Individually yen are small. Small enough that Japanese currency includes in widespread circulation notes of value 10000 yen. There is also a unique name for this number – man. So ten thousand yen is declared ichiman en. Or translated into english - one tenthousand yen. In English, while we have names for one, ten, hundred, thousand, and a million, we jump over this number 10,000 – ten thousand describing it as a multiple of two other numbers – ten and a thousand. It seems too big for us to relate to directly.
Willing to be small
Why is this interesting? Because it says something about the willingness of the one in Japan to be small; dwarfed by higher powers. In Japan the right of the one is small compared to the right of the many. Many examples come to mind. Japanese people wear breathing masks in public places not to protect themselves from catching a cold, but to stop the cold they already have from spreading. They sacrifice their own comfort for the many. A second example is their high speed rail network which is a constant marvel to me. It runs up to 50 metres above ground level, cutting through city and countryside alike. It makes the Shinkansen bullet train safe and efficient.
It is inconceivable that such a network could be built in England. Every local community would have the right to object and the result would be that the high speed train would grind to a halt before it ever left the drawing board. These are just two examples of the willingness of the 1 in Japan to be small before the many.
Where the rights of the 1 are king
The USA lies at the other end of this polarity – just as it lies at the other end of the world. It seems there is a journey from 0 to 1 as we travel from East to West. Two examples for you. Skyscrapers originated in the USA. Enormous figure ones rising up over the land, they are a demonstration of the power of the one to cast its shadow on the world around it. Secondly, it is commonplace for Americans to introduce themselves by name upon meeting – even your waiter at the US restaurant will most likely begin by informing you of his or her name. This is alien for the Japanese who are conditioned to be invisible within their role.
East meets West
This difference between waiters struck me during a recent visit to an American style restaurant by the Tokyo Dome. As we sat down at our table we found a white paper table cloth with a crayon laid upon it. Its purpose soon became apparent. The waitress arrived with menus and a smile. After handing us the menus she said “By the way I am …” and with that she picked up the crayon and silently wrote her name on the tablecloth.
It took us a moment to understand what she had done. Far more awkward than simply saying her name, nevertheless this way took account of the Japanese reluctance to show their individuality. Like water wearing away a rock this little action seems to me to be one example of the Western values eroding the reserve of the East.
the paper table cloth waitress on which waitress wrote her name
Telephone numbers are the clue
And the dialing code for the USA – just + 1. The home of the one! For Japan it is + 81 – where the one is always hidden behind bowing, establishing harmony with the surroundings, unlike the skyscraper that stands proud. “The nail that sticks up will be hammered down.”is a traditional Japanese proverb. Perhaps this is why the traditional symbol for 1 in Japan is __ It is a 1 flat on its back, safe in its anonymity. This is part of why Aura-Soma is popular in Japan – see post on Japan and Aura-Soma
Come to a course
Number, language, colour. Everything says something. Come to a numerology course to find how numbers shape and reveal the world in which we live. Next courses are in Japan: May. 4 – 6 Asahikawa and 18 – 20 May in Hamamatsu.
