Loose Morals in Japan
 

Ok, before I start with this, I just want to say...I am not AT ALL or in ANY WAY trying to say that Japan does these things, this is something someone told me and I want to make sure it's wrong (because I'm pretty sure it is wrong).

Ok, I've been looking into student exchange things, for going to Japan, as a student. And I brought this up with my mum...being that I'm 16 and a freshman in highschool, it's kind of obvious my parents don't want to send me to a foreign country for a semester. While I was talking to her about this she told me, that some guy she knew had went to Japan and he said that they have "loose morals"...he said they do the immoral things that America does, except they're very open about it....As for what immoral is and stuff..well we didn't really go into detail, but I guess the crime and all the drugs and premarital sex and stuff that goes on in America.

I really don't think this is true but I wanted to ask about it here

I don't know whether to laugh or salute the concept of this thread as a monument to uninformed generalizations. Either way, this will be an interesting discussion.

I guess it all depends on what your "morals" are.

Premarital sex is pretty much a given... But drugs and crime? I think you`d be pressed to find a country with less of both than Japan.

I`m going to guess it is related to the human body. Nudity and sex is not looked upon as such a taboo as it is in some other countries, and the general attitude toward life tends to be a bit different than the common western ideal.

A simple comparison, in my opinion, is this;
In the US, sex and nudity seem to be the ultimate evil when it comes to media. There is outrage over anything deemed too sexual, etc... But at the same time, violence is widely accepted.
The opposite is true in Japan. Nudity and sex are natural things, so aren`t treated with shock and disgust. Violence on the other hand is generally looked down upon.

The thing is though, no one is going to force or even really invite you to do anything outside of your comfort zone. And if someone wants to do something of low morality in the US - they`re going to regardless.

I would love to know exactly what these immoral things are that were referenced. Without knowing what sort of morals your mother has, I really can`t comment much more.

Without knowing what she is talking about it is hard to give an answer.

As far as drugs go, Japan is very anti-illegal drugs. In some ways the body is a temple, so things like mind-altering drugs and tattoos are looked down upon. I only met one or two adult Japanese who had claimed to have even tried smoking marijuana, and I knew no one who had done any harder drugs.

Maybe her friend was talking about public intoxication. It is not uncommon to see people drunk in public. These are usually after college or work social gatherings where drinking is very encouraged. You can be sure that the drunk driving laws in Japan are very strict, and any one drinking will not be driving.

As a high school student you would not find yourself in a situation like that.

Public displays of affection are not as common in Japan. I once led an exchange with a group of high schoolers to a school in Japan. At the going away party our students were hugging their host brothers and sisters goodbye. The Japanese principal was very upset and told me hugging was against the rules.

This reminds me a bit of my grandfather going off about Japan being a hedonistic society, and that I should be very careful not to have my morals destroyed by it.
These days, I have to wonder what the big deal against hedonism is...
Is it all that horrible to aim for the most pleasure and least pain in life and for those around you? It seems like a very positive thing.

Also, there's the paradox of hedonism: If you decide to look for pleasure, you'll never find it.

I also agree with Nyororin's comments about her grandfather. "It's foreign to me, so therefore it's wrong and will corrupt anyone in record time no matter what."

"Loose morals" is usually an euphemism for things to do with good ole' sex.....not crime or drugs or drunkenness. Your use of English seems to point to you being an American....and that is the colloquial usage of that phrase.

American views on sex and sexuality are greatly influenced by the dominance of Christianity in America, and a large part of that viewpoint by the Catholic Church and it's derivatives. Japan grew up as a non-Christian nation....and so did not develop the ingrained concepts of stuff like "original sin" directed toward sex like Christian nations tended to.

As has already been said, nudity, the human body, and sex are looked at in Japan as purely natural. As an example, you'll openly find "love hotels" all over the place so that couples can find some privacy. Japan also has a long history of open prostitution. While it is currently illegal...... you'll still find plenty of that stuff going on rather openly. (Just head over to Kabukicho for an example.)

And as also has been said..... Japan has one of the lowest if not THE lowest crime rates of any country. Violent and somewhat random street crime is almost unheard of. Guns on the street are rare indeed. And the drug laws there are amazingly harsh...... so illegal drugs are not common at all.

Drinking seems to be the second "national sport" after sumo! :)

Remember ... you take YOUR morals with you wherever you go.


best,

.................john

I agree with most of what JBaymore said, except to clarify a couple points.

1) Love hotels. A Japanese love hotel is nothing like the ratty image of a "No-tell Motel" we have in the US. The love hotels are, yes, out in the open and often look like a Las Vegas casino or Disneyland attraction on the outside, but they are very private. What goes on inside is not open. There are no outdoor parking lots, cars are hidden behind a curtain, and some even have more than one exit for privacy.

The love hotel exists not to encourage sex, but as a private alternative for adults that may still be living with family.

2) Prostitutes. Paying for sex is illegal in Japan, but there are areas in every city you can go to for, again, discreet services. Go to those areas, like Kabukicho, and you will find them. But that is a SMALL part of Japan. In three years of living there I only saw what I would call prostitutes two times...both in Tokyo....one in Kabukicho and one in Ueno (I think). One was Chinese and the other was Russian. I have never seen a "street walker" in Osaka, and I have been all over the place there.

I have seen "pink salons" in adult entertainment districts, but chances are you are not going to be hanging out in those areas, so it is very easy to go to Japan and never be exposed to these things if you do not want to be.

The sex industry in Japan is huge. If I remember correctly, the revenues from that industry actually exceed the defense budget of my entire country! There are thousands of call girl services and clubs which cater to every fetish possible.

However, with that being said, they're mostly confined to a certain area of the city so it's always easy to avoid. Either way, it's highly unlikely that they'll accept foreign clients to begin with.

I'm sorry to say but pornography is openly displayed . Children are exposed to it in convenience store magazine sections. Men will openly read porno manga on crowded trains with no shame, as well as in convenience stores, tachi yomi. Inns and coffee shops will have it in the reading rack.