There are certain skills the Japanese people possess, which we poor gaijin usually lack. Like the ability to sit for hours on their knees in proper seiza (lit. “correct sitting”) style without their legs falling asleep, communicate how to write a kanji character to someone by making strokes in the air, talk for five minutes without getting to the point, and sleep while standing up on a crowded train. Another mysterious skill the Japanese possess is the ability so squat comfortably with their feet flat on the ground, which is known as yankii-zuwari or “sitting yankee style.” This odd name came about when delinquent young men started hanging out in the “America-mura” (America Village) area of Osaka back in the 1970s, and since they liked to squat in this way in groups, the nickname “yankee” became associated with this style of sitting. I’ve lived in Japan for nearly 20 years, but I can’t manage to squat like that without falling over like a daruma doll (remember, to do it correctly the feet are supposed to be flat on the ground). The reason the Japanese are able to squat in this way for hours is that Japanese-style toilets lack seats to sit on, and children learn from a young age how to use the toilets, which makes them more flexible.
(For what it’s worth, “yankee” is pronounced like “yahnkee” with a long vowel, not like we usually say it in English.)
I can’t get the hang of squatting “yankee” style like the Japanese.
