Drugs in Japan

[MMM]

I think you bring up a good point, dirtyroboto, which can help us define the "drug culture" in Japan.

Where there is a "rich" marijuana culture in parts of the West, I doubt anyone would go so far as to say there is a "meth culture" in the West. What I mean is, no one is advocating for the legalization of meth. People that do meth do it in secret and with the attempt to not get caught. There are no meth festivals, public usage, advocates, lawyers, t-shirts, music, etc. It is not joked about on TV or encouraged at live concerts.

Consider marijuana in the same regards as meth in Japan, and you will understand the "drug culture" as it exists there.

[jesselt]

If you smoke pot then you likely hang out with other people who smoke pot, so it is understandable that you would think that EVERYONE smokes pot because probably everyone YOU know does. I do not smoke pot. I live in a college town with 20,000 college students and I do not know anyone who currently smokes pot (and yes, I know more than 5 people...)

This last semester there was only a single reported incident where someone off campus smelled pot, and around 15 incidences in the dorms.

I also find claims that marijuana doesn't cause lung cancer and isn't addictive to be misleading, because marijuana that is sold on the streets is frequently mixed with tobacco specifically to make users constantly want to buy more marijuana without realizing it (which also has the effect of causing LUNG CANCER when smoked.) So marijuana by itself may not kill you, but the stuff it might be mixed with could.

[GoNative]

The idea too that the Japanese get much exposure to world out there through the internet, be it on drugs or anything else just isn't the case. Japan has one of the lowest rates of personal computer ownership out of all the big developed nations. It would be hard to find any home without a game console and they practically live their lives out of their keitais but sitting down behind a computer in the home and surfing the net is not overly common. Looking up english sites on the internet is very uncommon. I've worked with numerous Japanese people over the years who had never used a search site like Google before! The Japanese are nothing if not very accepting of what they are told. If the government tells them that drugs, including marijuana, are dangerous then that's exactly what most will believe. It would occur to very few to ever seek out information that is contrary to what they are told. The Japanese, in my opinion, are an extremely ignorant people who have little knowledge of anything beyond their own little world. This does have some benefits of course

[YukisUke]

It's not a surprise to me that Japan would have the most strictist drug laws of any other country in the world. They don't play around when it comes to things that could potentially harm their citizens. Of course they would have laws that prohibit drugs bought into their country.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by GoNative

The idea too that the Japanese get much exposure to world out there through the internet, be it on drugs or anything else just isn't the case. Japan has one of the lowest rates of personal computer ownership out of all the big developed nations. It would be hard to find any home without a game console and they practically live their lives out of their keitais but sitting down behind a computer in the home and surfing the net is not overly common. Looking up english sites on the internet is very uncommon. I've worked with numerous Japanese people over the years who had never used a search site like Google before! The Japanese are nothing if not very accepting of what they are told. If the government tells them that drugs, including marijuana, are dangerous then that's exactly what most will believe.

I don't think your ideas are necessarily wrong, but you make two glaring mistakes in this post.

1) Japan is one of the most internet savvy nations in the world. The nation of Japan produces the most blog posts per capita than any other language.

Japan leads in blog posts per capita | ZDNet

Japanese people are Internet-savvy. They may have been late to the table, but they are there now.

2) It is not the government, but the culture that is reflecting the attitude about drugs. The government reflects that in the laws, but on the whole the Japanese people are pretty blasé and indifferent to the national government compared to the US.

To say the Japanese are very accepting of what they are told implies something pretty demeaning. They believe what their parents and mentors tell them...just as everyone else does in the world.

Originally Posted by GoNative

It would occur to very few to ever seek out information that is contrary to what they are told.

This is not a particular trait of Japanese people, but of people in the world in general.

Originally Posted by GoNative

The Japanese, in my opinion, are an extremely ignorant people who have little knowledge of anything beyond their own little world. This does have some benefits of course

This may be one of the most backward statements I have ever read on this website.

Japan is a nation of travelers, readers, and students of the world.

[GoNative]

You must live in Tokyo MMM where all the Japanese are beacons of enlightenment. Up here in Hokkaido it's a completely different story I can assure you.
In my 5 years here and all the conversations I've ever had with my Japanese friends has shown me just how little they know about the world outside of Japan. Even those who've travelled have mostly travelled on tours where they get the briefest, sanitised glimpse of wherever they have gone. They have virtually no knowledge of the history of any other country and to be honest have little knowledge of their own history. You're probably American where such an insular view of the world is normal but it is quite unusual where I come from.

