Canadian Otaku wrote...
in general, the motto of life in Japan is thus:
The nail that sticks out will be hammered down.
In general, yeah. Conformity and sticking to the norm is encouraged and the more different you try to be, the more negative attention you'll receive. Whether it is dyed hair, piercings, tattoos (well, these are a
no for other reasons), or unusual behaviour, you can't do it without some negative repercussions. To an extent it will be exaggerated in the materials we read and in anime, but it will still have a greater impact than what you'll find back in North America.
True.
In this culture (Japan) and most of those within south-east Asia, the balance is less settled on good/bad than order/chaos. Meaning, as long as you behave like the society expects from you, there's no harm. In order to achieve this "harmony", the better would be to behave like the majority.
It also cause some big problems like the ijime and such. Foreigners must adapt very quickly too. Being original is not forbidden, but you must do it when/where/how it is expected/allowed only.