People Images

 

Civility, self-control, and a sense of tranquility dominated the persona of the majority of the older Japanese people Steven crossed paths with. However, perhaps as a result of the extreme intrusions American culture has made into this ancient archipelago's nearly homogenous population, a surprisingly large number of the urban youth seemed to take an exaggerated pleasure in materialism and befriending anything and anyone that was at odds with what has traditionally been a very conservative society. Steven also couldn't help noticing that while those in the rural settings exhibited greater poise and less haste than those in the cities, virtually every Japanese resident was always keenly aware of how others viewed them. As a result, suppression rather than expression was the norm. This "aloofness," Steven realized, could be viewed as rudeness by most Western visitors to Japan; in actuality the Japanese were practicing a form of politeness in which it is considered rude to "inflict" others with your own personal feelings. Thus Steven was to find that the aura of inscrutability long associated with the Japanese still existed...but growing ever more translucent.