Lan, tell us about your cultural experiences! August 2022 Issue

It is well known all over the world that Japanese people are strict with time. There is even the idea that those who are not on time can’t be trusted. In business, the concept of being “on time” is generally interpreted as “5 minutes in advance”. In Vietnam, “on time” literally means “exactly on time”. You can even be forgiven for being 5 minutes late.

In Japan, many people use trains often because the public transportation is highly developed. Before going anywhere, Japanese people always check the departure and arrival times of the train. However, if you miss one train or the train is delayed for some reason, you have no choice but to take that train and all connecting trains, delaying your arrival time more and more. I think that this is probably one of reasons why Japanese people are so strict with time. Thankfully, Japan has punctual world-class trains of which the Japanese can be proud.

Since studying Japanese and working with Japanese people, I have become more aware of time. As I live in Japan and commute by train every day, I especially have to think about what time I should leave the house in the morning to catch the train on time. Sometimes, when the train is delayed and there is nothing that can be done about it, I can’t help but miss the motorbike I used to ride in Vietnam. Even when you oversleep, you can still manage to make it on time by simply speeding up your motorbike. Sometimes, I also feel as if I’m being chased by time when I constantly have to check the time of the train. Do Japanese people ever feel this way as well?