Third Eye

It never blinks.

When I lived in Japan it was pre-phone cameras and this crazy overall “observationalist” culture we now live in. If not by other people with camera phones, then by security cameras and CCTV. Before this world of actually being observed all the time, my Japanese friends and colleagues taught me about the Japanese concept of the Third Eye.

Sidebar thought: Ever wonder how many random people’s photos you appear in - in the background? Is it several? Dozens? Hundreds?

I digress.

Meditators might be aware of a third eye, but the Japanese third eye is different. Not as spiritual. This third eye is more like “Big Brother.” It’s a general cultural belief in Japan that even if you are not actually being observed when in public, one should always behave as if you are.

So, like, don’t fuck around.

I always enjoyed this aspect of Japan. Even before anyone explained it. Particularly when at a cafe, enjoying a latte and people-watching. The carefully orchestrated behaviours of impeccably dressed women in Ginza, whether in kimono or “yo-fuku” - western garb - were endlessly pleasant to watch. From how they held their coffee cup, to carrying a bag or a parasol, to standing on an escalator.

Deliberate and studied.

Like everyone went to ballet school early in life.

It was public performance art. Only, it was the public performing. And nobody expected a donation at the end.

When I was originally introduced to the concept, I thought it was creepy. I mean, the idea that you are always being observed is unnerving. It’s the sort of thing celebrities complain about. It could wear on your mental health even. Fact is, however, in a city as large and busy as Tokyo, the chances were pretty good that someone WAS in fact watching you at every moment. Just by chance, more than out of much interest, as you cross their field of vision, for example, or your blonde hair stands out in the crowd.

For context, according to Google, the population of Tokyo is around 34 million with a density at the low end of 6,500 people per square kilometer to 24,000 people per sq/km at the high end. So, in real terms, that’s one person per every 42 square metres (450 square feet). Remove spaces where people can’t be, such as industrial areas, train tracks, or Cracker Barrel restaurants, and you increase that density by quite a bit.

Net net: you’re never alone and someone else is very close by.

So, for me, the concept was adopted pretty fast. Mostly because when I moved to Japan I lived in a relatively small city and being 6’2” and Caucasian meant I stood out a lot. And so you learn to not pick your nose, do anything crazy, and to follow the rules so as to not stand out. Or, as once happened to me, one of your work colleagues may comment on a Monday that the pink shorts you wore to the gym on Sunday looked very stylish. “Kakko-ii deshita!” - which is something they actually only heard through the grapevine…

The benefit of people always acting as though they are being observed, is that there is a general public decorum that benefits the entire country. For example, once, my friend Takeo and I were returning home from a bar at 3 a.m. As we walked to the taxi stand, we came to a massive “scramble” crosswalk, where all the traffic is stopped at once and all the pedestrians cross every which way. As expected at 3 a.m., there was very little traffic and relatively few people. So, naturally, I said to Takeo, “Let’s walk.”

“But the light is red,” he replied.

“I know, but there’s no traffic, let’s go,” my impatient western mouth said.

“Ohhh, no,” he retorted. “We can’t.”

“Why not? There’s nobody here. Let’s go!”

“Oh no. If in Japan we decide when to follow the rules and when not to, because there are so many people, the whole system will fall apart.”

And so we waited.

That stuck with me, though, how the cultural agreement was to follow the rules because everyone counts on it. If you don’t, chaos ensues, which goes against the cultural expectation that people trust you will adhere to the rules. And trust requires consistency. So breaking the rules, in a way, is breaking people’s trust in you.

And breaking trust feels much heavier than just walking when the red hand says not to.

So, to return to my sidebar thought, in fact, we are ALL in countless strangers’ photos these days because we are living in an observationalist culture. I dove a little deeper on this, and while the data is still pretty new, most people are on camera on average 238 times a week just living their lives. Of course, where you live and work and how you get around make a difference here, with Americans hitting about 34 times per day, but Britons hitting up to 300 (hello CCTV), and Canadians falling in the middle somewhere.

One thing to note is if you hate the idea, never be near a tourist attraction.

So, with all this being watched, the obvious question to me is, why is public behaviour getting so much worse?

I think the key is that with the Japanese Third Eye, the cultural difference is internal accountability vs. surveillance, which is just observation without any behavioural expectation. Despite being constantly recorded (phones, doorbells, dashcams, CCTV), public behavior hasn’t got the memo.

It’s more like somehow, now [that] we are being seen, the whole world is a stage. We are caught in a reality TV show and being a dick is what makes for good content.

Cameras haven’t created decorum, they’ve nearly killed it. We only behave when we think we might get caught, not because of any social contract.

So, I’m gonna argue that the individual’s “freedom” to ignore rules when it’s convenient or an opportunity to better one’s situation (I see you, drivers who use the bus lane in traffic), is not just rude and selfish, it is a direct assault on everyone else’s trust.

Trust that you’ll behave so I do not have to engage with you, of course, but also trust that we all follow the rules of a system to keep that system fair and pleasant. Not because it’s oppressing you, but because it’s liberating us all by making public life way more predictable and less stressful.

When everyone decides to live by their own rules because they are a special snowflake for whom the rules don’t count, where do we end up?

For one, in the background of another influencer creating content for her fans. There you are. See? The person with the scowl on their face that says, “what fresh hell is this?”

You look great, by the way. (237 more times to go!)