Japanese Culture & Decorum

 

Todai moto kurashi – At the foot of the lamppost it’s dark.  Although we see the things around us, sometimes we don’t see that which is closest to us.  In fact, probably hardest is to see ourselves.  This is also a good reminder to all of us that one of the keys to effectively crossing cultures is reflecting on oneself and one’s own culture.

Kotoba ooki wa shina sukunashi  – Those with insufficient goods talk a lot:  It’s the empty can that make the most noise. Being talkative seems tacky. The more you talk the more it looks like you’re are trying to cover up a deficit.

I saw the native home in Japan as a supreme study in elimination—not only of dirt, but the elimination of the insignificant…. I found this ancient Japanese dwelling to be a perfect example of the modern standardizing I had myself been working out.
 - Frank Lloyd Wright

‘Unbelievably Futures Trading dates back to 17 th Century Japan. The first ever case noted concerned rice. However, there is also evidence that rice futures were traded in China as far back as 6,000 years ago.

Future trading is a natural progression of things in response to the difficulties of maintaining a year round supply of products which are dependable on seasons like agricultural crops. In ancient Japan, rice used to be stored in warehouses for future consumption by the rice merchants. To raise funds, these merchants would then sell their "rice tickets" (receipts of the stored rice). Later, these rice tickets came to be regarded as a sort of all-purpose currency. As trading in rice tickets became more widespread, rules to standardize the trading of these rice tickets were introduced. In a way, these rules were akin to the current rules of the US Futures trading.’ [1]

https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/commodity-trading-chapter-1-history-commodity-trading-2012-02-02

honne could be referred to as “the actual situation” or “the story behind the story” or “the unvarnished version” and tatemae could be referred to “the line for public consumption”