Analysis: Japanese Collectivist Society

Japanese proverb, “Deru kui wa utareru” literally means “The stake that sticks up gets hammered down”. In other words, you should not stand out within the community in Japan. This proverb seems to imply Japanese collectivist society which is very different from Western countries’ more individualistic society. Japan has its own unique cultural history. Japan is an island nation and had been chosen to isolate themselves, even going so far as to shut their borders for any international trade and communication from 1639 to 1854. Because Japanese people have lived in such a small community since long ago, group orientation was widely recognized. The group, such as family, friend, and company is seen as being more important than the individual.
However, everybody seems to think pretty much the same way as others and follow the same fads in fashion, music, and lifestyle. In fact, being a true individual in Japan can be very dangerous, especially in school. How can this happen? From the time that Japanese children first enter elementary school, they are instructed that the well-being of the group they belong to is more important than their own needs and desires. They are told that they must obey all different rules and how to behave properly in various social settings. What goes on in the classroom itself makes them even deeper group orientated. One example of this is that the children have to clean their own classrooms and other facilities such as bathrooms. The children who go to private schools are not exception as well, even though school hires cleaning staffs. The children have to be responsible for various tasks during the school life, such as appointing their class leaders, distributing meals to their classmates, putting their own tables and chairs in order and so on. The whole process is considered as a tool to educate the children to take responsibility for their own environment. Moreover, wearing a uniform suggest that Japanese people are very willing to conform to a group and show it by wearing same clothing. As well as a uniform, "Randoseru", a traditional backpack used by Japanese elementary school children also show Japanese collectivist society. Traditionally in red for girls, black for boys and this school bag is used by whole Japanese elementary school children. In fact, the randoseru is used in various forms of media, from movies to comics, as a visual icon portraying that a character is an elementary school student. While most schools do not necessarily require that their students use this school bag, many parents still buy them as it is the norm, and will help their kids to avoid standing