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Hey, this is the Gakuranman. Good evening.
Today I'm doing a video response about becoming Japanese, part 3.
And I'm going to try explaining things in Japanese.
Hikosaemon recommended I try it
and although I don't feel I have the ability to talk about these sorts of issues in Japanese, I'll do my best.
Okay, so first up, let me explain the background.
There's a vlogger called Hikosaemon and he gave his opinion about becoming Japanese.
And about that, there are both good points and bad points.
Whatever culture you're in, there are good things and bad things.
When foreigners come to Japan, they feel the different culture and values,
and when there are things they feel don't mesh well with their values, they might reject those new values.
Hikosaemon was saying that taking this approach and not trying to accept the values is a bad thing.
I think he's exactly right. When you go to Japan (or any country) for the first time,
and come across values different to your own, it's very important to try and take these onboard.
So there are good things and bad things, at first. But there was also a small point that I disagreed with.
It's about working overtime.
When I first came to Japan, one thing I was really surprised by was the amount of work Japanese people did.
Hearing about salarymen who worked until 10pm, or people who work on days off, losing time with their families,
I was really surprised by it all. I know not everyone in Japan is like this and it isn't a problem limited only to Japan,
but I think it is something deeply ingained in Japanese culture.
As a Westerner, British, American and such, there is a tendency to feel that this level of overtime is a bad thing.
Amongst the foreigners I have spoken to, there are many people who think like this.
As I mentioned, foreigners trying to understand Japanese culture should try to take in both the good and bad points.
But trying to take in and accept things that one finds bad like overtime is a difficult matter.
So how should we go about taking on these values and to what extent should we do overtime? It's a tricky problem.
I think if the overtime is such that it causes physical or mental harm to you, it's not something you should have to do.
If you can't lead a healthy life, I feel it's no good.
As for why, it's because I think human beings have a right to flourish.
And by 'flourish', I mean finding a balance between work and play. In my opinion, anyone, regardless of culture or country, should have this option.
So if overtime is causing the person to feel bad, I think that in a way it is infringing on their human rights.
Foreigners trying to become Japanese or understand Japanese culture should be able to set their personal limit to overtime.
I think here, what Hikosaemon was worried about was foreigners who come to Japan for the first time,
and would decide they can't do that much overtime or simply decide that they don't have to because of what I have just said.
They might think that they can just live their lives like they did in their home countries, and this is rather dangerous.
They would end up not actually trying to properly understand Japanese culture. So I really understand Hikosaemon's worries.
So why not strike a balance that ensures one can live healthily and properly learn to understand Japanese culture?
I really think this sort of balance can be achieved. There is no need to do extreme amounts of overtime and there is no need to completely reject the Japanese work ethic either.
I really think it can be achieved. That's the sort of moral reasoning I have about the overtime matter.
I worry I probably sound rather stuck up, but I do make efforts to do overtime myself, volunteering on days off and
trying to fit in and do the same as my co-workers. I think it's very important to do this and explore new values.
I feel it's a very important step to understanding the other culture.
Well, that's about all. The video got a bit long - sorry about that.
I'm not sure I could explain everything well, but if you have any comments or video responses, in English or Japanese, I'd love to hear them.
Thanks to Hikosaemon talking with me about these topics so calmly and sharing his experiences. Also, thanks to all you Youtubers for your opinions too.
I'm looking forward to learning more about different cultures and other fun stuff together with everyone in the future.
Thanks again!