Japan Society of Fairfield County
Culture Watch, Society Watch (15)
by Dr. Ikuko Anjo Jassey
Who do you expect greets with "Thank you"
after you shop at a market? A sales person or you as a customer? In
this society, interestingly enough, customers express their
appreciation for a service provided by a market, saying "Thank you" to
a store employee who often responds nothing or sometimes just utters
"Hmmm" or occasionally says "You're welcome." Generally, this peculiar
interaction is witnessed at a marketplace, regardless of its size. For
me who was born and raised in a country where customers are received
solo or in chorus with a word "welcome" and are sent off with "thank
you," I have not yet adjusted myself to this reverse of custom. Even in
a market where employees are well trained, the situation differs much;
we hardly hear them say "thank you" on our leaving. Nonetheless, there
is another breed of people who are amazingly courteous in the service
sector, compared to those of Japan. They are medical doctors.
Since my husband and I believe in
preventive medicine, we see doctors fairly frequently. In my case, I
see six doctors for annual check-ups: Internist, gynecologist,
ophthalmologists (general and retina specialist), dentist, and
periodontist. Besides them, I use a walk-in clinic for minor problems
once or twice a year. The characteristics of American doctors whom I
have met are courteous and respectful toward their patients. They
elucidate what the problem is and how it would be treated. They even
provide information about a drug we take, including its name and
dosage. Moreover, American doctors would never say or suggest that his
patient could not understand it since he/she is not familiar with the
medical terms. (I experienced this attitude of a doctor in Japan when I
asked about a drug prescribed for me. However, it seems that today a
favorable change of their attitude is observed among some young
doctors, according to my sister living in Japan.) In other words,
unlike many doctors in Japan, American doctors are not arrogant. Their
attitude is professional accompanied with dispositions of helpfulness,
respectfulness, courteousness, and often friendliness.
Recently, we met a distinguished electro
physiologist who is trusted by his colleagues as a bright, reliable,
and experienced doctor, although he is still young, perhaps in his late
thirties. Not only do I observe all the above characteristics in
American doctors he partakes, but he is humble and modest. This means
that "the boughs that bear most hang the lowest" as a proverb goes. So,
in order to express our genuine gratitude, I prepared sushi and
delivered it to him and his coworkers when my husband fully recovered.
And it was not long before we received a thank-you letter from him with
warm and kind words. Not to mention the fact that we live in the
world's most advanced nation in the field of medicine, simultaneously
this country apparently has succeeded to nurture doctors who provide
their services with commitment, care and courtesy.
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