Japan remains safe haven for foreign
travelers
TOKYO – Japanese who travel abroad are
repeatedly warned in travel literature, by their travel agents, by
friends, and by the news media that once they leave Japan they will be in
danger of being robbed, injured or even killed if they do not remain alert
and take special measures to protect themselves.
The Japanese are cautioned never to set their bags
down in a hotel lobby or in any kind of transportation terminal; to never
walk in certain areas of cities at night; to be wary of conmen, touts, and
so on.
Unfortunately, these warnings are not exaggerated
or based on unwarranted fears. Given the number of Japanese who are robbed
and often beaten while they are abroad it is remarkable that so many —
some 14 to 15 million — continue to travel overseas each year.
In contrast to this, it is so rare for a foreign
traveler in Japan to be robbed, beaten, killed or even harassed in any way
that when it does happen it makes national headlines.
The incidence of violent crimes has gone up
dramatically in Japan since the introduction of democracy and Western
culture following the end of World War II in 1945, but the crime rate is
still far below that of Western countries, and generally does not involve
foreign victims.
One often hears that in Japan women can walk
alone, at all hours of the night, in city districts that are notorious for
their low life and the presence of street thugs and professional gangsters
without fear of being accosted, robbed or raped. And that is true.
One also hears that foreign women are even safer
when they are out and about in Japan
— wherever they may be and whatever
the hour — because Japanese males, including the criminal element, are
less likely to harm foreigners. And that is true.
The continuing low level of crime in Japan, in
particular the low incidence of people being attacked in the streets —
day or night — can be attributed to Shinto and Buddhist standards
established in the culture very early in Japan’s history, and reinforced
politically and socially during the long Shogunate period (1185-1868),
when armed samurai warriors administered the country and were empowered to
quickly and severely punish law and custom breakers.
During the early decades of the Tokugawa Shogunate
(1603-1867), samurai warriors were legally permitted to kill people on the
spot for violations of etiquette or the law that today would be considered
minor infractions.
Given the combined influence of the Shintoism and
Buddhism, both of which advocated
non-violence, and the social morality
mandated and enforced by the samurai rulers of Japan, ordinary Japanese
became paragons of honesty and good manners.
Still today, people routinely leave unlocked
bicycles on the sidewalks and in front of stores and stations. As a rule,
you can leave a bag or some other possession virtually anywhere in public
and it will be there when you get back. Shops routinely put product
displays outside, and leave them unguarded.
It is said that the extraordinary success of
vending machine marketing in Japan occurred because it was possible to set
them up out in the open, in unprotected places, with virtually no chance
that they would be vandalized and robbed.
Stories abound of the time and effort people
expend to return lost or forgotten property, especially where foreign
travelers are concerned. This is not only a manifestation of the honesty
that is built into the character of the Japanese. It is also because the
Japanese feel that they and the whole country are responsible for the
welfare of visitors.
This security factor is one of Japan’s greatest
assets, and is an integral part of the attraction that the country has as
a travel destination. It is also one of the reasons why foreign residents
are so attracted to life in Japan.
Copyright © 2007 by Boye
Lafayette De Mente
______________________________________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Boye Lafayette De Mente has been involved
with Japan, Korea, China and Mexico since the late 1940s as a member of a
U.S. intelligence agency, student, journalist, and editor. He is the
author of more than 50 books on these countries, including the first books
ever on the Japanese way of doing business: Japanese Etiquette &
Ethics in Business published in 1959, and How to Do Business in
Japan, published in 1961.
To see a complete list of his titles
[each one linked to Amazon.com’s buy page], go to his personal website: http://www.phoenixbookspublishers.com
.
This page last updated 2008-06-16
Eyes on Japan compiled and edited by
David Appleyard, 2001-2008 |
Privacy
Policy
|
