Confusing Ideas about Japan: Nihonjinron

One concept you eventually bump into when studying about Japan is nihonjinron (nee-HONE-JEEN-rone), a word which literally means “theories on Japan.” A collection of ideas that grew out of the Meiji Period, the nihonjinron concepts generally have to do with describing Japan as a completely unique country, unlike the nations of Asia or the West, with a linguistic and developmental history unlike that of any other nation. Part of this is the belief, held by almost all Japanese, that their language is one of the most difficult in the world, with its mixture of Japanese words and grammar overlaid by Chinese characters with readings that shift by context and region, all complicated by heavy borrowing of foreign loan words. Another part of the reason Japanese is so hard, supposedly, is that it’s so subtle, with so many shades of grey and information that’s implied rather than being specifically stated, which no one but a Japanese could ever really comprehend. Although some of the nihonjinron ideas can be interesting to contemplate, there’s a high amount of voodoo in them. Besides, Japanese ESL student know that English is the hardest language in the world to learn…