Why Japan's service to others ahead of self motto is a valuable lesson for Nairobi

Some three or so decades ago, KTN, then Kenya Television Network, was commissioned by the Japan International Cooperation Agency to do some documentaries on Japan.  The KTN crew, comprising a young team led by Godfrey Mavisi, producer/director, the late Pius Kilaiti, cameraman, and Francis Githae, soundman, travelled the length and breadth of Japan, returning with some spectacular pictures for the production of the stories on Japan. 

They covered the story of a Japan that was still transforming, undertaking infrastructure development and building agricultural and power plants.  The railway construction story was incomplete; the bullet trains and the Tsukuba Express Line from Tokyo were yet to be built; the Sky Tree was way into the future, so were many other modern establishments.  But the team returned with stories which at the time still set the country apart, still recovering from the effects of the Second World War.  My boss at the time, Joel Musundi, wrote some beautiful narratives that helped us piece the documentaries together, to the joy and satisfaction of our client, JICA.

I witnessed the country from the videos that the team brought and the developments wowed us at the station.  We spoke of the difference between them and us, with musings to the effect that they were decades removed from us, and they really were.  What we did not realise at the time was that the developments witnessed at the time and which continue to define the country’s trajectory were not an accident.  They were intentional, deeply ingrained in the people’s overall culture and thinking. 

I recently, for the first time, had the honour of accompanying some friends on some business travels to Japan, and all of us were left admiring the spirit of the Japanese people. My friends, all directors at the prestigious boys-only institution, Merishaw School, were on a trip to experience Japanese culture first-hand and identify opportunities for the school to establish partnerships and possibly introduce the best of Japanese culture to their students.  The school runs a program that aims to build the character of their boys based on the Maasai culture; after all, it is located in the rural area of the Maasai county of Kajiado.  Seeking to blend the Maasai culture with the Japanese one, therefore, seemed appropriate, hence the visit. But the experience provided a window into a people whose innovation and value-based system was way more humbling than we would have imagined.

Japan presents a good story on the development of brick and mortar, but it’s the value-based system that makes the developments all the more worthwhile.  And these values aren’t taught at home alone, nor only at school, but rather at every stage where learning is undertaken, including in public spaces, theatres, museums and even train stations.     

 We visited an elementary school where we found that during lunchtime, the classroom of six-year-old children is converted into a dining hall. Here, a group of children wear aprons and serve their fellow pupils the lunchtime meal. Once done, they remove the aprons, neatly fold them and pack them away before being served by their teachers.  Meanwhile, all the other pupils await their colleagues to be served before starting to eat.  And before they partake of the meal, the teachers invite those who wish to reduce their portions to return their servings for size rationalisation so as not to waste any food.  In any case, the pupils are welcome to go back for second or even third servings once they clear their plates.  The service by the children is done on a weekly rotational basis.  This, we learnt, teaches the children two important lessons: service to others and ensuring no wastage.  The service to others is practised throughout the lives of the children, well into adulthood as they join higher levels of education and transition into society.  It is therefore no wonder that where others expect to be served by wage-earning staff, Japanese choose to extend service, expecting no pay.  We have seen them do this even at the World Cup, where fans remain behind at the stadium to collect rubbish. 

 But the motto of service to others ahead of self is not just a lesson in school or at home.  In public spaces, people are so sensitive about the convenience of others.  Walking along the streets, they rarely talk across each other lest they inconvenience those walking in the opposite direction, choosing instead to walk in a queue to engage in any discussions at their destinations, or not at all.  A walk to the railway station is the same; people follow directional signs, avoiding inconveniencing those walking faster in the same direction or those walking in the opposite direction.  And because not inconveniencing others is such a strong virtue, their timekeeping is another testament of not inconveniencing others.  Timekeeping is therefore not just a good thing, but rather a sign of respect for others. 

 The people in this far east nation present so many lessons in being sensitive to others, showing respect, putting others ahead of self, that infrastructural development and innovation is not a surprise.  They develop because in development is service to others; they innovate because in innovation they solve other people’s problems.  Coming back home, one is left thinking there is a lot to learn from people who have chosen humanity over self-gratification and long-term impact over short-term gains.  I cannot wait to see how my friends at Merishaw School will apply the lessons learnt, but more importantly, how the boys from that school blend the two cultures and build enviable characters as they transition into adulthood and serve society. 

I couldn’t help thinking that another production visit would be apt, but not just looking at the developments since the station’s last production, but also looking at how the people’s value system makes the developments all the more possible.