crying.

[guitarplayer7694]

Do the Japanese view male crying like we do in America, Where it is "wimpy" to do so.

[Xuande]

My guess would be that its viewed about the same there like it is here.

[Shirasagi]

Not wimpy. But like everything in Japan, there's a Time, Place, and Occasion.

[Oracle]

I'd agree with Shirasagi that there's a time a place for it, but on the other hand I've never seen so many TV programs where men cry as in Japan.. Obviously in everyday life it is definitely not cool, and personally I've never seen a Japanese male older than about 7 cry, but if TV is representative - for better or worse - of what people want to see, then I'd say Japanese as a race are pretty sentimental and they definitely don't mind seeing guys having a cry, if it's for the right reason.
Suitable reasons: 1) achieving some goal after years of struggle, 2) being reunited with a long lost parent or sibling 3) winning an eating contest

[Shirasagi]

There's a phrase: 男泣き. The nuance, as I understand it, is that typically a man doesn't cry in front of others, but may do so when greatly moved by some emotion. AFAICT, it's not negative (native speakers, please correct me if I'm wrong), but rather indicates the depth of feeling. It's so great that even the man must cry.

A good example is the Koshien baseball tournament. Macho, hardened, 17 and 18 year olds openly weeping and sobbing after they get eliminated. No seems to think less of them for it; rather it illustrates the intensity and importance of the tournament.

And I agree with Oracle. In the States it's always, "The Japanese are inscrutable. They don't show their emotions," like it's a nation of Vulcans or something. Then you get over here and it's 喜怒哀楽. And the Japanese are like Eskimos and snow when it comes to crying. In addition to 男泣き, there's

泣く - to cry
泣ける - to be moved to tears
号泣 - sobbing
悔し涙 - bitter tears
嬉し涙 - happy tears
貰い泣き - crying in sympathy

The last is pretty widespread. I remember watching Green Mile in Tokyo, and at the end the entire audience was weeping, including my friend, who was a 33 year old man. Hell, there were so many people weeping around me, I was moved to tears, and I never cry at movies.

[two_heads_talking]

Shirasagi wrote:
Not wimpy. But like everything in Japan, there's a Time, Place, and Occasion.

this is the plain and simple truth. I don't know many cultures that call a man who crys "wimpy". they will say that it is not their place to cry at that time though..

[guitarplayer7694]

Shirasagi wrote:
The last is pretty widespread. I remember watching Green Mile in Tokyo, and at the end the entire audience was weeping, including my friend, who was a 33 year old man. Hell, there were so many people weeping around me, I was moved to tears, and I never cry at movies.

"The Green Mile" was a sad movie. Good but sad

[Orcrist]

two_heads_talking wrote:

Shirasagi wrote:
Not wimpy. But like everything in Japan, there's a Time, Place, and Occasion.

this is the plain and simple truth. I don't know many cultures that call a man who crys "wimpy". they will say that it is not their place to cry at that time though..

Any man who cries is called wimpy over here. Unless he can prove he was eating some:

[everdream]

^Ah...they're terrable, my mother eats them ><

[two_heads_talking]

Orcrist wrote:

two_heads_talking wrote:

Shirasagi wrote:
Not wimpy. But like everything in Japan, there's a Time, Place, and Occasion.

this is the plain and simple truth. I don't know many cultures that call a man who crys "wimpy". they will say that it is not their place to cry at that time though..

Any man who cries is called wimpy over here. Unless he can prove he was eating some:

those things suck.. I would rather eat rusty nails.

and I always looked at it this way. the person who refuses to cry because of social stigma is a wimp. they have no backbone because they are afraid of what others think.. those are the biggest wimps in my opinion..

[inuinu]

おぉ〜、 まったく同感で〜す
もちろん私にとっても、男性が泣いたらかっこわるいと思うような状況もありますけど
男性が流す涙を全部かっこわるいとか弱虫と思うような（ましてや、それを口に出す）人を見ると、
つまらない狭量な人生を生きている人なんだろうなと思ってしまいますね。

[AJBryant]

That's why God invented Altoids. Damn, that's a lot of >MINT< in a small pellet.


Tony

[Chris Hart]

AJBryant wrote:
That's why God invented Altoids. Damn, that's a lot of >MINT< in a small pellet.


Tony

I thought that was Callard & Bowser...