Why are most Japanese people shy？

Do you know why most Japanese people are shy? Compared to other countries,

there are many shy people in Japan. A lot of Japanese people are not good at actively

trying new things and participating in groups of many people. Japanese generally don’t

like to stick out in public or talk to strangers unless there is some necessity to do so.

It’s different depending on the person, but most Japan people have this problem. There

are three reasons why most Japanese people are shy such as culture of shame, humility,

and spirit of compromise.

The first main reason why are most Japanese people shy is that Japan has a culture

of shame. Japanese people feel embarrassed about making mistakes. For example,

when someone tries something and fails, they feel disappointed in their own

incompetence. Moreover, some people laugh at other people’s mistakes. As a result,

they are afraid of fails, and they become afraid to try new things. Ruth Benedict, who is

anthropologist, defines Japanese culture as a culture of shame. She conducted various

research in Japan and defined “shame” in Japanese culture as being conscious of

external criticism. In other word, Japanese people are very afraid of criticism from

external. Japanese people believe that it is better not to try anything at all if it means
failing and being embarrassed.

The second main reason why are most Japanese people shy is that Japanese people

have humility. In Japan, the culture of humility being a virtue remains deeply rooted. A

humble person will not push themselves forward by trying to make a big deal out of

themselves or saying unnecessary things. For example, imagine if someone

compliments your fashion style or your hairstyle, normally, you can just say “Thank

you”. But most Japanese people don’t say “Thank you”. They probability will say

“That’s not true”. Because they think about it’s polite to be humble. And also, when

Japanese people talk to others, they don’t talk very much about themselves. They

prioritize listening to other’s opinions. Hence, there are not many Japanese people who

have their own opinions. Even though, if they have their own opinions, few of them are

able to say or share them with others. However, this is high likely to make them appear

shy.

The third main reason why are most Japanese people shy is spirit of compromise.

The spirit of compromise means, for example, if you and someone have a different

opinion, reflect the other person’s opinion, not your own. The same is true when you

fight with someone. If they have a complaint or dissatisfaction with someone, they

don’t express their feeling. As much as possible, they would not like to fight with
others. Even if they have an opinion, they don’t voice it. They respect other people and

put them opinion first. This kind actions are why Japanese people are said to be shy. As

a result, they are doing this action would make things better, but it actually backfired.

In other word, to foreigners, this behavior of Japanese people appears shy.

In conclusion, there are three reasons why are most Japanese people shy such as

culture of shame, humility, and spirit of compromise. The culture of shame means that

Japanese people feel ashamed of failure. They would not like to try somethings for

afraid of embarrassment. The humility means not drawing attention to themselves. The

spirit of compromise means putting others first before asserting their own opinions. In

my opinions, Japanese people’s action backfired though they just wanted to kind. In the

end, for our, we are intending to think others first, but foreigners interpret Japanese

people’s these attitudes as shy.