In Korea there is a proverb that goes, “Bitterness lasts over one thousand years,” while in China there is an ancient tale about a man taking his revenge on an enemy by opening up his tomb and whipping his enemy’s bones. In Japan there is a proverb about the past that is completely opposed to this sentiment: “let bygones be bygones.” You could say that the Japanese are equipped with an ability to handle changing times. Japan dramatically altered itself from being a samurai country to a western-style modern country through the Meiji Restoration (late 19th century), and later from being a military power to being an economically-powerful nation. The USA, that Japan once dubbed “a nation of beasts” and fought until it was forced to surrender unconditionally, is now Japan’s greatest ally. A scene that fully embodied the proverb “let bygones be bygones,” was when an A-bomb victim accepted the embrace of American President OBAMA during his visit to Hiroshima in 2016. On the other hand, the Japanese also possess the spirit of Bushido in which brave enemies are admired. General NOGI, after winning a fierce battle in the Japan-Russia War, treated General STESSEL – who had surrendered – in a gentlemanly fashion. His conduct in respecting the honor of his enemy touched people the world over. In the book “Hagakure” (Hidden in a Leaf), which deals with the rules of Bushido, there is a sentence which states, “Bushido should be a way to accept death.” This means that one should always be aware of death and live in the moment taking everything seriously, a philosophy said to be greatly influenced by the spirit of Zen. Zen could be summed up as “accepting reality as it is and living as a human being.” You might say that the Japanese are also influenced by Shinto in that human beings are a part of nature, a nature in which god resideseverywhere. Japanese people take the view of life and death that anyone could become the Buddha after death. A famous yakuza from the Edo period, SHIMIZU no Jirochou, buried enemy troops as well as those he supported. You might say that the Japanese, who are influenced by Bushido, Zen and Shinto, embrace the spirit of being considerate towards the feelings of others. Japanese people are moved by actions that do not cause trouble to others or work that is done for the greater good rather than for egotistical reasons. You can see these actions in everyday life, such as “arriving on time” and “cleaning up after yourself. ”In other words, you could say that Japanese people are concerned with how others view them.