Opinion

Just Being Teenagers

By GWEN A. ROBINSON

I was recently sitting on a train next to an elderly Japanese man who tut-tutted all the way from the Ginza to Shibuya at a boisterous group of young women in the corner of the carriage. "Young Japanese have lost their sense of values," he grumbled.

Admittedly, there was nothing traditional about these young women. Their hair was dyed brown and teased or permed. They were heavily made up, wore revealing clothes, and had earrings dangling from multiple holes in their earlobes. And yes, they were talking in loud, screechy voices. In fact, they were a typically rowdy and irritating bunch of young people, the sort one sees all too often in many cities around the world.

Are such boisterous, fashion-conscious teenagers any more irritating in Japan than elsewhere? Probably not. But they are definitely more visible. That's possibly due to Japan's traditional emphasis on decorum and politeness. Unlike in more brash societies such as America, aggressive young people in Japan stand out against the inscrutable stereotypes.

To many foreigners, the most common symbols of Japan are Mount Fuji, cherry blossoms, geisha and the tea ceremony. Then there is the image of the stereotypical Japanese, who observes rigid codes of etiquette and generally behaves impeccably, if not a little stiffly. That old-fashioned image has been perpetuated through Western literature, movies and even operas like Madame Butterfly. But let's face it, those sorts of cliches now seem anachronistic ― and so they should.

I can understand what upsets older Japanese about young people these days. I too have muttered under my breath at youthful, noisy groups, particularly in restaurants and other public places, where they might be drunk, rowdy or just plain obnoxious. People raised under rigid tradition, I suppose, must find the apparent breakdown in values profoundly disturbing.

Every other young woman seems to carry a mobile phone. If we're to believe news reports, some sell themselves to older men in order to gain money to buy designer handbags. Young people in general don't seem to have respect for their elders and traditions the way they used to. But like many other so-called social phenomena, this one is perhaps slightly exaggerated.

If you're young and fashion-conscious in Japan, you know that body-piercing, dyed hair and mobile phones are in vogue. You can probably afford it all, as well. But does that mean young Japanese are "losing their values"? It seems to me that some critics confuse fundamental issues such as cultural destruction with the natural process of changing times. Japan, with its earlier policy of isolationism, has been more insular than most countries. Foreign influences now flow in thick and fast, however, and young people today are moving into the mainstream of popular culture.

Social critics complain that young Japanese mindlessly adopt fashions from overseas and imitate teen idols. I suppose they do show an excessive fondness for brand names, big pop bands, and fads that are "in." But one hears similar complaints in America and Britain. It's worth noting too that in many Western societies the "lemming mentality" among young people often has more sinister consequences, as evidenced by the widespread problems of drug abuse and teen crime.

Shukan ST: Jan. 24, 1997

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