Sato-kun (さとくん) Does Europe

Sato-kun (さとくん) Does Europe

A few days ago, I read an article in the Economist about the Chinese Grand Tour of Europe. In describing an increasingly popular trend among Chinese tourists, the author artfully portrayed the values and beliefs of China’s rising middle class. For the past two weeks, I have been taking care of my Japanese friend, Sato-kun, who came to visit. Traveling side by side with Satokun, observing his reactions and witnessing his behavior abroad, allowed me to uncover yet another layer of the Japanese mind. And so just like the author of “A new Grand Tour,” I shall try to make a few comments on the Japanese values and beliefs that I observed when Sato-kun did Europe.

First of all – technology is the alpha&omega in a life of a young Japanese person, and that is to the extent when it ceases to serve to facilitate communication and becomes an end of its own. Sato-kun came to Prague with two smartphones – an iphone and a sony-ericsson, paying over $25 a day to stay online even when abroad. The first thing he wanted to do was to a buy a Czech pre-paid phone, just for kicks. He took pictures of his “funny” new phone with both of his smartphones and the newest model of Cannon’s digital camera. He posted the pictures on Twitter immediately, sharing the phone’s details with his “followers.” The pictures were in 3D. He bought a special pair of gloves so that he can use the touch screen even in arctic temperatures. I got a bit annoyed by the fact that I learned more about Satokun’s impressions of Prague from his facebook wall than from Satokun himself, and so I told him that in Europe, it is considered fairly rude to play with one’s phone while spending time witha REAL person. He just smiled the way only a Japanese person can and kept twittering.

The Japanese love of technology is not limited to personal gadgets. During the rare moments when I got to have a conversation with Satokun, we mostly talked about modes of transportation – comparing the European trains and subway to that of Japan, discussing cars, etc. To be completely honest, I don’t really care much for cars and trains and that kind of stuff, but with Satokun I was happy I got to have some kind of REAL conversation, so I went with the flow. Often, Satokun would completely skip a unique UNESCO monument, only to take a picture of a passing streetcar, that he considered very “retro.” And based on his facebook and twitter comments, it seems that his Japanese friends also shared his passion for technology of any kind. A few days ago, Satokun asked me if we could visit a local car dealer’s shop, and so we did. I wished he had just kept twittering.

Another interesting feature that I have observed is Satokun’s desire to be distinguished from other Asians who visit Europe. He makes constant comments about groups of “tacky” Chinese and “loud” Koreans. The first thing he says after he introduces himself in broken English is “I’m from J-A-P-A-N.” He learned a few Czech words, such as thank you and goodbye, but stopped using them immediately after I told him that people probably think he’s Vietnamese as there’s a significant Czech-speaking Vietnamese community. When I told him that in Japan people confuse me for an American all the time and asked him why cares so much to be distinguished as “Japanese,” he just smiled the way only a Japanese person can and kept ignoring my question.

Furthermore, traveling with Satokun made me realize the full extent of Japanese “gaman” mindset, the value of patience and self-control. I took Satokun to see Madame Butterfly at the State Opera, and a Strauss concert at the Municipal House; he fell asleep at both events. First, I thought he was still jet-lagged but then I asked him whether he even likes classical music, after which he just smiled. Without ever sharing his preferences, he simply followed my plan with patience and self-discipline. At my house he ate loads of sausages and drank gallons of beer with my dad, and we so all thought that he was really enjoying himself. Too bad, the next day I learned (from his facebook) that German food gave him stomach ache. Ouch!

Japan’s not just about technology and self-control, it’s also about “人間関係“ – the so valued human relationships, and the compassion for others. I consider Satokun to be fairly “westernized” in the way he can sometimes put his own interest above others. Yet, he’s still much more considerate of other beings than boys of his age in Europe and America. I took him to see a hit exhibition of “Decadent Art” at the National Gallery. It was a wonderful collection of Robert Mapplethorpe’s most scandalous (and famous) photographs. When I asked Satokun what he thought about the art, he frowned and said he had felt sorry for the old ladies who guarded the exhibition halls. I asked him why, to which he responded: “At their age, they must be greatly confused by ugly pictures of naked bodies.” All of sudden, it was less about my or Satokun’s impression of the “great” art and more about the feelings of the gallery staff. First, I reacted aggressively, thinking I had been spending time with an illiterate, casting pearls to swine’s. But then I realized that the old ladies, indeed, must have been kind of confused…

Satokun left two days ago to spend the rest of his Grand tour in Vienna with my friend Adrian. I have checked his twitter and it seems that he’s having a swell time, taking many pictures with his fancy camera, and staying away from German food. My friend Adrian said that he tried to take Satokun to an art gallery but the Ja-pa-nee-su boy was too busy taking pictures of the cars passing in front of the museum. He took the pictures with his new smartphone that he bought in Austria. I got a bit upset and skyped him, wondering whether he deemed it really necessary to waste his time in Vienna with my art-loving friend by getting new phones and taking pictures of cars. But he just kept smiling.