TOKYO, Japan — The quake that hit Japan with
such brutality seven months ago altered the archipelago's position on the
planet in more ways than one.
The country literally shifted more than 5
meters, and as a result now nestles on a tectonic plate slightly closer to
North America.
But while dramatic, this is not the only
seismic change Japan experienced. Everything from business practices to everday
behaviors, societal trends to shared values have taken on new shape following
the 9.0-magnitude quake that struck March 11.
Some are talking about a newly raised
consciousness in previously uber-pragmatic Japan.
“It could be the making of a new Japan,” said
Tokyo-based architect Mark Dytham of his adopted country.
“The country had stagnated in all sorts of ways. There was
recession here and a lack of meaning," said Dytham, co-founder of PechaKucha, which is a worldwide series of
events by which young designers come together and share ideas.
"Now there is a new energy that we didn't
know existed. ... The changes are coming from a more grass roots level.”
Ordinary Japanese people — particularly the younger
generations — have discovered a side of themselves they never knew existed,
says Mariko Fujiwara, a consultant at Tokyo's market research firmHakuhodo
Institute of Life and Living.
Her agency recently pinpointed a “growing sense
of personal responsibility,” and a “desire to contribute to society” following
the quake. Before the quake, says her agency report, such values were somewhat
lower down on the preoccupation of its Japanese interviewees whom it polls
every few weeks.
What this translates to in everyday Japan is a
more caring populace, Fujiwara says. Previously Japan was marked by a
comparatively complacent middle class, which had little sense of solidarity and
which gave less time to civil society and less money to charities than its
Western counterparts.
Now, volunteerism is all the rage.
River Furuta, 34, turned to charity work immediately
following the quake. She now works as a program manager at quake relief charity Hands
on Tokyo.
“One has to visit Tohoku to truly understand
the severity of the damage the tsunami has left behind,” she said. “What you
can see there is enough to instill some kind of change in anyone. After two
days of volunteering, I came back home wanting to go back again to help.”
Furuta agrees that there has been a sea-change
among her compatriots — younger folks previously labelled as ineffectual and
self-centered by pundits here and abroad.
“I think the younger generation is conserving
energy more actively and has learned the value of human networks — family,
friends, colleagues, classmates, etc. What one cannot do alone can be done in a
team. Also, the disaster has acted as a catalyst, challenging everyone’s
priorities and values.”
After absorbing the shock of the devastation
and experiencing a long bout of navel-gazing and stock-taking, some observers
say consumerist Japan has also been knocked off its axis.
Getting spiritual
Love and religion, for example, are now on
everyone's mind. After the quake, attendance at centers for organized religion
rose sharply — a fact supported by anecdotal evidence at a few churches and
shrines around Tokyo.
Marriages are up, too. Match-making agency
Marry Me reported that inquiries about joining had risen 30 percent since the
end of April.
Other local match-making agencies reported a
surge in members, and at least one wedding service told the Asahi Newspaper
that it had seen a 50 percent increase at its Fukushima branch.
Books on Buddhism, family life and even poetry
are selling well, according to booksellers, who said that previously it was
business-related tomes that were in high demand.
Seize the day
Still, conspicuous materialism hasn’t vanished
altogether.
Following a phase of mourning-like “jishuku,”
or self-restraint, immediately after the quake, seven months on certain luxury
items are creeping their way back up the consumer list.
“Champagne sales have risen tremendously in
Japan recently,” said one Tokyo-based marketeer for a leading Champagne brand.
She declined to be named.
And where the the rest of the world is
frantically buying up gold — and sending its price sky high — the Japanese are
selling it in record amounts, suggesting that they are feeling more at liberty
to enjoy themselves, even indulge. For some, the quake seems to have instilled
a sense that time is of the essence.
“Older Japanese who may have hoarded often
forgotten gold at home now find they want to cheer themselves up a bit,” said
Midori Abe, an independent gold trader in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo. “They are
spending their cash-for-gold on treats like five-star restaurants and travel.”
Work from home
Other attitude shifts have allowed rigid social
institutions to undergo changes unthinkable a few years ago. Working from home,
or telecommuting, is one of them.
Japan’s biggest telecoms firm NTT, for one, has
seen an enormous jump in demand for its work-at-home support service which has
seen a five-fold increase in inquiries since the March earthquake.
“Demand for remote-access tools was limited
before as most workers found it easy to get to the office and work there. There
were also concerns about security,” explains a NTT spokeswoman.
“Post-quake, that has all changed with
companies keen to equip employees with these tools because of commuting
problems, power blackouts and the need to care for school-less evacuated
children.”
Telecommuting support services allow employees
to connect to their company's computer system at home, securely accept emails
sent to a company address or use the company's software on their PCs at home.
Virtual conferences are also a possible via the internet.
Quite a change for a country where until
recently bosses rarely let their workers use laptops to work on out of the
office, nevermind let them use a company one at home.
Of all the unforeseen wallops dealt by the
quake and its subsequent tragedies, not all of them at least are bringing the
deepest woe.
