Ah, I should have been more specific, my bad.
I had a language exchange partner, she told me she is jealous of American culture because we 'are more free'.
I'm aware of the very creative, avante-garde, crazy fashion in Harajuku.
But if you look at Japanese people when they communicate, verbally, body language, mannerisms, acting, etc.
They are ALL awkward COMPARED to an extraverted American.
A western person has natural/unfiltered expression.
Japanese people have their different types of bows, and when you see them acting on tv/movies most of the time it's unbelievable, and part of the reason their acting is more caricature/unbelievable is because they restrict their self-expression in real life. You just know that what you see in tv/movies that's not how they're acting in real life.
You could even say they're more "robotic" in comparison to us in their "style" of communication/expression. This is also part fo their very organized/compartmentalized culture (example: different shrines are categorized for specific things like romance, finance, relationships, etc.).
Another example, when we feel pain, we express our pain like an animal, we'll make any sound that feels natural to us. BUT, conversely, when Japanese people feel pain they express their pain with a word, which on one hand is more "organized/clear" because you can easily identify who is feeling pain, but simultaneously is also more artificial and forced because in English it's basically the same as saying, "PAIN!"
So, in summary. They can't really express who they truly are in comparison to us because more or less they all act the same.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. --Japanese saying
It's this restriction of expression and conformity that leads to them having less crime and cleaner streets; and our freedom of expression of unfiltered individuality that leads to more various crimes and litter.
Ah, I should have been more specific, my bad.
I had a language exchange partner, she told me she is jealous of American culture because we 'are more free'.
I'm aware of the very creative, avante-garde, crazy fashion in Harajuku.
But if you look at Japanese people when they communicate, verbally, body language, mannerisms, acting, etc.
They are ALL awkward COMPARED to an extraverted American.
A western person has natural/unfiltered expression.
Japanese people have their different types of bows, and when you see them acting on tv/movies most of the time it's unbelievable, and part of the reason their acting is more caricature/unbelievable is because they restrict their self-expression in real life. You just know that what you see in tv/movies that's not how they're acting in real life.
You could even say they're more "robotic" in comparison to us in their "style" of communication/expression. This is also part fo their very organized/compartmentalized culture (example: different shrines are categorized for specific things like romance, finance, relationships, etc.).
Another example, when we feel pain, we express our pain like an animal, we'll make any sound that feels natural to us. BUT, conversely, when Japanese people feel pain they express their pain with a word, which on one hand is more "organized/clear" because you can easily identify who is feeling pain, but simultaneously is also more artificial and forced because in English it's basically the same as saying, "PAIN!"
So, in summary. They can't really express who they truly are in comparison to us because more or less they all act the same.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. --Japanese saying