Omoiyari (おも い や り) can be translated as “be attentive”, “compassion”, “feel empathy”, etc. Each person must possess some of these qualities in order for a society to be sustainable. Omoiyari is a combination of these concepts. The fact that people in Japan are expected to display more omoiyari may have to do with the need to survive in a dense society for several centuries with land scarcity. Now that the country's population is divided into separate families, and each family unit lives almost among strangers, omoiyari is not as important as it used to be, although the concept itself still attracts attention.

The point of omoiyari is to anticipate another person's needs and satisfy those needs before that person asks for what they need. And in fact, the occasion of expressing omoiyari may occur even before the person himself realizes the need. This distinguishes Japanese culture from Western culture, where the “must-tell” principle most often operates.

The manifestation of omoiyari may include an ATM panel in several languages or the presence of professions such as elevator operators. This is a form of omoiyari because this profession meets the needs of the client - he/she does not have to put in a lot of effort. This is how focusing on customer service makes life in Japan so convenient.

Omoiyari penetrates the soul (心 kokoro) and involves suppressing one's own desires if they are contrary to the interests of another person. Once you understand the principle of omoiyari, it becomes easier to understand Japanese society and its behavior and try to live up to it, especially if you live in Japan or have Japanese business partners.

Feeling someone else's needs and desires without being explicitly mentioned is called "kuuki wo yomu" (空気を読む - read atmosphere/air). Kuuki wo yomu is considered very important in the Japanese social environment. A person who cannot "read the atmosphere" is said to be "kuuki wo yomenai - 空気を読めない", that is, he "is unable to read the atmosphere" and is called "KY".

Remember what manifestations of omoiyari you have seen in your life and write in the comments!