Unlike the Americans, who prize individuality, the Japanese revere the team, and the concept of Wa, meaning “group harmony”. Whiting quotes the Japanese saying: “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down”. In other words, no individual can ever stand above the team. Wa is about sacrifice and hard work as well as team unity and collective harmony. These ideals align with the ethos of rugby. So I could never understand why the Japanese weren’t good at rugby. Rugby is not about superstars. It has always been a team game for all shapes and sizes who work together as a seamless unit.
Vocabulary
revere: リヴィア。尊敬する。崇敬する。
quotes: ことわざ。
saying: ことわざ。
hammer: 金槌で打つ。
in other words: 言い換えると。
sacrifice: 犠牲。unity: 結束。まとまり。調和。
collective: 集合体の。総体の。共有する。
ideal: 理想。
align with: 合う。合致する。
ethos: 精神。エートス。
seamless: 縫い目のない。継目のない。調和した。
unit: 一団。一群。構成単位。部隊。
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