And I disagree the Japanese are internet savvy. They may spend half their lives blogging away from their keitais and messaging each other but truly internet savvy? I think not.

[MMM]

It wasn't enough to insult Japanese, but now you have to insult Americans, too?

Nice.

Finding people who are not worldly is easy to do in any country of the world. However Japan is ranked in the top 10 of most traveled citizens.

Three quarters of Japanese people use the Internet. That's about the same as the UK and those knuckle draggers in the US.

So how would you define Internet savvy?

The main problem with your post is calling the Japanese "extremely ignorant" and that they are "very accepting of what they are told". Maybe the Japanese you have met in your little corner of Hokkaido fit that rather unlikely bill, but that doesn't mean many or most of Japanese are like that.

[GoNative]

I did say in my opinion. You don't have to agree. In my little corner of Hokkaido many of the Japanese working here are doing so purely because of the foreign prescence and companies set up here. They are generally well travelled, speak english and want to work in foreign companies as they aren't too keen on the Japanese alternatives. Even so I still find them incredibly naive and ignorant of the world around them. I often engage them in conversation about politics and world events and more often than not it's a completely fruitless excercise as they have no idea what I'm talking about or just have no opinion of their own to contribute. As lovely a people as they are I find them to be very credulous. They are rarely sceptical or critical and from very early on appear to be taught to follow the status quo and conform to social norms. The individual is not really encouraged to form their own opinions and question the opinions of those who are older or in power. So you end up with a society of very same thinking people which includes their views on drugs like marijuana.

Maybe you're experience is different to mine. Maybe you're not interested in talking politics and such with your Japanese friends, I don't know. But this is my experience and is all I can base my opinions on.

[dirtyroboto]

Even so I still find them incredibly naive and ignorant of the world around them. I often engage them in conversation about politics and world events and more often than not it's a completely fruitless excercise as they have no idea what I'm talking about or just have no opinion of their own to contribute. As lovely a people as they are I find them to be very credulous.

I don't know how long you have been here but you are showing an ignorance of basic Japanese culture. I guess you don't stab your rice with chopsticks or keep your shoes on in people's houses. So why don't you understand the Japanese way of expressing your opinion?

While the average Japanese holds many views and opinions on many things, they rarely discuss them with anyone that are not "close" friends or family.
1. They do not wish to upset the conversation by offering an argumentative view, they say nothing or act vague.
2. To talk about a taboo subject casually is tantamount to admiting you have done this thing.
3. Many Japanese do not like to make a mistake or say something wrong, they will act as in point 1. say nothing or act vague.

These things do not mean they are naive or lack worldly wisdom. Just that is not good manners to talk about these things in a casual way, with people you do not know well.

Many Japanese study English abroad and witness many of our home town habits. Some even join in. But when they get home it is never talked about.

[MMM]

GoNative, just because something is your opinion doesn't mean it isn't insulting.

I agree with dirtyroboto that you are making conclusions based on faulty logic.

You are right that Japanese people tend not to make a big fuss, disagree publicly or share their opinions openly with those they do not know or trust fully. However to conclude that makes them "very credulous" would be an error. Just because they are not sharing their feelings and opinions with you does not mean they do not have feelings and opinions.

With close friends I have had long political discussions. I think the Japanese are more apathetic politically compared with some parts of the world, but the reason is they don't get to elect their prime minister, and the office changes hands incredibly often, so Japanese people know not to get too attached or excited about the PM because he will probably be gone in a few months. This doesn't make them sheeple. Many Japanese are very critical of politics in Japan, and are very frustrated by the political scandals that happen week in and week out.

They tend to be very interested in my feelings about the American president, and policies about guns and, believe it or not, drugs.

Maintaining community or group harmony is more of a priority in Japanese culture than it is in the "me-culture" of the West. This doesn't mean one cannot share their opinion, it just means it is done differently. For those in the West it is so vital to have one's voice heard, that in the end they can drown each other out. Japanese know the correct timing and means to make their opinion known. I won't even get into KY and subtle communication.

Again, I am not discounting your experiences, just disagreeing with the conclusions you have made from them.