So I am always trying to learn better to “read the air” and understand the social situation I’m in with individual Japanese people and groups. Slowly slowly I’m getting a little better. But – maybe it’s an odd question – are there any books or movies I might watch or read
to give me so a bit of useful insight into the contemporary or generally Japanese “mindset”? Yes I know Japanese people are not all the same. But for example, reading American decent recent American literature might help you a bit Understand a little better how a 30 year old American living in a big city might tend to think. Movies? Tv? Novels especially?
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This might sound ridiculous but there’s a game called 空気読み that shows different situations and rates your response to them. 😅 It’s fairly simple and the concept is interesting.
I would recommend basically any basic fiction Japanese novel. For recommendations, see the yearly winners of the 本屋大賞. These books are modern, which will help you in your search of the ‘contemporary or generally Japanese mindset.’
It is fairly well know that reading fiction helps to increase the empathy abilities of the reader. Here is a [resource](https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/how-reading-fiction-increases-empathy-and-encourages-understanding) to back up my claim. My line of reasoning is that if reading fiction in general would help to increase empathy, then reading Japanese novels written by Japanese people for the Japanese public would help with decreasing cultural differences through increased empathy skills.
Screw all that book and movie nonsense. What you’re getting is someone’s version of how to behave. Just go out there and mingle and learn through trial and error. Immersion is your best learning tool.
How are you in social situations otherwise?
The best tip I can give about how to read the air is to forget about “Japanese mindset”. You just have to pay attention to people around you. Think about who they are, what they have to do, what they want to do, what they’re trying to do and how they’re trying to do it. It’s exact same thing you’ve been doing your entire life no matter where you are.
Thinking that there is a “Japanese mindset” especially one you can learn or study is probably your biggest barrier.
Fiction is not real life, and “reading the air” is literally the same thing everywhere around the world. There’s nothing inherently Japanese about the concept. Americans say “read the room,” right?
“Be yourself” is shit advice so I’ll say instead; be kind, be patient, think before you speak, and don’t be a dickhead.