I read a fascinating article.
Though there are numerous examples of sites with a more minimalistic and easy-to-navigate design for someone used to Western websites, it is worth examining why this more convoluted style remains prevalent in Japan.
Yeah..I get where you’re coming from. I want to explain this issue as a Japanese who has lived in Southeast Asia for over ten years.
I felt the same problem when I came back to Japan from Malaysia. When I tried to shop at Rakuten in Japan, I was almost frustrated because there were too many words. I had to look for the “Where is the price? Where is the buy button?” These characters have increased even more than ten years ago when I lived here.
However, when I was in Japan, I did not realize the problem.
Japan, a very Wordy Country
When I returned to Japan, I realized that Japan is a country with “too many words.”
As soon as you arrive in Japan, you will find that the language is overflowing, and even the signboards in the streets are filled with words. In the airports, you will notice many warning signs and “automatic voices” on escalators and stations.
Be mindful of your belongings.
Please hold your child’s hand on the escalator.
Please do not walk on the escalator.
These are messages that all Japanese have heard a thousand or tens of thousands of times.
In shops, It is hard to choose from many similar products on the shelves. All companies offer almost the same products but use language to make “differences.”
When I look at the packaging, it says this and that in small letters, and this number of words has increased since I was a child.
This is the back of a can of tomatoes.
This is the back side of a candy bar for children
. It is covered with so many words that I am at a loss. You need to know it is “normal” for Japanese children.
This is a booklet on how to dispose of garbage by a city. 20 pages long.
More word are better
Why is this happening? I think it is because of the idea that “more words are better.” In English style, it may be “wordy.”
The other reason is to secure employment for company employees. Japanese companies have laws that make it difficult to fire employees, and because of this, many manufacturing companies are trying to survive by producing many new products. Japanese electronics manufacturers release new products in time for bonuses, such as winter models, summer models, etc., resulting in products with little difference. It is the “letter” that appeals to these differences.
Former TDK employee Miki Katsura writes (original text in Japanese).
Amid the spread of digitalization, the manufacturing industry must have felt lost. Suppose they abandon the principle of self-support and aim for the horizontal division of labor like American companies. In that case, they will inevitably have to lay off many employees working on the manufacturing floor.
The Japanese manufacturing industry, still holding on to its pride as a technological superpower, concluded that high quality, high performance, and high added value are the strengths of the Japanese manufacturing industry. (Katsura, 2023, Why Did Japan’s Electronics Industry Fall?)
To explain how many values are added, they need many words.
While working in Malaysia, I translated news releases from a Japanese company into English and sent to companies in Malaysia, and some said it for being “too verbose.” “Please summarize it properly. We don’t want to waste time”. Being “wordy” is a good thing in Japan, but this is not always the case overseas.
