Order & cleanliness in Japan
Being in Japan has taught me that we can elevate the mundane to the spiritual realm.
I was just at a shoe store, buying some Onitsuka Tiger shoes, like probably most tourists in Japan, and I was impressed how the store attendant re-organized the shoes neatly the moment I left my seat for 5 seconds.
Another time, I was a temple, and when I took off my shoes and put on the slippers, the host rotated them so that the next person didn’t have to move around to put them on.
Or, when I first went into the bathroom at the airport, I saw an airport employee kneeling cleaning the toilet with a brush, reminding me of the movie “Perfect Days”.
They seem like small acts, but when everyone behaves like this, it compounds. Every interaction feels smooth, you feel you’re being taken care of, which makes you want to do the same for others. I felt this when I first got here, and was compelled to do the same.
There are many explanations, I’ve heard Shintoism has something to do with it. Where they see spirits or “kami” in every day things, so they treat them with care. Others say that it’s because of the many people that live here. They have to be nice to each other.
I’m not sure what it is. But whatever it is, it works on you, you feel the need to keep spaces clean and orderly.