[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by RealJames

In north America, with any class or category of friendship or relation, strangers and friends alike, you can quite easily get into a heated and sometimes aggressive argument on these topics because they do take it personally. That's a major cultural difference.

You said something along the lines that it is rare for someone Japanese to have strong opinions about politics or religion. My response was that people DO have strong opinions, but are less likely to give knee jerk reactions. Not taking it personally then lashing out at someone is not a sign that they don`t have much of an opinion on it. I read your message to mean that you felt it did.

I had an honest conversation with a Mexican guy I met on the train, for 10 minutes, but after 3 years of friendship with a few different people, I still have point out that their tatemae is transparent as plastic wrap and I feel it devalues our friendship to receive it when the truth is equally clear as crystal.

You`re asking people to do something likely even more uncomfortable than having that layer of plastic wrap in there makes you feel. Saying things directly is something you do to people you don`t like - people who you don`t really care what they think of you and your manners in the long run.
In asking friends to stop doing that, you`re asking them to treat you like someone they don`t give a crap about.
If the truth is clear, then they know the truth is clear, and the tatemae is kindness on their part.

Something you might find interesting - ask around what constitutes 性格悪い. Also, what kind of behavior by a friend would make them "引く".

I usually bring them up more seriously with people who are going abroad so they know what to expect, that's a bit of a special case though.

In general, I don`t think that people would ever get upset about being educated on the differences in ways of thinking. It is when talk of one being superior comes up that people internally cringe. The more obvious and unveiled the pushing of one set of ideas is, the worse they`ll think of the person speaking.

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This thread advances so quickly that it`s hard to keep up.

Is it true that there is a great amount of pornography and prostitution in japan?
I have read some blogs here and there, and they all claim this is somewhat frequent, however some of these seem a little biased.

I`m going to second what MMM has said. More visible, but likely not more quantity. I also have never seen anything like a "street walker".

In the case of whales, I read they are ok with it, due to cultural differences ( I agree).

Actually, most people aren`t necessarily okay with the whale hunting. The majority thinks that it is unnecessary. But there is a difference between thinking it isn`t needed and thinking that Japan should be stopped from doing something that would rob some people of traditional foods.

However in the case of dolphins, the only region that actively hunts dolphins is taiji, and there are many risks related to eating their meat, the taiji hunters attempted to promote it...

That is a small area with a local set of rules. It can`t really be applied to the rest of Japan.

Ok one more question, what about the gerontocracy? A guy living in japan, claims people get better income, according to the time they have been working at the company (he also says there is no other way to get a promotion), the oldest members of the enterprise will always be at the top, whilst the newest will have a lower rank no matter what, furthermore, he also says the only requirement the companies ask for is a college degree, even if it has nothing to do with the activities of the enterprise, since the employees undergo a compulsory training.

This is partly true and partly based on company.
You really only do need a degree (in the proper field, hopefully with good grades). Companies actually tend to prefer a lack of experience for those starting from the bottom as policies between companies differ greatly... And companies love to have ISOs for parts of their operation. They like to train based upon their company philosophy to keep things smooth.
As for company seniority - there are two ways of looking at it.
Pay is generally calculated based on an "age pay" and "skill pay", with little additions for position and the like. Higher your age, the higher the age pay. The more verified skills, the higher the skill pay. There is a great chance that if you`ve been working there a long time you have more of at least the age side, if not the skills, so may be paid more.

As for promotion - that is really a company thing.
My husband is one step away from 課長 level (called マネジャー in his company) at エキスパート・チームリーダー... And he is only 31. He was the youngest to enter his company in the year he did (everyone else had degree plus years of 専門学校), and is by far the highest in rank. Actually, he is the youngest at that high of a rank at all. In his company, which is not special or "non-Japanese" by any stretch, they do normal promotions based on work performance.
It all depends on the company.