used for foreign words like names, pizza, ice cream, etc). Kanji (kan-jee), are picture words that were "borrowed" from China years ago when the Japanese were forming their written language. The difference in Chinese and Japanese is that Chinese does not use letters of the alphabet with their characters whereas the Japanese do. There are 2,000 characters needed to read a daily newspaper or book and it takes about until graduation from high school to learn them all. There are thousands of ways to formulate those characters. I have a reference book that gives 65,000 variations. For example, 日本 nihon means Japan, but 本日 honjitsu means today.
6) levels of politeness - There are 3 levels of politeness within the language. Your social status determines how you speak and how people speak to you. Each of these levels can have different verb variations and words.
Question 8. What do you think is the one main activity the average Japanese person spends most of his free time doing aside from sleeping?
Answer - That is a hard question as it differs from person to person. Some like sports. Some like music. Some like computers. Some like video games. Some like to climb mountains. Some like to travel, etc. (They are just normal people, just like you and me.) :-)
Question 9. What are some Japanese customs that Americans might find unusual?
Answer - taking off shoes before entering the house; eating with chopsticks; slurping noodles; NOT blowing your nose in a handkerchief (it is used to dry your hands at public bathrooms as most stores, train stations, etc., do not provide paper towels - but, we find more blow dryers these days than before); watching Sumo wrestling; sitting on the floor to eat, to watch TV, or even to relax; bowing for greetings instead of shaking hands; offering hot green tea to guests who come to your house; young people attending "cram" schools to get help in their education; eating sushi
Question 10. Is the average Japanese family more or less hospitable than the average American family?
Answer - I would say more, but again, it depends on the person or family. Some are much more, but some are less. For example, the ladies seem VERY hospitable, whereas many men are not so. Men tend to be very reserved and involved only in their circle of interests.
Question 11. How important is the family in Japanese culture?
Answer - Outwardly, they seem VERY family oriented. But, after learning their culture, one finds that the structure of the home is not as "family" oriented as it appears. Basically, the wife runs the home and takes care of the kids, house and family. The husband makes the money, but gives most of it to the wife. She often gives him an allowance (money he can spend on himself). Men also often have almost nothing to do with their families. Again, this is not true of all Japanese men, but most.
