Okay it must be a weird question but eversince I came here, I’ve realized how every single creature, even an ant or a tiny cockroach or any bug is soo extremely important that I’ve never seen any Japanese person kill one.
We’ve encountered a few bugs in my workplaces in the past and my coworkers would be beyond scared but would carefully put it in a tiny case and let them outside. I mean growing up, I’m used to people killing a cockroach as soon they see one. When I was new here, there was a cockroach in our office and I’m not super scared of bugs in general but my coworkers were screaming their lungs out and running away so I swatted it (not with my hands of course lol but with a stick i think) immediately and everybody looked at me like I was nuts.
I also worked in a kindergarten where there were some mosquitoes and where I’m from, we just kill them with our bare hands or with a mosquito zapper and I tried to kill one while my coworker gasped and looked horrified. She gathered the kids together and told them bugs are friends and we should just “escort them out” when we see one. Whenever I see them encounter a fly or mosquito, they just direct it to the door with a cardboard but actually use spray repellents and bug spray that kills them so it’s kinda ironic.
Through the years, I’ve not seen a single person kill even an ant but if they find any, they would just slowly take it out and let it free. Now I feel I’ve been brought up wrong because I never really paid attention to them. I also saw a few of my coworkers “apologizing” to leftover food like chicken, beef etc as they throw them in the trash… I’m kinda… hmm… baffled by this. Is this a thing because of Buddhism?
Edit: Wow. Thanks everyone! I guess the people I’ve met are just very particular about this sort of thing.
14 comments
🫤 time to leave reddit for the day
I think it’s probably less about religion/spirituality and more about not killing a living creature just because it’s in your space, and being grateful and paying respect another creature that died so you could eat it.
Source: not buddhist, don’t impulsively kill, grateful for the food
Lol, wut?
My students have drowned spiders in sinK
I learned how to slap mosquitoes from my Japanese roommate
They sell traps for ants, cockroaches and flies to kill them
Not to mention the sprays to kill cockroaches and spiders
I’m sorry but have you been to a zoo, pet store, animal café, etc. in Japan? Treating animals properly isn’t a high priority here unfortunately.
Ever been to a Japanese zoo or pet shop … or restaurant? Ever seen Whale Wars or The Cove? Ever seen where eggs come from? Animal welfare isn’t really a thing.
Lol. No. I’ve had the opposite experience.
The only times I’ve seen someone shy away from killing a bug here is when they don’t think they can take it in a fight.
Maybe they don’t want to get their hands dirty slapping mosquitoes etc, especially if it’s a man, since they don’t wash them anyway.
Foreigner + Anecdote = All Japanese People
Nope.
As a Japanese person, I can confirm that we do kill bugs&insects.
I found your observation quite interesting, and can offer you 2 possible interpretations:
1)Many ppl, especially adults, simply don’t want to TOUCH bugs and insects, let alone crush them with our hands
2) As children they do teach us to be kind to small beings, appreciate life, etc. Not that most us seriously live by “buddhist ideals” as adults, but you did mention there being children present at your workplace, so the adults might be trying to avoid showing “barbaric” behaviours in front of them?
I don’t know their thought process exactly, but I wouldn’t worry about them judging you
My girlfriend is deathly afraid of butterflies. One time a moth got in her car, and she made me kill it with that freeze spray they have here. Everytime she sees a bug she wants me to kill it, but not spiders, because spiders are friends aparently. Not every Japanese person values life, but I have seen what you describe too.
Wait til you see kids playing with cicadas.
My Japanese wife kills every bug she sees, she hates em all
Japanese here.
I think almost Japanese people who were children were told if you leave any foods, MOTTAINAI OBAKE comes, so your coworkers apologized to leftover food.
It’s not Buddhism.