🇯🇵 SENPAI CULTURE IN JAPAN: LOVE IT OR HATE IT?
Japan is a hierarchical society, and that naturally encourages us to respect older people and teachers.
From an early age, we’re taught to value seniority, not just in age, but in experience.
This mindset helps us follow rules more easily and develop a strong sense of social manners.
Things like calmly lining up in a queue, adapting to structured systems without fuss, and working together smoothly in group settings.
In many ways, this respect-based culture contributes to Japan’s order and harmony.
🏫 IT STARTS IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Usually, this mindset starts to take shape in junior high school.
You can’t greet a senpai casually. Doing so is considered disrespectful.
The proper way is to say “Ohayou gozaimasu” with a bow. (※ Just “Ohayou” sounds too informal.)
Even if someone is just a month older than you, if they’re in a higher grade, they’re your senpai.
In Japan, the school year begins in April and ends in March.
So two people born in the same calendar year — say, one in March and one in April — will be in different grades, and the one born in April is considered the kouhai (junior).
It might sound strange, but that one-month difference can completely shift the social dynamics at school.
👹 GOOD SENPAI VS. NIGHTMARE SENPAI
In my first year of junior high, I realized the world is full of all kinds of people.
Some senpai ignored my greetings, others smiled kindly.
And then there were those who acted like they were royalty just because they were “senpai.” 🙄
I also had senpai who weren’t good at what they did but still barked orders like CEOs.
Some were childish and totally changed their tone depending on who they were talking to.
Having to show respect to people like that just because of the hierarchy felt suffocating.
But not all were bad.
Some were like big brothers or sisters — kind, supportive, and full of wisdom.
I still meet up with a few of them for drinks. They genuinely inspired me.
🎭 TRADITIONAL JAPANESE CULTURE AND THE SENPAI SYSTEM
Senpai culture doesn’t end at school. It runs deep in many workplaces, where rigid hierarchies create serious pressure.
That might be one reason why Japanese work culture is often seen as especially tough.
And things get even more intense in traditional fields like sumo, geisha, maiko, and kabuki.
In those worlds, the senpai system can be so harsh that most people simply wouldn’t last.
Seniority rules everything.
You’re expected to obey without question, no matter how unreasonable the order might be.
Discipline sometimes crosses the line into mental or even physical abuse. Sadly, it’s not unusual to hear about bullying, violence, or even suicides caused by senpai pressure.
Yet it all tends to be accepted in the name of “tradition.”
To succeed in those environments, you need more than just talent.
You need an extreme level of commitment, serious mental strength, and the ability to handle pressure that would break most people.
Of course, there are amazing senpai out there — people who shine, lift others up, and make you want to follow their path.
But for me personally, I’ve come to realize that kind of hierarchical world just isn’t for me.
That’s why I have huge respect for those who continue on that path. Their inner strength is truly admirable.
🧘♀️ WHY I QUIT THE SENPAI GAME
Long story short, I’m done with the whole senpai thing.
I’ve met some incredible senpai in my life — people who shine, inspire, and make the world better just by being themselves.
But I’ve also met a few devilish ones whose faces I’d rather forget. 😅
Being self-employed as a tour guide and English teacher, with almost zero senpai above me, feels like total freedom.
No toxic hierarchy, no passive-aggressive comments, just me doing what I love.
Honestly, I think leaving the senpai system probably added years to my life. Haha.
Now that I’m the senpai in life, I try to be a good one for my kids and the younger generation — someone supportive, not scary.