Wow, Japan has made a lot of progress over the past 25 years when I first came to Japan. I remember when I would get on the bus or train and would see

old ladies, pregnant women, women with little children and also disabled people getting on the bus or train only to find that there were no seats and that nobody was willing to stand up for them. Of course, usually I would stand up and give them my seat as this is the way I was taught in the boy scouts and by my own mother. This would prompt their deepest thanks and I would normally just say that I am getting off soon or just don’t say anything. In more than one occasion, I would be very upset at the other people who were just hunting for a seat and if they saw me, or some of the other few people willing, to get up to immediately try to take the seat. It was even more infuriating to see some elderly or disabled person or a woman in need much need of seat to get in the train and raise to an open spot, only to see it gone by some perfectly healthy young male student or middle-aged salaried man who walked from behind and got to it first. I wanted to pick a fight, but stood my ground as I knew I was a stranger in a foreign land.

But now, things apparently have changed. Almost every train I have bee into since I arrived to Japan this past March 31st, has at least one car, clearly labeled in both Japanese and English “Ladies Only Car”! Not only that, but at certain times of the day there are also “Ladies Only Trains”! That is amazing! Not to be critical, but I think, this actually demonstrates the way things work in Japan. They actually had to set a specific rule, in this case a car or train, to incorporate a foreign concept into their own culture. I wondered many times, why won’t the males stand up for the ladies to give them their seats? Why, if they are so respectful to the elderly, not be willing to offer their seat? It was puzzling to me. The only answer I was able to offer myself, is that it was a foreign concept, not part of their culture. Women were, disabled and elderly were always considered second class citizens by society. Women specially were discriminated against for a very long time and it would not be uncommon for them to be killed by the sword for outstepping their bounds. Disabled people, on the other hand, were discriminated just like in any other culture because they were seen as unfit, an aberration, and thus were exiled from society in especial camps or towns. Elderly people, although now are held in great respect by family members, were not always so respected, at least it is my opinion that it was not so. I have heard many stories, although I haven’t been able to corroborate them, that in times of need when it became too difficult to care for the elderly, that they would be brought to the mountains or wilderness and be left there to die.

But things are changing today. I have been pleasantly surprised to see many people stand up when they see someone who needs the seat more than them. This concept of the “Ladies Only Car” and “Ladies Only Train”, might seem novel to the Japanese and perhaps strange for foreigners, but it is a clear change of a positive effect brought about by globalization, or should I say internationalization, of a fairly closed society. It is really encouraging to me to see that even the Japanese are willing to learn and adapt to changing world. That they would be willing to reevaluate values and try to make a change for the better. I know this is not a isolated example, as I have also seen it before when they started implementing non-smoking zones at the stations and later non-smoking zones at restaurants. I have even heard that now there is non smoking restaurants and that it is not allowed to smoke inside public buildings. This was unheard of before, as the Japanese people smoked wherever they pleased.

These are very positive changes in this society. I am sure that they are indication of a better Japan with more conscious people willing to orderly assimilate positive cultural change. I am only glad to be a witness to goodness and progress come to a society. Of course, if goodness is hard at work, so is evil. There are also many things that have changed for worse since I first came to this great country. I do not even care to mention them, but I only hope that the good surpasses the evil in all respects. This is a blessed country and I hope they see it that way. I hope they do not become too proud and listen to the words of Jesus Gospel, because otherwise they will not continue to be as blessed as they have so far been.