Having returned to Japan nearly five years ago — after living in the United States for 15 years — I was wondering why the Japanese generally lacked courtesy on the train when it came to yielding their seats to elders, pregnant women or people with small children. In the U.S., gentlemen yielded seats to women sometimes regardless of a woman's age. Surely the reason was differences in upbringing and culture, I thought. I was so turned off by the behavior of the Japanese, especially the men.
Despite my naivete, I finally realized that I should not blame them. I know now that the poor Japanese working environment is the worst enemy.
One night I felt so exhausted after standing at work most of the day trying to learn a new task — which included about two hours of unpaid overtime with only 30 minutes for lunch — that I just didn't care less who was standing around me when I sat down. I was so tired.
It would seem that the majority of working Japanese are exploited by their employers, and the government surely is not doing enough job to correct the situation. As we become physically tired and our minds are numbed, we lose our spontaneity to help others.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.
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