Hygiene, Obsessive-compulsive neurosis, and Harmony(和)

I found the notice above in a men's room and thought that the toilets in Japan are the most representative cases that show how sophisticated Japansese are for their work. Actually I have never thought of sitting on the toilet as the picture on the left side is shown. But, seeing the notice, there must be some people sitting that way. Then, why do they sit that way? I guess that they think it is too dirty to get thier buttocks on the surface of the toilet seat. Definitely, Japanese are more sensitive over hygiene than Koreans or any people in the world from my observations. I remember a news article that there are some Japanese who get problems on thier hand skin because they wash thier hands so frequently that they become overly dry. Then, what is the origin of Japanese own uniquely high consciousness over hygiene?

In 'Crazy for Japan'(일본 열광), Kim Jung Woon(김정운) says that being overly sensitive over hygiene is a kind of 'obsessive-compulsive neurosis' and it comes from 'fixation of anal stage.' In anal stage by Freud, volunatry urination and defecation become the primary methods of gratifiying the sex instinct. Toilet training produces major conflicts between children and parents. The emotional climate that parents create can have last effects ( Shaffer, David. Developmental psychology: childhood and adolescence. 6th ed, 40.Wadsworth, 2002).

The problem in Japan is tatami.  According to Kim Jung Woon, when a toddler pees or poops on the  tatami floor accidently, the floor can't get cleansed as it used to be. Therefore, the only solution is that parents are strict enough to prevent the accident from happening, which he argues is the origin of Japanese own unique hygiene consciousness (김정운, '일본 열광', 프로네시스(2007), p146-p148). I am not sure whether tatami culture is the main factor for Japanese to pursue high level of hygiene. As a matter of fact, I read an essay over history of tatami culture and got to know that in the past tatami was thin and could be folded up when not used or piled in layers.

But I understood what Kim Jung Woon intended to say. From toddlerhood there are heavy restrictions on individuals in Japan. Because harmony(和) is priotized as the top value, every individual should learn how to keep the harmony from the time they should be socialized over his or her family. Consciously or unconsciously, the harmony(和) should be kept and any kind of distinctive behaviors destroying it should be prevented. Therefore, in almost every social situation rules and orders are emphasized and individual freedom is put aside. 

Whenever I visited Japan, I happened to see lots of social clues proving that. After runnning along Sumida river in Asakusa, I took a rest in a park and watched a group of very young kids playing guided by thier nursery teachers. I was so surprised over how orderly and harmoniously they were playing games. Compared to the Japanese kids' playing, the way or style Korean kids in the same age would be called 'disaster,' I thought.  What makes the Japanese kids play differently from Korean kids? The different degrees in  strictness of the parental disciplines between Japanese parents and Korean ones would be the main factor, I assume. Whereas Korean parents are quite generous over thier children's mischievous behaviors, they are quite strict over thier children's academic performances. On the other hands, while Japanese parents are generous over thier children's academic performances, they are quite strict over thier children's mischievous behaviors. 

In a  nutshell, social pursuit of harmony(和) is the main reason why we can use the cleanest toilets in the world in Japan, assumingly.