Meaning of Silence

Most Japanese people are interested in how Judo has become similar to western style wrestling recently. Japanese and other martial arts enthusiasts love its thrilling competition when a player throws the opponent to the ground. In order to win by these dynamic techniques, the player holds his breath and waits a short period to grab his opponent’s collar. This is the typical style of Judo in Japan. New international rules in the Beijing 2008 Olympics viewed this short period as negative. Japanese people add value to a short pause and silence. Before I moved to the US, I did not expect that only Japanese people can understand importance of pausing and silence. Silence is meaningful in Japan because it is a symbol of respect; however, this custom has not been easy to carry out me over to this new country.First, Japanese people express politeness by a short period of silence. It is only for a half second. For example, if you have a phone call with an elder person, we wait a moment so that he can hang up the phone. We pause for a second before hanging up even with friends. When I moved here, I was afraid to answer the phones. American people always hung up the phone right away at the end of the conversation. I always worried whether I said something bad in the conversation. For example, in Japanese culture if your friend hangs up the phone like people in this country, it means that she is angry at you about something. It may mean the end of your relationship.

Second, the classrooms are quiet in Japan. A student only speaks when she gets her turn. The classroom should be calm, not disturbing or noisy. Japanese students usually solve their answers in their minds. American people say Japanese people are shy. In some point, it is correct. We are educated that we should think for a moment well before saying something. Students always sit at their desks with blank faces for a short second before they answer the question. If I follow that way in this country, a teacher might think I am not participating in the class. However, the students admit that they are participating in the class in Japan as long as their hands are raised.

Finally, in spite of the two above examples, Japanese women are afraid of silence in the washroom. To absorb that natural noise, Japanese women flush away right after sitting on the toilet. In most public washrooms in Japan, the recorded flushing sound comes automatically, like turning on the music when you get inside of the separated door. The Japanese government used to spend a lot of money on advertisements to convince women to discontinue this habit due to waste. However, they have not had any other choice but to install speakers in every separate lavatory throughout the country. They could not change the women’s principles even though they are conscious about green-friendly lifestyle. When I finally stopped flushing the toilets here, I thought that I had finally adapted to this country.

All these stories are just a few examples. I have faced a lot of misunderstanding because I kept American people waiting for me to act or respond. Japanese people are energetic even if they do not voice their opinions loudly. We understand a meaning if someone is silent briefly, and silence is not always a good meaning. To avoid pausing for a short period in Judo means losing part of the original Judo – 柔道 to alphabetical Judo. Consequently, this change tells us a short period of silence is significant only for Japanese people who are accustomed to its cultural behavior. Pausing and silence have been input into my brain and body, like always stepping into a room with left foot. For now, I keep these clock timing silences tucked away somewhere in my body as I recreate my US lifestyle.